John writes from on board the boat, Ohio Bell. He thanks God that he is alive and well and tells his parents that he has had no opportunity to write until now.

They started from Memphis on Sunday morning, the 21st of December, and were on the boat for nearly four days. After three days of travelling, they were given orders to leave the boat within the hour in order to burn a bridge that ran from Vicksburg towards Texas. They had to take with them
'two dayes ration and a banket and 60 round of cartridge'.

John describes their mission. The bridge was set alight as well as thousands and thousands of dollars worth of cotton.
He describes how the cavalry set fire to a town and also how they found twenty-four guns in one house.

Having returned to the boats, they traveled down the Missisipi for about twenty-five miles before turning off down the Yazoo River for ten miles. They then landed and the soldiers began another trek with two days worth of food. They walked until one in the morning before lying down on their weapons.

The next day, on waking, they realised that they were facing the enemy. John was in the right wing reserve and was therefore spared from going into the line of fire. They fought for a part of two days and a number were killed and injured. It was a terrible time and they had to lie on their weapons for five days and five nights with the shells dropping around them. Last night, they retreated as far as the bridge. The enemy had made a fort on top of the high mountan, cutting down the trees. John writes that it would be terrible for the infantry to have to face this.

[Battle of Nicholasville]