U. S. Military Telegraph.

April 29 1864

By Telegraph from Cleveland

 

To Dear Mother:

          I received your letter of the 13^th on my letter return from Bulls Gap also one from Frank Jilsun & a Kenosha. The Oshkosh paper has not yet arrived. I think it very strange you do not get my letters: have wrtten two or three since that from Morristown. They will come back to me from Washington some time probably. I am very glad to get back to Cleveland again & hope to stay a long time. I had orders to go to Huntsville, which is you know the prettiest place in the whole South, but I told Van I would prefer remaining here if by going

 

I would lose my situation in this office. Wilber & I have the best board that can be procured this side of Louisville. none of your Tennessee cooking but the nicest kind of an English lady to cook superintends the culinary arrangements & waits on the table herself. Cass was up here the other day & was astonished at the way we lived—3 kinds of pie & fruit-cake!! Cleveland is Hd Qrs of the 4^th Army Corps, Gen'l Howard comd'g, & is a very important military post. We do more telegraphing than Knoxville or any office on the lines except Chattanooga. Will soon have two lines running in here & then / our business will be about twice as much. Something important will be done very shortly but newspaper correspondents have been forbidden to write concerning movements so of course I should not say anything although, I could verify easily. I introduced myself to Col LaGrange the other day as Mr Lines' son & received a very pressing invitation to come to his head quarters or to call on him for horses whenever I wanted to ride. Everybody here has a high opinion of him as an officer. The 24^th Wis. is here & I am going to see them some day & try & find somebody that I know. /

 

I hope father will get down here pretty soon as He may something worth seeing & close to Cleveland too. I expect to get $75 per month shortly & will be enabled to put on $15 worth more style. Henry is well but has heard nothing from his detail yet, I believe—W You ask who darns my stockings &c. I generally can get my things washed but very seldom mended. At Bulls Gap I staid a whole month without taking my pants or shirt or bathing myself. This it was absolutely impossible to do & on my arrival here I gave all my clothes to a colored gentleman. had I kept them much longer, the "graybacks" / would have run off with me like the Louisiana mosquitoes carried the man off in an iron kettle. This is not exaggerated but is simple fact. When you write tell me everything new. Give my love to all. Hope you will get this this. I must write to Frank tonight. If father will telegraph me when he starts I can meet him at Nashville. I am pressed for time so must close.

 

Your affectionate son

Robt. B. Lines to Georgie

            If I see you on the fourth of July, wont we drink lots of lemonade.

                                                                        Hey? /

 

 

Apr. 29.64

R.B.L. to

Mother

SOURCES