Gen. U.S. Marine Hospital New Orleans L'a. Aug 3^d 1864

 

Dear Wife

            I will commence another letter to you this morning and finish it as soon as I can but I do not know when it will go north for there is no steamer advertised to leave here yet              

 

I recd your letter last Sunday that you wrote the 19^th and I was very glad indeed to get it as it was the first that I have recd from you in over five weeks So you may be sure that it came very acceptable to me to hear again from you. Although I was glad to get your letter and hear from home yet it makes me feel sad and downhearted to hear of your not being well and of lillys poor health. I did think that when warm weather that you would enjoy better health but your having to work so hard is to much for you, but I hope that it will not be a very long time before I can do better by you than I now do. I am sorry that I did not get my pay last month so that I could have sent it to you for I know that you must need it very much Just as soon as I can get it I will send it to you. I am very glad that you received that box all right for there were some things in it that were good although a good many of them / were of no great value yet the muslin and flannel were good. Did any of the things get broken on their way home. there was quite a number of small bottles in the box and I do not know but that they might have got broken some of them I think that the box went through very quick for it only went to the Express office from here the 29^th of June although it cost a considerable to send it ($4.50) yet I do not think that you could get the same things there for that money and they did not any of them cost me anything here only the sending of them home. as often as I can get anything worth sending you may expect that I shall send them

 

            I am glad that you have got those photographs that I sent you. since you got the one of B. K. Hottens I have you two others one of Dr Parkers and one of the Steward here, and in this one I will send you Aunt Sallys although I hate to see it leave me for it is the only one of my friends at home that have thought enough of me to send me one of their pictures              

 

You seem to think hard of Mr White for not letting me have his wifes photograph to send you. But I do not think that you have any reason to do so he had only one with him and that was badly damaged in coming here and it was such a picture as I should not like to give a way if it was mine, and then / he promised me that he would get his and his wifes taken when he got home both on the same card and send me, so we will have them both to gether

 

            I got a letter from Mrs White last Sunday and she has made the same request of me for yours that you did for hers. I will send you her letter as soon as I get time to answer it and then you can see what she has to say for your self

 

            If it should ever be convenient for you to get your photograph taken you may send her one her address is Martha A. White New London, Henry County, Iowa. Mr White was very sick while on his way home but was gaining slowly when she wrote to me

 

            I did not get those papers that you sent me it has been so long since I got a paper from home that I do no recolect when I did get the last one. I have not sent you any from here lately because they are not worth the sending I have sent father the Ledger right along except two that I could not get. You said that you did think now that I was coming home I can have a furlough to come home but I have refused to take it for they will only give me 40 days leave of absence and it would take me 20 or 25 days of that to go and come and then I should have to go up the river and only get / transportation to Cairo and the rest of the way I should have to pay my way myself and all of the way coming back and the whole cost would be not less than $40, an amount that I could not afford now but after about two weeks I am going to try pretty hard for my discharge and I am in hopes of getting it but if I do not I will try for something else

 

            You speak as if you did not want me to go to visit Jennings what is the difficulty or reason I should like to know because if I should come that way home it would be right on my direct route from Mr. Whites

 

            I am very much obliged to Frank for his part of the letter and will write to him again before long. Tell him to be a good boy for that will please me always

 

            But I have scribbled this sheet about full enough and must stop for this time. But will write again soon

                                                           

Write as often as you can

To yours as Ever

L. V. Tucker

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