[Continued from part one.]

[p6]I hardly Know what to do about it. I would like the command, but then my Regiment dont wish to let me give the command of the Regiment up. The Major would be the man who would be in command (Webb being absent) and they do hate the Major most bitterly. The Regiment would of course be under my command as Brigade Commander but still not the immediate commander. They would all like to see me have a Brigade, but they say they cant stand the Major. I am sorry that he is so unpopular, and I think it is entirely in his style of doing things, for he undoubtedly tries to do right. I expect if this Brigade is given me, it will put a stop to my going home recruiting. I am not certain about this however, but hope to Know in a few days. If I get the Brigade, I shall try to arrange it so that I can hold that and go [p7] home also. There is an old saying That where’s there is a Will, there is a way, and you may be sure that I have the will and shall make all exertions to find the way. We have been having splendid weather for the last few weeks, but to day it has suddenly turned quite cold and I am never writing with my overcoat on, not having any stove, but I think very likely by to morrow it will change and be warm and pleasant again. # [symbol in pencil] You say that you too have the Blues and miss me very much. I feel very sorry for you my darling Wife and do wish I could either be with your or have me you with me. I suffer very often with this Miserable disease and I Know that if you were always by my side I should never be troubled with it, but I suppose it can not be especially at present, but my ardent [p8] desire, is that it soon very soon may be. You say that for a few days you have not been very well, why did you not tell me what was the matter. I feel very uneasy about you and I wish I Knew how you were. I am afraid you might get sick and me not be present. Do my darling Keep up if possible. If you are going to have a sick time of I shall most assuradely come home immediality even if I have to desert. I wish that we were up North farther it would not then take me so long to hear from you if anything should happen you. I Know you are in good hands and would receive the best of care and attention if you were taken sick, but still I would like to be by your side if you were sick. I would take better care of you than [p9] any one else could. Dont you remember what good care I took of you when you were sick while we were travelling. There is nothing like having your Husband by your side. I am glad to Know that you are not forgetting me and still miss me, but I always Knew you would never forget me, I feel to secure in your love to feel any uneasiness on that score and you may rest assured my dear Anna, that I will never never forget you, but Keep you in my thoughts constantly. I K now feel twice the man that I did before, when I think that I have such a nice dear Wife at home, and I now have a great incentive to do well Knowing that my wife will be pleased to hear of any and all good reports about her Husband.

I have not forgotten the promise I made [p10] you about reading your Bible, and I always read in it every night before I go to sleep. I am glad that you remember your absent Husband in your prayers, and I hope your wishes on that point may be fulfilled I have no feeling whatever on the subject, and I do not intend being hippocrite enough to try to make any one beleive I have. I respect religion but truth and candor compel me to say I am can at present do nothing more. May your hopes and wishes in my case, some day be realized is my sincere wish, so no more on that point at present.

You see I am Keeping up my Letter Writing to you and I hope you will do the same. Day before yesterday was five weeks since I left you and this is the sixteenth Letter. You are not doing so well, but I am still hoping that when you see how [p11] faithful I am in this matter that you will change. I will still continue on in my present course and if I find you will not improve and write me oftener, say four Letters a week, why I shall then have to commence cutting down in my writing. A Wife should write oftener than the Husband and if you will only write me two a week I will have to come down to giving you one letter a week. What do you think of this doctrine my darling. I write you much longer Letters than you do me, this you can not deny, can you? You say in this Letter that you have written me Eight Letters. I have received but seven so that there must be one written between Oct 31 and Nov 5^th behind. I shall probably get this in the next mail. Be sure and send me a Letter by way one coming [p12] to the Regiment, and then write your usual number and send by mail, so that all I get by private hands will be extra. Can you not do this my dear and darling Wife. The slippers that you are going to make for me will be very very acceptable. I need them and will wear them a great deal and every time I put them on I will remember and think with a great deal of pleasure of my darling and lonely Wife left behind me. Have you yet received an answer to your Letter from Cousin Mary Coray and have you received my Photographs, do not forget to send me three or four. If I felt so disposed and had them I could give away here in the Regiment such a

[The final page (or pages) of this letter is missing.]

[This is part one of two. DPG is on his way south to meet up with his regiment. The War Eagle would catch fire and sink in 1870. This letter is undated but from how it fits with the other letters I believe it dates to October 18, 1863.]

