I am happy to have
an opportunity to answer your letter. I received one from you, Mary &
Mother, in one envelope, but intend to answer them sepperate, so to have you
all write to me again one at a time I wrote a short letter to the girls day
before yesterday I was standing on guard then, I had a fine old time of it, as
it continued to rain all night, and I had four hours to stand in the middle of
the night. A fellow attempted to run my station but I heard him and demanded
him to halt he did so, I then demanded the counter sign, he could not give it
He said his horse had crossed the line and he wanted to get him I told him to
go to Head quarters and get the counter sign, or to travel, he left and was
heard of no more
I came off Guard at
ten o'clock I got a pass to go down town I run about town all day I see Isaac
leave with his company there was four companies left, all took the boat, the
horses were put on flat boats, you would have seen a great sight had you been
here when they started Isaac did not have time to send his box by express so I
sent it for him I sent your over coat home and my linen coat and shirt I
give you, I have a long tailed Blue You would laugh to see me with it on, but
it is very comfortable It makes a great difference in the appearance of a
company of soldiers when they have their uniform on. There was four more
companies left for St. Louis this morning I wished my self along with them but
we will have to stay here yet three or four days to get the remainder of our
horses and saddles It looks rather war like to see so many men all mounted, and
then to have them to give three cheers and fire off a canon it makes a person
feel like fighting I tell you Parkes I would advise you not to go to war. I
think you are not strong enough and most to easy excited, for camp life is
almost a continual drudge To day I
have to cook I expect to morrow to stand on guard and evry day brings work By
the way how is your onion crop, how does the sugar cane turn out. I would like
to have some of the Molasses We only draw Molasses once a week and then only a
little. What are you doing this fall, tell me what you with all the rest are
about I should like to hear from Charlie20 & Richard21
also tell Peters folks to write I suppose you will have charge of affairs when
father and mother goes to Wis. do it up well. Tell father I have seen the
company Blacksmiths shoe horses all day out in the rain it looked rather hard
but it was just before they started for St. Louis and there is no stop of any
thing in war As soon as I get to St. Louis I will write to mother & father
You had better wait untill I write to them before you answer this, then it will
come direct to St. Louis Tell Woody to write me a letter and I will answer it
as soon as I can he said he would write to me. You must write all about my
friends and about affairs at home as it is most time to get supper I will have
to close
19 "Dear Brother" was Parkes Gulick,
who remained at home. William's letters contain frequent admonitions to his
brother not to enlist, as he did not believe him strong enough to stand army
service.
20 "Charlie" was Charles Jones of Low
Moor, who married William's sister Cynthia. After the conscription act was
passed he was summoned to service; but he succeeded in hiring a substitute,
which was not only a very common practice, but specifically legalized by the
draft law.
21 Richard Wagner, before mentioned, a
brother-in-law of William Gulick's.
22 Henry Gulick, an older brother at home.
SOURCE: Benjamin F.
Shambaugh, The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 28
(1930), pp. 208-10.
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