No 5

Aboard the Ohio Bell, July 1^st, 1863.

 

                        My Dear Wife,

                                    In pursuance to my promise yesterday I am seated for the purpose of pening a few lines to you to mail at Helena. We did not leave Memphis yesterday as I told you I thought we would but took our leave of that place at 10 o'clock this A.M. If we meet with no trouble we will land at Helena in about one or two hours from now. I was more particular to put the ever officious "if" in because this is a very ticklish part of the River to navigate just now on account of guerillas.

 

            Several boats have been fired into along here lately with both musketry and artillery; and some of the boats I saw for myself were pretty roughly used. But none have been captured yet. A transport can run a limited blockade of field artillery provided it does not get fast on a bar or get disabled by a ball strikeing its boilers or some part of its machinery. Since / we left Memphis we have met two boats comeing up but did not pass near enough to get any information from operations below. We will get some news when we get to Helena which I hope will at least amount to a confirmation of the capture of Port Hudson. The last news we had from Vicksburg was very good; the siege was progressing favorably and but little apprehension of danger from Johnson. I wish things were going on as well in the east as they seem to be here. But the cause of the union and the final success of our arms has more to fear from the prevalence of that spirit and party that nominated Valandingham a candidate for governer of Ohio than they have from that invading host of Jeff Davis. It is that spirit that is crying out against the tyrany of martial law and the suspension of Habeas Corpus,when any person with brains enough to fill the cranium of a hound dog, (to use Mr Swallows words for it) must certainly know that no person but a traitor can have any fears of any such proclamation hurting them. It is that spirit that is constantly / crying out against, and opposeing the Administration in any policy to hurt rebels. It is that spirit that is makeing armed resistance aganst the conscription to fill our thined ranks. It is that spirit that is virtually doing every thing it can to bring about a recognition of the independence of the Confederacy. At this stage of the war, after so much treasure has been spent, so many heroic lives lost, so many fire-sides desolated and such an increasing advantage gained over the rebels, I say at this stage of the war I regret to see so dark a spot in in our high hope for a speedy and successful termination of this war. If the Valandingham Copperheads ever get to Heaven, and I am so unfortunate as to never return up this River again, constituted as I am and behaving as I do, I want to go to H—l and get into better company.

 

            Our boat is just now "rounding to" at Helena and I guess will not leave here to-night. It has been several months since I passed here but every thing looks very natural. After mailing my letter to you last night, I mailed a novel entitled Grace Weldon. I expect you think I am geting / to be quite a novel reader and I believe I might as well acknowledge that I am. But the cause is that I have had considerable time to kill on this tedious trip and I have found novels a great deal better weapon for it than cards. I have not been out in town to enquire after the news yet. I have concluded not to mail this to-night as there is no talk of the boat leaving. So My Dear Loo, I will bid you good evening.

 

                        One half hour later.

                                                I just now heard the Cap of this boat say he was going to shove out in a few minutes.

 

Port Hudson is not taken.

 

                        Good-bye.

 

            Your very affectionate husband

                                                Enos Reed

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