Marine Hospital New Orleans LA

July 21^st 1863             

 

Dear Wife

                                                            I have been thinking for two or three days past that I would write to you again but have put it off thinking that perhaps I might get a letter from you and as I had written two or three within a few days past I had not much new to write but I will write a few lines to day in answer to one that I just recd it was mailed July 8^th and written the 28^th of June and the 7^th of July I was very glad to get it and to learn that you and the children were well and have some friends left yet that are friends in every sense of the word

 

            You write that you had heard that we were drove away from Brashear well that is so and yet it is not so for we left a few days before the Rebs came there so you see we was not exactly done away but it was the next thing to it for we left there expecting to be attacked by the gurillas every day and in a few days after the place was attacked and captured without any attempt from our men to hold it the officers were all taken and sent to texas but the men were parolled and when they came to the city Gen Emory was so disgusted by their allowing the place to be taken that he sent them to Ship Island a sandy island in the Gulf where it is hot enough to roast eggs in sun on the sand John Vandusen was among them but he managed to keep out / of the until he could get a suit of citizens cloths and then they did not know as he was a soldier as those that did know him would not tell anything about him So he is here yet he showed me his wifes likeness and his girls that he got a few days ago the looked very natural only the girl had grown some

 

            I saw our first Sargent of our Co Sunday and so I heard from the boys direct James & Bury Vaughn are now both well Bury has been sick since they were at port Hudson but is well again now Al Cain is sick and was left at Baton Rouge and one or two of the other boys

 

            Tell Mr Cook that his boys are both well and hearty or were Sunday I mean to go and see them as soon as I can get away there is a good many leaving the hospital now some 300 left last week for their regiments and were discharged if they get rid of as many this week here there will be some of the nurses sent off to and perhaps I may go then but I cannot tell yet                

 

You complain that you did not know where to send your letters to after you heard that we had left Brashear well if you should again be so that you do not know where I be you may send them as you did all of the first ones to me Co A 160^th NY

 

            I am sorry that you and the children cannot realise the hopes that you expressed of me coming home soon I fear that I shall not get away until my time is out unless I become perfectly useless to them you may be sure that I never shall come home unless that I can come home honorably because the idea of / getting of any other way is preposterous and I shall not try and I do not believe that you would like to have me come any other way although there has a good many went home in that way but when I go I want to be able to walk the streets without thinking that every man I see is an officer and is going to arrest me although I think as much of home as any one can and am in hopes that I shall yet be there I never had a doubt since I came away but that I should again return safe and sound and farther than that I have not been in any place (although I have been sent of in some rather suspicious looking places alone) where I had any fear or felt afraid of the rebs killing me I wanted to go with the company when it left Brashear on the march but the doctor would not let me and when we did leave there I for some reason and also when they were fighting there before we left felt perfectly safe yet a good many were very badly scared but enough of this

 

            When you speak of the kindness that Mr Reynolds has shown you since I left my heart is so full that I cannot contain myself the tears will come in my eyes in spite of me it is the prayer of my heart that I may yet be able to pay him for his kindnesses to you Since I came away I find that there is but few like him May his prosperity be as great as he good I feel that there will be nothing that I can do that will half pay him

 

            Tell Franky that Pa was very glad that he is so good a boy tell him that I send him five cents for the one he sent me and I thank him for not forgetting me if I be away from home a long time / I sent Lilly a ring in my last letter but perhaps it will get broken before it gets there but I hope not I like to hear that she is a good girl and hope that I may see her so when I come home again

 

You wrote that you sent me the Newark papers all that you got I have not had but four in as many months I thought that you did not send them only ocasionally as I did not get any more than I did I have sent you a paper every day for more than a week and now when I send them I mark one of them Reynolds which is for him as they are both alike to day I sent you two and him two I guess that I have got all that he sent me to day I got 4 Rochester papers from Mr Heath I will try and write him a long letter this week if I can find anything that I think is worth writing give them my best respects and tell them to write to me

 

            I have written to T. F. Horton twice but he does not see propper to answer them and I thought I would not write again just yet but perhaps he did not get them

 

            But I must stop for this time

 

I wrote to father last week and will again before long

 

from yours &c

L. V. Tucker

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