Head Quarters 54 Reg Ovi

                                                                                    Camp near Memphis Tenn            Sunday

 

My Dear Wife                                                           Oct 19^th 1863

                        again I seat myself to write you a few lines as I told you yesterday Morning I would write to day I am first rate never felt Beter except A Sore Mouth which Commences Bothering Me again I though I was read of it But it seems I am not But I hope it will not Be as Bad as it was Before—I have Ben out on a walk this morning to Our Picket lines and Back I went Out to See Lt Cutter—We are all well and feeling first Rate This afternoon We have to Go to the fairground for Brigade inspection But I can Stand it I am Tough as a Brick with the edges all on—I Recd a letter from Charles Friday which I answered yesterday But I can See you this very moment writing to me about 1/2 past 11 oclock aint that So—Well about Comeing home is the Same old Story Only yesterday I Saw Al Smith Son of Seymour and Smith he is Lieut in the 55 Illinois Reg in Our Brigade I saw him down town yesterday he Says he Saw the papers and noticed mine in Particular for Phisical Inability But they are not Sent yet But the Colonel (who is one of the Board) told him he would send them amidiatily So I am sure they have gone or will go tomorrow and it may take 3 or 4 Weeks to Come Back But what do I care I will get another months pay and we can have quite a Spree on what I can save of that I never injoyed Camp life as well I am not on duty over Once in a Week and the Work is only anough to keep the Blood in Circulation/

 

I don’t Like that Large gentleman as well as I wish I did But We agree much Beter than a good many does Some of the officers are at Swords Point But he has ben as good as a whiped Puppy Since I gave him hell friday night But his dear wife is comeing and then they will Board I supose and I shall have nothing to do with him—Well Tomorrow I am going to Send home a Box of things I have ben geting One of our Boys Gave me an old Shotgun that he Captured at Coldwater it is Pure Sesesh I have a Rubr horseblanket Captured at Corrinth and a Rebil young Cannon for Pet that one of our Boys gave me for him and Bubs little Sadle and I thought it was worth sending home Oh yes and Some Pomegranets they are a Southern fruit and very nice in Sickness they taste Some like Cranbury I want you to Send One to Gat Allen One to Ben and Lt Cutter wants you to Carry One to his folks with 2 or 3 Sweettpotatoes I will send you Some specimens of the Sweet Potatoe in this Country I will Rap them up and mark them and Leave a Bunch for Lt Bauders folks at Cutters I was going to Send by express But yesterday an old Gentleman Came hear after his son from Haysville and will Carry my Box as far as he goes so you see it will all come Rite I will direct it to Mrs G. W. Browning Care of Geo. Whopples and George will Send you word when it Comes the freight will not be much Prehaps 50 or 75 cts Tell Charles to Load and Shute the Cannon for But But Be Careful it will Shute like a young Cannon I have a present for you that I traded for yesterday But will not tell you what it is at Present I shall not Send it now But if I do not Come home Soon I will send it/By Express it is not very nice But it is a Trophy I have got you what I call a nice Ring But will Wait and Send all togather I am in good Spirits and hope you are the same you must not work yourself to deat What are you going to do about going East are you going or are you going to wate and See what I do—We have not Ben Paid and See no Signs of it I think we will not Be Paid till we are Paid for 4 months I think I can send home 3 hundred dollars when I send I dont know what will Be done with Our Regiment Some think we will Be Consolidated with the 48 and some one thing and some another—Well I have had My dinner we had Buiscuit Butter Sweet Potatoes and Catfish & Coffee It would have Ben a good dinner if you could have cooked it But I am Sick of Sweet Potatoes we have nothing else I would like to have One of our Potatoes at home I got 2 letters from ho(?) to day one from Reuben and one from Jim Woods Reuben folks are all well he is working himself to death still all he thinks of is work and making money I am glad I am not that way I like money but I like to take Some Comfort in this world he Says Charleses folks are all well Jim Says they are all well But he is alarmed about the draft so it goes he had not heard Bub was sick till he heard it from me he said he had since heard he was Beter Jim is a good fellow you aught to write to Charleses folks as soon as you have time—We are making lots of halls hear Last Evening Lt Cutter Searched 2 Women and found 6 Pair of the Longest kind of Cavelry Boots and twelve Woollen army shirts on each one of them Tied under their clothes/they make the Shirts in Memphis and Put on 3 or 4 and their clothes over and then use Boots and hats for Bustles and Quinine for the Wadding in the Bosom instead of Cotton One Lady We caught with 16 ounces of Quinine in her Bosom Quinine is worth 15 Dollars an ounce hear and I supose 75 in the South so it goes We are captureing Thousand of dollars worth of Smugled Property—Yesterday they Fired into one of our Boats 5 Miles below town & Woundid the Pilot and some others To day the Gunboats are Shelling the River for 15 Miles each way and tomorrow 30 Familes are to be Sent outside of our lines General Sherman issued an order that 10 familes should leave town for evry Boat fired into and now he is going to take the Bigest Rebil he can find and Put in the Pilot house of evry Boat Going up and down the River and if they want to Shute let them Shute at their own men. Well I must close for I have to Rag out and go on Drill I will finish this evening

 

Well Cinda I have ben Out on Brigade Drill and took Command of the Company they Put us through double Quick the town Clock is Striking Nine I feel first Rate I have ben writing to Poe I thought I would Write him a little as I agreed to the Old Gentleman my friend was hear to night he wants to give me 10 Bushel of Sweet Potatoes I may send 2 Boxes One of Clear Potato they are fine One will Be Packed in Dirt Just Set it in the Seller and take off the lid and he says they will keep all winter You must write when you get the Box I am geting lots of friends evry day they all Say these southern folks I will do to Bet on

 

The Pomgranets hang up by the Stem they will keep a good while But I must close Tell Pet Pa has sent him Lots of thing the Candy a little Seseseh girl sent him

 

As I was going marching on drill I sawn Bubs exact immage I wanted to Pick him up and hug him Just Bubs sise

 

[margin:          I am going down town in the morning and if I can find him a litle Ball I will send it in the Box he tells Charles he wants a Ball & A niger The Niger I cant send in a Box But if another steals my watch they will nead a Box sure]

SOURCES