Camp Salomon Helena Ark.

Dec. 1st, 1862.

 

 

Dear Sister,

Your letter with Mary's was forwarded to me from Madison & reached me a few days since. I will direct this with Mary's though I presume it will not find you at H. You will be glad to hear I am very well and prospering finely. I have written Mary so long a letter there is little chance for news. If this has to be forwarded from H. and you do not see Mary's letter I shall be little disappointed, for I have written eleven pages of this size paper to her and in hopes that you could enjoy it with her. Last night was the rainiest night I have seen here. I guess it was rather hard for the soldiers, but I slept as nice as when in my own chamber at home. I have a good tick which I fill with husks, and a good little crick and plenty of blankets so I am well provided for in this respect. All the provisions of the regiment pass through our hands so I never lack food whatever it is, and from Mary's letter you will see what I drew for our regiment to live on ten days. I am about to set / down to breakfast. We breakfast on potatoes, ham, hard crackers & soft bread and tea with sugar. I have not tasted a mite of milk since leaving Madison, or rather since here. I look upon butter & milk &c as mere useless expenditures. Monday p.m.

 

I have just returned from a trip over the river after forage for our regiment. I took a wagoner with his team of four mules, five men and borrowed the Col's horse. I went over at 11 a.m. We should have for our thirty mules and fourteen horses about eighteen bales (6160 lbs) of hay and fifty sacks (4380 lbs) of oats, but we are short and our division or share was nine sacks of oats, one bale of hay and seven sacks of corn so with a few other little things to do I was gone till about 2 p.m. We shall have a much easier time for the next ten days unless ordered to move

 

Tues. morn Dec. 2nd

I did not have opportunity to finish this letter last night & resume it this morning. I have not had a letter from home since here that has been an answer to those I have written from this place. It must take some while for a letter to go from here to Vt. & receive an answer, for the mail facilities between this place and Columbus, Cairo, St Louis & other northern stations are quite irregular.

 

A few days ago about 12000 of this army went down the river about twelve miles and marched across the country of this State (Miss) to intercept Price's retreat. Gen Grant is following him up with a good army and if our troops cut off his retreat we may hope Price's army will be taken. Three deserters from Price came in lately & reported he had about 30000 poorly clad troops & suffering much for coffee, sugar, & salt. I wrote to Laura & Bell lately. I have lost the run of numbering my letters since here. Your last was number five. I think I have written a number five but will call this No 5. For the last few days I have been remarkably well. Have an appetite like a bear. In Mary's letter I have given an account of a foraging party. I gave an account of the same in my last to Laura.

 

Write soon and often. Your dear brother

John

 

[margins]

I send a letter I found in one of the houses on a deserted plantation when with that foraging party.

 

The above copied in ink JPD 4/24 1900 I send a letter I found in one of the houses on a deserted plantation when with the foraging party.

 

This letter is to Sister Martha JPD 4/24 1900

 

[verso]

Remarks

The forage in all our service was usually short and especially in hay. If we had not foraged from the country the animals often would have suffered. And a trick in the business was to dole out the forage to the regts with sacks of grain & bales of hay estimate at a certain rate each which fell short of the exact weight & on the papers the sacks & the number of bales were not given so there was room for a lot of gouging e.g. the Caps QM issued to a Regt so much grain & hay in bulk, each sack & bale rated as he pleased wh might be a third lighter than the fact & so he would have left a large supply to sell to whom he liked. The Gov't I think was willing to give the QMs a good margin for losses in transportation wh could not usually be avoided, but this rating of sacks & bales as you pleased gave room for a good deal of scheming against the Gov't. Near the close of the war I was requested to suggest improvements for the service & did so naming this & [?] in all papers of transfer the rate of the sacks & bales shd be given. JPD Apr 24 1900

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