Decatur Ala

                                                                                                            July 20^th 1864

 

My Dear Fannie

                        Your welcome letter of the first came to hand only a day or two ago the first I had received from you for several weeks. I think I have good cause for compaint against Uncle Sam, and I believe I will fill a bill against him. we have a regular mail here every day from Nashville, and there is no excuse why our mail should not be regular, but I suppose that they have some drunken fellow for Post Master in Nashville so that most of our mail goes to the front and then returns to us so that generally it takes from two to three weeks for our mail to reach us, when it should be only about five days at the longest. but there is no use in grumbling I suppose it will all come right sometime or other.

 

            Fannie? I have had a good joke played on me by the Government, but there is / one consolation. I am not alone in it. there was an order published from the War Department to take effect on the first of May last that all Musters into the service from promotion after that date should be made for three years from the date of Muster. I was not promoted to 1^st Lieut until May 10^th so that when I got mustered in that order was in force and I had to muster for three years from the 10^th day of May last. that is what I call taking the advantage of a fellow. it is making a veteran of a fellow whether he wants to or not, so instead of a little over one year I have nearly three years longer to serve if I serve out my full time. but my services will have to be in great demand by my country to induce me to remain after my first term of three years have expired. I am in strong hopes that our afairs will have assumed a form within the comeing year that will not render it necessary for me to stay in the service longer. Glendening will be in the same boat as myself when he gets mustered. I have not seen Glen for two or three weeks. he is on duty with his company across the river and I have not been over to see him yet. I am / in command of my company now so that I dont get quite as much time to myself as when the Capt is with us. Glen^s health has not been very good this summer, though he is not very sick just comfortably so. my health was never better than this summer I am as tough and hearty as can be. Fannie I believe I wrote you how we were feasting on Black-Berries. there is any quantity of them here. the boys go out a little while in the morning and come in with all their pails and dishes filled, and they are such nice ones, so ripe and delicious. I believe I grow fat on them. My Cook is now busy making some pies of them and he makes good ones too. if you will step in and take tea with me you shall have a piece.

 

            Well Fannie I have at last got those Photographs taken and I send you and Sarah one, on condition that you never show them, unless you wish some one to be desperately smitten. the Artist was a poor one, his camera was poor, his light was poor, and he took a poor picture, of course but Fannie dear it is the very best I could get here. so you can have a good hearty laugh / over them and then do with them as you see fit

 

            I should like to come home this fall very much Fnnie but my chances are very slim there is quite a number of Officers sick so that those who are well must stay and do the duty and let them go home and get well. it is quite difficult for an officer who is sick to get away. if I could get away Fannie I would just see about those hungs & kisses you spoke of I guess that you could not get ahead of me much in that line. but I must close now for this time.

 

With much love I am

                                                Yours

                                                            Frank.

SOURCES