My Dear Wife                                                                        

Newerleans Dec 16

 

            We have arived in town safe after a long and teagos time i wrote you a few lines wednesday before we started we left new york a thursday morning it was very plesant we run ought of sight of land right of what should come next abought fore o clock i begun to puke and some of the boys got sick before i did the docter puked the first one o i tell you i was affle sick and so it went on litle did i think i should take sotch a ride when i left you all tho we had a very nice time i eat some soper i kep triing to throw up my diner boots i went to bead three in a bunk i slep in the midle i had no chance to puke there well friday morning come i was very sea sick yet i did not eat eny breckfast i kep up around all the time a good meny of the boys sick evry time i see them puke i wanted to throw up to i did not eat eny diner it begun to get rough i was sick in the after noon i could not stay down in the hole it smelt so bad so i went on deck some of / the boys was lazy abought geting on deck to puke i went on deck evry time what should come next a affle storme the boat begun to tip around it come night i did not eat eny soper all tho i felt the best kind i think and the boys thought i was the best fealing boy in the crew the wind kep blowing i tell you it was a affle night fore the alegany boys the boat diped water evry time she went over abought ten oclock i was standing to the fot of the stares at the hatch way when a wave come hier then the boat and it come right over the boat and the boat tiped over so far and so quick it tiped a good meny of the boys out of thear bunks inspite of all they could doo i tell you lib and i cant tell you motch eather and at the same time there was a man on deck holerd fire the men all roshed to go op staires i told them to keap back bot i thought the same time i had got to take a watry burth i was jest as coole as i am now i was doon in the hole i could not see fire i thought if the boat / had got a fire in the engine room we was all lost i made up my mind if i went doon all was well the water pored in the hatch way so i was as wet as a rag i kep the boys back i knew if the boys went on deck some of them would get swep of i knew the sailers could pot the fire out alone some of the boys sed god have mercy some of them was praying ho it was i could not tell abought half of the crew was pukeing sotch a time god nows i never i know i wickid but i think i was jest as well pepared to meat a watery burth as eny man on the boat i made up mi mind i had got to go and if i did go it was in a good cause the boat straitend up when we found out what it was it was a boiler on the cook stove tiped over it was fool of greas and the grease got a fire well that was over and the men went back to there bunks what would come next i could not tell evry time the boat went over she would dip water the wind / harder and harder o how sick i was i staid by the fot of the staires and ed goody come and stood right by the side of mee o how he did puke ho should come next del luis mi god how he did throw it up i told del that was a good famly stream and then i trided to puke but i could not sotch a scairt lot of men you never herd of i then went to bed bot i had all i could doo to keep in my bunk. this was friday night dec 5 i never shal forget it a saterday morning come it was very plesant i could not eat eny breckfast my strength was good yet we come in sight of land of cape hatros on the coast of north carlina there i see a house and a light house it was a nice day we run ought of sight of agane i could not eat eny thing Saturday sunday morning come i begun to think it was abought time eat something all we had was hard crackers and coffy and the / i did not drink eny nor i haint yet we had beff but cooked had not cooked eny yet we had some potatoes but they had not cooked them yet o if i could had some of them straw beres or some thing to setel mi stomock but it is all right now i do wished i had som now well the first i got was a baked potato and i got som peper sauce and that was good that was Sunday noon then i be gun to eat a litle we had some rice that tasted affle good but if i had ben to home and you should cooked sotch a dish i should not eat a bit if i had knew i was going to take sotch a ride i should had you brought mee some thing sunday pased a way i kep growing strong a tuesday come it was a nice day a ship come in sight it come right up side of us and run by us it was the 133 new york how we did chear them and they cheard us they was from fortis monro / i thought that was poot poorty ny the redgment that Wheal was in wednesday morning it was a fine day we was in sight of land all day on the coast of floridy we see a big seatirtle that day we see a ship reck jest night that was affle sight on the floridy reaphfs it is a bad for boats there was too boats helping them get a way it was the 46 massachus i tel you it was a clost col for them that was the first day we had some fished they was affle nice fish they was the king fish they would way 15 pound a peace and they got some mackerel they would way 4 pound apeace wednesday thursday we come to ke west we pased fort taylor before noon we see a ship reck that day that made too i washed my clothes that day that was the first i new value of wiming i am willing to oan up we had meeting in the eavening ther was a good meny got up and talked osker voorhees for one Hirom berel the chaplin is on this boat we pased fort jackson jest dark

