Marine Hospital LA               

New Orleans Sept 22^d/63

 

Dear Wife

                                    I will try again to write you a short letter hoping it will find you and the children well and comfortable

 

            You will see by the heading of this letter that I am back to the Marine Hospital again and I shall stay here as long as I can. I came here last Wednesday the 17^th So that you may understand how it came that I came back I will go back of that time and explain

 

            When I left here for the Regiment I had hardly got over the jaundice but I went and as soon as I got to the Regiment (but by the way I was promised the position of hospital Warden in our hospital if I would go) I was set to work and had to take care of all of the sick in the hospital instead of getting the place that / promised me that was given to Mr. Failing he tried all kinds of ways before he got it he represented to the Doctor that I was not cappable of it & so on until he finally got it. it is a place where there is not much to do only just to take care of the medicines. but after he got the place if there was anything for him to do he would always come after me to do it no matter how much I had to do but I got along the best I could with him for two or three weeks when he became so overbearing that I refused to pay any attention to him unless the Doctor ordered me and then very reluctantly until finally we moved to Algiers and expected after the Regiment and sent all of our sick men to the Gen Hospital when I had nothing to do only to take care of my self then Failing thought I was having it to easy and thought to get me sent to the ranks but failed in that he is the the most disagreeable person to / be with that I was ever with he is a perfect tyrant as far as he can be and worse than that a regular old granny to soft to bear touching. when the Regiment left on the present expidition I made up my mind that I would not go if he did So I spoke to the doctor and told him how the case stood and he sent me off with the sick and told me that I might stay if I was a mind to so I went with them and here I am again

 

            Well I have tried camping out sleep on the ground in the open air with simply a blanket under me and wake up in the morning my cloths wet through with dew it gave me a pretty hard cold that I have not got over yet and feel very soar and stiff but I hope that I shall not have to try it again very soon for I mean to stay here as long as I can if I serve my time out here (which I hope will be within the present year 

 

            Well I will try and tell you a little about the great expidition down the Gulf to a place called Sabine Pass in texas well they fitted out the boats loaded them with some 15 or 20000 men and started down the gulf to the pass they had four gun boats with them one of them shelled the coast for a long way before they undertook to go in near enough to land the men as soon as the gun boat Clifton ran in to within about a half mile of shore she ran aground and the Calhoun (a gun boat) went to help her off the Rebs opened fire on them and took them both with out the rest of our boats trying to help at all and they only fired one or two guns before they surrendered there was two companies of the 75^th N.Y. vols on them that was taken prisoner. it was a disgraceful affair all though the officers so drunk they did know what they were at the rest of the expedition came back to New Orleans and they have started through by land a march of some 5 or 6 hundred miles Our Brigade when they came back were set off for the rear guard and went into camp to wait until the rest should all get started but they had been there only three days when they were ordered to march and to take the advance at that it is all through the meannes of Col Van Patten he delights in seeing how much he can make the 160^th suffer he has his horse to ride and a Negro to wait on him so he does not care what the men suffer

 

            Lieut Vandusen is very sick here at the St James Hospital he came back from the Gulf sick and is quite sick yet. Lieut Vaughn is detached from the Regiment and on Gen Weitzels Staff so the Company is with out an officer 

 

I have an other box ready to send to you as soon as I can go down to the city I fixed it last week before I came here but did not have a chance to take it to the Express Office

 

I put in to the box a nice white woollen blanket and a blouse that I had 2 such shirts as is used in the hospital but will make you nice night gowns 3 sheets 2 pillow cases 1 mosquetoe bar one mettal cup a tumbler and a covered egg cup a coffee cup and saucer a knife & fork and a teaspoon and some other small things there is a flute in there that belongs to Sam Westfall he is Westfals son at Newark the cartman do not let any one else have it but the old man if he comes after it let him have it and charge him 25^cts if it had been sent alone it would cost him a dollar so he can pay a quarter easy enough I shall send it the same as I did the other to you care of T. F. Horton 

 

            they are nearly all of them things that you need and I do not want to carry them any farther with me. the sheets shirts and pillow cases were given to me by the Steward of the 75^th NY I have a nice morning gown that he gave me and a couple of red woolen shirts. I have not had to draw any clothes since I left Auburn I wear the same pants yet and not a hole worn in them yet

 

            Have you recd that money that I sent you by J. H. Miller yet and how do you get along for money can you manage to live any way comfortable I will send you all that I can get to send I have received only six months pay on this year yet but as soon as I get it I will send it to you

 

            I hope and think that before next year this time that I shall be home to stay it seems like a good while to wait but it will soon pass if we are only patient 

 

What do you think of my excepting of a commision as a second Lieutenant in a negro Regiment I think I can get one if I will except it I will find out more about it and then let you know when you write and let know what you think if it

 

but I must stop for this time as I am tired writing now

 

write often

 

yours as ever

L. V. Tucker

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