Marine Hospital         

 

New Orleans July 13^th 1863        

                  

Dear Wife                              

I will try and write you a few lines again to let you know how and where I am and what I am doing I wrote you a short letter last week and you will see from that that I had changed my place of living again and was at the Marine hospital Well I am there yet but cannot tell how long I shall stay or where I shall go next but I have a firstrate place here and not much to do. I was sick when I came here but now I am nearly well again and hope that I shall continue so for the future and also hope that you are well and enjoying good health also father & Mother and the children I sent a letter yesterday to Mr Reynolds I put in it five dollars for you although I have not got any pay since I sent you that certifficate I shall send you five dollars more in this letter and repeat it as often as I have it to send the amount is small I know but it is all that I have to send now but I hope that I can make it larger before long when I get paid again

 

            The Medical Director was around to day inspecting the men to see who was fit to go back to their Regiments and I was in hopes that he would send me but he merely inquired my name and then passed on so I have to stay here for the present when the regiment goes in to summer I mean to go back I have been in the hospital so long that I want to get out for a while I just heard from the boys to day they are all very well except Beny Vaughn he is sick but not dangerous

 

            I was to the U.S. Barracks Hospital last Saturday and saw Drake he has been very sick but is improving now he is so poor that you would hardly know him he does not look like he used to at all. While I was there the mail was brought in and I got to papers from / Reynolds that came there through mistake but it was all right I was there to get them and was glad of them. I have sent him some papers that contained the particulars of the port hudson fights and surrender I sent some to you to let father read them after you do I will write him a good long letter as soon as I can. I presume that before you get this letter you will have got a box of trinkets that I sent you near two weeks ago by Express

 

            When you get this letter and money if you will you may buy me 25 penny stamps and send me if you can spare the money

 

            I have just heard that there is another mail just came in and I hope to get some letters from that to morrow if I do I will write to you then again

 

            I have written so many to different ones at Arcadia that I think I ought to get some soon I have not got any answer from the one that I wrote T. F. Horton yet nor from Nick Daniels or C. B. Lusk nor L. L. Whitbeck and some others there perhaps they do not want to be bothered with letters from me any more I shall not write them again until they answer mine                      

 

But good bye for this time

 

Write often To and Oblige

L. V. Tucker

 

(PS)

            after I get my pay I shall send another box to you if I stay here            L.V.T.

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