please

save                                                                                        

this song                                                         

ballid

for me

            BWD

 

 Bridgeport Ala

 Wendsday after dinner July the 13^th 64

 

            Good morning Friends at home I am now a going to try to answer 2 letters which I received one to day & one the 6^th of July well i received 2 this morning one was from Eliza M^cC. it had the postage stamps in it that i sent for it is mighty queer that Tobe couldent answer his own letters I think the next one i write he will be apt to answer it himself at least that is my pios opinion but i was verry glad to get a letter from the one that did answer it maby i am a little to hard on Tobe for i expect he was tired when he got my letter after cutting wheet all day so i will excuse him but still look for him to answer it after harvest if there be no providensial henderence.

 

            Well mother you asked me to excuse you for not writing more of corse i will excuse you for i know you must have a heep to do now in time of harvest I wish I could be there to help bind wheet i think i could make half a hand any how but i cannot be there and down here all in the same time we have pretty heavy duty to do here since the 135^th Regt has left, on guard evry other day and then this morning i was detailed to go and work on the fort a digging a trench i tell you it made me sweat to use a pick (or mattock) right out in the open field where the sun poored down its firery rays with awfull heat but we are getting used to it, it dosent appear near as / warm now as it did when we first came here but here it is a heep warmer than it it is in the old hosier state

 

            Well now i will tell you about what we done the 4^th we wasent at rockville you know in a grand review under Col. Budd, but we had a General Review of the troops here by Col, Act Brig. G. Krzyznowski he was Col. of the 58^th NY, a real bully looking fellow and as daring as a Tiger he has been wounded sevral times and had 5 diferent horses shot from under him he is a nother kind of a fellow to what Gen. Willcox was if he is a Dutchman. our review consisted of the Regts. 1^st 133 Ind 106 Ohio 135 Ind 58 N.Y. 20 Ind Batter & part of the 1^st Ohio Artilery C^o E & B & the review was at 9 oclock A.M. and I went on guard at 10^oc

 

            Now I expect you think I dident have a very nice time but you are badly mistaken for i enjoyed my self just as well as if I had been at Rockville although we dident have any pretty girls here nor whiskey either well I'll tell you what we had to eat there was 4 or 5 of my bunk mates on guard with me so we just went to the Sutlars and bought a lot of black pies & peach pies & cakes & cigars so you better believe we went in heavy after eating as much as we wanted then we lit our cigars stuck our heels up hirer than our heads & took a friendly old soldier smoke then at night we had speaken by our old tub of guts, (the Col) as the boys call / him instead of haveing a nice stand to speak off of he stood on the fort wall. it is not verry often that a person gets to see 4,000 or 5,000 people and not a white woman in the bunch.

 

            Well i suppose you was at meeting last Sunday at old Spunkeys pen wel i wasent at meeting as our Chaplain is sick or els a playing of i donot know which but I went to meeting a sunday night over to the field hospitl we had a mighty good meeting the preacher was a Methodist. Well, yonder comes a fellow with something in a bucket to sell. Oh yess it is good old lemonade bully wont I have a glass shure if money will get it well it is only 10 cts a glass so i wasent long drinking one dime up but then it was not either whiskey or brandy for i have not tasted any thing stronger than lemonade since I left old Ind and I believe I get along just as well without it I just think if my brothers can do without it and be a soldier I can do without it to without signing a plege

 

            Well now for something else Ill tell you what happened the other day while on picket there was 3 of us out on the railroad 2 miles from here between here and Stephenson there came some 3 woman along the road with apples & black berryes to sell they sayed they would not sell them for any thing but tobacco they sayed they hadent / a chaw that morning so I took and gave them all I had with me which was ½ a plug (as I had quit smoking on acount of the hot climate and went to chewing) they both took a chaw about as large as pap would at 2 chews, and then handed it back to me I verry polightly told them they might keep it I would nevr use it again while I stayed where the women used that way so I have never took a chew or a smoke since then nor will I untill I get back to old hosier again.

 

            I quit smoking because the climate was so warm and I had to go to chewing before I could quit and then I got to chewing about 5 cts worth evry day so you see it counts up after while to a good big pile but i think i can do without untill I get home.

 

            Well you said that you would like for me to be at home some day for dinner now well i would like to be there to help bind that wheet but as for something good to eat I have a plenty here I wouldent want more if I was in the regular service Our boys that are from rockville have a heep of things sent to them of corse when I see the sweet caks and good butter it makes me want them but I just tell them that they are no soldiers if they cannot eat live on the rashions that they get here if they had to live on parched corn and fresh beef without salt then they might talk about it Well i believe I Wel I glad tobe has a nice colt maby I can trade little Jo Hooker to him for his colt for I want something nice you know but i dont expect it is much nicer than little Jo.

 

            I guess i will bring this short letter to a close as my stock of ideas have a bout run out or els have run out of soope the health of the boys are moderatly good 4 of the boys in the Regt died last week but the old Col is such an old fool he dosnot know how much drilling and duty men can stand he says he wants to have the best drilled Regt that has ever be went back to the state and got sand enough in their craws to stand up to it as for me I havent had an hours sickness since I came here but the stoutest dies as well as the weakest you know well you must excuse me for not writing mor at this time an see if you can beat it thats all I have got to say hoping those may few lines may find you well I will bid you god evning for a while

 

from Bart Dooley yore son Co G 133 Regt Bridgeport Ala

to Mrs Sarah A Dooley Bethany

SOURCES