Camp Bowers 13^th N. H. Vols. near Portsmouth

Virginia Friday June 12^th 1863 four oclock P. M.

 

Dear Hannah

                        Once more I seat myself pen in hand to write a few lines to my beloved wife. I received your ever welcome letter of June 5^th together with one from my Brother-in-law Charles Hough this afternoon and was very glad to hear from you and them also.

 

Well I am on guard again today acting Sergeant of the guard and feel quite at home in that character being a part that I have acted before. Lem is on guard with me and is at the Brigade Comissary's (the Brigade Comissary draws all that we get to eat and deals it out to the Regimental Comissary and he deals it out to our cooks so you see he is quite a necessary character) and says he is going to steal the Comissary, tent and all tonight if he gets a chance and bring it up to our tent so that we can have something to eat. But we live quite well at present we had green peas for dinner today and the paymaster was here this A.M. and paid us for two months or up to the first of May 1863. I got six dollars for my share so you see I can get along if you dont send me any money just at present. You will probably get yours soon (twenty dollars) and if the paymaster will pay us a visit once in two months regularly I can get along pretty well with what I get although it takes more than I expected it would to get along with out / here in "Dixie's land of Cotton". Well one of our Company was sent off down to the "Rip Raps" today sentenced to three months hard labor and then have his head shaved his buttons cut off the letter T (for thief) branded on his shoulder and then be drummed out of the service of the United States. And also to wear during his term of labor at the "Rip Raps" a board upon his back upon which are printed "sent to the Rip Raps for robbing dead soldiers at Fredricksburg". It must have been hard for him to start off but it served him right. His name was Samuel S. Willey from Barrington and he was about sixty years old I should think. He has not received a cent of pay since he came into the service and will not receive any at all and with that three months that he has got to serve at the "Rip Raps" it will make one year that he has not received a cent for which I should not like very well. Well there is no news that I know of here except that E. H. Leslie has gone to Norfolk today along with our Orderly sergeant Johnathan Dustin and also it is an awful hot day but that is nothing new to us and probably is not to you by this time. Oh yes blue berries are almost ripe and will be ripe by the middle of next week and I shall expect you out here to go blue berrying with me then that is if your school closes in season. Cherries are all gone or I would write you to go and get some cherries with me they were all ripe a week ago or more. Well I have been thinking that I could not come down after you tonight although I should like to very well but I will come next week if I can make it / convenient to come but if cannot you must wait till I can come and rest assured I will come as quick as I can. Well I have got to go out to the guard house so I must close for the present and perhaps for all day a kiss for you from JOE

 

Sunday Morning June 14^th 1863 Dear Hannah I will try and finish this letter today after waiting one day and not writing any on it. Well the reason that I did not write any yesterday was that I went down to Norfolk and stayed all day. I went all over the city in company with a fellow by the name of Wheeler of Co G 13^th N.H. Vols., Sunday evening seven oclock Dear Wife I left off writing this morning on account of getting detailed to go out for a guard on some of the farms here that are owned by those that have taken the oath of allegiance to Uncle Sam. Well I started about eight o'clock for the 4^th R.I. Volunteers and then went about 15 (fifteen) miles crossing creeks and swamps and got round back to camp about six o'clock this P.M. tired enough to lie down and go to sleep but I must try and finish my letter tonight before going to bed as I have got to go out again in the morning or at least I expect so from what Lieut Stanwells told me when he dismissed us tonight. I got a letter from Charles Hough my brotherinlaw at Hingham and he says that they are going to draft in Massachusetts and I am in hopes they will have to draft in N. H. but I dont believe that they will. Well I am in hopes to get a chance to go on guard at some of the houses round here for if I can I shall have nothing to do after nine at night and have a chance to live in the family and live as well as they do and that will be better than we live here in the army so I shall lose nothing in that way and I had rather do that than do fatigue duty as we have to do here in camp and out on the road when we go out there to work. Well I must leave off writing for tonight for the taps is beating and I am tired so good night and a kiss from Joe /

 

Monday Morning June 15^th Well my dear I will begin again and see if I cant finish my letter this time. The Reg has gone out on fatigue and I am expecting every moment to be called on to go out again this A.M. By the way we go out on a sort of double expedition that of finding a place for guards to stop and if we find any negroes we are ordered to take them up and bring them in so we combine pleasure and nigger hunting. Well it is going to be a very hot day today and we expect to sweat some today if we have to go. Well some of the 4^th Rhode Island boys went out hunting negroes and two of them undertook to arrest one and the negro struck at them and hit one of them on the shoulder and and the other one stepped up to the negro and run his bayonet through him killing him instantly. The fellows went to their Colonel (Spier) and told him what they had done and he went with them down to Gen Gettys and told the Gen what they had done and he (Gen Getty) told them that they done perfectly right and told the Colonel that the first chance he had he must promote those two fellows. Well the boys here are all smart and Leslie and Lem send their love to you and By the way Mrs Leslie says that "a patient waiter is no looser" and if I will only wait I shall soon have the chance of sending her picture to you. Well I should be very glad to have those boots but can wait a little while longer yet as these are not hardly worn out. By the way I should think you might to up and comfort Jere but I supose that you might not want to go into partnership with his maid. Well I must close so give my love to all the folks and heres love and a kiss for you and hoping I may see my Darling wife soon I remain yours J H Prime

 

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Oh how I should like to come down and carry you up to B about the last of this week I rather guess I would have a good time I wish I was in N. H. I should like to see the drafted men fight with those awful revolvers that I hear that they have got but I should advise them to take a rifle and stand of far enough so that they can have a chance to run if the first shot does not prove fatal

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