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Regiment: 5th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures: Pierre G.T. Beauregard, Richard W. Johnson
Fort Lyon Nov 20th 1861
My Dear Wife
I will this morning commense
to write to you again my weekly letter
I am glad that you have at last got
where a letter will find you and I shall
look for a letter from you evry week
Did you get two letters from me
before you went home I believe I wrote
that no. you ask me the cause of my being
unwell I do not know what it is for
I have certainly tried to be careful of my
health but I have had a diarrhea
ever since I have been there and I am
afraid it has assumed a chronic form
but I am going down to Alexandria when
I can get some money and get Uncle
Williams medicine and try it
Sorry that you could not get your likeness
taken for I want to
it see it so verry bad
but I suppose you will send it as soon as
you can. there is nothing going on here
now that I can write you that can be
of interest. for we have been here so long
and I have written so many letters from
here. you wrote that the news was that
Charleston was taken I think that you must
he mistaken for we never heard that news
but a place called Beaufort and Port
Royal below Charleston things do certainty
look a letter more encourageing than they
did one spell and unless England interferes
I think the war will be ended by early
spring. we hear it rumored here that
General Beauregard and Johnson have
resigned but perhaps it is only a rumor
one of our boys died yesterday it was the
only one that has died out of our company since
we have been here we are going to send
him home it will be quite a toy on us
us it will cost one hundred and ten dollars
but we have agreed to send all home
that die in the hospital we shall get
our pay to day for the paymaster has
paid two companys already. I shall
not be able to send you as much money
as I expected to for we did not get any
of our state pay and with paying
my share of the expence of sending that
man have and some other necessarys
that I shall have to have will cut
it short $5 00, but I will send you
$15.00 and you will have to try and
get along until next pay day which
will not be much over a month for
they tell us that next time we will
get our pay at the time it is due us you
will not geel hard about it will you. I
will send it to St Johns and
Direct to Orve for I do not think
you had better let the suppvisor know
that you get any thing from me if
you do he will not give you any thing
until that is gone (evening) this afternoon
we have been to Alexandria to escort the remains of
our departed friend and soldier all of our co went with
the exception of Ingalls he would not go or pay anything for
sending him home, we got a metallic burial case which
cost 60 dollars and his remains will reach his friends
in a day or two one of Co F men died at the
same time and was buried in the grave yard in
Alexandria we or both companys marched down
together it was really a solen time we marched
to the tune of the death march with muffled
drums our captain and Chaplain taking the
lead I believe this makes six from our regiment
but I suppose this is not many for so many me
as there is in our regiment
Little Paully of course has forgotten all about me
before this the dear little boy how I would like to see
him and rock him to sleep I never used to think
that I would care anything for children but then
perhaps I did not think that we would have such
a dear good little boy you must learn him to know
that he has got a Pa if he is so far away from
him when he should be with him and his
dear good mother but should it be my luck
to return I think it will be the last time that
he will ever leave them now I want you to
tell me the truth are you not well for I fear
you are not by the way you write. I think you had
better stay with your folks now that you have your things
there I suppose if you furnish your provisions that
will have no objections to your
staying there for I am afraid
you can not hire your board by
the week but maybe the
supervisor will do pretty well
for you but you must not
be back ward about asking
for from what I hear the
other women are not. now
you must not try to do much of
anything for how would I feel
should I return to find your
health had failed on account
of my leaveing you to almost
support yourself but you
must forgive me this but
I will write more anow
Yours ever
James A Foreman
