He was
present when General Jackson was mortally wounded, and he seems to have
been deeply affected by it. He writes that the Confederacy could better
have lost a hundred thousand men."
There was more in the letter, but it was strictly personal to Dick,
and it closed with her heartfelt prayer that God, who had led him safely
so far, would lead him safely through all.
After reading it several times he put it in a hidden pocket. Soldiers
did not receive many letters and they always treasured them. Ah, his
dear, beautiful young mother! How could anyone ever harm her! Yet the
thought of Skelly and his outlaws made him uneasy. He hoped that the
Union garrison would remain in Pendleton permanently.
His mind was soon compelled to turn back to the siege. They were digging
trenches and creeping closer and closer. Warner had made no mistake
in his mathematics. The army and the people in Vicksburg had begun to
suffer from a lack of food. They were down to half rations. They had
neither tea nor coffee, and medicines were exhausted. Many and many a
time they looked forth from their hills and prayed for Johnston, but he
could not come.
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