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Camp 13th Ill Infty Vicksburg Miss Tuesday July 14th 1863. My Dear Brother & Sister, We heard from the regiment this morning and find that our army has Johnson surrounded at Jackson. About sixty of us are now making preparations for an early start to morrow morning, to fill up the ranks of our comrades at that place. Breckenridge is with Johnson & we are told that they have about thirty five or forty thousand men. Ithink we have at least fity thousand & probably more. Our informant says that the boys are in fine spritis but that they suffered very much from the heat on the march. The R.R. track is repaired to Black river & trains now run to that place. We have heard of the victory of our army on the Potomac. Noble fellows!