March 13 1863

 

                                                                                    Mulligans Bend. March 13^th 1863

 

                                                                                                Dear Father and Mother

agane I take my pen to scribble a few lines to you I received aletter from you about a week ago but delayed to answer it on the acount that I had wrote to you onley two or thre days before I received another to day so I thought I would answer both of them to day

 

                        I am well and enjoy myself as well as I can since I wrote you before we have moved up the river about 12 miles to a place caled Mulligans bend I do not know the object of moving up here but I suppose it was on account of the watter rising so fast they were afraid the watter would brake thrugh the leavy and dround us out

 

                        the canal they have been diging down at Vicksburg is through but no boat has been through yet on account of some / stumps that are in the canal

 

I did not work any on the canal but the reg had thare share to do I was not on duty when they were to work to day I was on fategue making a road to hall wood over you say in your last that you heard that Vicksburg had fallen in our hands I am afraid that it will not be so easy a place to take and it will be a long time before it will fall into our hands

 

            we have not been payed off yet but the Pay master is paying of the other reg so I suppose we will be payed off now in a few days our payrolls are made out ready for the paymaster as soon as he gets around to us

 

you must save a piece of maple sugar for me how many trees has Mr Vaughn taped what share dose give you

 

peech trees and plumb trees are in full bloom here around one of the plantations there is a row of fig trees about ahundred / in number they grow as larg as apple trees onely not so high they look like paper bushes onley larger

 

            Zebedee was glad to get his fish hooks and will be carfull and not fall into the river I wish you could send some bait for it is a hard job to find any down here the report is that we are going up the river for provoguard but I dont believe there is any such good luck for us the newse is down here that the Conscript bill has pased and that they are going to fetch 70,000 more into the field I hope it is not so I cant think of any more to write excuse mistakes.

                                                                                                N J Fuller

 

                                                                                                            Dear Cous Belle

you must forgive me for not writing to you soner but you see I have ganed some thing by waiting I can answer both of yours at once I received a letter from Hort the other day he said he was agoing to step off / be fore long I wish you could see the letter I will bring it home with me we will have some fun over it if you are there you say you are sorry for the girl so be it for Hart is no more fit to be married than I be I am sorry for you to think Johnson has neglected you so I gues that your true love has found some one else and forgoten his Belle that is in Ohio I dont blame you for wanting to go home and see to your affairs before some one else gets Mr— away from you but if I was to home I would not let you get homesick you must keep up good courag and I will be home before long I have onley about 3 months and a half to stay now and that time will slip around quick I have not drank any kind of liquor since I came down here and dont play cards any now

                                    you must

                                                you must excuse bad writing and mistakes for I am so tired that I cant hardly write write as soon as you get this and oblige

                                                                                                            Newell

SOURCES