Thibodaux, Dec 18^th, 1862

 

Dear Mother

                        by the last mail I received a letter from you of Nov 29^th as usual my health is good and hope this will find you the same. I told you in my letter before this, that our Co. was on Provost Guard duty, and I like it first-rate. our Lieut. Col is Provost Judge and our Ordely Sergt is Clerk, and Lieut Camp is Attorney. there is detailed from our Col for the guard / men who act the same as Police men, who are sent to arrest men to be tried, and take them to the jail. I tell you it does not take long for Lull to decide a case, all that he does is to hear the witnesses then he decides it himself. a Provost trial I think is different from a trial at home. I will now turn to the letter and comment a little, at first when the shells began to fly and burst around us I felt a little afraid, like any raw recruit would who had never been in a battle before but after I had been in about ten or fifteen minutes I did no more care for bulletts or shells than any-thing at all. the first man I saw wounded was a young Corpl in Co G. he was wounded in the eye by a bullet. the second I saw was wounded in the shoulder. at the time I saw these men I was standing behind a tree with some others. I tell you mother such music, you never heard in your life. after our regt. had advanced in line and were giving there volley, we were ordered to charge the battery our men went with a double quick, and such a yell was never before heard in those parts. the next thing we saw was the battery wheeling round and runing there horses for therre lives. I tell you it was a risky charge, right in the face of old troops well used to warfare as you saw it that piece you sent me who had been in the battles of Shiloh an Baton Rouge. about niggers, we have got 3 regts of them at the railroad. I would not trust them a minute. they are nothing but a set of thieves and robbers. a Co of the 10^th Colored Regt was sent out to search for arms on the plantation of one Shaffer. they were in Charge of a Lieut who did not attend to his duty, and got himself into a scrape and Co. they have had the case on trial for several day and got through today. the niggars found a barrel with whiskey in it and two boxes of wine they got drunk and killed hogs and ducks and fought like mad men. they took a jar that had money in it to the amount of $7,250 Confederate Notes, it was quite a trial.

 

Mother you wish me not to write to any more girls I will not. I have written to Mrs Trefethen and have not received an answer. I have sent a little box of presents for Christmas. there are boys here that want to get me into rows, but I avoid them as much as I can.—I will write to Mrs. Harris this time as the mail does not go out for a few days. do not trouble yourself about the chicken but send me in your next letter a five dollar treasury note as no other money will pass here Should not have sent so much, only they said we was going to be paid right off again. give my love to all the folks wishing them a merry Christmas and good health

 

                                                            from your affectionate Son

                                                                        R Haworth

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