Marine Hospital March 7^th 1864

 

Dear Wife

            I thought that I would write you a little more again to day as it would help me to pass away the time for it is very lonesome here now since Mr White went away last Saturday. But I suppose that I must get along with it the best that I can even if it is not so pleasant as I could wish for we have had some good times to gether since we have been here in riding out around the city & country & I hope that I am not seperated from him for good although my name is put upon the Invalid roll. Since I commenced writing this I have had to go before the Examining board and be examined I was asked what was the matter of me and my reply was nothing but they saw fit to put me down as an invalid in the 2^d Batallion what particular duty they have to do I cannot tell but I believe they do not have to carry any arms and do not go into the field further than this I do not know but shall try and find out to night

 

            Well I signed the pay roll to day and I hope that they will soon pay off so that I can send you some money Did you get the dollar that I sent you about two weeks ago I sent it the same day that I did the box to Mr Reynolds. I hope that both have gone through safe and that you have got them all right and safe even though they are not worth much yet I hated to throw them away. There has two mail steamers came in here since I recd your last letter and no mail for me on either of them. I looked for a letter but looked in vain 

 

            Well I suppose that you will want me to tell you something about the 4^th of March here in the city. Well at daybreak there was one hundred guns fired so as to wake up the sleepy Southerners from their slumbers. About half past ten I started for the city and went to Laffayette Square where the performance was to take place but at that time it was almost impossible to get any where near the square there was so much of a crowd gathered around. but I walked around the square trying to find a place where it was not so much crowded but that was out of the question so I fell in with the crowd and was almost carried along with out any effort on my part until I found myself up to with in some 5 or 6 rods of the speakers stand there the mass of people had become so dense that we all had to stop. There were seats arrainged enough to seat 10,000 ten thousand persons and yet not near one half of them could get seats the whole square was filled and the streets around it and also the buildings on the roofs & porticoes (that was a good place for hoop skirts in that crowd they were jammed up into all kinds of shapes) The seats were arrainged in a half circle and at the centre in front was the flag pole and around it was the speakers stand. ropes were stretched from the pole to the trees around forming arch over the speakers stand and they were all trimmed with ever greens & flowers. in the front was a walk up to the stand and there was suspended over it a motto made of flowers and evergreens Michael Hahn our Governor. All round the seats on the out side was covered with flags and they having on mottoes a few of which I will write in the centre of the circle was one, The Star of Louisianna as she was in 1860 so stands she now in the Bright Galaxy of 1864 / a little farther to the right was one reading, Major General N. P. Banks The Noble Citizen and the Dutiful Soldier. still farther to the right was one which read, Admiral Farigut the Braves of the Brave. To the left of the centre the first one was Michael Hahn the first free State Governor of Louisianna, and a little farther left was another Major General N. P. Banks the hero of Port Hudson and the freedom of Louisianna. But I cannot tell you all of them for about the time that I had noticed these the band (which was composed of some 200 musicians) struck up hail Columbia and after playing it once throug and commenced the second time there was some two or three thousand school children struck in with them which made the Old Welkin all ring. and the third time it was played by the band and sung by the children and the beating of the time was done by the church bells and the firing of cannon. I was the same with Star Spangled Banner and also with the other pieces that were played and sung until the last one, My Country tis of the when the band had played it once through the whole audience sang it in connection with the band and the tolling of the bells the firing of cannon and musketry three regiments were there and firing their guns as fast as they could to imitate of the firing in time of battle. The music & the singing was the best performance of the kind that I ever heard. The firing of the cannon and the ringing of the church bells was done by electricity

 

            There was probably a thousand different flags hanging up in the square. The different flags of almost all nations, some red, & red and white, red white and blue, red & yellow, green and all colours nearly only black all most all kind of different styles Also large pictures representing the different coats of arms of the different States and Teritories 

 

            I was down again in the night to see the fire works but did not get there in time to see whole of it but what I did see was first rate as good as I ever saw the trees in the square was hung full of different coloured transparent lanterns with mottoes printed on them. there was probably two thousand of them and the buildings all around was illuminated with them, taking it all together it was one of the grandest things that I ever saw in the way of a celebration

 

            But I guess that I have written enough about that and if I write any more I will write something else

 

            My health is better now than it has been in a year I do not look so poor as I did when I had those photographs taken            

 

I will send you in this letter five dollars which I have managed to get, and when I am paid again will send you more.

 

I shall write again this week so as to send it out Saturday so you see that I am not backward in writing to you

 

Give my respect to Mr Reynolds I have not forgotten him yet

 

                        Write as often as you can

                                    Yours as Ever

                                                L. V. Tucker

 

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I send you with this one of the programes of the doings in the day time I have sent the editor of the Newark paper containing an account of all of the days & night performances

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