Memphis Tennesee Feb 13^th 1863

 

Dear Miriam

                        I received your kind letter by the hands of Dr Balch I was glad to hear that you were all well. I am sorry that I cannot send you good news in return but it must come bad as it is Your Father is verry sick it is cold settled on his lungs he has been in the hospital about six days and I do not believe that he will ever get well I wrote aletter to your mother today for him he would not allow me to tell how low he was he says he does not want anyone to come until they are sent for but I believe that if any of you could come down it would be good policy send John if possible but dont let him know that I wrote for them to come I came in to the hospital today to wait on him and shall stay until he either gets well or dies. he says tht he has every attention paid him that he could ask. I would have been with him sooner but was put on as sargeant of the guard sunday and have had to act as orderly until yesterday morning when I went on guard again You spoke about John selling that bay mare of mine it is true I had calculated to keep her as she would not work and was going blind it was well enough to trade her off. There is talk of us drawing our money tomorrow if we do I will send you some by express or by Dr Balch The orderlys wife is coming down here and going to try to get aposition in the hospital if she does he will try to get ward master and if he is successful I will get orderly sargeant there are several trying every means to get into office I keep still and dont say anything about it and Capt Harris tells your Father he is going to give me alift the first opportunity and do the best he can for me it is true I am second sargeant if Stallard does not get well which is almost impossible as he has the rheumatism verry bad it cuts our old friend T. B. Savage to see me rise above him he has agood deal to say about it I was under arrest afew days ago but I am not ashamed to let the whole world know how it was John Myers and me took the orderlys pass to go out and draw provisions for the company we went to the sallyport where we had been in the habit of going out and / presented our pass they told us to go to sallyport no 3 we went and presented our pass we were arrested and sent to Col Murrays head quarters he gave John Myers asevere reprimand and let us go he said nothing at all to me You spoke about being low spirited you must not give way to that at all I have strong confidence that all will yet turn out right About Mr James C Pinner let him go I will be home in three or four months if all works well and I will tend to him I want you to write to me and let me know how he has insulted you I want to know from what you say I am satisfied he is not the man I took him to be When I send money home pay Saml Hymes and do with the ballance as you see proper. I am well and in good spirits and like soldiering verry well. The weather has been verry wet and disagreeable but it is spring here now and the weather is becoming settled we hear agreat many reports about traitors and their doings in the state of Illinois I want you to write me all the particulars The small Pox is in Memphis verry bad mostly among the negroes. The health of the regiment is improving there are agreat many deserting from our regiment and I think there will be agreat many more as soon as the men are paid I have heard that we would be sent to Vicksburg I do not think there is any probability of us going there. I will send you my daugerrotype as soon as I get my money. I could write agreat deal more but nothing that would be verry interesting so I will hold off until my next. Take good care of Eddy and do not get discouraged and all will come out well I would like for you to enquire of Bradford and see if he is doing anything with that Clanton debt and let me know dont be discouraged about the debts we will pay them up slowly but surely Tell Ma I am all right I never enjoyed better health in my life I expect to be at home about the fourth of July if all works well. Tell Ewel to write to me often and I will answer whenever I can I cannot get paper and envelopes as often as I want them I showed yours and Eddys daugerrotypes to the matron she says that you either favor aparticular friend of hers or she has seen you one of the [?] Sam White says if you had not that eye of yours crossed you are as pretty awoman as he ever saw I think you are any how I never get tired of reading your letters as I do not get them but about once in ten days Write as often as you can as I would like to get a letter from you every day Nothing more

 

I remain your affectionate husband until death

M. E. Drake                                        Henry B. Drake

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