27th Iowa Infantry

Item LTR-10357

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages, written in period ink.


Camp near Little Rock, Arkansas

November 1st 1863

My Dear Wife,

I have before me your letters of the 5th, 8th and 12th of October and I suppose it will not be out of order to answer them all at once. Especially as I have sent you one letter since receiving these. It was sealed up and stamp on envelope or I should have opened and at least acknowledged the receipt of these last letters. Your stamps and photographs came safe and are very welcome. The first because it saves me considerable inconvenience and the latter because it places your image before me in the best possible form. I think it is a fine likeness and those of your acquaintances to whom I have shown it pronounce it perfect. It seems to me you are thin. More so than usual. You do not take after your Father, I that respect. But rather imitate your worthy stepmother, who I believe was not remarkably adipose. I believe, however, she was a slippery creature if not very greasy. But I will turn the leaf and change the subject.

It is now nearly 3 p.m. and I have just completed a muster and payroll having worked continually on it today. I have not a complete set of muster and pay rolls made out for the month of September and October. And am ready for the pay master to come along as soon as he pleases, which he may do in two weeks, a month, 2 months or longer. Every two months, we are and all the forces, are mustered and the periods are stated to wit: the 31st of October, 31st December, 28th or 29th of February,30th of April and so on through the year. Those that are not mustered lose their pay for that term, unless they get an order which restores them to pay.

Mustering is this – after we are in U.S. Service, the muster roll is made out with all the names of those belonging to the company, their date of enlistment, where enlisted, by who enlisted, when mustered into the U.S. Service, for what period, where mustered, by whom mustered, by whome last paid, to what time paid. Then the company is paraded and the names of all answering present are put down in a column as present and all those absent. Their absence must be explained in a column of remarks. That is what is called mustering for pay. Muster and pay rolls are just alike with the exception that the payroll extends to the right 6 or 8 inches further with columns for amount of pay, time to be paid for stoppages, etc., etc., etc., a column for each man to sign his name as a receipt to his pay, and then a column for a commissioned officer to witness the receipt of each man. I will not take up more room with this.

Last night, I had the pleasure of spending the evening in the company of Mr. and Mrs. Hastings at the St. Anthony Hotel in Little Rock. They reached the place Thursday night and got tipped over before crossing the river. Tipped over in the sand in an ambulance from the depot to the hotel. They came as all have to come. By the river to DuVall’s Bluff, thence to this place on platform railroad cars. They had proceeded down the river as far as the famous place Vicksburg – the doctor being on his way to join the Engineer Corps – when McPherson’s adjutant ordered him to report at Helena, Arkansas and from there proceed to his regiment, the 27th Iowa, at Little Rock. Yesterday the doctor was very busy trying to find a place to live. I think Mrs. Hastings will not find it very agreeable here.

I have been writing so much that I will stop with this page. My health is very good as usual. One of our captains started home this morning for Iowa to get recruits. He will probably have an opportunity to stay some months and get better acquainted with a wife he married a month or two since when home for a few days on leave of absence.

If you send me shirts, you can send by express. As there is an agency here. With respects to all and love to yourself and the children. Goodbye for the present.

O. Whitney