No 12

                                                                                                            Baton Rouge Dec 19

 

Dear Mother &c

                                    I suppose by the time this reaches you, you will have been looking for a letter from me for some days for I have not written for over a week and might not for a week to come, if I wait to think of something worth writing about. evry thing is as dull as an old hoe here. I have had two letters from you this week and also two pacages of papers. In one of which the candy that you say Agusta sent me was in. you must tell her I am a thousand time obliged to her for thinking so much of the soldiers as to send something to cheer them up a little and let them know that they are not quite forgoten by friends at home. the candy was most as sweet as, well never mind the rest. It/will not do to write the rest as it you my mother I am writting to, but you can tell her I am very sorry I cannot see her, while she is making her visit at H. Tell Frank we are getting along the same old stile and that I hope he got home all safe. we shall expect to hear from him now soon. Eli say he shall expect to hear from him next week. Eli is better than he was but he is not on duty yet. Mark he is on duty at the jail. he took the place of Corporal Noyse, and he is a clerk for our Lieutenant street commisioner. this Noyse is the one that you see the picture of to Laura’s. George Oldham went down to New Orleans the first of the week, and I hear that he has got a commision. For the last week the story has been that we are to be relieved, and that some nigger troopes from Port Hudson was going to take the place of our brigade here, and that we were going to Texas, after being made cavalry of, the cavalry to be/commanded by Gen. Emory. Tell Frank that Van Pallin has got detailed as an engineer and that he has got well a uncommonly quick since. he does not use his cane hardly atall now. Dan Estes to has gone on duty at the jail. I am glad to hear that Angie enjoyes herself to the dancing school and I know I should if I was there. I see by your letter that you have got my pictures and that you are satisfied with them. I did not know as you like them for I thought they were poor enough. you were mistaken in thinking I was not so fleashy as I was to home. I was full as fleashy when they were taken as I ever was at home, and I now weigh more a great deal than I did at home. I weigh 135-1/2 lbs. those verses that Angie wrote off were very pretty, but I have heard some of the boys try to sing cruel war so much, that I have got cruel war to my hearts content. So good by now I must go to my daily duty, yours Lewis J

 

[envelope: Postmark New Orleans Dec 24 ‘63/55^th/Mr. Cyrus Josselyn/West Hanover/Mass.]

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