New Bern North Carolina, March 6^th /62

 

Dear Parents,

                        I recieved a letter from you yesterday dated march 31^st, another from the Dr, and Silas Ed, but I didn't get any papers. but I was very glad for what I did get, and was also glad to hear that you were all so well. To day being sunday we all wanted to go to church, or a good of did. At last we all had the chance. we recieved orders for all to be ready to fall in at half past ten, boots blacked and all cleaned up white gloves on, and every thing just as we would prepare for dress parade. At the apointed hour we march out on the regimental parade ground. when all was ready we started / for church with band a playing guns at a shoulder and bayonets fixed with our belts on. it looked more as though we were going to fight, than church. Why the idea of going to church with forty rounds of cartidges in our boxes, is an one idea I suppose never entered the minds of the inhabints of our own little neighborhood. I'm sure it seemed very strange for me to go into church in this stile; but a soldier gets used to every thing as he moves along through his lasy life. We are having some splendid weather down here now; apple trees are in bloom but the peach and plum blossom are nearly all fallen. the weather is getting pretty warm here about these days: the thermometer stood at eighty four. There is considerable sickness here. I believe there has been a funeral in our regiment every day the last week. our regiment seems to be pretty well played out. we cant muster more than five hundred men fit for duty. we have but half our compliment officers, part of what we have / are sick. But I have wandered far from my subject. We marched down into the city, to the first baptist church. (I dont know whether there is any second baptist or not but I have seen none) It is a very neat church inside nicely finished, not expensively, no organ. we stack our arms outside and placed a guard of them. The services were conducted by Rev. M. Clark of the twenty third Massachusetts Vol. he preached from Hebrews 12 ch. 1^st and 2^nd verses. it was a very good sermon written on purpose for us soldiers. We have been hearing for the last two weeks that the North Carolina "chivalry" were coming down to retake the place which they left so unceremoniously a few weeks since; but we haven't seen only a few of them yet. (yesterday our pickets brought in thirty cavalry) prisoners. Well if they do come they wont find us entirely unprepared, for we have about one hundred contraband employed in building a neat little breastwork; they have a white / band around their hat with United States Servant printed on it in large letters; it seems to please them very much; and they work like good fellows. they have an idea that we came down here to liberate them all, and they claim our protection. Their condition when we came here was miserable indeed, on account of the scarcity of every thing and and exceeding high prices of food. but one can see a difference in them all ready since we came They will pick up more hard money after we are paid than many of them every saw before. And the condition of those that come in every day, deplorable in the extreme. Buisness is increasing in the city slowly, by degrees the inhabitants venture out those in the city families from outside are moving in, merchants are opening their stores those that have anything to sell. oysters are plenty and very good and at [?] a reasonable rate. We have two sick in our mess Obe and Ward they seem to be pretty sick, but hope they will soon be well again when we get something to eat. We have some fresh beef from the North. It has been butchered and we are to have some for breakfast.

 

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If they only feed us, we will come out all right yet, but shall have to be very careful. So far I have been blessed with very good health, have not been to the Dr's once (I believe) since I left home I have suffered much from colds, that the worst. But I am very well now. I guess I must close.

                                                                       

Dutifully

William

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