JULY 6. Monday. I wrote home this morning. At 9 o’clock our regiment was ordered out on picket. We have a strong picket guard around the works to keep the Rebs in. Our company was out at the big fort which was blown up. My post was on the parapet beside it. This fort commands a view of the works on either side as far as the eye can reach. In the afternoon Boggs and I went over to our old camp and took a good wash. Nothing of importance happened until about 5 o’clock, when a thunderstorm passed over. It was preceded by an awful wind which nearly blew me off the parapet. Rebs drew rations. JULY 7. Tuesday. We were relieved about 9 o’clock and returned to camp. The day was very hot and sultry. The Rebs are very anxiously awaiting their parole so they can go home. We had news of a skirmish in our rear; there were about two hundred prisoners brought in. I saw the Reb today who fired the grape and canister at us when we were behind the log on the 22nd. He is a fine fellow and gave our boys credit for making some good shots. He was anxious to know if he had hurt any of us. He said we had actually dismounted some of their pieces with our musketry. It weakened the spokes so that they would not stand the reaction when fired. The pieces are all dented up by Minnie balls. The top of his gun had been knocked off. He is from Tennessee. He gave me the name and rank of each of the generals we had captured at this place. They are: Gen. Pemberton, Tenn.; Maj. Gen. Smith, Va.; Forney, Ala.; Brigadier Generals Hober, La., Lee, Va., Green, Mo. (killed), Reynolds, Ga., Taylor, Ky., More, Ky., Wauld, La., Bowen, Mo., Vann, Tenn., Barton, Ala. JULY 8. We had quite a rainstorm last night and today it is cool and pleasant. The Rebs are around trading the company sugar for coffee and preparing to leave. Just after tattoo, orders came around to be ready at 4 o’clock tomorrow morning, armed and equipped. JULY 9. We were up and stacked arms early this morning and awaited orders but none came. News came into camp this evening of a fight in Helena. Gen. Price attacked the place with sixteen thousand troops and came very near taking it, but with the assistance of the old wooden gunboats the Rebs saved the day and drove him back, taking over a thousand prisoners. Price left his killed and wounded on the field. The Negro troops are said to have fought like tigers. The news from the East is fair. Meade met the enemy at Gettysburg on the 3rd and they are still fighting. It is reported that he repulsed two of the grand army corps under Longstreet and Hill. Rosencrans has advanced and occupies Tallahoma, Bragg’s stronghold.