Picket on the St Johns river Jacksonville Fla June 25 1864

 

Dear Hannah

I am out on picket for the first time in two months and it is a beautiful place where I am. There used to be a house here (according to appearances a very large one) surrounded by large live oak trees and the trees are covered with moss—not such as grows on the trees in N. H. but grows very long and silky and of a light grey color—it is what they use for stuffing sofas and chairs and after it is boiled and colored it has very much the appearance of curled hair. I shall probably get relieved from here in an hour or two for I came on yesterday morning and it is now about eight oclock 

 

Well I presume you are shoemaking quite industriously and I should like pretty well to just drop in and see if I could not beat you at your trade if I have not done anything at it for almost two years. What a difference a year makes in anybody's life sometimes one year ago today I was at White House landing (The countersign last night was White House) on the Pamunkey river and getting ready to march up the Peninsula. Two years ago day before yesterday I was in Barnstead running round with a certain young lady of my acquaintance and today I am on picket at Jacksonville Florida with fifteen hundred miles between me and the place where I should most delight to be—but it cant be helped now and I am hoping for the best in the future and that I may sometime / get over that distance and see that same young lady again and I hope the time will come soon too. Well I think it will be a very hot day as it is very warm this morning and was a very warm night last night. I slept on the ground under one of these trees and slept very comfortably although I had no blankets out here with me. Well the boys shot two alligators in the river yesterday morning just after we got down here one of them was eight feet in length and larger round than I am and the other was a small one about four feet in length and they are the nastiest looking creatures that I ever saw. By the way I dreamed I was at home and saw you last night but I waked up this morning and found myself lying under a tree on the bank of the St Johns instead of in / Barnstead where I should like so much to be this pleasant morning. But it is no use to wish for it will not alter the matter. Well I hardly know whether I like this place down here or not although there is some splendid places in the city here. By the way this city is about twice as big as Pittsfield village and the little city of Dover would make half a dozen such cities as Jacksonville is. I never saw a place where the water was so bad as it is here in fact I have not seen any clear running water here but once and that was up by the Rebel Camp (Finnegan) a small creek (Cedar Creek) and the rest of the water looks like water sweetened with molasses. The fleas and mosquitoes are so thick here that a man cant sleep comfortably anywhere and I guess upon the whole that I have not seen a place since I have been in the army that I liked so well as I do Old Barnstead and what is in it. Well I must close for want of room and something to write about so with love and a

 

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kiss for my darling wife I remain as ever your loving husband

Joseph H. Prime

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