Camp on the Mississippi River
Near Helena, Arkansas
March 13, 1863
Dear Mother,
Your letter of the 5th is at hand. We left Memphis on the 1st of this month with the intention of going to Vicksburg via Lake Providence and then crossing the country to that point. But when we got thare we found the country flooded, and impossible to go by that route or in fact hardly a dry spot could be found to land us on, so we had to return to this place and take a new route to gain our point. We are now going down the Yasoo pass to the Yasoo River which will bring us very near to Vicksburg and save us considerable marching, which the most of us like. You cannot have received my two last letters. I wrote one about the 20th of last month, and another when I sent you the money. You say nothing about that. I sent the money by Dr. Beers to Chicago and he was to express it from there to you. But you must have received it before this. You cannot imagine how I felt when I read your letter. It is true, I have done wrong and it makes me feel sad to think of it. But Mother you shall never be disgraced by having a drunken son by Edward. He will benefit by the lessons of the past, if not for his own sake for the sake of those he loves, - so we will say no more about it, for I know it makes me feel bad and I know it must you.
Robert came to Memphis with his Regt. and was taken sick thare with Billious fever and was sent to General Hospital. Whilst I was in Memphis I went to see him almost every day and took him soups and such things as he could eat. In about ten days we went five miles from Memphis. Robert was then much better. After we got out thare I was not well enough to go into town, I only went into town once after that and then I did not get a chance to go and see him. I heard from him almost every day, and it was always that he was better and so that he was up and about the room. The day after I was in town our Regt. was ordered out on an expedition of some days and I had to go with them, not thinking but Robert was doing as well as ever. But when I returned (which was at 3 o'clock the day after his death) I heard the sad news. I then started for his Regt. (which was some 3 miles, tired as I was, and found that he had been buried. You can imagine my feelings. He had been up and around only a few days before, and told some of his company that he would join them again in a few days, but he took a severe cold and it settled into Typhoid Pneumonia and he died in a short time. Mr. Howland was with him when he died. I thought then of having him taken up and sent home, but I found out that it would cost something like one hundred dollars, and then thought I would wait and hear from you and see what you thought about it. I visited his grave several times before leaving Memphis. Well as I have but little time I must close. Give my love to all.
Your Affect. Son
Edward
P.S. Direct your letters care of Dr. Powell, Surgeon 72nd Reg. Ill. Vol.
1st Brigade Army of the Tenn. via Cairo
E
Tell Emma & Lydia to write (written vertically left margin)
No comments:
Post a Comment