April 15^th 1864

 

            My Dear Mamie

                                    Was much pleased this morning to receive a kind letter from you Should have been disappointed at Perkins not coming if had not got past that. Letters from you darling always were the “bright sunbeam” that could fall across the pathway of your “Soldier Boy” but now that almost an age of time intervenes between them you cant imagine how doubly dear they are to me. Think not though that I am fault finding for I can not blame you. I myself have been negligent. I am extremely sorry that you knew before hand of my expected coming home for you must felt keenly the disappointment. Perhaps I will try and come home some time this summer There has been many more changes & much more has happened to make me wish to come home than had when I came home a year ago. But I hope there will come a time when I can come home to stay such a time as Burns so beautifuly describes in the lines I enclose. It gives me great pleasure to contemplate such a time & meeting At times things move on so harmoniously that it makes me contented yea almost happy in my present lot But there comes some act of petty/tyrany from men that though I have taken a solemn oath to obey & respect them “they being my superiors” I can but in some things see them my infiriors. The last order from Gen Peck is that no enlisted man shall be allowed to wear other clothing than that furnished by the Quarter Master’s Dept. which if enforced in our Regt. will make my new coat of little use to me but I dont care if the rest wear “shoddy” I shall appear as well in it as they & I had rather wear it if all do for I can ill afford to wear better If the order is enforced I shall sell my coat which I can probably do to some officer for more than it cost me, but still I may be allowed to wear it for we may go away from here. still I dont know what we shall do if I think it looks most probable that we shall stay here this summer. We have got the best quarters that we ever had & I think with good care of our health will be excellent this summer notwithstanding it is a very unhealth place here.

 

                                    My time of late I have I think well improved I have been reading among other things ancient & modern History of which before I was not very well “posted” but now flatter myself that I know a “thing or two” about it I am reading/(now dont laugh) “Don Juan”. I have read it once or twice before but find so much beauty in it despite the immodest parts that I like to read it again

 

Apr 17^th

 

Dearest

            I did not finish in time to send this in the last mail & to day being Sunday I take pleasure in spending my lonsome moments in filling up this. The next mail does not go untill Tuesday & therefore I may write more before sending. It is exceedingly lonsome to day. I suppose I might go to church but there I could not help thinking of home. I have not been but twice since I have been here & then I went to the “Nigger” church which draws the largest houses now. They are having a revival there. Of all the actions one ever saw they have the greatest there The anxious ones to manifest their deep grief go through all sorts of odd maneuvers Butting their heads against the seats hard enough to split a white persons head. Bawling and shouting & the preaching makes one think of the burlesques I have seen in the comic papers. But enough of the “niggers” although if I talk of any one here it will have to be of them for they make up most of the population There are some whites. The women/I wish you could see them that is the white women they all chew snuff which gives them kind of a yellow saffron look & their teeth are as black as charcoal stuff It is one of the nastiest practices I ever saw indulged in The method of using they say is they have it on a Band Box cover & then with a small piece of card board they dip it up & pulling out their under lip they fill the space between it and their teeth full. When in company they use it with a stick which is chewed up at one end this they dip in the snuff & then stick in their mouth. It would look better if the would stick it in some cavity out of sight

 

            Wednesday 20^th

Dear Mamie

No mail has gone yet I expect it goes out this morning Perkins arrived yesterday & brought my coat It fits me very well I wish I knew how much it cost for I think I shall have to sell it They are having a hard battle at Plymouth which is only 29 miles from here by land We can hear the artillery here all most all of the time we expect them here next There was two more Regts. came here yesterday. I must close so as to send in this morning mail will write again very soon Tell me what you wished to about “Sam Avery” I am realy anxious to know Good bye My love to mother & more to you Darling

                                                            Court

 

I have spilt my ink I would not send this but have not time to write another. CGS

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