1862
Newbern N C April 5th
dear wife it is with Pleasure that i Sit down to Let you
know that i got four Letters this morning from you it has
Ben ten days Since i got the Last one and i am So glad
that the Box got home Safe i did not know wether it
would or not i wish i Could have Sent more to all
But i Could not we are having awfell hot wether here now
trees in Bloom Birds a Singing Peas and other things a
growing i got those Papers you Sent and was glad to
get them to Send along all the Late Papers you Can get
you ask if i am acquainted with Ed davenport it would
be funny if i did not why he Belongs to my Company
and i know all the men in the Company and about
all in the Regiment we all Read one another Papers and
So you Can troot em along that was a Splendid Book
that i Sent in the Box i would not take twenty
five dollers for it it was a Rebell Lawyers you
will See his daughter name on the Leaf what does it
mean about Capt hoobs not Being in the Battle it
is a Lie he was and So was Lieut. Creassey and murrey
and the Company fought Like tigers that So i was
not in the Company i was in Capt Martins
Company i was detailed as one of the Color gard
that day Capt Martins Company Carried the Flagg
it is a hot Place to Be in Battle for the Enemy
Try to kill the Flagg Barrer i Could See Co I
from where i was and it is all a Lie about
[Page 2]
the
Capts not Being there it is doing a wrong thing towards
Co I Let them that talk in that way Come out here and go through
what we have thats all Capt hoobs is not a great Military
man and the Col would Like to git him out of the
Regiment But that is nothing to do with the men and the
man that Says they Showed the white Feather [1] is a
Liar the members of Co I have Been detailed to do all kinds
of duty and have Been used the meanest all oncount of the
Col. Being down on the Capt i Like the Capt Better than
i Like Some others Lieut. Murrey never wrote home that
he had Command of the Boys and he is awfell mad about
it and another thing two men where detailed out each
Company to work a Riffled Cannon and in the fight [riffled=grooved]
Some of the men Left the gun But the two from Co
i Stick to there Post Like men and gen Burnsides
Complimented them thats So i am down on the Col
now if he had Ben a man he would have Spoke well of the
the whole Regiment he is a going home of on a
furlough and i hope he will Stay there our Regiment
is used all up there is two hundred and od Sick in the
hospittal if we Should Start to day to march there
would not Be three hundred men able to go and we
get the meanest Living i ever Saw in the army i think
the government has Been humbuged about Long Enough
i have had Just about as much to do with the army as
i want and the Sonner the war is over the Better
[Page 3]
and it Seams to me that the Payments will never
get along i owe for washing and Cakes and Pies that
i had to Buy they Say that we Shall have to Pay
for our Clothing Pretty Soon i hope not this time
for you want it as well as myself you Can Send
a Box out here with Safely By Adams Express gillet
will take it to Boston and then Adams will take
it to Newbern i Should Like a good manney things
i Bet you Cant Send all you might get up a Box
with me Merill and Some of the others if you Like
or you Can Send alone i Should Like a Bottle or
to of good Spring Bitters it is what we want out here
and Some [koches?] and Something good for dysintery
well Send what you have a mind to i wish you
would get your Pitcture taken on tin o Leather and
Send it in a Letter it is hot Enough to day to
Boil Eggs in the Sun By the the way the 17th Reg
mass-voll arived out here the other day from Balti
more i Saw Sam Read Bill hopkins and Nat gurney
and all the N Port boys about four thousand
Soldiers have got here Lately we Shall have about
forty thousand here in a month and then gen
Burnsides will go at the Rebels again our Pickets
[have?] a Set to with them very often well i have
got to go out on drill now well we have Been
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a drilling all the afternoon and now i will finish up
this Letter did you See the Battle of newbern in Frank Leslie
Paper the artist are with all the times the Rebels fell Bad
about Loseing this Place the gen has Sent north about
ten thousand dollers worth of Rosin and Cargoes of Cotton
the Rebels had a Large foundry here to make Shels and
they whar doing a good Busnes and they Left a Large
Lot of Shels and Balls and Powder for us there is in
this Place Seven metting houses two Large hotels a theater
a masonic hall an Aecadimey and a Lot more of Public
Buldings and anny amount of nigers huts well i have
Just got the Paper that you Sent and i will Close
now and Read it give my Love to mother and
all the folks kiss the Children for me if you
Send a Box direct it Right to Newbern N C
to Joseph Barlow 23 Reg Co I mass voll
By Adams Express So good By for the Present

your husband

Joseph Barlow

much Love