Vigsburg Mississippi    March the 6th 1864    Dear Eliza   I take the opportunity to  write a few lines that I am well and  I hope this may find you all the  same I reveivd a letter from you  dated Feb 2nd yesterday and you may  know I was glad to here from you  once more I sopose you have bin  looking for a letter from me for a   long time but it was impossible  to sent a letter from where we  was I sopose this has bin one of  the greadest reats that has ever bin  nade in this war we have bin  clear through Mississippi in to  Alabama and I could not begin  to describe to you what we have  gon through on this long march  of about 350 miles without tents    of our Regement going in  again for the whole Regement  to com home I wish Col Pease  would com and stay with us  the ballence of our time I think  he is neadet very much  we are having very plessent wether  now it is a buliful day to day  we are campt about one and half  mile from the City in a deep hollow  with high hills all around us, we  had Preching to day by Capt Lockwood  John H.   for the first time for 2 months  or more it seemed good once  more to here Preching now I will   close hoping that I may soon  here from you or be able to  com and see you all so may  God bless you all and keep you  in his care is my prayr your  affectionate husband    J. G. Burggraf  
        inside     left  and only four wagons in our Regement  to haul provishtion and bessels  to cook in and other Regements  had only 3 wagons we stardet  from Vigsburg on the 2nd of Feb  and arrived on the 4th of March  we went out one way and com back  another it is hardrenting to see  the sufferings of som of the peoble  that we left behind us for the  whole country seem to be on fire  where ever we went fences and  houses and every thing taken away  from them I have seen a gread  many citycence asked for somthing  to eate by the soldiers and the  anser would be every thing has  just bin taking away from us we  will all have to starve if we  stay here and thair is a gread many  com out with us and left thair  hmes behind and thair is also about  4000 negros com out with us    inside     right  and we captured 1000 prisners and  a gread many mules and horses  I think this will pay for Lees invation  and raid in to Penselvania last year  and also  John Hunt  Morgans raid in to Indianna  and Ohio and from what I can lern  we ar going on to another raid soon  but I know not where I wish I could  com home and see you all once  more but I sopose it is the will   of God that it is as it is and all  things is for the best that Good  may com out of it I sopose you  will get a letter with a likeness  in it of Joseph Smith your nefue  which I wrote when we ware at  Canton Miss, you will see how  we com to gather you will here  from him soon I hear the  48th Regement is in Centralia  I wish our Regement could com  too we would have such a nice time   but thair is not enough