Geo S. Palmer

1864 Jan 25

 

Monday Morn Jan 25^th 8 AM and no letter

                       

We have just been informed that we are detailed for picket duty that is Penfield and Palmer no more than I expected we came off from picket yesterday so that we can say that we are on evry day we have beautiful weather the days are verry warm with awful cold nights I suppose that Loomis has arrived at home by this time I should like to be at home on a furlough but it is of no use to try for they stopped giving passes to go outside of our lines yesterday on account old John Morgan he is again in the southern cause and he says that he is bound to break up the Nashville and Chattanooga Rail Road now is his time our regiment has to guard the road for twenty miles there was six regiments in our brigade a month ago now there are but two the 20^th Conn Vols and 123^rd NY / our old Colonel Commdg Brigade Co B is at Tracy City K part of D at the tunnel part of A and D guarding the bridge two miles below here 12 of D and 6 of A at Tantallon E, H, I G F, C are near Anderson with the regiment Head quarters at Cowens the 5^th C.V. conscrips are there we have but thirty nine in our Company we left Portland with 101 men so that if Co D falls off as fast the next eighteen months to come there will not be a man left to go home with the regiment this place is the last place that ever was made and I dont care how soon we leave for some other place I need not tell you of the suffering of the citizens around here for I could not if I tried go with me through the lines ask them to make a hoe cake (or corn bread cake) they will say that they have not got half a bushel of corn meal in the house no meat / not nor salt or coffee where I asked them where the men folks were at they were in Braggs army and they said they never wanted to have them come home till they had driven us from their soil verry well I told them as long as you talk so Uncle Sam can afford to let you starve men may take the oath but I never would believe them sincere for if our army was driven from this soil they would be secesh there is one old man here that I believe to be of my style a good old union democrat when bragg went through here last July they brought old squire Kitchen who is ninety one years old and has been Justice of the Peace for over 40 years and still holds the office before the Col of the 31^st Missipi who decided that he was a bad man (just because he was union) and ought to put away so his sentence was to be shot at sun rise and if the secesh around here / had not plead for him he would have been killed they robbed of all his clothing law books and evry thing when Rosecrans advanced he heard of it and sent him all the clothes he wanted and gave him $300 for the damage done to his corn he told me this with tears in his eyes and as I left he shook hands and said you are about as clever as old Rosy (Rosecrans) I was down past there the other day and he was out making a rail fence pretty good for him at 91 years he has three sons fighting for the union bully for him but I will close requesting you to send me a lot of stamps and I wish I had some envelopes so good bye I hear that Libbie Baldwin has got married if the boys will come out to war if the girls will only marry them I hope they will all get married tell Maggie she better get married if the fellow will volunteer (no you neednt)

my regards to all        

 

From your Affect Son             Geo S Palmer

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