Camp Banks

Baton Rouge Feb 12/63

 

Dear Nellie

                        As I have got settled down with the rest of our regt. I will try and write you a few lines We left N.Y. the 25^th of Jan. on board the old steamer Illinois in company with the 49^th Mass regt. they went on board first and filled up all the chances to sleep in the second cabin and the officers took the first cabin consequently we of the 21^th Me had to take the hurricane deck for our quarters The weather was very favorable so we made out to live through it But I tell you thare was any amount of curses heaped upon the Government and its officials by the / men who had left home and all that is dear to defend the country and were made to suffer unnecessarily We had our Colonel along with us but he was powerless to do anything for our comfort as Brig. Gen. Andrew was aboard and had command of us all One night thare was a cold rain storm and the boys went down into the cabin whare the Gen. & his staff and the Capts and other officers were but he sent the waiters to drive them out so up they went to the Capt of the boat and he went down with them and told Andrew that he sent the boys down thare to sleep but still he protested against it so the Capt had to tell him that he believed he was commander of the boat and that settled the matter. at another time the boat was rather short of water (the water which we used being made from the water of the ocean condenced by means of the steam / engine) and the Gen. give out orders that the men should have none till his horses had been watered, but the Capt. again put forth his authority and we got our water first. I am afraid the Union cause will continue to drag along without the Gov. puts some different men in command of her armies from those which now have the reins We reached the mouth of the Miss.* the 5 day of Feb but owing to the steamer's drawing so much water could not get over the bar. after a number of tryals it was given up and the boat was anchored in a place of safty untill the sixth when thare was a boat sent down from N.O to take us off and carry us up to town It was just at night when we got off so we did not have a chance to see much of the country from the mouth of the Miss to N.O. The boat was / brought too by the firing of a blank shot from one of forts which a situated about thirty miles up the river Arrived at N.O. about seven o'clock the next morning* I may as well state before going any farther that we had the first chance aboard of this boat, and the Mass boys had to take their chance on the on the floor or any whare else they could catch it. Left N.O. about one and proceeded up the river some seven or eight miles to Carrollton whare it was said we should go immediately on shore and go into tents untill the Illinois should come up with our baggage and things but for for some reason we did not go on shore that night nor the next day which was Sabbath. I with several others got pass on shore early in the morning and did not return till night I tell you it seemed good to set foot on terra ferma after being on ship fifteen days. After mature deliberation the conclusion was arrived at that we should go on shore and go into camp, so accordingly about one o'clock Monday afternoon we carried out what little baggage we had taken with us and loaded it on the wagons and then shouldered knapsacks & and marched out on the shell road a short distance and pitched our tents for the night / being just five months since going into camp at Augusta. We had the best nights rest since leaving East N.Y. Early the next day received orders to pull up stakes and march to the boat landing, so accordingly we up stakes packed knapsacks and was down to the landing at an early hour. After waiting all day in the hot sun (for you must understand that the weather is hot as summer) for a boat to come up from N.O. to take us up the river, we succeeded in geting started about eight in the evening but had not proceeded only a dozen miles or so when it became so foggy that it was considered unsafe to run the boat so it was tied up untill four the next morning when we proceeded on our journey. I was glad that we / did not go up come up in the night as we should not have had so good a sight of the country along the river which are devided into large sugar plantations, with thare large low old fashioned houses and numerous negro houses near, all whitewashed and looking a great deal better than any I ever saw in Ala. or Miss with the tall chimneys of the large sugar manufactories looming up in the distance, but all seem to wear a desolate look to what they must have presented before commiting the suicide which Jeff. and aids have caused them to do Thare is are Union soldiers stationed along every few miles to keep the the people in awe Did see but a few citizens and those what they call here low white trash they did not seem to manifest neither joy nor displeasure at our coming. The boat had on it freights / for almost every little landing place the whole distance, showing that Uncle Sam is bound to feed all those who are placed either by acident or otherwise under his protection. As the boat had to make so many stops and the river was so very high making the current strong we did not reach our destination till eleven oclock Staid on the boat all night The next morning slung knapsacks and shouldered our guns and marched in a kind of circuitous rout up through the city to whare the rest of our regt. are encamped. Went to work and pitched our tents and arrainging things so that we could begin to live again. We have to keep to work the most of the time cleaning our guns, which got terrible rusty on the water, drilling &c. We have the large kind of tents which hold some sixteen. Our mess is made up of West Waterville / boys. Baton Rouge shows some signs of the desolation of war in the houses which have been torn to pieces by the soldiers to make floors for their tents We are situated very pleasantly here our tents are pitched under a row of large oak trees which make a nice shade these hot days. We have considerable duty to perform picket & rigimental The Rebels show themselves quite often in the vicinity of our pickets and the other day our Cavalery captured three mounted Rebels and brought them in day before yesterday thare was a foraging party sent out which succeeded in bringing in some forty loads of corn I do not think thare will be any fighting here for some time unless the rebels make the attack and I guess they won't do that after the lesson they learned last summer I will not undertake to state the number of troops in the vicinity as I have not heard it said and they are so scattered that it is almost impossible to make an estimate Our Com. are all in good health and spirits with the exception of four which are in the hospital three in N.Y. and Llewellyn Potter who was left at Carrollton I found your letter of the 10^th Jan. awaiting me at Baton Rouge had ought to received it while at NY I was glad to hear from you though even at that late day. John don't say much about Doyen's paying Rilla so much attention but I suppose he thinks the more I wrote you about Will & Delia having some trouble I think they must have settled it some how for Will has received a letter with Delia's picture in it she was looking well With many thanks for kind wishes I remain Yours as ever John To Nellie

 

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It is Sabbath and was some three days ago when I commenced this letter but duty interfered with my finishing it before. The place whare I am writing is not is not the best that ever was I am seated on the floor of the tent which is mother earth, with a box which our cartridges came in for a writing desk On my left is Will Wyman inclined on his elbow writing a letter I suppose to his Delia, on my left is Winslow and Smart lying down taking their ease with others reading and writing in varions atitudes

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