Letter from Corporal John Griffith Jones, from Willow Springs camp, to his parents in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 6 May 1863 [page 1 of 2]

Description

In this letter, John describes the battle of Port Gibson. This was a crucial battle and although the Union side suffered many losses, it ultimately led to their capture of Vicksburg.

John says that he has taken part in another terrible battle in a place called Grand Gulf, Mississippi. It started on the 28th of April and the gun boats were firing from eight o'clock in the morning until three o'clock on that day. John's regiment joined the battle at seven o'clock on the morning of the 30th of April.

According to John Griffith Jones, the 23rd regiment took about fifty prisoners of war and approximately two thousand rebels were taken prisoners in total. He describes the battle field

'In one regiment almost all the rebels were wiped out and the ground was strewn with corpses'.

He tells how two officers from the rebel side came to them with a 'flag of truce' and tried to gain permission to bury their dead the following day. This request was refused.

According to John, they were the first into the town of Port Gibson, Mississippi. They are now within thirty miles of Vicksburg and expect that they will be heading there next.

The rebels have burnt a number of bridges behind them, but John believes that this will not be a problem as they can build a 'floating bridge' in an hour or two.

He says that all the Welshmen got out alive and well and that there are many Welsh in the other regiments including about a hundred in the '56 Ohio' and a number in the Iowa regiments.