Camp Near Point of Rocks V^a.

Sunday Aug. 28^th 1864       

   

Dear Phemia

                        Your kind letter of the 22^nd inst. reached me this morning. Your letters arive so regularly every Sunday morning, that the Sabbath day would almost seem incompleet without one of them to read, for after reading one of your letters and learning that your health is still improving, and that you are contented and happy, it seems almost as if I had seen you. yet as highly as I prise your letters, I would gladly exchange one for even a few moments of your society. I presume I have at least another year to serve in the army before that happy time will arive, unless some fortionate circumstance brings it about sooner. I enlisted the last day of Aug. and was mustered on the 14^th of the following / month. I am unable to say when our time of enlistment expires, three years from the date of our enlistment or the date of our muster. There seems to be a doubt about or a difference of oppinion among all the officers I have heard speak of it. But I think there was such an act passed by the war Department reckoning soldiers time from the date of muster. but it is not always exacted.

 

You will see by this letter that we have returned to Point of Rocks. We are now at the same place and behind the same line of works that we helped to build before leaving here to go to White House on the 27^th of May. We left our possition at Petersburg on the 25^th inst. after being relieved by the 10^th Corps and arived here the same day. We are pleased with the change for while we were near Petersburg we were seldom out of hearing of the enemies bullets and when in camp in the rear we were always within reach of the enemies shell and were frequently disturbed in the middle / of the night by their shell exploding in and about our camp. but at this place the cannonading is heard in the distance and the constant skirmish firing and the whiz of bullets is no more heard in our camp, and we can walk about without feeling as if we were liable to be shot at any moment. There were 18 drowned on the 16^th of last month in the ravine where our camp was situated. But one was drowned that belonged to our regiment, and several others narrowly escaped. The regt was in the intrenchments at the time, or all but a few who were excused from duty. Our situation was very comfortable with the acceptions of geting thoroughly drenched and waiding in the water nearly a foot deep the most of the afternoon. We could not step out of the ditches on account of being fired upon. But such trifling difficulties we think nothing of. Capt Schutt returned to the regt. but was taken worse and I do not believe he will be able to take command of the Co in some time. D. W. Readfield returned last night. He is / gaining fast but is not entirely well yet. Charlie is well and received a letter from you this morning. You request me to tell you something of my childish days. If it will be of any intrest to you I have no objection to give you some idea of where I have spent my former life. I was born in Lowville Lewis C^o N.Y. I was scarcely old enough to reccollect the circumstance when my Father moved to Alexander Jefferson Co. where he resided until I was eleven years of age. he then moved to St. Laurence C^o. where he lived until I was 17 or 18 years of age. Up to this time I had never passed more than one week without being at home. Those were happy days when I lived in the society of my parents and brothers and sisters, but those happy days could not always last. My father moved to N.Y. City, and I was had something of a roving disposition and chose to go a different direction and he did not oppose me. I shiped on board of a vessel on lake Erie and followed this life for three summers and in the course of that time sailed many times from Sackets Harbor to Chicago. In the winter seasons when the vesels did not run I passed my time in the state of Illinois, where wages was better than they were in N. Y. My parents were poor, and unfortionate after going to the City, on account of sickness, and I felt it a duty to help them, and all my earnings accept what was needed for clothing was sent to them. In the fall of 53 my brother wrote to me from N.Y. that he was going to California. This was two years after the death of my Father and my Mother was then living with one of my sisters. I proposed to go to California with my brother, and we joined / company after starting on our journey at Memphis Tennessee. After consulting with each other in respect to our journey and finding that wages were good in the South we concluded to stay there until Spring, and then continue our journey. We went from Memphis to a small place on the river below called Commerce in the State of Mississippi where we passed the winter and when spring came we were too busy with other affares to find a favorable moment for starting on our journey. My brother lived there about two years and then went to the State of Louisiana, but I stayed in Miss. until the fall of 59 with the acception of six months of the time that I lived in Memphis. In 59 I went to Louisiana (at Donaldsonville) where I had bought some property and where my brother had married and settled down, and he persuaded me to go in to business there and improve the property I had there. / I took his advice and staid there until about one month after the war broke out. During my stay there business and money was plenty and my prospects very flattering and I felt as if I was enjoying the smiles of fortion, little dreaming how soon I was to endure its frowns. I arived in Lockport the last of May and the first of June was the first time I ever saw my little friend Phemia with my natural eye, but I had seen her before in immagination. I have given you a little sketch of where I have lived before you were acquainted with me and you know where I have been since, so you have a little idea of the part of country where your friend Russ has lived. I have just learned that Capt Schut has resigned and will start for home today or tomorrow. I received a letter from Mrs. Rhoades this morning. she says give Phemia my love and tell her I will answer her letter as soon as the felon I have on my hand will admit of my using a pen. I have just received a letter from my brother in Louisiana. He was well and doing well but seemed to be "Dwelling in the midst of alarm"

 

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Please give my respects to your friends and accept the sincere love and affection of your Friend

Russell F. Wright

 

To Euphemia O. Gillet.                                                                      

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