8th New Hampshire Infantry - Wounded at Labadieville, LA

Item LTR-8786

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.


Camp Benton

April 10th 1862

Dear Cousin,

Sam received your kind letter last night. We was very glad to hear that you were all well. We are grunting a little with bad colds but that is nothing in war times. You know we have been here ever since the 29th of March. And we have not wrote but 15 letters home and we have not heard from there at all.

I suppose Same wrote about the smash up on the cars. I tell you it made my hair stand straight up. It was the awfulist sight I ever saw in my life. The bodies all smashed up fine and we come out all right with our shins skinned a little.

I think some, as one of the boys was saying the other day, he did not like to stay where folks went to bed well and waked up in the morning and found themselves dead. There was one died out of our regiment last night and one shot on guard through the hand. They say they have taken the Devil that done it. But I do not know about that. Some think he shot himself so as to get his discharge. There are some that would do anything to get a discharge. But I like it very well if we had decent officers. There is one or two that if they were come into battle the enemy’s balls never will kill them.

Tell little Fannie that them fellows that killed the little lamb are going to kill something bigger if they get a chance to. Well, the boys make such a mess that I cannot think of anymore. You must write as soon as you get this. Excuse all mistakes and poor spelling, but I guess it is all grammar, don’t you? You can see by the writing that we do not have a very good chance. That is all this time. So goodbye.

To Mrs. L. Simpson

Direct as before to Camp Benton

From your cousin,


J. T. Stimson