Camp at Bulls Gap Tenn

                        March 30^th 1865

 

Dear Wife today I will again write some to you as I only wrote a little in my other letters I promised to do better so I will to begin I am well we are through the gap and in camp and likely to remain several days as the Railroad is entirely destroyed for several miles and some long bridges to build we are guarding the road or bilders and cant go ahead faster than they get the road repaired we are campt in a good woods and dry place the weather has been verry nice the roads were dry but last night it commenced raining rained all night and is yet raining

 

well I received that verry little letter yesterday I was glad to get it if small you said you gave Col Mc 40 Dollars I gues it will be all right but you nead not to done it for he has money from Roberts 2 hundread dollars and he said Mc might bring my things and I might pay him so I wont get it from Mack some thinks him hard pay and so do I but I suppose he will bring my things and so much will be paid only I wanted you to have that money to use well I gues you wont starve for 5 months then I expect to get a larger pile Now I will tell you of some of our boys tricks they are full of the DL the day we packed camp at Huntsville lots citizens and niggers came in our camp to gather up whatever we leave and in this cuntry every man boy women or nigger has 3 or 4 dogs running after our boys would catch their dogs and tie a lot of tin cans to their tails and get after them with a brush of cedar Golly such a fus they went through the camps like the / old boy was after every one throwing and yelling as they passed then on the way from Huntsville to Knoxville in all sorts of deviltree at Chattanooga they lay over night on the train and one day they stole 9 casks of hams a barrel of shooger one of beans and 2 or 3 of flour and traded them for tobacco and some traided for some the cats fight about I was not in that croud I was on the train with Brigade HDQuarters to finish up the other night we campt at Bulls Gap 5 miles from here there ware some cows and yearlings feeding around so they caught a yearling bull tied a lot of tinware to his tail away he went a balling every jump. they hollowed to the Adjutant to look that was Bulls gap for sartin all such tricks they do

 

well I have been busy writeing yesterday and today I have made out a set of payroals for Co A and my monthly repoart we expect to get pay if we stay here a week or 2 I shall be glad I have only 50 cts to buy rations I cant draw with the Co any more I think I can or I kno I am entitled to one ration a day on trust but that is only what they isue to the Privates however I can get along I have no mess Jake and I stay together I can live on less than half what it costs in a mess but it is onhandy no one to cook when I am on duty and it dirtys ones clothes when we get pay I shall try and start another mess well Mam the flours are in bloom peaches plumbs and people appear to all have made garden wether warm grass is up and good pasture / where there is tame grass well I will stop and get some dinner I have but little to get so it wont take long if you get a ring I sent you with the letter E M on the plate and one I sent with hands engraved on it let me kno and a letter with a stone bird in it I dont kno if they ever got through as you never said anything about it

 

well it is now about 3 oclock it has cleard off and the birds sing merrily I have been fixing my shanty some and was to a house I thought of home to see the little children playing around like Cora and Ida I spoke for some milk I get a canteen full tonight for 25 cts Oh Cora and Ida them new aprons and dress if I was their I would take the tailor out I bet I would I wish you would tell me about Sedners are they there yet that is all I never knew if they were goan or not well I expect Sis has a big time of frying dishrags and eating shugar well I suppost you will soon make garden you had better get some one to spade it you are not stought enough then I want you to get stought until I get home you kno your 4^th Sept will soon come after I do and I want to give you a wooling thats so as to Jef I dont kno where he is now they left us 2 days before we left Strawberry Plains and came this way they must be a head I heard the Cavelry war as far as Bristol that is 65 miles ahead of us I think they are going on and we to as fast as the road can be built to Virginia / to make a junction with Sheridan or Shearman or grant by the news we get and that is little the Rebs are in a hard row of stumps just now and will soon be in a worse fix I begin to think the war wont last always now at least I dont feel affraid if they do hold me longer than the Regt of being out verry long but they all say no longer but I will be out with the Regt it is big wages I get but I would rather come out with them than stay for 100 and 20 a month I want to be at home with you and the children a while anyhow well I must tell how I am fixed I have a tent of 3 pieces of puptent for roof and end and 2 rubbers that makes one large enough Jake and I have 6 wool blankets for our bead my nice pants are about goan up my vest is nice as new my hat is verry poor oh yes if Mc hante goan yet send a hat tell him or get some one to get one he knows the kinde none of them crow nests such as officers wear they are higher than those you sent and more rim to them let him pay for it my coat is greesy and dirty it is only a Privates coat but that is good as I want for every day all I want is one good suit government clothes will do for every day ware well I must close this I think this will do for some of my little letters so no more at present but remain yours Truely and affectionate Husband

                                                                        Lieut. Charles Morfoot

 

[upside down]

 

Direct via Nashville yet

 

This is government paper I took this out of my rations of paper each Co Commander draws some such for business writeing

SOURCES