Henry F. Dowst to Unknown, 29 March 1865
Savannah Ga Mar 29th 65
 
a few lines this morning to let you a few where and how I am &c
 
I am well for the first thing and have been well all the way through. We started from the Island the 21 and landed here last night or yesterday afternoon We had a pretty bad time on board of the old transport. We had to lay between the decks where we had no bunks to sleep in but had to lay on the deck crowded so that it seemed as though an other man could not find a chance large enough to lay down in
 
The weather was good most of the time It blowed some of the time pretty hard and made the old boat tip round like a good one I was not sea sick much of any / was not sick enough to throw up any the other boys were most all sea sick some Henry Whittier was the sickest one of the Vienna boys
 
The Vienna boys are all well and smart now and have been all the time and are all contented but Wills he is a little home sick some times
 
We have not got to our Regt yet but expect to go in a few days it is about three quarters of a mile to our Regt.
 
we shall live well here I guess I hope so. better than we did on board of the boat and we did not live very bad there had hard bread enough and some times coffee but you could not drink it. Then we got meat once a day and herring once a day it was not so very bad but we did / not have much appetite to eat any thing there was a sutlers on board that had things to sell such as cakes and pies but he would ask 50 cts for a little pie a little larger than a saucer and 5 cts for an apple & other things accordingly
 
our company is Co F. 12 Me Regt or will be when we are fairly settled It was pretty rough when we came round cape Hatteras came round last sunday in the forenoon and have got here safe at last. we are in the Charleston depot now It is a big depot this was a nice place here once but it is all stove up now the shells and cannon balls are laying round here on the ground as thick as can be I cannot write much this time. write soon /
                       
and write all the news
 
direct to
H. F. Dowst
Co F. 12 Maine Regt
Savannah Georgia
(Care of Capt Montgomery)
11430
DATABASE CONTENT
(11430)DOT0147.003i171Letters1865-03-29

Tags: Business, Food, Homesickness, Illnesses, Ships/Boats, Weather

People - Records: 1

  • (4060) [writer] ~ Dowst, Henry Ferdinand

Places - Records: 1

  • (104) [origination] ~ Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia

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SOURCES

Henry F. Dowst to Unknown, 29 March 1865, DOT0147.003i, Nau Collection