Fourt Pickering                                  

Memphis Tennessee                                      

July the 5^th 1863

 

Dear Beloved and much respected Wife with the greatest of pleasure and with the most affectionate love to you it is that I endeaver to right you a fiew lines to let you no how I spent the 4^th day of July 1863 Well in the morning I got breakfast and then after breakfast I washed and dressed and and at 8 O clock all the Regiments inside of the fourt was marched up in front of "Colonel" C. D. Murray's head quarters and and the 89^th Regiment was marched right / right around the flagstaff where the Stars an Stripes were raised buy Colonel Murray and major eddy there was about 5 thousand soldiers ralleyed around the red white and blue we had a short speech delivered buy Major Eddy after the speaker was through there was 3 cheers for the Stars and Stripes and 9 cheers for General Grant then the respectable regiments ware all marched to their quarters and were set at liberty until six oclock in the evening when we were all marched out in line on the parade / ground and and the Officers of the 89 presented our Colonel C. D. Murray with a sword worth One hundred dollars and after the presentation of the sword dress parade was dismissed and we were marched to our quarters Well the scenes of the 4^th of July 1863 were as nice as I ever witnesed in my life there was 34 shots fired out of one of the siege guns at 10 Oclock yesterday One shot for every state O I wish you could see such performances once it looks very nice to see about 5 thousand all marching in one body / especialy when they are all uniformed That is the way we spent the 4^th There was 150 men detailed out of our regiment today to guard twelve hundred prisoners up to alton they were captured at Helena there was nineteen went out of our Company Fred Hawk went and Walace Johnson John Barkley Bill Colar L W Luton and severel others but I dont have to go on such expaditions as long as I am cooking and I dont care about going for they have to stand guard day and night as long as they are on the boat and they have to use river water and it is enough to make one sick

 

I have good sistern water to use as long as I cook for our Captain and he says that I shant quit for I am the best cook he has had and it just soots me for I am not exposed to the weather and I dont have to be out after night in the night heir are

 

the health of the Regiment is not as good now as what it has been Wenman Jones and James Gaunt has not been very well for severel days Washington Kern has got to bee a nurse in the horspitel he is well and harty we cant send aney letters without paying the postage here and stamps are hard to get / but I will right as often as I can well I must bring my letter to a close buy telling you that I am well and harty I am as fleshey now as I ever was in my life the hot wether here agrees with me very well and I hope those fiew lines may find you all enjoying the best of health

 

So nothing more at present but I still remain your most affectionate Companion to my Dear and Beloved Wife and sweet little girls                  

Hugh Bay to

Cordeli Ann Bay

           

Hugh Bay

 

Right as soon as you receive this I have your likenes yet and it is as nice as ever

 

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Give my best respects to Father and mother and all the rest

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