direct C. S. Steamer Columbia Charlston
as follows SC in care of Capt Evans
January 2nd 1865
My dear wife I take the pleasure to
write you a few lines to let you know
that I am well and I hope thease few lines
may find you and fameley enjoying the
same blessing of god I have not receaved
a letter from you in a most three weeks
and I Should be very glad to get one from
you for I want to heare from you if I
cant see you I hope the time well soon
come when I can come to see you all a
gain but I cant tel you when i can get
a furlow for the times is so squaley now
and I heard this morning from a letter
george oden got from home that they ware
a fighting at rainbow banks and I should
be glad to heare from thare we have had
two or three days very cold but that is as
long as we have it cold at at a time for the
weather is verry shifty hear the time looks very
dark I rote a little peace in george odens
letter yesterday I got a letter from brother
W L last week and he said you was all
well thar I dont want you to sel nothing
that you can help for confederate money
untel you heare from me again for it
[page 2]
has decreased in value so much
since the fall of Sarvanna I heare it
is ondley worth one dollar in a hun
dred that a 100 is worth 1 and if so any
thing is beter than money we are at this
time on the str columbia the one we call
our boat and we have bin on her ever
since the 21 of decr and we are all at
the dry dock a bout four miles from
the town and we shal be geare I ges
a week or tow as fare as I no this is the
strongest iron clad that I ever saw she
is three feet thick of oak and six inches
thick of iron they say thare is 4 hundred
tuns of iron on her I suppose including
her guns and amonetion She will way
one million and a half pounds she carrys
six guns all rifle guns and has a bout
150 men on her now I beleave they say
general hood got the worst of it in tennessee
but the most of the people think the ware
cant last much longer but I cant tel
at least I hope it wont last for I want
to get home again and to stay but
the time pases off very fast to me for
the reason thare is so maney men on
bord but I have not bin on land but
two times once I went to the city and
[page 3]
one time I went to get some oysters
the oysters is a sight to me for I ha
ve seen them a long side of the river
so thick that you could walk on them
when the tide is out you can suckup
as many as you want I wish you had
some of them home and I was thare to
help you eat them and I pray to god
evry day to bring that time on as quick
as he sees fit for he has the power and I
trust my life to his almigty care and
protection and I trust he will protect
you all and preserve all of our lives
to our live the ware and all meet a
gain at home again to enjoy each others
presents as we have enjoyed it for the
last sixteen years with the exception of
the last three month and I cincerly pray
to god that it may not last a nother
three months but god ondley knows
but if it should not and you must try to
carry on the best you can and I will inst
ruct you all that I can if we can pass
our letters and if not you must carry on the
best you can and if you nead any instruct
you can get William to advise for you
and I will come home as often as I can
[page 4]
we get aplenty to eat and we dont
have any thing to do ondley to stand
gard 8 hours in 48 9 of us stands one
day and knight and then nine more
stands one day and knight three of us
stand two hours and off four
we get fresh and salt beef and fresh and
salt pork and we have flower evry Sund
ay and potatoes and crackers & sug
ar and coffee and yet we are not
and dont expect to be untel we can see yo
u and the children we sleep on a lodge
ing some times on the birth deck and some
times on the gun deck and the top deck is
caled the spar deck I heard since riting
this that general lee has given general grant
a whipping over a bout Richmond but we
can heare any thing heare but the truth
the most of the men on this boat is from
north carolina and they are tolerable moral
men and I hope you will get this and I
want you to rite me evry week if you
can and you may send me a little sow
ing thread in my next letter you
cant send but very litle at a time so I mu[st?]
close by saying that I hope these few lines may find
you all well and my prayer to god is that the ware
may soon come to a close and he may protect
all of our lives to meet each other again on [??]
and if not I hope we may all meet in heaven at
last wheare parting will be no more good by H H Bowen
your cincere husband