Justus F. Gale to Sister
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Apr - 22
Miss Samantha Gale
ElmoreVermont
Ship Island 8. Reg VtVols. Co. AApril 21st/62Dear Sister.
I wil buisy my self a few minutes this morning in a few lines to you. I am wel as
com- mon except a diarrhea that I have had for a few days: but have been on duty
every day yet. I feel better this morning and it is no more than what the
soldiers have when they first came here. I should like to look into Elmore this
morning to see how you all do this spring and how the things are going with you
at home. I have enjoyed my self as wel as can be expected conside- ring how far
from home and every body else but rebbels we are. it would be more pleasant if
we
were not so far from home and from all the news. we have not
heard but little what is going on in the army since we came heare. I received a
kind and welcam letter from Brot- her Lyman the 12th of this month & was
glad to hear from you at home. I suppose by this time it begins to look quite
like spring. I think some times when I lay down to sleep I would like to have a
telegraph dispatch from home so I could know how and what you are all doing but
this I cant have now. there is considerable talk among the troops that it wil
not be long before we shal have a chance to go home but we are bound to see the
end of the job. our Co. went out Saturday and fired three rou- nds of catrage at
a target for the first time. perhaps you would like to know the price of some of
the articles that the sutlers have to
sel here. they sell cider or
what they call cider for 5 cents a glass butter 45 to .50 c. per bound cheese 25
tobacco .75 to 1.25 ginger .50 sugar .25 molasses 1.00 per gall. and every thing
else they have according. I have been learning to make don- uts. I have bought
about 20 pounds of flour and fried it up into cakes paid 8 cents a pound for
flour & sold the cakes for from 18 to 24 cents a doz. we have plenty of
grease that we save from our pork to fry them in. I fried some saturday that
they called as good as vermont nut cakes. I just about doubled my money by
frying them. I wish had a few hundred pounds of new maple sugar here to sell I
could make my fortune nea- rly: the weather continues verry pleasant but not so
warm as I supposed it would be by this time
there hasent been a
rearl stormy day that I have seen since I was at home last. I never saw so long
time at this time in the season with so little storm. I think we have got the
best and peacablest lot of boys in our tent I ever saw together. there is 18 of
us a tent and I havent heard a word of jawing or fighting in our tent yet but
cant say so by all the rest. yesterday we followed one of brother soldiers to
his final resting place until the last great trump shal sound. this makes three
that have died out of our Reg. he belonged to Co. D. he died with the fever. I
never went to a more solemn funeral hardly in my life. the drums and fifes went
a head and played a death march and long train of us folowed after marching with
a verry slow step. we reached the spot and lowered the coffin into the grave
they then fired four or six guns three times over the grave and we
returned to our quarters. he was buried about sundown. there was one man in Co.
F that tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a rasor: but did not
accomplish his death he didnt cut of the main arter so they think he wil get
over it: it was done last saturday. he has been deranged ever since we left
Vermont. our regiment is under General Phelps Division. there is some talk that
we shal move up the Miss. River a few miles before long but I cant tel. I
am want you should write to me often as you can for I want to
hear from you and how your heath is. I hope by this time you have got to be
smart and wel so that you can walk up to the sugar place
and eat a
lot of new sugar for me. when any of you write to be sure and write the news
about the war in the northern part of the army especialy for we dont hear any
news from any only what is going on right round here nor hardly that. there isen
hardly a paper here to be got hold of and them are near- ly a month old when we
get them I suppose by what little I have heard that our army has made some grand
moves since we left Vermont and I should think a few more would put the
miserable rebbels where they would have to give up or die. Lyman wrote to me
that he wasent like to get only about fourteen dollars on that wild land tax
that I woked out. I want you should tel him no to settle that if he can get
along with out it til can see about it: for I dont see how
they can
get along without paying the whole of it but stil he must do as he thinks best
about it tel him that any time he wants to draw my state pay he can do so by
sending in his paper to the treasury: remember and put in the letter of the
Company before sending it in.
I was quite surprised when I read in the letter that Lyman wrote me of the death of Francis Pecks wife I should think it would seem as though it thined out the neighbor- hood considerable having three taken out so soon.
tel Chas. to write to me every chance he can get and all the rest to for I want
to hear from you all. tel him write all abo- ut the stalk how much sugar they
have made how the hay and grain holds out how the boys and
girls get
along and any thing that would interest me if I was at home. write to me and tel
me how your health and Almedas and Mothers and Fathers is &c. give little
Herbert a good huging for me every time you see him. I suppose he has got so he
wil al- most run alone if not a quite give my respects to Wilber and his lady
love. Wesley wants I should say that he is wel tough ragged and sassy and so are
the rest of us not so ragged though as sassy. I wrote a line a few days ago to
Brother Chase. I presume you wil see it before you get this. dont wory about me
for I am doing wel here. give my love to all and receive the same yourself write
as soon as you get this and oblige your brother
J. F. Gale
(S. A. Gale)