We left Saint Lick¹ yesterday morning and after marching about twelve miles arrived at this place about 8p.m. I have had no letter from you since I left Richmond but I expect to hear from you soon. We shall not stay here long. We are not surprised at marching orders. We may march tomorrow and we may stay a week. We have received news today of the downfall of Richmond. The dispatch that came last night stated that the star and stripes are floating over the Rebel Capital. I hope it is true. We are encamped in a very pleasant place but I don’t suppose they will let us stay here long. It is rumored that we are bound for Tenn. But I don’t think we shall get as far as that. It is also rumored that we are to be taken out of the Brigade but I don’t know anything about it. We shall have to do just as they say until our time is out which I hope will be before long. One of our companies is at a place called Nicholasville on provost duty. The boys begin to talk about getting home but it seems a long time to me yet. I don’t expect we shall see much fighting. Perhaps we shall not see any. There is no large force of Rebs in Kentucky but if they take us to eastern Tenn. Which is not likely, we shall see enough of it. I don’t care for my part where we spend the rest of our terms of service, but I dread the marches. It is no war, but if they want to march us all over Kentucky why all we have to do is to gird on our armour and be marching along, but I hope the time will soon come when I can lay my armour by. I suppose they will draft in R.I. before long. It seems hard to force a man away from his home, but there is no remedy for it. I suppose you would like to know how the Kentucky troops drill. When they want to form a company from two ranks into four all they say is “two ranks into four ranks: right smart git”. Those get up a heap quicker than the next time. I never heard them get off any thing of that kind but the boys say that they drill so. The Kentuckians use some droll expressions such as right smart, I reckon, and others too numerous to write. But I must stop writing soon, I reckon. It don’t seem as though I have wrote anything worth reading but I will try and write a better letter next time. We are going to have mail tonight and I hope I shall get a letter from you for it seems a long time since I have heard from you. Tell James when you see him that we could cure Irish toothache² if he was out here among the contrabands. Tell him the best remedy is hard tack. Let him live on that a spell and he won’t be troubled with it. Tell him I haven’t had it but two or three times since I came out here. I want you to send me a few postage stamps, eight will be enough to last me through but I must close my letter. Take good care of yourself darling and not fret about me for it is but a short time longer, only about five or six weeks before we shall be homeward bound. Give my love to Father, Mother and Julia and everybody in particular. With a thousand kisses and all the good wishes I can thin of, I remain your lever loving and affectionate husband, Ezra
Footnotes
- Saint Lick – I found a surprising collection of locations in Kentucky all names Lick. The peculiar name “Big Bone Lick” (a state park) is derived from natural occurrences in this area: This area contains a natural salt lick. A salt lick is an area of natural salt and sulfur springs that animals can go and lick mineral nutrients.
- Irish Toothache – A British word meaning erection