Robert Edward Hill[71] to Mary Scott Hill - June 21, 1863

Hd. Qtrs Texas Rangers
Camp in Front.
June the 21 1863

My Dear Sister

Once again are we placed in the front to guard the approach of the Enemy or to hide our movements from the keen eyes of our watchful enemy We have been in the rear and on the Flank for three months and Our boys for the last 6 weeks have no had much to do We have been letting our Horses rest, and trying to recruit them up but Forage is so very scarce that we have not improved them much

Our Regt is stronger now and turns out more men for duty than any time since we arived at bowling Gren Ky. nearly two years ago We have no sickness now scarcely and almost every man has a horse there are some that you could scarcely drive away from the Wagon camp with a stick but they are called Wagon dogs and have to do the duties of camp killing and cleaning beefs and Guarding the commisary stores. We have only had one man wounded in our Regt for some time one of Compy "K" was wounded last week in the head by the yanks He is with his company now doing duty so you know that he could not have been hurt very badly

The last letters received from home were from Cousin Nish he had been at Houston and wrote from Lagrange on his way back home We have written several letters but since the Enemy have so closely invested Vicksburg and Port Hudson I reckon you have not received them. Oh! how anxious we watch the movements at those places and how our hearts swell with gratitude for the successful defence thus far of those places and how we pray that He who rules the Destiny of Nations may give us a complete Decissive victory over our God Defying enemies And ere this reaches you there will be stirring times in the confederacy Genrl R. E. Lee is advancing upon Penyvania & Maryland and the scene of Carnage will again be in Maryland or Pennsylvania. Old Abe is calling frantically for 100,000 more men to defend the state from invasion and becomes perfectly furious because he does not get them May the Lord of Hosts Grant Genrl Lee success then we will carry this war which has been waged with such hatred home to those miserable Deluded wretches and make them feel the hardships of modern warfare Times look brighter now than they have ever looked since the beginning of this unholy war, and should we loose Vicksburg and Port Hudson and Genrl. Lee should Enter Pennsylvan and invest Washington City it would hurt them worse than it would us But I do not believe that we will loose either Vicksburg or Port Hudson and that we will invest Washington City. General Bragg is also playing his part here The Yanks do not want to give up Tennessee and would almost as soon give up Washington City as Nashvill I believe that Genrl Bragg has ordered us here to the front to cover his movements and that while he is presenting a bold front to the Enemy that he will throw enough of his forces to General Lee or Johnston to make them strong enough for them to effect any object they may wish to accomplish And should General Rosecrans wish to advance here that we could fight him and hold him in check for any length of time by faling back upon Shelbyvill and Tullahoma Bridgeport and Chattanooga Rosencrans is evidently bothered what to do if he reinforces Grant he leaves all of this country open and then Genl Lee seems to be moving ahead as if in perfect contempt of fighting Joe Hooker and the finest army on the Planet. A few Decisive victories in Maryland and they will begin to beg us to let them alone I expect for old Abe to call on Gov. Seymoure of New York for the Militia and I expect for Seymoure to refuse him which will bring about an open rupture between New York and the Lincoln Dynasty The Gov. of Penn. is mad and is sailing out upon the people because they will not rush into what they well know would be perfect slaughter and I think that they are showing their good sense by staying at home I have heard that the people of that state has said that if the rebels even entered it again and they were forced to take up arms that they would enter the Southern Army but we do not want them if they were to do that they could lay some claim to our sympathy and mercy I would like for them just to stay at their homes and give our soldiers something to eat and keep out of the Army and attend our sick and wounded and we will walk over the track with Gods blessing with perfect ease Pray for us my Dear Sister Pray God that we may be successful in our course for southern Liberty Pray that your own & Our Loved states may never be polluted with the tread of the Yankee invaders Pray our General may meet with success at Vicksburg Port Hudson in Maryland and Pensav and finally that we who are