Newbern N C July the 5th [1863]
Dear wife
you will See that we are in Newbern once more
and i got two Letters from you Last night By the
F G Ferry dated the 28th and 23 and i was
glad to hear from you as i have not had a
Letters from you for a Long time But i
have written a Number of Letters i dont think
that you have got them all But i must tell
you about our Coming to Newbern again
Since the nine months men have Left
it makes the force Small here So the
Gen ordered us and the 9th New Jersey
up to the City But the old Gen after
we got here ordered an Expedition in to
the Country you See that the Rebels have
drawn about all theire men from N C
they have gone to Lees Army well the
gen intend to make a Raid as far
as he Can into the Country and do
all the damage he Can only five
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Companys of the 23 have gone on the Raid
and five are Left to keep things all Right
here Co I is one of the Luckey once i
Say Luckey it is So hot the Boys will
Suffer from the heat about fifteen
hundred Cavelery have gone and they
are the Boys to clean out the Rebels
the defences of this Place are very Large
of Forts and Breastworks that would
[???] fifty thousand Rebels yesterday
was the 4th i Should have Like to
Been at home with you and got a horse
and Cariage and you to Ride Past
we had a Pretty good time out here
the Capt Bought Some Eatebles and drinkebles
and we had a very good time But i
dont know how Long we Shall Stay
here after the Expidition gets Back we
may go to Little Washington or Plymoth
But Cant tell i dont know when
we Shall Be Paid of Before Long But i
hope Before Long our furlough men
have got Back and another Lot gone
[Page 3]
home Mr John Foos will Call on you and
Let you know how i am and i want you
to Send out my [Fuimare?] Shirt By him
it will do to wear in Place of a Shirt
have you got a garden i hope you have
for i may Be at home Between now
and fall and i Shall want a good many
vegetbles we had green Peas and New Potatoes
Six weeks ago what do you think of
that and i Never Saw So manny Blackberys
and Blue Berry in my Life you Can
get your Belly full in two minutes
it is awfull hot this Summer here i
have got a good Straw hat But i am
nearly as Black as a niger i See that
gen Hocker is Removed it ought have
Been old Halleck instead But gen
Meade is a good man But he wont
Stay one a week i wish the Rebels
would march onto Some of the
Copper Heads in Mass and New
york and Burn down their houses
over thier heads i think it would
Bring them to there Sences So
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they fired a Hundred guns in Honer of
Valandingham in N P well i think
that things have Come to a great Pas
it is to Bad when they have Been
through what we have Been through
for two years then they Can talk
i feell Bad Sometimes about the way
things are Caried on well we have
got about 14 months to Stay and i
Shall do my duty to my Country
and then we Can talk about Something
else i hope [?] gen grant will Be
[?] well i will Close give
my Love to all the folks kiss
the Children for me
from your
Husband
Joseph Barlow