Camp 36th Regt Iowa Inft
St. Charles Arks March 13th "65Miss H.M. Cone..
Your verry Welcome letter of the 26th inst is Recd.. and I hasten to Reply.. "I was verry glad to hear from you once again and that you was still on the land & Amongst the living but Sorrow to hear that you was unwell.. but hope that you are well Ere this Time.. "but I exspect that you have been loosing so much Sleep attending Those Oyster Suppers & the verry Many Weddings that has Transpired up in your Country of Late Which has likely Caused your Ill health To Some extent "But Han you must excuse me for Writing as I do for you know that when I was home in my Young days I most always was at home with My Mother and only went visiting My Darling once Twice & Some Times Thrice a week, but will Promise My Mother to Do Better in the Future If I am Spared to Return home again.. but in Refference to Your Cousin Perry & Mr Hunter getting married I and Will thinks that they might as well have Postponed there wedding a few days while I & him Returned home.. "but then we will Rest Contented with the Consoling Thought that if we Should Ever get Married no one Can Cheat us out of being Present If So we will Forfeit the Ghost.." "But I must Stop my Foolishness or you will think me Crazy.."
"Since I last wrote to you we have left Little Rock, We recd. Marching orders on the 4th Inst & left the Rock on the 7th Inst & came By Rail to Duvals Bluffs & there took the Boat & Came to this Place about 150 Miles from the Rock arriveing here on the 8th and Relieved a Darkie Regt here & they took the Same boat & went to Vicksburg while we Moved into the Darkie Shantys and of all the Dirty & little Smokey Shantys Ever See those Certainly was the greatest Each Shanty large anough for 2 men I & my Bunk Mate Mr Albert Grimes Took Possession of one Shanty & to Work we went and In one half Day we had it arranged Somewhat to our Notion So that we can be Tolerable Comfortable again "There is but few Troops here but Sufficient to Garrison the Post it Being Strongly Fortified and the Gun Boats here to assist us If we Should Be Annoyed By the Enemy Our Duty Will be Some heavyer here than at the Rock but I think that I would Rather Stay here than at the Rock There is no Town here Now it Being burned By our Forces in 1862 & has not been Rebuilt Since.." Out Lt Col Comdg the Regt has ordered us to build New Barracks here & we have commenced hauling The loggs today Which I think is verry Imprudent at this Season of the year & also our Regt having but Some Six months yet to Serve. But Lt Col Drake is known by his Marks Mills Disgrace The General Opinion is here that If our Brigade had have had a Commander in Place of Col Drake that Brigade would not have been Butchered & captured.
But then you know that we have to Submit to Shoulder Straps for Some Six months yet but After that I expect to Dictate for my Self.Well Han, our Prisoners are Exchanged at Last and 2 of them are here & the rest are on there way home on Furlough Those of them that are alive I am Sorrow to Inform you that Some Ten of our Co.. have Died Since they was Captured I will give you there Names Viz Ordly Sergt D. P. Bay Dorias Stacy, T. Castle, Wm..H Dean, Wm.. Martin Wm.. McKissick John Kritzen..Wm..F. Sperry, A Dunn.. G. W. Lindsay.. "Poor Soldiers away Down in Texas Rest there Remains and Sylvester Mefford & Daniel Shepperd are not accounted for Nor have never Been Seen Since the day thew went into Battle and of Course they are most Certainly Dead "you will See Some of the Boys up at Albia Soon Billy Mills & Sam Bowles & Charly Reed Jo & *illegible* Young are on there way home
"But Han. I must Close as my Sheet is Full I hope you will Excuse my long letter.. but Indeed Han I could fill another Sheet & then not be tired.. "My health is Tolerable good also Will is wellPlease write Soon & give all the news to Direct to St. Charles Arks
Respectfully Yours
Newton Scott
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