DESPERATELY SICK

Well how long we lay there I don't know before the surrender. A week or so we got orders to march. We marched some 12 miles back of Vicksburg. They took us in a timber country in the most beautiful black berry patches I ever seen. We just lived on the fruit. Such great big berries I have never seen. When they surrendered the city we went towards the city some five miles. In camp I never seen any of the Johnies of the (two unidentified words).

We were then ordered toward Black River. Here I took desparately sick. Oh how sick I was. The regiment was ordered to Jackson. I was left with lots of others sick. One morning we got orders to go down to the railroad some five miles to wait for a train to come out loaded with provisions and other stuf. We missed our train. Layed out all day till 9 o'clock in the evening. We got on some freight cars for Vicksburg. Got their at mid night. The depot out east of the city some three miles. They took the engine and backed down towards the river. About half way another train was coming up. They met and just more then piled us in one end of the car but no one was hurt.

About 2 o'clock in the morning we got in ambulance and were taken to a hospital boat on the river. Oh my, my heart failed me here. So far away from the boys and so far from home and oh so sick. I stayed on this boat some time. They got a doctor that lived some miles from the city to take charge of the sick. The other doctors ware all sick. The first morning he came to see the old fellow took a liking to me. He came back and set down and had quite a chat. He told me this water and the climate was not good for me. All the water we had was river water and was so warm. He then told me the first hospital boat that comes up he would send me north. I was glad. Two days after one come. He come. Now get redy. Say, it did not take me long to get redy. We left sometime during the night. The nex day we were about 10 rod from the land. Some 25 or more rebs fired in our boat. The bow was full of men. I heard the shot and looked on just as the smoke rose from their guns. Oh cowardly cowards to fire in a hospital boat.

(The memoirs end at this point. Jefferson Moses was sent north in July 1863, recovered from his illness and rejoined his regiment in January, 1864. He participated in the actions of his regiment from this point to his discharge on July 7, 1865. )