John Lester Barstow to Laura
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I have not much store of news to write you nor am I much in the
mood for writing, but I know that if you do not hear from me
[once a week] you will think I am not keeping my promise
& so I sit down on a rail with my feet towards the fire
& attempt to tell you how I am & what I am about. We
are now 8 miles from Opelousas (beyond) the place where
Capt. Craig died when we were here before & no one seems
to know where we are going or what we are to do. The water
is so low that boats can not come here or near here from N.
O. & the roads are so bad that a supply of food cannot
be brought fr by wagons & so we lay up for a
week or so until we get two or three days rations ahead
& then march one or two days & wait again
The hardest duty we have to do is picket duty & the
Generals are very particular about having it thoroughly
done, for it seems that Gen. Herrons defeat was owing to his pickets getting
asleep so that the rebels formed a line of battle between
the army & it picket before they were discornerd &
the whole camp was suprised. The day's are very hot when the
sun shines, but the nights are very, very cold. I have a
heavy overcoat & 2 wool blankets - but I can not keep
warm nights - night before last, I had to get up twice in
the night to make a fire to warm myself & it is very
cold every night We are encamped in a cane feild grown we
mite needs - the ground is very [ ] & we are uncomfortable
every way, do not get any mail or papers & not much to
Eat. We can neither buy, or steal - that is we cannot forage
& get sweet potatoes & beef, as we used to, Gen.
Franklin is in commands of the whole expedition has under
him. Gen. Ord & Washburne of Gen. Grants army with the
13th Army Corps
Gen Franklin is very unpopular
[& no body likes him]
Octo. 27. - We have had a mail - I recieved one Letter from you
& two Burlington papers, which I was very glad to get,
although there was nothing very new in the papers. It makes
me trouble to open a Letter from you, for [ ] you or Freddie may be sick - [I
am sorry to hear that Curance is so bad I am afraid she is
none off, than any of you think. I had not be suprised to
hear that she is worse for I think she will worry so much,
being away from home, that she will grow worse] It is now
said to be dicided that this army will go back to New Iberia
& there stay for some time - until Rosecrans fights
another battle & something more favorable can be heard
from Blunt & Nerron - been twice & a good many
wagons captured by the rebels, perhaps some of your Letters
have gone - it is not yet known whether my mail was lost or
not. I have some money
that I want to send home
but I am afraid to send it by mail & there is no chance
to send it by express. Write me what Fred is going to do. I
weighed myself yesterday & weighed 156 - which is more than I have weighed in a
great while. You need be worried if you do not get my
Letters regularly or very often. Especially if we go ahead
instead of buck - If we go back &
Col Thomas comes back soon as we expect he will I shall have
strong hopes of going home soon. As it is now, it is worse
than useless to think of it unless for disability.
I hope you will do every thing to make yourself comfortable [ ] & I sincerly & constantly hope that the time will soon come when we can again begin to live together. & under peaceful government. In about 1/2 an hour I have got to go on picket & there is evry prospect of a hard rain.
Do not fail to write often to your
Affectionate HusbandLester