1862 July 21 near Vicksburg, Miss.

Camps Near Vicksburg Missispi
          July 21st 1862

Dear Aunt

As I now have the spare
time to write a letter, not being
ale to be on duty, I concluded
to drop you a few lines at the req
-uest of my Father from whom I recei
=ved a letter a few days ago.  my Brother
Wm.R. received a letter from you
sometime in April last containing
information that you wished to be
conveyed to our Father, we sent your
letter to him by the first chance we
could get, and a day or two ago we
received one from him requesting
us to write to you, stating that he would
come to Va so soon as he could do so
with safety and carry out his Brother
Wm's request, he also stated in his let
-ter that he had received letters from
uncle Hiram informing him of the
deaths of  his Brother Albert and Mr
Logan, the husband of his sister--

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Catharine, they died sometime in
February last.  he said that you must
keep things as straight as you could
until he could get there, but he did
not know when that would be, but
he would come just as soon as he could
get there, he stated tat his health was
a little better than usual.  Ma's health
was not any better than common, but
no worse, all the rest were well,
he said that he had never as yet
been troubled by the Federals in any
way, it is but seldom that we ever
hear from Tenn. and when we do
get a letter from there, they seem to
be afraid to write but little about
anything, since we have been down
south we have seen and felt some
of the hardships of genuine soldiering.
we have traveled many hundred miles
and the most of them on foot.  we
are now lying down here at Vicks-
burg close to the great Mississippi---

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under the Enemy's Gun Boats,
we have been at this place about
4 weeks, but have not had a fight
yet, we do not give the Yankees time to
land their forces, but they keep up
a continual firing all the time.
before I came here the name of
tun Boat had a particular dread
to it. but I have found out that
there is not so much danger in them
as is generally supposed, I have been
in tolerable good health the most
of the time since I have been in
the service, I have been somewhat
under the weather of late but hope
to be better soon.  My Brother Wm R
is at present a few miles out in
the Country. he has had a slight
attack of the Bilious Fever, but
is in a good condition soon to get
well, you must excuse our delay
in answering your letter, but we
have travelled about so much and

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staid at a place such a short time
that we have hardly had time to write,
but we will try and do better in
the future.  you must write to us
often, and tell Cousin's Alex and
Walter both to write to us, you
have no idea how much good
it does do a soldier to receive a
letter in Camps, more so in the
case of we Tennesseans who are
far from home, and have but little
opportunity of hearing from those
whom we hold dearer to us than
anything on Earth, I live in hopes
and trust in God, that this may
not be long the case, We were very
sorry to hear of the deaths of Uncle
Wm and Aunt Sallie, you have my
best wishes in your trials and
difficulties, hoping that you may
have good health, and true friends
to help you along lifes journey is
my earnest wish, give my love to
all of my relations in Va, and tell
all to write to me, hoping to hear
from some of you soon.  I am yours
in truth        Robt. T. Tompkins
1st Lieut in Company C. 45th Regt Tenn Volunteers
---4th Brigade, Breckinridges Division

MSS 705