Memphis Tennesee January 20^th 1863

 

Dear Miriam

                        I received your verry kind letter of the 12^th by the hand of Capt Colby to day also the tobacco and daugerrotypes the daugerrotypes are verry good and I think they look as natural as it is possible to get yet they are not the original and of course do not look as well as the persons themselves they were verry gratefully received you could not have sent me anything that would have been as acceptable as they were. Eddy grows verry fast I think and is growing better looking all the time. You wrote that Frank Morse was getting verry impatient about that deed of trust I guess he will wait until he can get it and that he wants to buy that forty acres in the pasture please tell Mr Frank Morse that is not able to buy that forty acres of land as for that forty acres that he bought conditionly he need not be uneasy about that as I shall redeem it if I live until that time I will sell all the property that I have to redeem that land and as for that deed of trust money I would like for that money that Bill will bring should be used for the purpose of settling up that deed of trust. I am verry well satisfied with the sale of bill he was getting old and it was time to get rid of him. and I think he brought all he was worth. I think it was all right for John to work him and ride him whenever he pleased. I think that you did right in not keeping Pinner aman that will conduct himself as you wrote he did is not worthy to be kept at ahouse where the proprietors of the house have any self respect if I had been in your place I would have politely invited him and Mr Hunter to settle before / left aman that makes as much pretension as Pinner does and spends money as free and as foolishly as he does ought certainly to have honor enough about him to pay his board promptly as for that five dollars you owe Ma dont be uneasy about that as Colonel Niles told me a day or two ago that we would be paid off as soon as the older regiments were paid off and that were being paid off every day we will be paid up until the thirty first of December then there will be about sixty five dollars due me at that time and I will send you at least fifty dollars You can then use what you want and then pay debts with the ballance. We have been moved from the city of Memphis into the fort we were relieved of provost duty by the 120^th Ills they are acowardly regiment when they are on patrol duty they let the soldiers and citizens run them into their quarters they never run any of the 130^th into their quarters yet the citizens of Memphis have got up apetition with about seven hundred names to it to get our regiment to come back into the city I dont suppose it will do any good the citizens say the our regiment stole less and committed less depredations than any other regiment that was ever in the city guard duty comes pretty hard on us here in the fort we each one of us comes on guard every other day we stand up on the breast works that is averry cold and unpleasant place to stand guard on. You speak of having ahard time at Mas be patient and stay there have faith and things will work out all right after while I believe that the war will soon be ended if the northern states are loyal things are kept alittle more secret now than they were sometime ago I believe and hope that I shall be permitted to return home once more to enjoy the blessings of private / life General Grants army have again started for Vicksburg again there was some ten boats left here today loaded with soldiers going down the river I have verry strong confidence in the generalship of General Grant and think that they will capture Vicksburg this time. We have verry disagreeable weather now there was snow fell about eight inches deep on the fifteenth and 16^th of the month the snow has all melted away and there has considerable rain fell in the last few days it is verry muddy and rather cold I have abad cold now caused by having my feet wet I was waiting to be paid off until my boots got so bad that I had to draw apair of shoes. the health of the regiment is verry poor there has been agood many died and there agood many sick yet Louis Nichols is sick now he has been verry sick but is getting better I guess he will be all right again in afew days. You spoke about seeing some men marched through Greenville that were taken prisoners at Holly Springs you said that your heart sunk within you as you thought that they were deserters and that I was among them You need give yourself no uneasiness about me as I shall conduct myself honorably and properly for my own sake and the pleasure of having aclear conscience and if I did not do so for my own gratification I would do so for the sake of you and Eddy I never will come home unless I can do so honorably. Tip Harris has left us he has gone to Lagrange to his regiment George is at Lagrange now his regiment is there on provost guard and will be apt to stay there some time. When they capture Vicksburg I think that as likely as not we will be sent to St Louis or Chicago to guard the prisoners that will be taken there. I do not believe that our regiment will ever be brought into active service I believe we will be kept as areserve / or to guard prisoners I have written along letter now and it will soon be time for me to go on guard. Capt Harris is verry sick some think it is doubtful about his getting well I have not yet seen him he is at the hospital and it is averry hard matter to get out of the fort we cannot get out without apass and it is considerable trouble to get them another way to get out is to get on awagon and ride out Tell Ewel I will answer his letter in aday or two as soon as I can get paper and then I will Answer Marys then you must write to me often and dont be uneasy about me as I shall live amoral and virtuous life and be true to you in every respect Nothing more

 

Write as soon as you get this your affectionate husband until death

                                                                                    Henry B. Drake

 

                                                            M. E. Drake

 

            P. S. Dont talk any more about hiring out

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