The company moves from Napoleonville back to Bayou LaFourche in a 12 hours span by flat boat in anticipation of a Confederate attack that never materialized. He bemoans the loss of life and is thankful that he not been sent to combat himself. Reports of the progress against Vicksburg and Port Hudson seem to him negative.
Napoleonville La.
May 31st 1863
Dear Wife Some changes have taken place in our Regiment since I wrote the letter before this, day before yesterday I wrote you a letter quietly sitting under a tree in Napoleonville in the morning. About 2 o’clock in the afternoon the order came for us to march immediately for Lafourche Crossing, immediately all was bustle. Knapsacks to be packed and all the little odds & ends that a soldier collects around him to stowed away somehow. About 4 o’clock we were on board of a flat Boat floating down the River, we found we were getting along too slow so we stopped at a plantation and borrowed a mule with a Negro to ride him and started on after waiting 2 hours. We arrived at Lafourche about 1/2 past 2 o’clock in the morning and found that the enemy were no where in sight. When we started from Napoleonville we thought perhaps that we were going to be sent to Port Hudson, but it seemed that our Regiment was a part of it to be sent to Brashear City where we used to be. We with one other Co. Co. E. were left at the Crossing and the rest of the Regi. has gone up to Brashear, the news as far as we can hear is not very favorable at Port Hudson [?j Vicksburgh and I am afraid that there is a chance of our having a tight time of it but I do not know enough of our actual situation to arive at a conclusion. General Banks is withdrawing all his troops from the Tash [Bayou Techej country and sending them up to Port Hudson as fast as possible. they have been fighting up there for some days and we have heard the cannonading quite plainly. We have heard enough to know that we have lost a great many men with 3 or 4 generals but the papers [suppose?] everything that is not favorable to us, it is supposed that Gen. Banks intends to take the place if it takes every man that he brings into action but who knows how it will turn out until the end of the contest. My darling I feel thankful to my maker when I see the train after train of cars loaded down with soldiers going to the battle ground that our Regt. had not been ordered into action.
The weather is getting to be intensley hot, so hot that it requires some patriotism to stand the [there?] without murmuring, and the mosquitos are terrible, last night I did not go to bed until 10 o’clock and then I had to get up and take my blankets and go out with the air. I slept there until it got cool enough so that I thought I could stand the mosquitos inside the tent and got some sleep before morning. My darling I expect that the ballance of our time that we spend in this climate will be hot and uncomfortable but if God spares my life I shall be thankful to him. do not worry about me because I am in his hand and he will do with me as he sees fit but I hope to keep good courage as long as there is life. I hope my dear wife that the war will be ended as soon as the mercy of the lord will let it it fills my heart with anguish to think of the thousands upon thousands that are being sacrifized in this Rebellion. I leave everything in the hands of God hoping that he will be merciful. We had such a pleasant place up at Napoleonville and such good quarters that we find the change very great here but I hope that we shall get used to it and be thankful that it is no worse.
Now my darling I have said enough about war matters and I will talk about something that I take more real interest in and that is you. My darling my principal prayer is that God will spare my life to rejoin you in good old Connecticut with the children around us and that we may live to see the time of peace come with its blessings. may he keep us in his protection and give us a reasonable share of his bounty. Now my dear wife I expect unless there is there is some interposition of Providence in our favor that we shall have to stay in the service until the 14th of August. but I shall try to submit to it without [murmuring?] knowing that everything is ordered for the best. My darling I prize your love as a great blessing and hope to be worthy of it and I love you with all my nature and of course I cannot be satisfied entirely until I am with you. I thank you my darling for telling me my darling that I could see our relation when I returned home, and I am really glad if you have a real desire for my presence to minister to your gratiuication. it would be delightful to me my dear wife and I hope God will so order it that we may spend many happy years together. Give my love to the children and believe me to be your devoted Husband.
JDB
