Civil War Records of Levi H. Robbins

List of Letters

 

Letter dated June 27, 1861 from Levi Robbins,
to his mother Mrs. Benjamin Robbins

(Acton Memorial Library archives 2008.4.9)

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            Camp Relay   June 27  1861

                        Dear Mother I received
your letter yesterday but I cant answer it with
this pen we dont get any pens worth a cent out
here the corp went to Boltomore last night
I was not well so I could not go you wanted to know
what was the trouble with me  I have the diarea
and pain in bowels  we all have it more or
less  I am better this morning  it is in the food
and climent I dont have the head ake any in
this hot Sun I suppose it is because my bowels
are so luiseing[?]  Capt has jest got back from the
Hospitol he is getting a long pretty well now
when we are sick we go to the Dr and he gives
us some pills or some brandy and a bill to lay
of[f] for so many days and then if we dont get well
we go a gain his quarters are close to ours we have
been feed on fresh beef and Coffee most all of the
time but now thay have change the food to Salt
meat and tea we have butter and milk onions
molases and a lot of new things we give a
way more than twenty men can eat I am goin
to write you a long letter this time a bout the
plase and people folks dont know much a bout

 

[p.2]
Slaves in Mass thare are a great deal better off
than the poor whites are and are thought more
of thay dont think so much of a poor white man
as thay do of thare dogs not half in this place
the working class depended on the nail factory
for work and that has been stopping part at a time
untill  Satterday last it all stopped  Some of them
have large families to support so thay dont get
a head any at toll  now thay will se hard times
if we go of[f] Some of them depend on this army
to get any thing to eat  Luke and I went out after
cherries the other day a bout three miles we met a
man he said he could not get any work he had
no money and nothing in his house to eat he had
a wife six boys and three girls he come up to our
camp last night after the gard was taking of[f] so
he could get on  last night is the first night that I
have sleep without a gard over me since that night
I sleep in the bedroom the reason we did not have
a gard was because our Reg had all gorn to Boltomore
it makes me feel mad every time I write Bolto
more give him crakers and bread and a lot of solt
fish he said he had been without any thing to eat for
48 hours so you se what these Southern states are
you can see what the first state is and the further
south you go South the worse they are the Slaves
have the best clothes food and are a great deal the best

 

[p.3]
of[f] so the Slaves are better of[f] than the free
negroes  Slaves come round here seling milk and
and such things they tell how much they have been
sold for and where they come from how many lbs.
of flour have you bought you have wrote me in three
letters you have bought a lb of flour I dont think
you mean but one  I dont think that man takes pictures
very well  he cant ask sixteen cts. for them
but I dont think I shall get it taken now  my clothes
have got dirty it wont be long before you will see
me now before long if nothing hapings the South
Acton folks left here yesterday thay brought out
a lot of cake and a keg of cider vinegar as thay
told us all the news of home and I got a letter
from Abram and one from Edward  the 22 he
wrote me that Sarah was down to [illegible] and that
his mother and Hattie was home when he
wrote when does Hattie been to hime I guess
did you expect that he would let every body read
my letters and you must not I should think you did
you did some times but if thay can read them
they may[?] for all one[?] the South Acton folks went
to meeting with us last Sunday the minister told
us that he did not expect we could be as good in
camps as at home but he wanted we should get home
as good as we come out here  I shall come home wiser
if not better the [...illegible...] because

 

[p.4]
the secessions burnt the bridge so thay cant
get any coal not any other stock you will get
some thing from the State  the Coln said
one dollor for every pareny  child that is depends
or the one that volunteers  I guess we shall get
a long some way if we go out here and ask
the people for any cherries or any thing thay will
give it to you but I shant eat any more you
tell Annie Jones that she dont know how bad of[f]
a wife is when her husband has to the war I have got
another kind of ink as you will see I suppose the time
does seem long you know three months is a quarter
of a year dont you want for any thing for you can get it
if you cant write to me and I will provide a way
to get it for you you must dress little Charley in
a uniform for he must be a solder put stripes on his pants
what is the matter with Simon does he work to[o] hard I
must write Edward and Abram soon they have sent
another Reg. down to Boltomore to day for Annopolis
I dont know what it is for but I guess it is to pass of[f] the
Solders time and give thim a little pleesure
now what shall I write we shall get home as soon
as the 22 of July give my respect all the folks
I want to fill this sheet full of some thing Abram
Jones looked like home to me I was down to the depot
when he got out of the cars you can go down and see
him and he will Tell you all about us  From Levi