Bishop bemoans the length of his enlistment and reports receiving pictures of his children.
New Orleans La, Metaire Course
July 1st 1863
My dear Wife
Things being a little quiet this afternoon I thought I would commence a letter to you. yesterday I sent a letter to you and I also sent $15.00 fifteen Dollars to you consigned to E. Davis Danbury by express. we expect to be paid again in a few days if we are I will send you I 5 dollars more. that will be our pay up to July 1st as it regards our getting before the middle of august or even by that time is a matter of doubt. we cannot find out anything about it. the Boys claim that their time is out but they cannot get any satisfaction as to our time. I hope for the best my dear Wife and I long to be with you. your letters of the 14th 15th & 18th containing the childrens pictures. I am very glad to receive them. the likenesses are all good but Fannies and her Pictures look as if she would not keep still. my darling you cannot think how I do long to get home to you and home. how much I do long for your sympathy and society and how I do long for the quiet of home.
we have had very hard service lately with our Regt. all broken up the greater part of them Prisoners and we know not what they will do with us. at present we are with parts of other Regts of infantry, Artillery and Cavalry defending N. Orleans which I think is in a dangerous condition. Port Hudson still holds out and ifwe should be beaten there we might just as well hang up our fiddles because we could not hold N. Orleans. of the people of the city of N. 0. are secesh and would fight for them if they saw an opportunity but I hope for the best and trust that providence is with us and will preserve us through and bring us safely home.
My darling your letters give me great hope and comfort and encourage me to look forward to the time when I can meet you in our dear home in Danbury. My darling your sympathy for me in regard to my deprivation from grandma is comforting to me and I think [thank] you for the promises you hold out to me if I should be so fortunate as to join you. my darling I trust that I appreciate you and I know that I love you tenderly and long so to clasp you to my bosom and to do everything in my power to show you my gratitude for your love to me while I am away from home and you. my darling I trust that God will keep me in the paths of rectil [rectitude?] I have never had any desire to do anything that would bring disgrace upon you on the contrary I should like to conduct myself so that you would be proud of me if I could. I hope that we shall not be called upon to fight any more while we are in the service as I think there has been enough blood shed already.
My dear Wife I appreciate you and look forward to joining you as the greatest blessing that my heavenly father could bestow upon me on this earth. keep up good courage my darling and hope that everything will tum out right and give me whatever advice or suggestions you may think necessary and I will receive them thankfully because I love you and am grateful to you. my darling I hope you will make yourself as happy as you can while I am away and do what you think best for the children and your own comfort. I think from your description that you have got a nice garden and I hope to be able to help eat some of the stuff growing in it.
Good bye for this time my darling and believe me to be your devoted Husband
J. D. Bishop