 

12 friday we was in the golf stream it is affle rough a good meny of the boys was sick that day i was some sic my self i did not eat eny breckfast a saturday morning i felt some beter i mendid my socks that day and poot a booten on my coat and mended my coat a sunday morning it is nice wether we had preaching on deck in the fore noon our seald orders took us to ship iland that is where butler went last fall before he went to newerleans we arived at ship iland abought 4 o clock we got oders there fore newerleans and i was glad of that there want nothing there was too companies there a iland seven mild long some building on it to hold produce we raised our anker and of we went it was a affle rough night we strock in the mouth of the mississippi i tell you lib we had a nice time the boat run as still as a whip we run till eleven a clock at night and then we ankerd what nice plantations i did see lots of nigers the oficers went of the boat and got six bushels of orenges we all had too a peace the treas hang loaded with them this is a / a country hear the bugy i see was a to whealed cart with a mule a head and a niger behind there was great ounion fealing all the way up the river we pased fort philoh and fort jackson in the fore noon we pased the baracks that generel jackson yoused in the year 1814 there is some nice houses but they are a scatring as hens teath evr body was glad to see us the nigers was affle tickeld our i dont think of motch more now lib i think i think i soferd a goodeal this trip but what fore it is for you and my childrin and my neighbers and for all man kind if i was to home now i would inlist tomorow i expect to sofer when i come and i am bound to stay and i am bound to stay and fight it out i cant get it all in now i wil write some on another page 

 

we have ankerd out in the bay how long to stay i dont now one of the boilers sprong leak and we had all we could doo get up hear it sprong a leak abought noon ther haint only three compnies abord of this boat our redgment had three boats the Haze and Solver and Albny we come on they haze she is a bolly bot we started too dayes before they did lib i want you to read this leter to all my neighbers i think i sean the elephant some i am in the best of spirets now they say they have ben fighting to vicsburg three dayes i hope we shal have hand in there and i guess we shal / lib i cant think if motch the boys is all helthy we have a nomber of boys that has got the clap and some the pock i never see sotch a sight in my life i dont mean eny boys that lives around ther i wont cole no names it is to bad. hirom berel ses if he ever gets home he will take his wife with him when he goes to shit leroy want sick a bit nor abe nor billy water want sick neather ther has ben men hear to night sell orenges for a peny a peace i have sean phig treas hear i want you to fix evry thing up and when this war is over i shal have you come and live /

 

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wednesday morning 17

i have got up and got some beans in the oven a bakeing in my pot i feal the best kind i rote last night till too a clock lib 25 honderd miles devide us little did i did i think i should leave you so far behind but i am glad i come here lib i haint wrote you half we had nice wether all but dec 5 a friday night and that was affle read this leter to eaph procter and my / my neighbers i should like to see net i tell would you i would i should like to see you i want to see you all but i cant i want to see the end of this rebellion to and then i can go where i wish lib the boys that live around there is all smart and and doing well 16 left us to new york abought too honderd men left us to new york we have got /

 

six hondard men i think we shal doo big fighting so good by give my love to all i should like to get a leter from the girls and from evry body els i cant rite i have to writ for C[torn] lib doo [torn] /

 

Camp Carlton

Dec 24 Lib I will rite you a few more lines you will have your crismas diner and newyear diner eat before you get this it is geting most too year since wrode after onkle johns colmans sorel rite mee all the knews Lib want you to burn this up

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