Bridgeport Ala.

Apr. 1865

 

My dear mother                                                                                          

                        Your letter was received a long time since & I have been so exceedingly busy that I have not had time scarcely to answer it. You will wonder probably what has kept me so busy. Well I was out on the pike between Nashville & Franklin for about a month & a half, guarding workmen & had to visit all my neighbors who were quite numerous & many of them quite attractive. besides this I had all the Company duties to attend to, which by itself is no light job, there being no other Officer now with the company. Taff can give you some idea of what the duties of an officer in command of a battery are / when there is only one to do every thing. I will commence drilling four hours a day in a few days then you need not expect any letters at all

 

            I was very much pleased with my stay on the Franklin pike The society is very good indeed & the country is magnificent although considerably ravished by the war I had also abundance to eat & things could be obtained at a reasonable price. I had fresh eggs, butter, hominy, pig, turkey, &c nearly all the time & I have no doubt that I gained considerable flesh during my stay.

 

            I have been here three or four days but the weather has been so bad that I have found out but little about the place. All the valleys & low lands are completely overflown. I understand there is spendid hunting around here deer, fox, squirrels &c in abundance. If I am superceded in the command of the company / —& I hope I will be—I expect to spend a good deal of my time in hunting. I shot a squirrel a day or two ago the first one for nearly five years & also succeeded in getting a good ducking. I was crossing a bridge which had nearly three feet of water over it & my horse got off of it into a deep stream & had to swim for it. Since writing the above I have learned that my Company is to be consolidated with another of the same regiment. I was very much gratified to hear it, since if I stay with the Company I will have very nice companions & if I am ordered away it will probably be on recruiting service in some of the northern cities. I have no idea yet what will become of me though most probably I will stay with the Company

 

            What is thought in that section of the country of the death of the President? I hope there is none of / sufficient animosity of feeling to rejoice over it. There were two men killed in Nashville for expressing their approbation of the act & if I had my way I think I should hang every man that rejoiced over it. Although I disagreed with him on many points, yet his assassination I think is the most disgraceful blot on our countries history. But we have to counteract to some extent our sorrow news more glorious than I dared hope for at so early a period. Lee, the very breath & soul of the Confederacy is ours & its body only is left to decay & fall to pieces. As usual I am quite busy to night & must close. I have my trunk down here & would like very much to send it home.There is no express office I believe in Mt Sterling, & I will have to send it to some one I guess in Paris. Doesn't father know some one there who I could send it to & who could keep it until until he could send for it. Probably they would keep it at the Thurston house. I wish you would find out & let me know as soon as possible, as I will have to get rid of it some how or other soon & I would dislike losing it. Tell Taff I will write to him in a few days if possible & I hope very soon to hear from you. With love for you all I remain

 

R G Howell

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