St Louis Hosp N.O. May 17^th 1864

 

Dear Mother & all,

                        I think I will commence a letter to you although I have not received one for some time. but I expect to soon. I am in the best of health, and the Dr has given me some medicine to kill the pain in my leg which I think is caused by rhumatism and only troubles me in the leg I am worst wounded in but as I said before it has cured me entirely so I am all right now. In my former letter that I was working in the Dining room it is now about a weak since I commenced and for the first three or four days my legs ached pretty bad, and all over me. but you can very easily judge what it would naturly do after laying as you know idle for the most of two years but I am getting better now and more used to it and I live as well as ever I did (I was going to say at home.) with the exception of a piece of pie now and then. I have not eat any but one piece of pie that tasted like home since I have been in the south. and that was a piece of mince pie that I gave ten cents for. I dont have to eat any of that nasty salt junk. I have beef steak and roast beef, bread and but. mashed potatoes and gravy. coffee and tea with milk in it, pickles, and apple-sauce, so you see I live quite well so if I am spared to go home I shall be tuff and rugged and it wont come so hard to go at it a piece of work. I suppose you think I have been under the care of some Dr. there has never been any Dr spoken hardly the first word about my leg or what was the matter with me. but one young Dr wanted to have me let him remove the dead bone out so as to make it heal up sooner. but he couldnt fool me so as he could practice on me. I know better about it than he does and where there was so much bone removed out of a persons leg as there was out of mine it is not a going to heal up in a hurry. but you will not think anything about that as everything is all going on smoothly an nice. the boss has come after me to come down to the Dining room so I will have to leave this letter to some other time. Last Friday was my birthday and it entirely skipped my mind about it which makes me going in my nineteenth year. and I hope another one comes around I may be at home with you all, when I commenced this letter it was in Ward “G” but now as I am working in the eating room I have moved down where the rest of the nurses and other official men stop. it is much better. It is rumored that Gen Banks forces are completely surrounded by the rebel forces but I hope it is not so. the Rebs are in great force up there and I shouldnt wonder if that was the case. By the extra of last night it seems that the Army of the Potomac has got in motion after a while and have had a pretty hard battle and that Lee got the best of Grant at one time but at the last Grant drove him and was at last account he was before the entrenchments of Richmond. I hope so. the seceesh are betting heavily on Grant being whipped, as high as $500 to $1,0000. being bet. I guess they wont fool old Grant as they did Mr. McClellan for he wont undertake a job without he is prepared for it. I hope the next news we hear is that he is Richmond and sweeping everything before him. there is no news from this quarter of importance so I will close with giving my love to all enquiring friends hoping I shall soon see them. they are going to pay off the Hospital today or tomorrow but I shall not draw any because I have got no Descriptive List and I dont know whether it would be best for you to send me a few dollars or not you may do so as you like about it. I remain ever your affect Son R. Haworth

 

Direct all my letters to the St Louis Hosp N. O.

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