Memphis Tennesee January 27^th 1863

 

Dear Miriam

                        I did not write to you on Sunday as I agreed to I will tell you the reason I did not feel well enough I am all right now it was only cold the most of our regiment and company are sick there are only fourteen men in our company that are reported able for duty we have had rain every day until to-day for about six weeks it is verry sloppy and muddy and disagreeable getting about the sun came out bright this morning but it is cold and cloudy this afternoon and I expect we will have snow there has been asnow here about eight inches deep the inhabitants say it is the deepest that has been here for twenty years. The negroes are dying off here verry fast what the disease is I do not know there were five buried in one grave afew days ago they were rolled in with their clothes on like boys Louis Nichols has been verry sick but is getting better he looks verry bad yet. Tom Savage has the rheumatism so that he cannot do any duty Louis Nichols ran away from the hospital when none of them knew it I do not blame him much for it as the hospital is full and they do not get much to eat I see the most horrid sight at the hospital the other day that I ever saw in my life it was / two men that had the Erysipelas one of them was a large man and his face was swelled until his eyes were shut he could not open them and they had been putting iodine on his face and it looked as black as anegros I was on guard yesterday over some negroes that were working chopping wood about amile and ahalf from our quarters from the guerrillas last week week they were at work there and awhite man came up to them and asked them where they belonged and who they were at work for and several other questions at last he pulled out arevolver and told them they must go with him to go ahead they started to run he shot one of them through the heel and the other through the back the one that was shot through the heel run into the fort the other was mortally wounded and died that night there is twenty five of us goes out to keep the guerrillas away I was out from half past seven in the morning until about four in the evening it was raining all day I did not get much wet and got off of guard in that way there is aboat called the Mill boy that goes on picket duty up the river to guard boats I like to get on board of that as I have to stand guard about two hours in the night Samuel Balch is pretty sick I do not think that either of them will stand the service I think they had better both apply for adischarge there is I think no doubt but they would both be discharged there will be some of our discharged men come / home in afew days James Elligood has gone and there will be six more from our company start in aday or two The orderly and tom Ralph have their own fun with John Myers they have been writing letters to him and signing Rebecca Hulls name to them they tear old postage stamps off of letters and stick on them there is one he thinks Margaret Floyd wrote the orderly broke open one of Johns letters the other day he thought it was from becca Hull that is going rather too far I think but it is none of my business and I will not meddle with it. The other morning after us soldiers had come off of the boat it started up the river on the Arkansas side there was aman hollowed to the captain of the boat and wanted him to take acouple bales of cotton on the boat that he had on his wagon the captain was too sharp for that after he had passed there was about fifty mounted guerrillas rode up to the shore and looked at the boat if he had landed his boat they would have captured it. We have again moved into the fort we had acold snowy day to move in we have to do all our moving stormy days so far we are in the large sibley tents and fixed pretty comfortable yesterday while I was on guard the chimney to our tent fell down and buried Ben Garret and the orderly under the brick they had to rip the tent before they could get them out Ben was hurt considerably but / not dangerously. the orderly was not hurt much Abraham Beanblossom is dead he died day before yesterday his Nephew John Beanblossom went up to take charge of his things he found some smoking tobacco in his pocket he says I will take that and he found some chewing tobacco he says I will take that too it will work in all right I see Jake Royer yesterday he belongs to the seventh Missouri he is in good health he is as fine a looking asoldier as I ever saw he said he saw George ashort time ago he said that George stepped up to him and says how are you old Royer Jake said that he shook hands with him and looked at him but did not recognise him until he was about to let go of his hand he says that George is as large as he is and looks well There was three negroes taking from the negro hospital that were dead they were taken out to their burying ground and thrown down on the ground and left. one of them belonged to agang that were at work in the fort he was taking into and taking care of the others were left. I expect to be in abetter position soon Rolla Stallard aseargeant has applied for adischarge if he does I am good for his place Your Father and Capt Harris were talking they were going to offer me Sam Drakes place he is second Corporal but they colcluded they could do better than that for me and if there is avacancy I am sure of it. Our regiment is assigned to garrison duty and if they take Vicksburg with many prisoners we will be likely to be sent to Chicago or Centralia or some other place north if we do I am coming home furlough or no furlough Write all the particulars about Eddy tell me all about him Nothing more your affectionate

            husband           Henry. B. Drake          M. E. Drake

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