Marine Hospital October 11^th 1863

 

Dear Wife

                                                Although but a short time has passed since I last wrote to you yet I will commence another and as there will be a week before the mail goes north I shall not finish it all now but do it as I have leisure and something to write.   

 

It has been quite a while since I got a letter from you some three weeks I think and I am getting anxious to hear from home again although I heard from there last Sunday by the way of George F. Burley. I got a letter from him in which he said you was well as far as he knew he said that he had been up and seen you at the time that Miller gave you the money It seems that Miller has told him the same about me that he did you I hope that I may be able to sustain the name that he gives at home and not fail in the confidence of my associates

 

            I am still as you will see by the heading of this at the Marine hospital and have a good situation in the same ward where I was in the summer I am now head nurse there and the most that I have to do is to superintend the work in the ward and see to giving the medicines to the sick and do the writing of the Ward 

 

 

Well I have made one pause in my letter allready and now I will commence again and try and write a little more now. I commenced at the top of the page but the paper was so thin that I would spoil the picture on the other side and so I will leave it and commence below it

 

            The plate represents Jackson Square and Monument with Jackson on horse back on the top of the monument although it is not very plain, the buildings on the right and left are well represented only they look better on the paper than they do in the city the lower stories are occupied as stores and groceries and grog shops and gambling saloons the upper stories are used to live in as nearly all of the buildings are here in the city The building in the rear is on the left the french and English Consuls rooms the one in the centre is a church and the one on the right I do not know what it is used for. the buildings all look old on the out side I have two more sheets of this kind of paper only they have different pictures on the first page

 

            I presume that you have not got the box yet that I sent you last with them cloths in it has not been hardly long enough yet since I took it to the office to send when you do get it you had better wash the cloths before you use them as I have had them around the hospital so much that their may be some creepers in them and then they are probably pretty dirty as this is not one of the best places to keep such things in 

 

            Lieut W. J. Vandusen started for home last Sunday on a furlough I did not know that he was going until after he had gone so I could not send any word or any thing else by him W. S. Drake is going to start for home pretty soon and I will send something by him as he has promised to come here before he goes home he has played his part pretty well and the doctor sends him off to get rid of his teasing, but I think there is lots of the 160^th that are more entitled to their discharges than he is and if he had been here he could not have got it but where he is they are not so well acquainted with him I am not certain whether he has got a furlough or is discharged but I think it is a discharge from the service. well let him go if I do not get out until I play up sick to do it I shall stay my time out for it is bad enough to be sick with out playing it as some have

 

            George Cook is at work in the Barracks Hospital and Nat Cook has got well and gone to the Regiment Josephas Cookingham is still sick and in the hospital Lon Blyn is there to and several of the other boys of C^o A I am the only one of the Co. A. boys here at present and there is but 5 or six of the Regiment here that I of but I find some firstrate boys here and I have my choice who I have to help me in the ward if I have one that I do not like I can send him off at any time and get another                 

 

I suppose that you are having a good time about these days eating apples and peaches well apples are plenty here but it wants plenty of money to buy them, they sell for from 5 to 10 cents apiece so you see that it will not do to eat much of that kind of food when you get but 13 dollars a month and only get that once in from 4 to 6 months. Orranges are not ripe enough yet to to eat so we do not get much fruit here to eat now but when they get ripe I shall eat some I think. Potatoes are worth from 2 to 3 dollars per bush and Onions the same. Produce of that kind is very dear sugar 15^cts for common brown, cheese from 30 to 60 cents, butter from 30 to 50 cents, ham 30^cts, eggs 60^cts a dozen, milk 10 cts a quart these are the common prices sometimes they are a goodeal higher than these

 

15^th      The mail leaves here day after to morrow and I have to finish this to day so that it will go to the office in the morning and will try and write something more this afternoon and then close it up for this time 

 

My health is now pretty good again and I shall try to keep it so as far as I am able. I hope that you and the children are well. How do you get along for money, are you out yet. if you need it you had better draw the money on one of them county certifficates that Reynolds has and use that do not suffer for the want of it for the sake of saving it

 

            How does the College progres are they doing any thing on it this summer has there been any improvements in the villiage this summer or does it go down hill as usual does N Daniels carry on shop yet I wrote to him but he does not answer it. I have not got a Newark paper in two months do you not send them any more

 

I send you by the same mail that carries this a Harpers Weekly and an Era and two New Orleans papers to Mr Reynolds

 

            But I shall have to stop for this time I will write again next week may be twice in that time

 

             Write soon and often to me

 

Yours &c

L. V. Tucker

SOURCES