Morganza Bend, La.

5 miles above Morganza

May 23^d 1864.

 

                                                                        My Dear Wife,

                                                                                                                        After nine days of a forced march continuing night and day without any time to eat or sleep except when our advance was checked by the enemy or a road to cut through timber, a bridge to build across a stream or a broken down wagon to remove, how glad all of us are to find ourselves from within the rebel lines where we will be likely to have time to rest a little, or at least have / time to wipe the dirt and sweat from our faces and draw one long breath. how glad I am in particular to know that if I have time to finish writing this and have the opportunity of mailing it, that it will not be used for waste paper by the "chivalry".

 

I mailed two letters to you at Alexandria besides one that I wrote on board the Universe and left with the Capt. of that boat to mail for me, but it is scarcely probable that you will ever see the one and I am almost certain that the two were intercepted by the rebels. On our way down Red River we passed / the place where the rebs had blockaded the River and their whole camping ground was literly strewn with fragments of our letters—some from our homes and some that we had started to our homes.

 

            I saw two soldiers that found peaces of letters written in their own hands at Alexandria, and another soldier that had found a fragment of a letter from his wife.

 

            I expected that some of your letters to me were lost in the captured mails, but since we arrived here I have had proof of better luck for me.

 

            A very large mail was waiting for us at the / mouth of Red River when we arrived at that place and when it was distributed yesterday, what was my delight upon receiving four letters from you—numbers 15. 16, 17 & 18. I rec'd No. 14 at N.O. consequently none of your letters are missing.

 

At present my time is too limited for me to attempt to give you a detailed account of all I have seen of, and all our Reg. has done on this gigantic fizzle of Gen. Banks. But to make a very long story as short as possible, the three left army companies of the 34^th (the detachment that went up on the Universe) disembarked at Alexandria on the 28^th ult. and on double quick time took their places in the line of battle that was then already formed embracing an area of a circle three miles in length, each flank resting on the River. Heavy skirmishing was going a short distance in and every soldier, I believe from the General down to the private thought we were on the eve of a general engagement. But night came on and under cover / of the darkness our foe retired. The next day our army pursued, driving the enemy back several miles, and from this time on till we arrived here yesterday our troops have been constantly under arms advancing, retreating, maneuvering, skirmishing and fighting all to no purpose except to get out of a tight place and make the best of a great disaster.

 

            The soldiers are all down on Corporal Banks as they call him most wonderfully and all pray for his immediate removal. They say that Corp. Banks is now going down to N.O. to fortify Conti Street, a street of that City noted for houses of bad repute. The name / of Gen. Banks is a derision in every soldier's mouth, while Gen. A J Smith is enthusiastically cheered every time he comes in sight of a camp. Gen Smith is universally loved by the whole army and I believe his merited honors about equals Gen. Bank's merited disgrace. On the Atchafalaya at the very place where our horse infantry used to drive rebel pickets to, last Sept, Gen. Smith had a fight as we came down and walloped the rebs badly and captured nearly four hundred prisoners. We were not in the fight / but lay within supporting distance.

 

            Mother writes to me that Liggins wanted you to hurry me up about that power of att'y. If you write to him you can say that I started it to him over two months ago. I don't see why he has never rec'd it yet

 

            I am glad you rec'd that can of sea shells for after I had mailed it several of the boys told me it would not go through unless I had prepaid the postage

 

            The mail is going out and I must immediately or my letter will be left

 

Tell Jim and Mary that I mailed a / letter to them at Alexandria or left it on the boat.

 

                                                                        Yours as ever [overwitten] in haste

                                                                                                                        Enos Reed

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