DIY History | Transcribe | Civil War Diaries and Letters | Laura Gibson's correspondence to her mother, June-August 1863

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Laura Gibson's correspondence to her mother, June-August 1863

16_1863-08-30 Page 02

before thee goes home if I do not come up before thee goes back - I do not know anything about our movements here yet, nor will not until Will hears from Washington he has applied for the papers to go up North but it is yet to be seen whether he will get them.  He has not returned yet.  I look for him to-day or to-morrow - & I do hope he will come for I am tired of being in-town.  I like it so much better being in the tent.  I got the letter by the man it was taken out to the camp and the orderly brought it to me - I wish thee had sent by him the shoes too - it would have saved the postage on them.  Send me thy picture in thy next letter, one of the Vignettes I want to see it.  It is too bad about the Peaches not going to be a full crop this year - I  thought Harmen wrote that they would have plenty.  How about the Sweet Potatoes.  I wish we could have some of both here - for we get very few vegetables of any kind - but then there is such an immense demand - There was a dreadful explosion here at the Landing last week - a boat loaded with shell - blew up - the careless negroes let a box of shell fall and they were already primed for use and the whole boat was blown into fragments - they estimated the loss of life to be near one hundred - I saw a man who was on the boat when it exploded - he was blown up in the air and fell in the river, was a good deal bruised but escaped.  He took dinner with us on the Gunboat that day. I had a letter from Ell a few days since.  I have had none from any one else.  I thought Mary Randall would write to me but I have not had a line from her and it is about time for one from Rynth.  How does Martha and her husband keep house - all

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before thee goes home if I do not come up before thee goes back - I do not know anything about our movements here yet, nor will not until Will hears from Washington he has applied for the papers to go up North but it is yet to be seen whether he will get them. He has not returned yet. I look for him to-day or to-morrow - & I do hope he will come for I am tired of being in-town. I like it so much better being in the tent. I got the letter by the man it was taken out to the camp and the orderly brought it to me - I wish thee had sent by him the shoes too - it would have saved the postage on them. Send me thy picture in thy next letter, one of the Vignettes I want to see it. It is too bad about the Peaches not going to be a full crop this year - I thought Harmen wrote that they would have plenty. How about the Sweet Potatoes. I wish we could have some of both here - for we get very few vegetables of any kind - but then there is such an immense demand - There was a dreadful explosion here at the Landing last week - a boat loaded with shell - blew up - the careless negroes let a box of shell fall and they were already primed for use and the whole boat was blown into fragments - they estimated the loss of life to be near one hundred - I saw a man who was on the boat when it exploded - he was blown up in the air and fell in the river, was a good deal bruised but escaped. He took dinner with us on the Gunboat that day. I had a letter from Ell a few days since. I have had none from any one else. I thought Mary Randall would write to me but I have not had a line from her and it is about time for one from Rynth. How does Martha and her husband keep house - all