Chaffins Farm V^a.

Jan 25^th /65

 

Dear Ari

                        It is a very cold and windy day but I dont suppose it is half as cold as it is where you are. yesterday things looked as though we were going to have lively times but it has not amounted to much yet. night before last three rebell gun boats come down the river and got below one of our Forts and could not get back again and you had better believe that our gun boats and Forts did sock it to them good. they blew up one of the rebbel gun boats and run the other two ashore or rather thay got aground and could not get of again untill dark / whether thay got of again after dark or not I dont know. "but you see" after their gun boats got aground thay began to shell us but did not do much damage. I believe that thay killed six or seven Negro soldiers in Fort Burnham. you see, I was on picket the night before and of coarse I was sleepy so I lay down to rest but the first thing that I knew there was a one hundred pound shell come puffing and blowing, ripping and tairing through our camp. "it made our little tents fly like so many chips" and I thought it was time for me to get up and get. so I just took "Betsey" my gun and made for the breast-works with the rest of the boys. the Regt had been behind the breast-works all day but I thought a little sleep would do me more / good then it would to sit behind the breast-works all day. thay threw ten or fifteen shell over to us but our fellows would not answer them so thay quit fireing. What do you suppose I should have said if one of those shells had come into my tent and broke all of my crockery ware. I could not help laughing once yesterday. there was seven or eight of the Christian Com. standing in a group when Johnny threw one of his big shell over and it hit the ground about a rod from them and exploded. it did not hit any-one of them but it come pretty near frightening of them to death. thay cut all kinds of figures. I find that it is the best way when a shell strikes pretty near to a fellow is to go and stop whear it hit, for it is / a good marks-man that can hit twice in one place "aint it you."

 

Oh by the way Mr. J. M. Davis of Ports^m N.H. is out here, he is one of the Christian Commissioners. he is Susan Batchelers husband of Rye. he gave me this paper and some thread and a comb. he thinks that the rebs throw their shells over here just as though thay did^nt care whether thay "hit any-body or not" and I guess thay dont. I dont know what you will think of this letter. I wish that I could write as fast as I can talk. I believe that before two months passes away I can tell you some good news but some of the boys dont think so, but I tell them it is best to look on the best side of the thing. if we dont we may get home sick before our time is out. I am all ways looking for better times comming and I believe thay will come. 

 

            Oh no, Ari no no. I never told you not to believe all the Capt said, now did I Ari. hay. if I did, I did not intend to tell you any such a thing. I wish you could hear one of our bands play. last night one of them come over to and played at our Colonels Quarters. "Colonel Smith" and thay did play splendid it beet any-thing that I ever heard. well it is most time for dress prade so I will lay this aside untill after that. oh. you wanted to know how often we got the mail out here. well we get it every day when the weather is fair.

           

Thursday morning Jan. 26^th

I did not get a chance to write last night so I will try and finish this now. Every-thing is quiet all along the lines. no fireing at all. the weather is very cold for this climate. the ground froze quite hard last night.

 

Oh! Ari will you send me a pocket Handkerchief by mail some time when you feel rich enough. that^s all.

 

well as I have got to go out on drill pretty soon and I havnt got any news to tell you I will close. Give my love to Elmer. what dose he think of his ring. I guess he thinks it is stout enough for him. my regards to all the folks.

 

if I get a letter in the mail that is comming before this one goes out I will write a few lines more, so good morning.

 

From your affectionate Husband

in the Army of the James,

Serg^t S. B. Tarlton.

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