No 3

Steamer War Eagle

On a Sand Bar, Mississippi River

Sunday Morning 11 o clock

My Dearest Wife

You are now on your way to Church. I can imagine that I see you walking in, and I am only sorry that I am not with you, but instead of that I am in the middle of the Mississippi River on a Steamer fast aground on a Sand Bar, one hundred Miles above Memphis. We left Cairo Friday Evening at about seven oclock and so far have only progressed about one hundred + fifty miles. This is awful tedious but it cant be helped the River is so low that we are compelled to lie up at night and in day time run very slow to avoid the numerous Sand Bars notwithstanding all our caution however [p2] two hours ago we found ourselves hard aground and we are now doing our best to get off, but so far have not been successful. At the rate we have been going it will take us a month to get to New Orleans, but I understand that the River is not so low after we get to Memphis and we will then probably run faster. This Boat is a very comfortable one, I have a good State Room and would get along very well if I had you with me, but as it is I feel very very lonely. I had no idea that it would be so hard for me to be seperated from you, but the longer I am away the harder it becomes. The feeling of being away from you is very hard to bear, and my thoughts are constantly with you. I am always trying to think what you are doing at the moment. I can now imagine pretty certainly [p3] that you are at this moment in church, and this afternoon at half past one, I shall be able {in my thoughts} to see you going down to Mission Sunday School. I often sit down forget where I am now am, and go through all that has passed since we were married I assure you it is very pleasant for me to do so. All of the pleasant times we had together come up before me plainly and I only wish that we could go through them again and that very soon. Of one thing I am determ-ined on and that is not to be parted from my very dear Wife long. If you can not be with me, I shall soon arrange it so that I can be with you. I would not give a farthing to live without you my darling. People may talk about seperation being easy but I can say it is hard very hard, others say you will soon get used to it [p4] but I Know that I can never get used to living away from you. I feel now just as lonely (if not more so) as on the day I parted from you, and I assure you, that was the hardest trial I ever passed through or ever wish to pass through again.

I will not take another furlough, the next time I see you it will be not to part again in this world, and that this time will soon come is my hourly wish. You asked me as a last wish in your note to read your Bible, this I hereby promise to do and I Know that you hope it may do me some good, and as this is your wish I shall hope that it may do all the good that you could ask for. You Know my feelings on this subject and I of course can not help these feelings but for your sake and my own [p5] I shall hope that these feelings may change. I wish to gratify every wish and feeling of yours, and you Know dear Anna, that I am willing to do any and every thing that would in any way be a gratification to you. I love you too dearly to do or say anything that would wound your feelings or cause you any unpleasantness. I Know that you love me dearly and would sacrifice any thing for me, I also Know that no man has a better Wife than I have and I firmly believe not as good you are all that I could ask, and I Know entirely too good for me, but I hope your influence and good example may bring me up. Now my darling Anna do not think that I am saying this to flatter you, for I am not. it there is not no object for me to flatter my Wife, especially [p6] to herself, all I say I feel, from the bottom of my heart. My love for you is so strong, that I fairly worship you. My life is yours, and life would be nothing to me without you.

I wrote you two letters from Cairo one from on Thursday and one on Friday both of these, I suppose you have received by this time. I wish when you write to me hereafter you would state what letters you received from me, the date and where they were written, in this way I shall be able to tell whether all my letters reach their destination. I intend Keeping a memoranda of the Letters I write you and of the ones I receive and then check them off. I can then always tell whether any are lost. If this Boat had made any time at all we should have arrived in Memphis this morning, but here we are yet sticking on this bar, one hundred [p7] miles from that place, and no telling when we will get there, it is awful tedious and I feel very, very, lonely. I have not yet heard a word about the Regiment and don’t Know where it is. My box is yet all right, I am afraid some more of the Wine is gone up. It was so heavy that I could not Keep the right side up every time and I caught one Porter in Cairo rolling it over and over like a big box of Dry Goods. I see occasionly a little wine making its appearance from the cracks in the box, and I am afraid that the wine was a bad investment. I suppose before this reaches you, you will have left our house and taken up your residence at home. did you get all my things together, Shirts, HandKerchiefs, +C. I will now lay aside this letter and close it when we arrive at Memphis. We [p8] are still on the Bar, but working hard to get off. you may look out for a letter mailed at Vicksburg. Good Bye for the present. you are now about half way through the sermon. I wish I were sitting by your side. You do not sing in the quire, do you?

Memphis, Monday Evening

9 o clock

We have at last arrived in Memphis got here at about Seven o clock. we have had a very tedious trip from Cairo, owing to the low water. I understand that the River from here down is in a good navigable condition and that we shall probably reach New Orleans by Saturday Night. I really hope so, for I am sick and tired of this Kind of travel, especially without you. I think if you were with me I could pass my time very pleasantly. I have

[Continued …]