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

On board Steamer Commercial

Arkansas River, March 12, 1864

 

My very dear Wife

                        When I left Memphis, I mailed a letter to you; and although we will have no chance to mail letters till we reach Pine Bluffs, I write you again to-day.

 

            We are getting along very slowly, though quite well. The gunboat which was to be our convoy has delayed us, and cannot keep up with us now; so we have to wait for her.

 

            I would give almost anything for a letter from you. Two weeks, and no letter from my darling wife! It seems like an age.

 

            We live very well on this boat—not at $1.50 a day, but at less than one third of it. As we were not very flush of "Greenbacks", we laid in some hams and bread, dried apples, coffee, & sugar, and have one of the boys cook for us. / Most of the Officers do the same thing. It is not quite up to my taste, but we get along quite well.

 

            I would like to know how near our Regiment is to being full. When it gets up to 830 we will hear from Columbus. As many of the recruits went directly to Columbus and Little Rock, we cannot tell how many we have yet. We cannot need many by this time.

 

            There are many passengers on the Commercial, besides our Regt—several of them ladies; but I have not been introduced, and so do not talk with them.

 

            Several of the new recruits have the measles. Isaac Day, of my Co., has been sick with the measles for some days. He is doing well. All the Marietta boys are well. Billy Ohle is the same colt he has always been. I am fearful he will not hold out long enough to get the gold watch, if he don't keep out of the company of drinking boys.

 

            Orlando Hunter and others were sent on to Little Rock before us. Some one told / me Levi Haught had been sent there from Alton. William Haught and Chas. Strahl are there, I am informed. A young man named Frank Gray, who joined Co G at Columbus has also gone on to Little Rock.

 

The boat trembles so I can hardly write so you can read it. I will wait a while.

 

            March 13.—Well, it is Sunday, and a beautiful day we have. The sun sparkles brightly over the dazzling waters of the Arkansas as our little fleet glides slowly up. We will reach Pine Bluffs to-morrow night, the Captain says, and Little Rock Wednesday or Thursday. I hope to find some letters there from you, as the mail went up White river, I believe, and by rail from Duvall's Bluffs to Little Rock.

 

            I have just been planning a nice piece of work for Emma. That is for you to give her all the letters you wrote me since I have been in the army, and let her buy a blank book and copy them all into it—so they will be preserved for me in that form. First let her / make all the improvements she can in her penmanship, and then do that to practice. She may copy mine to you if you wish it, some time when she has leisure, during the next year. What do you think of the plan? It will learn her to write, and get the letters in a bound book. I shall prize yours so much.

 

            The rebels fired into the gunboat last night, just after we had passed what is called the Russell Plantation. No one was injured. I presume it was a few guerrillas prowling about there. They had better keep out of the sight of the 77^th boys, or some of them will get hurt

 

            If you have any copies of the Register with the Journal and Statesman notices in, please send me two or three. I neglected to bring one, and the Colonel wanted one to-day.

 

            I send you a letter I have written to Father and Mother, which I wish you to read, and forward at once to them.

 

            Maj. Stevens went to Alton from Sandoval, Ill., as we came along. He is expecting a new recruit there. He has not yet overtaken us. Capt. Chander back yet also. He had a gathering on his neck. The Adjt. just now handed me a statement of the no. of rebels buried by us at Shiloh. It seems Col. Hildebrand had about 200 of them buried, near our camp.

 

            I will write you again soon. Kiss the children for me. My regards to friends and love to you.

                                               

As ever, dearest, Yours devotedly

AW M^cCormick

To Alice.

SOURCES