Head Quarters 77^th Regt O.V.I.

Steamer Imperial,      

Mississippi River, Aug 2, 1863—8 PM

 

My dear Wife

                                    We arrived at St. Louis last Friday at about 11 A.M. on the Steamer "B M Runyan", and left there about the same hour to-day on the Imperial.

 

            I wrote you Friday from St. Louis, and sent the letter to Alton by Dr. Wall, one of our Surgeons. As I suppose you will reach Ohio before another letter could reach you I enclose this in a note to your brother.

 

            You know, dearest, how much pain it gives me to leave you, and that I would rather be with my family than any where in the world; yet I do not feel at all unwilling to go to the field. It is true, we will find excessively hot weather and innumerable mosquitoes in the country along the Lower Mississippi, but I tried both all last summer, and I feel sure I can stand it. This Mississippi river water, however, is almost intolerable. It is not like the river water above the mouth of the Missouri, but as muddy as you can imagine, almost. If it has ice in it, we can shut our eyes and not mind the mud so much, but when right warm, and dirty too, it isn't nice to take.

 

            I am in excellent health. We will get to Cairo some time in the morning, where I will mail this letter, and I hope you and it will both reach Clintonville / on Tuesday; by which time I hope to be near Memphis. I intend to write you again from there.

 

            I hope you wrote me before leaving Alton, so I may get a letter from you when I reach Helena, and then I expect at least two a week from you while I am gone. Your letters are so much prized when I am away from home, that I would rather miss my dinner any time than to have a mail arrive and no letter from you. The dinner costs 75 cents on this boat, and the letter only 5 (besides the time it takes you to write it) So I shall expect the letter luxury served up regularly, if you please.

 

            I got myself a nice pair of pants cheap at St. Louis. They were made for another Officer by a Merchant Tailor, but were too large—so I got the twelve dollar pants for $8. The other officers are envying me my nice pants and my bargain. I also got a nice shirt at $2.25. I find goods generally higher in St. Louis than in Ohio, and even as high as at Alton.

 

            I want you to get everything for yourself and the children that you need to make you ever so comfortable. You will be in a nice clean place now where it will be worthwhile to dress. The boys can play on green sod instead of clay banks. Send or go to Columbus and get plenty of things, if you have time to make them up. If not, get them when you get home. I will send you more money next pay day.

 

            Tell me all about your trip from Alton to Columbus.

 

I hope you'll have no trouble. 

 

            Dearest, when I am alone in camp—(I do not mean entirely alone for there will be thousands of soldiers all around me, but without your company)—I shall often think how pleasantly this summer has passed, with you and my dear children around me. It was so good to meet you all when I came from Head Quarters at meal time and at night. How I wish the war were over that I might go home and be with you all my life. I hope it will not be many months till I see you again.

 

            I wrote to father yesterday, and mailed my letter in St. Louis. I would have written you again yesterday, but we were expecting to leave in an hour or so all day, and it was somewhat troublesome to keep the men on board, to prevent their being left. I lost none, but some of the Captains "find some of their men missing", as Lieut O'Leary would say.

 

            If you think of it, when you get home, tell Mrs. Capt Lucas that I got well acquainted with a very fine looking young man (named Dr. G J Lear) who used to write to her when she was going to school in Keokuk. He is the son of a rich Louisiana planter, and her sister was going to the same school, and used to tell him Lizzie was just the girl for him to marry. I guess he had half a notion propose, I think. But he is married as well as Lizzie. By the way don't forget to give my kind regards to Lizzie and also to the rest of "our girls" when you see them. Of course you'll kiss all the girls for me when you get to your brothers! 

 

Lieut Moore's resignation has been accepted, and all the original officers of Company D have now resigned. Lt. Henride, then Capt Blasdel, now Lieut. Moore. Capt. M^cNaughton is now the idol of the Co. D boys, if he was taken from another Co. to command them.

 

            We left Quartermaster Pearce at Alton, to settle up, Dr Wall is detached to take charge of the Alton prison Hospital, and Capts. Ross and Garrett and Lieuts. Eagler and Province went to Columbus with the 48 drafted men. Capts. Sisson and M^cKitrick are on furlough, Lieut. Mitchell got leave to stay a few days on account of his wife's illness, and Col. De Hass has not got back yet—so we have ten officers absent, and four vacancies—: those made by the resignations of Chaplain Pearce, Lieuts Burris, Criswell and Moore. Besides A.N. Hill has got a Post Sutlership, and we have no sutler with us. Martin Smith, I hear, will come with us, or after us, soon, to take Hill's place.

 

I suppose none of the Lieutenancies will be filled till the Regiment is filled up. We number now some 540 men—7 of whom are passed for the Invalid Corps. If we lose them and ten more, the Regiment will have reached the consolidation point. I think the friends of the 77^th at home should see to it that the regiment is filled up, as soon as the draft takes place.

 

            I must close for to-night, dearest. I may send something in the morning. Kiss the dear children for me. It was hard to leave you and them this time, if I had got used to leaving home to go to war. I hope I will get an opportunity of seeing you all soon.

                                               

As ever, dearest love, your

A.W. M^cCormick

 

P.S. We are at Cairo, Ag 3, at noon. All well, nothing new since yesterday, except Maj Stevens went to head quarters just before we left St Louis, got Lt. Moore's resignation through—and Lt. Col. De Hass is dropped from Regt Rolls as a "deserter"!

SOURCES