Carrollton Louisiana

April 13^th 1864

 

Dear Friends at Home

                                                                                                                        Our first mail came on the Morning Star Monday night and reached us yesterday noon; you dont know how welcome it was. Your letters of the 27^th and 29^th insts enclosing Horatios came safely also one from Lizzie T. and Maj John A. Cummings. I received a notification from Washington that my draft for Company Funds had been sent to Concord and I shall probably get it soon. No Sentinel or papers of any kind came much to my disappointment. I have not much additional news to give since my last. Our destination is finally fixed; our / three Companies are to remain here and continue to do the duty we have been assigned to for the past week The 7 right Cos. came yesterday and wasent we glad to see them; they have not had a much more severe trip than we did; their boat was an old one and not so sea worthy as ours but I very much doubt if they had any worse time than we. their men certainly looked much better than ours when they landed; they stopped at Key West two days and all hands went on shore & had a fine time. They are now encamped at Camp Parapet 1 1/2 miles from us just up the river and 7 miles above N.O.

 

Col. Wilson is in command of the Post; besides his own Regt he has a Battery, Cavelry & / another Regiment of Infantry They are to go into H. tents and will soon have a beautiful camp. I dont know what kind of duty they are to perform. I am going up there to-morrow and see them How their old croakers at home will howl when they hear that the 14^th has gone to doing garrison and Provost duty. Our Regiment had a splendid reputation before we came here for on our arrival we found that we had been assigned to this command and duty by a Special Order dated March 17 nearly a month before we arrived. The General speaks very highly of us and we seem to be liked and in good luck as usual We are hard at work drilling / and repairing from the effects of our voyage. When we came on shore everything was in the worst condition imagineable but we are getting to look like ourselves again All my sick boys are doing well I will give you a copy of our duty hours that you may see what we have to do. Reveille 5 1/2 o/c AM. Breakfast immediately after. Morning Drill 6 to 7 A.M. Guard Mounting 8 1/2 o/c A.M. Skirmish Drill 9 to 10. Dinner 12 M. Supper 5 PM Afternoon Drill 6 to 7 P.M. Talk 8. Taps 8 1/2. You will see that our Drill hours are early and late. in the heat of the day we lay in the shade and read Tactics I am posting up all I can and we are going to try and have everything in Co. G. in the best of shape I am feeling / very well and am taking a great deal of interest in all we do. I go on duty at the Depot once in four days and the Co. once in three. we drill two days and rest the third. Last night I went down to N.O. to attend some Tableaux Vivantes in aid of Soldiers families in this vicinity gotten up under the superintendence of Mrs Gen^l Banks. It was a magnificent performance and far excelled anything I ever saw before I send you a paper with this giving something of an account of it. To-night our band go down to serenade Gen^l Roberts our Brigade Commander I am going down by invitation of the Maj & shall have to close will finish to-morrow /

 

Thursday morning                                                                                          We went down last night and serenaded Gen^l Roberts had a very pleasant time; he invited us into the house and we had a very pleasant chat for an hour; his Adjutant Gen^l I found was in Yale with Charley Boies and was very well acquainted with him. I like the Officers of this Department very much they are nearly all Northern men and nearly all the troops from in this Dept are from the North We have rumors in this mornings papers of a glorious success to our arms up Red River but have not particulars. I saw the Maj. last night he says the remainder of the Regiment are going on fatigue duty & are to give all other kinds of duty until all the parapets and fortifications are comple / ted. Dont you think we are fortunate?

 

The Explosion seems to have been a terrible affair and is the principal subject of all our letters and of conversation. Do they blame O. & H.? Has it not ever occured to you that very many young men who might have gone to war but dared not will not live to see many who did go return I dont know how I should feel to be at home now; I do not wish to be any where but in the army until the thing is setteled up which I think will be this summer & fall.

 

We are all looking with great anxiety for movements in Va I never felt so much interest in them as now Every item of news from the North is most eagerly sought / after We expect a mail on Sat and from present appearances steamers are to arrive from N.Y. & leave for that Port as often as twice a week so you can hear from me almost as often as when I was in Washington only the news will be somewhat older.

 

Give my love to Aunts Linda Martha Edwina Hellen and to all the friends. I am expecting a letter from Sarah H. give my love to her & to Antoinette Tell me all about home what you are doing from day to day how things are getting along & all about everything I will again suggest that anything in the way of northern news papers will be most acceptable

 

                                                                        Love to all

                                                                                    Yourt affson            John

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