William Elisha Stoker to Elizabeth E. Stoker, June 17, 1863

Camp near Delhi Louisiana June the 17th. A.D. 1867

Dear beloved Wife it is with pleasure I once more set down to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and I hope when this comes to hand it will find you and familey enjoying the same blessing. The last time I wrote to you I was at richmond. I giv you a sketch of our fights we had on the Missippi [Mississippi] river that until we was ordered to Monroe. We started and the Morning and started there came a overwhelming rain. Before we got fare from camp and we was ordered back to our [illegible] camps again. We staid there a day or too and mooved our camps up near an old feald of a thousand acres too the purpose of drilling and on the morning of the 15th while the men was out drilling the nuse came that the enemy was near. The men was formed in a line of battle. There was a bayou between us and the feds. Our regament was led out and marched across the bayou for the purpors of keepping the enemey at check untill the bayou got out of the way and the rest of the men could retreat. I dont think General Walker intended to fight then at that place as it wasent an appropriate place. As soon as our regament crossed the bayou the feds fiered too canon at them. They was a long ways off. Our men advanced on them untill they became near enough for there pickets to fier on them with there small arms. Our men charged them and run there back to where they had formed the line of battle. We killed some of them but we dont know how many. When they fiered on us the bullets fell around us like hail. We faught them with our small arms about an hour and retreatted back across the bayou. Near our camps [illegible] there [was?] some ditches where the that [illegible ] to McCullers [McCulloch] brigade came up and there was constern fier of canonade from both sids for about too hours. [In?] [this?] line there [illegible] ben a retreat made so we could keep out of the way [until?] we crossed back over the bayou. We burned the bridge. There was 37 killed and wounded and missing. There wasent but too killed that we know of 7 wounded. The rest of them we think was taken prisoners. They was such as couldent keek up men that was [puney?] and with soar feet. We hav fell back to the place before mentione. We hav got a strong reinforcement if the enemy prssurs us. We will hav a big fight hear. Guss Newberry hasent come [illegible]. He went to get some water when we was in the ditches and that was the last that was seen of him. He was either killed by a [illegible ]or taken prisiner. We dont know which. General Walker said that he dident expect to see us come out any more when we was crossed over the bayou. He said we done well to come out with any men at all. We dont know how strong the federal army was. They was a great deal stronger than we was or they wouldent of attactted us. We can hear the cannon all the time at Vixburg [Vicksburg]. Night and day the hevyest guns that I ever herd. We are about 40 miles from there and we can hear them just as plain as we want to. I dont know how they are making it. I heard that the loss was hevey on both sids. The feds has ben threw hear and destroid every thing. There isent any farms in cultivation so far as we hav ben on the Missippi. I hav seen thousands upon thousands of acres of the best land in the world just turned out and the negrous all run of to keep the feds from getting them. The big negro quarters that [looks?] like towns are all desolate. Betty I dont know whether whethering you hav heard from me in some time or not. We havent had the opportunity of of mailng our letter in some time. We hav ben about 20 miles from any post office. About too weekes I wrote and sent my letter to this post office by hand but I dont [know?] whether you got it or not. When you get this let me know if you got my letters or not. [Direct?] yours to [illegible] Culbersons [Culberson] Regament. I saw Sid and Thomas a few days ago. They are well. Ive ben thinking of getting a transfer to that regament but I am afraid that I wouldent be satisfide in that regament.