Gen US Marine Hospital New Orleans La July 26^th 1864

 

Dear Wife

                                                                        I will write you a short letter this morning although I do it with a feeling of regret because I am unable to send you any money with it. I did not write you any letter last week for the reason that I was expecting to get paid and wanted to send you some money as soon as possible after I got it, but I am disappointed we shall not probably get paid now until the next pay day which will be the first of September but if it is possible for me to get any money before then I will send it to you as soon as I get it for I know that you must need it

 

            I have no news of importance to write now except that the Regiment has gone to Baltimore or Washington except about a dozen that was left behind in the different hospitals. I saw Jo Rush last Sunday he is at the Barracks Hospital looking as healthy and robust as I ever saw him do he wanted to know when I came back from home for he said that he had been told that I went home on a furlough. I was the General Impression that I had gone home on a furlough last spring.

 

Josephus Cookingham was sent up to St Louis some five or six weeks ago I do not whether he had a furlough or not but I guess that he had. if he had one he will be home if he is not allready there

 

            Let me know if you get that box that I sent you, it had ought to be home now for it has been some four weeks sine I sent it to you from here 

 

            Jo Rush was here to see me to day he gave me his photograph to day

 

            Has Bill Boyall started back to the Regiment yet. if he has he has not got there yet his time was out the 3^d of July he has not been heard from here yet

 

            I send you in this letter a photograph of our Steward here. he is a New York man and a firstrate fellow his name is James H. Wright                       

 

I will send you Jo Rushes in my next letter. I am keeping aunt Sallys until the last because I can see the others here, but she is in Palmyra and I like to look at her face and if I cannot see that I can see her picture which is some consolation

 

            The weather here for the last 3 days has been very cool and pleasant a goodeal more so than it was last year at this time

 

            I have not had time to write to Lilly yet but I will before long tell her that I have a couple of pets to take care of they are a pair of mocking birds they do not sing much yet when I write to her I will tell her all about them

 

            Write to me as often as you can it has been now five weeks since I have heard from home Jo Rush says that his Mother lives in the house where Mills lived when did she moove there

                                   

Yours as Ever

L. V. Tucker

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