DeCamp Gen Hospital
Davids Island
April 29th '64
Dear Sister Julia,
Your kind and affectionate letter of the 27th inst. has just come to hand and was was recd with much pleasure. I am glad that you are so prompt in answering. I wish they were so at home. It has been about four weeks since I have / heard from there. I think miss Lottie is deserving of a lecture, and if that is the only means that can be taken to induce her to be a little more prompt in answering, I will have to give her a scientific course of them. I hear from Levi pretty often. he keeps me posted pretty well, he is a fine boy, I can assure you. You speak of having a sad heart while answering my letter. "aye" and before reading half a dozen words of your letter, the thought struck me, what caused that sadness. the thought was what you soon explained. It was in regard to Our dear "brother" Edwin. I can assure you my sadness and anxiety has been fully equal to yours, since hearing of the terrible battle at Plymouth. We receive daily papers here, and / of course get all the latest news. I hope Edd is safe, but that is a matter of great uncertainty yet. it may possibly of been his lot to of been either killed or wounded. I hope it isnt either. I shall be very uneasy until I hear from him. The first news confirmed the surrender of the place, with all its forces. Yesterday's paper that Gen. Wessells still held part of the fortifications, to days papers say nothing about the affair only through reble accounts, they come out and tell what a "Great" victory they have one, but are careful not to tell that they had five men to our one in the engagement. I think Plymouth was surrendered, and that the 85th are prisoners. I hope Edd and Wyman are safe, and that they will be as fortunate in getting exchanged or paroled as we were at Harpers Ferry. I fear they will be / conveyed to some southern den, to starve and die, but I hope not. When we were taken prisoners we all expected to be taken to Richmond or some other prison, but we were happily disappointed. I hope they will be treated as well as we were at least. I am well but my wound is about as well as it was two month ago. I am not acting as the Chaplains clerk now. my wound will not admit of so much exercise. I may possibly do so by and by, when better. They have been shiping all the men to their regts that were fit and are now filling up this place from with sick and wounded from Baltimore & Fortress Monroe 500 more are expected this afternoon.
Levi says that he dont know what to make of Con he says he is mum on the subject & can never get him to say much on the subject, only that Mrs. Snyder is mad at him (Levi). Con told Lee that Mrs. S. would of excepted it had it not been for him (Levi). Le says he dont know wether it is so or not, but he says he is going over to find out some day. and what she is mad at him for he says he cannot tell. He says Con must of made a mistake, that Le is (Con) is mad at him instead of Mrs S. Tell Miss Maggie that I will write her soon. she mustnt be jealous of me. I suppose she would be so if some one else didnt write to her often.
I must now close hoping to hear from you soon
Yours & Soforth
excuse haste Brother Albert H Pierson