23 June 1863: “Glorious news this morning from Vicksburg. Grant has been driven off …”

Item description: Letter, dated 23 June 1863, from John A. Ramsay to an unidentified recipient.  In this letter Ramsay discusses troop movements in Virginia and injuries from the Battle of Brandy Station, as well as news from the Battle of Vicksburg.

Item citation: From folder 6 of the John A. Ramsay Papers, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Item transcription:

Camp near Middleton, Va

June 23rd, 1863

Dear Sir,

I will add a few lines to the letter already written we did not move as we expected when I last wrote you But have been marching backwards and forwards to and from Snicker’s to Ashby’s Gap.

Glorious news this morning from Vicksburg.  Grant has been driven off twenty two miles by Gen Johnson and you may know he has saved Pemberton this time.

Cousin Wm. Luckey was wounded on the top of the hench bone by a minnie ball in the fight at Brandy Station and Capt Andrews of same company lost his leg.  Bone shattered by minnie ball.  There were several others whose names I have forgotten the two above mentioned I saw.

I was have to close as Dr. Nichols is about starting by whom I send this note.

Yours most respectfully,

J. A. R.

More about this item: In this letter, Ramsay refers to General Johnson, when this would have actually been General Joseph Johnston.  In reality, Johnston’s troops were only expected to come to the aid of Pemberton’s troops at Vicksburg, which did not occur, and Pemberton surrendered the city on July 4th, 1863.

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