Alexandria La

March 25

 

            Dear Brother

                                                as it has bin some time since I wrote home I thought I would write a few lines to you it being my first oportunity, and I do not know as I can send this of right a way. I am well and so is all of our boys will Hess and I tent to gether we all stood the march first rate got a little sore footed but feel all right now

 

we started from franklin the 15^th and marched some 14 or 16 miles each day untill Saturday we layed over Sunday at or near Washington the most of the time the weather was pleasent Jist cool enough to march good we came the same road up as far as opolouses that we did before there I saw quite a site for me we marched past a catholick / nunery and there was about 40 of the criters out in site they wer dresed in black with a sort of a white cape that went strate up from there shouldiers to thear ears and covered them all but thear face and they looked as much like mumeys as eney thing I know of. General Dudley came up a head of us with some 15 000 cavilry so we had no opositions except mud. we followed a bayou caled bayou washington from that plaice severel days it was very crooked and we cut acrost the plantaions and eney way to make the road short as we could Some times we pased sugar mills and most allways got all the sugar we wanted the night of the 22^ed we stoped at a little plaice caled homesville there had bin a store a sugar mill &c &c there was woods all around and there was some of the boys found 60 or 70 lbs of sugar hid in the woods covered up with a sort of a brake / it has large leaves well we jist helped our selfs to it and I warnt there was not less than 10 or 12 lbs taken and waisted I wished severel times that you had a lb or so of it but as you could not so I took my share we boilt it up and made candy well so it went we did not have much of a chance for chickens for the cavilry was a head. the next day we stoped at a plaice caled Cheneyville a plaice most as large as Sodom Yesterday we came to an other small bayou caled bayou laymoris it is a small stream but quite a boat can run in it for it is all the way alike. last night or yesterday after noon about 2 oclock that is the time we generly stop it rained very hard for about ½ an hour but we made the nigar shantys and fences suffer to pay for it we got boards to lay on and railes for fire we have had plenty of them untill to night wood is scarce close a round here but I guess we will get along / the most of the boys went down in the town and got boards to lay on and build tents with we jist went right to work and tore down a good building it was a sort of a barn I think there is quite a fleet here now 20 gunboats and 30 river boats. we have not got a mail yet the Chaplain sayd that we could send out our letters the 27 or Sunday well as it is geting dark I will wait till morning

 

Saturday 26 I and Will Hess have jist got back from town we saw all the boats and that is about all we did see the talk is we will leave here monday. hale here comes the Chaplain with a mail and the pay roals have come to bulley fore that fore I think it was time I expect we will go to Sweedsport from here they say there is the 13, 16, 17, 19 army Corps here now So you see there is quite a pile of us / and I think that we can make the rebels hunt thear holes. there was one of our Generals relieved the rebel picket line when he came up here he got in thear rear and made them think he was a rebel genl dudley brought up a couple of his regt of cavl they took 250 and never fired a gun

 

well Pete we got quite a mail but I got but one letter and that was from O F Long So I think I wont write eney more for I am well and hope the rest of you are the same we have sined the Pay rool & expect to be payed soon and if there is a chance I will send you some but can not tel how much untill I get it I have got my Pay for 4 monthes it was 48 Dol and I will send 20 in this letter and that gold pen I was to send in the other letter that is all this time

 

So good by Direct to 1^st Divis 1^st Brig 19 Army Corps

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