Aboard Steamer Arizonia,

On Cumberland River, Feb. 16, 1864.

 

My Dear Sister:

                        This morning I will while away a leisure hour by writing a few lines to you, which I will mail when we reach Nashville. As you already know we left Cincinnati last Friday. It was about 6 o'clock in the evening before we got underway. The next morning we reached Louisville, and Sunday evening about 11 o'clock arrived at Smithland, the mouth of the Cumberland. The lower Ohio is a majestic river, exceeding in grandeur, (in my opinion) the "father of Water". It is very broad, and often can be seen for many miles in extent. Its broad, majestic sweep conveys an idea of immense power. In some places the banks are low and swampy, but during much of its course they are high, and pleasant little towns and cities, splendid / farms and well built farm houses adorn the banks. Nor is it one unvarying sameness. Ranges of hills and bluffs frequently meet the eye. On the lower Mississippi it is different. The river is broad and majestic; but the banks are almost invariably one dull sameness of heavily timbered forests and low swamps, of which the eye soon tires. Of the Cumberland I will speak in another letter. I will now give you a little account of our situation upon the boat. There are five companies on the boat. Before we got on, she was heavily loaded with railroad iron; but we are comparatively quite comfortably situated; that is compared with army steamboat trips in general. We are not near so crowded as we were when we came down the river on our way home, and another thing very favorable is, that we have been blessed with pleasant weather. Yesterday especially was a very beautiful, mild sunny day. But let me introduce / you to our cabin, which is my headquarters. We will suppose it evening. About 100 or 125 men are scattered about the cabin. Here is gathered a group in conversation; others are writing; some are playing cards; some reading; many have laid down their blankets and stretched themselves to rest for the night. The confused hum of voices is heard everywhere. Gradually they lay themselves down, until only an occasional one remains standing. The scene is then one which a person who wished to study attitudes would love to dwell upon. The cabin is warm and very few throw a blanket over them, so that their forms are plainly seen, and I assure you it is sometimes quite amusing to witness the shapes assumed in sleep. One would scarcely think the human body capable of assuming so many different attitudes. When they are all thus laid down, there is very little spare room left, and it is a feat requiring no small skill to navigate from one / end of the cabin to the other, without treading upon some one. On the lower deck, around the sides of the cabin, in fact wherever one can sleep sheltered, the same scene is repeated, except that the sleepers are not scattered quite so thick.

 

            We are now near Clarksville, Tenn. and will reach Nashville probably to-morrow. We should probably reach there to-night, were it not that our boat is pr too heavily loaded to pass over the shoals, so that we shall probably have to change.

 

            Mr. Rosseter, our new Chaplain, is along and preached to us last last Sabbath morning in the cabin. He is a pleasant appearing man, and I hope will make a good chaplain; although he can hardly fill the place of Mr. Chidlaw, I think.

 

            I must tell you about a little thing that gave me considerable quiet merriment. It happened at Camp Dennison. An old bachelor about 45 years old, in our company, a regular old Kentuckian came to me and wished me to write him a letter. Now there was nothing strange in that request, as I am often asked to do the same thing by those unable to write themselves. But this old bachelor whom I had supposed entirely impervious to all the darts of Cupid, now confidentially informed me that he wished me to write a love letter for him! Imagine my astonishment. I utterly declined, averring an entire unacquaintance with that kind of correspondence. But the joke of the matter was that he would listen to no such excuse, but expressed entire and unlimited confidence in my ability to do such a thing. I was entirely taken aback, and was compelled to undertake the task. I asked him what I should write, but he told me that he would leave the matter entirely to me. He only had one instruction to give. That was to caution her against using too much tea. I was utterly at a loss to know what he meant by such a caution. I asked for information and found out that tea was another name for whiskey. I wrote the letter for him just as I supposed that he would talk, not omitting the tea caution, and indulging in poetry to the extent of

            "Roses are red, and violets blue,

            Sugar is sweet and so are you."

 

And such a letter as it was, I should hardly think that Miss_______(You (don't) know who) would feel complimented, or that my suit would be much advanced should I address such an epistle to her. My bachelor friend was very much pleased with it however 

 

A man fell overboard this morning. He was a very good swimmer, and managed to make the shore. It must have been a bath however decidedly more cool than refreshing.

 

            I will write again when we reach our destination. Direct your letters to me, in Dodge's Division, via Nashville.

 

Write soon to

Your Brother

 

            I sent home a pair of shoes from Camp Dennison. I found that they were too small for marching use, and concluded to draw a new pair of government shoes. I presume mother has received them. They were sent in care of Mrs. Stein who lives just opposite your house.

                                   

William is well.

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