Marine Hospital New Orleans La Nov 29^th 1863

 

            Well My Dear Wife

                        I will commence another letter to you to night but perhaps I shall not finish to night it will be just as I feel if I feel as if I can I shall and if I do not I shall not finish it for the mail does not leave for the North until next Saturday so I shall have plenty of time to do it before the mail leaves here for New York.

 

            But I have not much to write and do not know hardly where to commence that for there is nothing new transpiring here in the hospital that will be of interest to you if I should write it but I will write something In the first place I will speak of my health. although I have had quite a time of being sick since I came here this last time yet I think that I can say now that I am improving and have been for some 5 or six days. I have had a time similar to what I had year ago last spring with my head when Vosburgh doctored me only now it has been worse than it was then and did not come on and go off every day as it did then but continued right along night and day the only relief that I could get was by taking morphine and so deaden the pain while I was under the influence of that in that way I could get a little rest I take it yet twice a day and shall as long as the pain continues Just before I was taken with that I became so weak that I could scarcely get up and down and no particular disease visable but now I am gaining my strength again right along. I am very hungry a good share of the time yet I have all that I want to eat, but I have been so all summer that I dare not eat all that I want. I have to be very carefull of what I do eat I think meat such as we get in the army is not good for me and hardly ever eat any of it especially the fresh meat we do not get any pork here I think that a little of that would not hurt me but that kind of meat here in the hospital is scarce perhaps for the best but I think if they would use more salt meat and not so much fresh that it would be better for all the fresh beef that we get most of the time is very poor and very tough not only when we get it but when it is cooked ready for eating 

 

            Well I have one side or one page filled with nonsens allready but what I shall fill the rest with I do not know yet but with something I guess of not much importance to any one. Our potatoes that we get here are not fit to eat when they are cooked they are very hard and wattery and taste strong I seldom eat any of them although I want potatoes the worst kind I think that it is in the cooking mostly

 

I am living on toast and coffee for breakfast Oyster soup and soda crackers for dinner with one boiled egg and toast and tea for my supper I can have all I want of it and it goes very well to as it is warm when I get with plenty of butter I do not know as I have any reason to complain of my living so I will say no more about it this time with the exception that I should like to have for my breakfast a mess of your make of biscuit hot right from the oven would not you like some

 

            You spoke in your letter the the blouse that I sent you was just what you wanted to make Frank a coat of well I did know for some time whether it was worth sending or not but finally concluded to put it in so it seems that I done well in sending it use up any of the clothing that I sent you just as you want to I am glad that I sent it to you when I did and wish that you had more things that I have here that I do not need My pants that I have laid off are good all only at the bottoms and around the pockets they are worn out a little if you had them you could get frank a good pair out of them if I send another home I shall send them and I think that I shall after I am paid again if I can get things enough to send that are worth sending with out costing more than they are worth I think there was not anything in that box that I got here that I had to buy. I had them all given to me by one and another I have two good woolen shirts that I drew at Auburn that I wish you had for I do not need them I have enough with out them and then I am wearing hospital shirts, drawers & socks all of the time here and shall while while I stay here probably I have got two good red flannel shirts here that I had given to me by the Steward of our regiment last summer I wish that you had them to wear your self they are good flannel and warm 

 

            Well another page full of trash and what comes next something else I have written a short letter this afternoon to Mr Reynolds which makes seven that I have wrote to him and he has not written to me but once since I left home. I do not know as he is to blame for not writing anymore, but the one that he did write was such a good one that I want more of the same sort if I can get them. I will find no fault with him for he has been to kind to you and the children since I came a way for that I have more reason to bless him than than to find fault with him about so small a matter as not writing as often as I do. in my letter that I wrote him to day I shall send him a ring somewhat like the one I sent you only in the place of pearl sets on the top his will be silver you must make him let you see it when he gets it I think that it is a very nice ring of the kind If he says anything about sending anything to pay for it tell him that I do not want any pay and will not take any but you need not say anything about it unless that he does first

 

            I shall send in this letter a short letter that I have wrote to lilly I will write one and send to Frank before long I shall put in the mail at the same time that I do the letters an Era and a Frank Leslie I forgot to put my name on the Frank Leslie but you will know it so you can tell who it is from with out any trouble I guess if you cannot send it back and I will put my name on it I wish that the mail went out and came in here twice a week regular some weeks there will be three come in and go out and then again it will be for a long time only one a week

 

I am going to speak again about the directions on my letters do not put on the Company and Regiment at all but send them to me at the Marine Hospital New Orleans in Care of Dr Powers I shall get them at least a week sooner as the other way they go to the regiment Some 200 miles from here and then come back I heard Saturday that the regiment had gone into winter quarters at a place called New Iberia a place where they had a fight last summer 

 

            Well about all that I have got to write on this page is about that commission I thought that I would say a few words about that and then let it drop. I have concluded not to have anything to do with it for several reasons One is because if I take it, it requires me to serve for three years from the date of the commission which would make with what I have served near 4 and half years with out any prospect of coming home until my time was out as for resigning when I got tired of it that is out of the question unless I should be sick and no prospect of my being again fit for duty those that accept of commissions in these coloured regiments that are getting up here it is by some way that I cannot explain that they cannot resign but must serve their time out unless they should get a dishonorable discharge the coloured regiments as fast as they are drilled are to be sent forward to the front and if the war should be settled next month they are to be kept for their three years to do garison and frontier duty and will not be discharged when the white soldiers would but when my time would be out now I should have a year and a half to serve them. and then again if I cannot stand it to go with the regiment now could I do it any better with shoulder straps on I think not. certainly the difference in pay is quite an object and one worth getting but I think it more than balanced in this instance with me home is worth something especially when any one is sick a hospital is not home then again all commissioned Officers have to pay 75^cts a day for their board $22.50 a month if they are sick and go to to a hospt then there is another 75^cts a day to pay there but I think I have said enough about this and unless you want me to take the commission I shall give it up     Well I have nearly filled this large sheet with something and I hardly know what do you and I will stop until next time

 

And remain as ever yours                  

L. V. Tucker

                                   

write often

 

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When you find out what I have written in this let me know for I have forgotten all ready the most of it

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