Willis writes from Winchester, Va., on Paris having "disappeared" and being left with no-one "to do a hands turn for me"; his reflection: "Our reverse in Pennsylvania, and then the far greater blow, the loss of Vicksburg, and Port Hudson, look gloomy for the Confederacy"; his taking pants from a corpse? on the battlefield.
Willis writes from Williamsport, MD., near the Potomac River, unsure if they are to cross once again. His regiment lost 25 men in a recent encounter. Willis wonders if Vicksburg has fallen, and if his family are headed to Flat Rock, N.C., soon.