Barrancas, Florida.

Feb. 2^nd 1865

 

My Dear Wife,

                        Whenever we stay long enough at any one place to "get fixed up" as the boys call it, we are sure to feel a little disappointment upon hearing the first announcement of marching orders. It makes no difference how inconveniently and unpleasantly the camp may be located, there is scarcely ever any comfort in the idea that we are to abandon our temporary homes and all the nonportable property we have gathered around us, till we have had a little time for reflection, and have arrived at the conclusion that "the thing must be did" let it be for the better or the worse Then the prospect for seeing something new begins to have its stimulating effect and the boys become, not only reconciled to the idea of breaking up the old camp, but impatient for the order / to come immediately for striking tents. Before we left Kenerville it might be said that we were "well fixed up". The men all had bunks to sleep on, tables to eat off of, and mud chimneys in their tents; but the plentifulness of chimney materials was one of the greatest objections to the place as a camping ground. The whole country was scarcely anything but one big mud-hole, and we were certainly never more fortunate in receiving orders to leave a place since we have been soldiers.

 

            In this case, the disappointment of having to leave the fruits of considerable labor behind us, was very short lived indeed. We embarked in the P.M. of the same day I mailed my last letter to you, on the Gulf steamer, Kate Dale, and dropped down to the City. Here every thing was put off and all, excepting the teams and horses, sent out to Lake Port on the Ponchartrain R.R. The wagon train and horses were sent out via the shell road / and reached Lake Port about 3 o'clock A.M. the next day. By 10 oclock of the same day, all the wagons, mules, horses, and baggage, and all the troops excepting Cos B and C were stowed aboard the Steamer Warrior and under way plowing through the briny deep for some port; we knew not where. We are by no means used to receiving hotel accommodations on board of Uncle Sam's transports or I believe a good many of us would have been sacked up in sail cloth and slid over board for shark bait on this voyage. The weather was wet and cold, and the ship so badly crowded below with wagons, baggage, mules and horses, that most of the men had to stay out on the open decks. There were over one hundred head of horses and mules aboard besides thirteen large Government waggons.

 

We landed at this place early in the morning of the 27^th ult—the second day after embarking at Lake Port. We are camped on what is known / here as the Navy Reserve, which is a most beautiful tract of land belonging to Government. The soil is so sandy that constant rain could never make it muddy and it is sparsely covered with a growth of large pines, firs, and various other species of larch. There are also a few Magnolias and Mirtles scattered here and there over the tract, and I think it altogether the nicest camping ground that could be selected for the wet season.

 

            There are three large forts in sight—Pickins, McRae and Barrancas. The two latter mentioned forts are up on the beach to our left right as we face the Bay and Pickins is on Santa Barba Rosa Island about four miles from us out in the Bay. The Pensacola Navy Yard is on the beach about one mile to our left.

 

            I have not been down to see the Navy Yard yet, but I want to go if I can get time to do so before we leave here. There is a Post bakery here that supplies all the troops

 

[margins]

 

with soft bread. Our Reg. has been fed on hard-tack so long that soft bread seems a great luxury to the boys. Our whole Brig. is here now and the 34^th was the first Reg. of it debarked here. I have not learned whether any more of the Reserve Corps / is to be sent here or not, but it is said that Gen. Granger's command will be here in a few days. Gen. Granger's forces were encamped at Passcagoula as we came over. Pascagoula is on the coast about / thirty miles west of Mobile. The 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th Brigades of the Reserve Corps were at Kenerville when we left that place. It is not expected that we will remain here but a few days, and I would / not be at all surprised if we were besiegeing Mobile ere this reaches you. It may not be intended for this expedition to march against Mobile but indications favor such a move strongly. This is Candlemas day and it is cloudy and drizzling rain. If there are any ground hogs in this country to come out of their holes and not see their shadows today, I suppose we may expect no / more bad weather this winter, but of course the old dutch "sign of a token" is not applicable where there there are no ground hogs. I have not seen a news-paper since we landed here and I expect our mails will be few and far between.

 

Dearest, I bid you adieu for this time

 

Your loving husband.

E. R.

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