Camp Gillmore

Near Portsmouth Va

Oct 24^th 1863

 

Dear Ari:

                        I recived your letter of the 18^th Thursday. do you send the Ballot for I havent got last weeks yet. It is a rainy day here and I am on the bed a writeing it is a cold storm. that Mrs. Rooney is trying to rais up some young soldiers I should think will we need them. I see that Uncle Abe has called for 300,000 more will he get them without a nother draft. I hope he will for we dont want any more substitutes. there has been quite an excitement here for the past week about the exicution of Doct. Wright of Norfolk. he shot a Lieut / last summer because he was drilling a co of nigroes. the Doct was tried by cort martial first and sentenced to be shot but some how or other he was turnd over to the civel authoritys that sentenced him to be hanged by the neck untill he was dead dead dead three times dead. so yesterday at 10 oclock A.M. he was hung in the presants of three Regt of infantry one colord Regt and two white. we had orders to go down but 3 of our Cos was on picket and 2 in the fort. so thay countermanded the order. our chums went down the 4^th Rhodeisland for a gard. he was a man about 60 years old. the secesh tried very hard to get him clear / thay got him out into the street the night before he was hanged. his daughter went into the jail and changed close with him and he come out and past the gard and one of the gard said to the oficer of the gard did you know that that was Doct Wright. know says he well it is said the gard so he went and lifted up the vale he had on and found that it was he shure enough. well he cant run away any more.

 

Those blue stripes will do just as well although our boys all wear black. tell your Father I think he will do to come to war if he is as smart as he tells for / I am acting first Sergt of the Co. and every little while the drum will beet the ordleys call and I have to run to see what is up. our sergts are all on duty some one thing and some another so it fell to me to act untill thay get relieved. You wanted to know why I did not get a furlough as well as Clough because I did not ask for it I had rether not go home as long as you are all well. I can get a furlough if I wanted one. there was 7 went home to day from our Regt. How is Elmer well tell him to write give my love to all

           

good day         S. B. Tarlton

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