Letter from: Lafourche Bayou, Louisiana (Still Image)

Letter from: Lafourche Bayou, Louisiana

Bishop, Joseph D., 1825-1863

8 pg(s); 5" x 8", bi-fold; Pencil on paper

Bishop received her letter. They do not share opinions on slavery. Bishop thinks emancipation is doomed to failure, on account of how many enslaved persons there are. Bishop reports that a formerly enslaved person told him that they were worse off now that they were free. Bishop saw a Union soldier forcing enslaved people to go back to work for their former enslavers. There are rumors of where Sarah's care package is.

Bayou Lafourche L.A.

February 27th 1863

Dearest Wife

I have received a letter by to days mail from you dated Feby 12th. I like the letter my dear although some of my political sentiments as it regards slavery differs from yours. the experience that I have had since I have been in this state confirms my previous opinions. yesterday I witnessed a scene that would cause you to alter your opinion if you could see it. there has been a large collection of Negroes that belongs to the Plantations around here and for the last 3 or 4 days the Planters have been here claiming and taking their negroes back to their Plantations so that they can work them.

practically speaking the emancipation scheme is a failure for the present. the fact is this, the government cannot furnish the negroes with work and support. and there is a great deal of trouble taking care of the Negroes after they are free and General Banks has decided that they must go back to their owners and go to work. he says that he cannot furnish soldiers to take care of them, therefore as far as this section of country is concerned the negroes are worse off than they were before they had their freedom.

An old negro told me that they were worse off than they were before the yankees freed them. he says that the planters will whip, today we started out a party of soldiers to arrest a planter that had been beating a Negro. if I live to get home I will tell you what I think. I am satisfied that you cannot judge of the subject unless you can see slavery as it actually is. you have got no conception of what Slavery is. and you have got no idea what kind of beings the slaves are and the impossability [sic] of altering their condidtion [sic] on account of the immense number of them.

I saw a U.S. Soldier yesterday driving a large lot of them and he kicked and cuffed them and beat them because they did not want to go back to their masters. I pitied them and it made my heart bleed to witness it, to see the poor things after they thought they were free forced back at the point of the Bayonet.

My dear I have written enough of politics in this letter. as it regards the ending of this war I cannot of course tell with certainty but I expect it will last a year or 2 yet. and a great many more men have got to go to war before this thing is settled. I myself may go again if I should get home alive but I should like to see the difficulty settled if it could be with honor to the government. I of course feel loyal towards my government but our public men may have to pursue different policies before they find the right one but at last I think they will be successful.

Well my dear I was pleased to hear that you loved me and that you were pleased with my letters. I have my dear I have always felt affectionately toward you and I have been thankful that I had someone to love and someone to love me. My dear I love you and I am satisfied that you love me my dear I wish I could write what I think. my experience is that home is the happiest place that man can be placed in.

there are times when we enjoy ourselves in soldiering but the life at best is but a sorry one the great hope is that they may live to rejoin their friends and families their hearts all palpitate for some one that they love and have left behind them and they think that if they could only be home they would stay there contented. my dear I think of you every day with love and feel thankful to a kind providence that you are my wife.

My darling men do not expect to find true friends among men but they look to their wives for that love and sympathy which they cannnot find anywhere else. it would please you to hear what is said in a squad of men. one will say I would give 50 dollars to be home tonight, another one will say I am going to enlist in a cavalry company and get the Bounty. the soldiers life is a life of restraint and if you do not have good officers it is a perfect torment.

today we heard that our time expires the 3rd of June, whether it will prove true or not remains to be seen. I received a dollar in the letter from you today. it was not necessary for you to send it as we were paid off about 2 weeks ago and I sent you 40 Dollars which I hope you will receive all right. the Box has not come to hand yet.

we have not heard yet what the vessels name was that the Box was sent on. we thought at first that it was the Ella Warley that was lost off the Jersey Coast but they say that the Box was sent on a sailing Bessel [sic] and we think the Ella Warley was a steamer. I am inclined to think that the Cake will be spoiled by the time that I get it, but if it should be spoiled I shall feel just as thankful to you for sending it to me as I should do ifl had received it in good order. the Tobacco I do not doubt will be good. I am very thankful my dear for sending the things to me. I do not think it is best for you to send me any more money at present as I kept enough back to satisfy my present necessities. we expect another payment soon after the 1st of March. whether I shall send any of that home I cannot tell yet but probably shall.

My dear I will draw my letter to a close and I hope that you will derive pleasure from the knowledge that I love you dearly and that I long to be with you. kiss the children for me and tell them that I love them and want to see them and tell them to be good children and if I come home I will bring them something.

Friday morning

Feby 27th 1863

My dear wife

I will end this letter by saying that I love you fondly and that I hope to be with you as soon as June.

I watch the minutes as they pass my dear so that I can be so much nearer to you. Good bye for this time and believe that I am your loving Husband

J.D. Bishop

1863-02-27

United States. Army. Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 23rd (1862-1863)

Enslaved persons--United States

Racism against Black people

ms071_01_06_08

Gifted to WCSU by Carol Lieto, 2021