John P. DeMeritt to Julia A. DeMeritt, 20 February 1865
DL1644.16
O.M.D 29th Wis. Inf. Vols.
Dauphine Is. Ala. Feb. 20 1865.
Dear Sister Julia,
The end of another week has come and with it the pleasing duty of writing home. I say pleasing duty, for when in splendid health, in prosperity, when my letter is to be an answer to two letters from home, both of which tell me all is well why should it not be a pleasing, a blessed duty? In consequence of irregular mail facilities a letter from you mailed Jan. 9th & one mailed Feb. 2 reached me on the same day. Perhaps the letter of the 9th was delayed on the route because it was written on washing-day, and so full of the "loving smiles and kind words" peculiar to those days. Well without joking it was a good letter and its chief fault was brevity. The same objection must be said of your last. But the last one was brim full of news. Clara's & Doct Clark's failing are mentioned, the increase to Clara's family, Marion Dewey intended marriage are all related in about as many lines.
In respect to remarkable incidents your epistle is peculiar, and each incident is related so suddenly after another I in reading your epistle am forcibly impressed of the changes being wrought in M— during my absence. When I return and see the places of many persons vacant, never again to be filled, when I come to see the new homes created and established, and many other less, but noticeable, changes in the town, I reckon I will not feel perfectly at home even in my own town. These changes tell us that time is ever moving and making revelations, that as time brings a war to our land that causes great changes, so also in a quiet and silent way it brings marriages, sickness, births and deaths.
So we will not be unmindful of the frailty of all things, or forget that we too are marching to the grave, and "the places that now know us will soon know us no more forever". /
During the past week we have enjoyed life very well. The weather most of the time has been pleasant. Business has moved along very well, and my health has been the very best. All these are enough to make one happy. Among the matters of interest during the week, none have claimed more attention than a team I drew. You may think that a small thing, but when I tell you that by looking sharp I managed to draw a six-mule-team that is one of the best that can be found in the whole army, you will see why we are so much interested in it, and not a little proud of it. The mules are all white, and so finely matched, so proud, and handsome, they everywhere attract attention. Indeed, I am so all the time afraid some authority will want the team and manage to get it in spite of us. So much for our Flag-of-truce-team as we call it.
Another incident of the past week, and one that has occasioned considerable comment, is the narrow escape of a boat from being wrecked with all on board while coming from New Orleans here. The boat was loaded with the ambulances and teams of a part of our Brigade and the men with them and baggage & stores for troops here. The steamer brought over a part of our Brigade the same time we came, & returned for the stuff left behind. She had not been out of the Miss River many hours before the wind had got to blowing very hard, and the steamer being very heavily loaded she rode badly, and thrashed so that her rudder broke and part of the hull so those on board thought destruction certain. In this emergency they threw most of the mules and horses overboard & wagons which lightened the ship so they were able to put back into the Miss river again. Between 100 & 200 head of stock—horses & mules—were lost and considerable property like ambulances, wagons &c Those present say / it looked awful to throw those animals into the water, and still worse to see them swim around the steamer struggling for life. They say that next morning mules could be seen swimming about, and as a last resort grabbing each other by the ears. Eight men were lost by being blowed overboard. One man was in an ambulance and it was blown overboard with him.—No important orders have come relative to our spring campaign yet we see every day something toward that object. I think it will be a few weeks before we move off. It may be of interest to you to know what Regts compose our Corps, and how it is divided, as I never have written about anything beyond our Division. I think. The Corps is called the "Reserve Corps" and is thus arranged:
First Division
1st Brigade 47 Indiana, 21 Iowa, 29th Wisconsin & 99 Illinois
2nd do 8 Illinois 46 Illinois and 11 Illinois
3 " 29th Illinois 30 Missouri 161 New York 23 Wisconsin
Light Artillery 4th Mass. Battery and 7 Mass. Battery
Second Division
1st Brigade 20 Wisconsin 94 Illinois, 19 Iowa, 23 Iowa, 60 Indiana
2nd do 97 Illinois 69th Indiana, 24 Indiana, 76 Illinois
3 " 114 Ohio 34 Iowa, 20 Iowa, 83 Ohio, 37 Illinois
Light Artillery 15 Mass Battery and 2nd Conn Battery
Third Division
1st Brigade 28 Illinois 96 Ohio 35 Wisconsin 77 Illinois
2 do 7th Vermont 91 Illinois 29 Iowa 50 Indiana
3 " 33 Iowa 27 Wisconsin 28 Wisconsin 77 Ohio
Light Artillery 21 and 26 New York Batteries
I do not know whether the whole Corps is to participate in the impending campaign or not.
To night is windy. The waves dash upon the shore making a sound to us similar to the sweeping of a heavy wind through the forest; or the faint murmuring of a / distant waterfall. When the wind runs riot over the deep it gives us a fine picture here. The waves roll in one after the other, keeping the water almost in a perfect foam, while out of the bay, far down about to the extent of vision here, the water looks as though it was a
field of snow, rather than a field full of white capped waves.
On these windy days the white sand here drifts almost as much as so much snow, and of course every thing is full of grit. About all we had for supper to-night was tea, liver, and grit. You would laugh at such wells as we have here. The boys dig down into the sand about four feet and put in a barrel and the well is complete and full of clear fresh water. Of course these wells would not be very good in summer if they afforded water at
all, but now the water is not only cold and good, but apparently healthy. I lately sent in a letter home thirty dollars did you get it? I have also received this last week several Freeman's. Now, I hope in your letters hereafter you will endeavor to tell me more particularly about affairs home and about town. Just think! you have never told me yet about Laura's attending dancing school; and if a person should ask me to-day what the girls & Eddie were doing, all I could say is that I guessed Laura was in Mr. Wilder's but did not know; and Bell was at home helping Mother I thought; Eddie I presume attended school still I did not know certain. I shall expect a long letter from Martha soon as her school is out in a few days and she has not wrote me since it began.
But I must close by wishing much love to you all and hoping to hear from home often
Your dear Brother John
Direct at New Orleans and not via Cairo
[remark]
11/3 94 Tunbridge Vt Read part of this letter to GAR Post
DATABASE CONTENT
| (11287) | DL1644.016 | 164 | Letters | 1865-02-20 |
Tags: Animals, Artillery, Births, Business, Death (Home Front), Death (Military), Food, Home, Illnesses, Mail, Marriages, Money, News, Rivers, Sadness, School/Education, Ships/Boats, Supplies, Weather
People - Records: 2
Places - Records: 1
- (1882) [origination] ~ Dauphin Island, Mobile County, Alabama
SOURCES
John P. DeMeritt to Julia A. DeMeritt, 20 February 1865, DL1644.016, Nau Collection
