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C h a p t e r 7 I Send This in a Rebel Envelope 1865 For Pvt. Haven, during 1865, the final year of the war, he once again found himself recovering from illness. As the year progressed, he spent time in Mississippi , visited New Orleans, and traveled throughout Alabama, using his downtime to write several letters as the major military operations of the Civil War drew to a close. Haven participated in the military campaign to capture the city of Mobile in March and April 1865, before heading to Montgomery, Alabama, where he remained for the durationof the war. He eagerlyanticipated the moment he would be discharged from military service, which took place on August 8, 1865, after a long journey home from Alabama. He used his final year of correspondence to remark on the end of the war, the assassination of President Lincoln, and his personal desire to be reunited with his family. No. 1, Convalescent Camp of the 27th Iowa, near Nashville, Tenn., January 2, 18651 Dear Jane, I take my pen once more to commence a letter to you to let you know how I get along. My health is pretty good for me, although most [of] the time after eating I am sick to my stomach for a little while. Yesterday was New Year’s and perhaps you would like to know how I passed it and what I had to eat. Well, I cooked a kettle of salt beef for three of us and cooked rations of beans and had bean soup for my dinner (or supper rather). I went to two the day before and bought a small can of oysters and had part for supper and the rest for breakfast yesterday. I spent the rest of [the] day in my tent reading some and writing a little, so you see what kind of a New Year’s I had, rather better than last as I was on picket and it was a very cold day. The weather has been quite comfortable for a few days back. Our snow has most all gone off and 161 162 “a punishment on the nation” left it muddy as usual. I expect that we shall leave here in a day or two to go to the regiment, whether at Memphis or some place on the Tennessee River. We don’t know yet. I expect that we shall get a bunch of mail when we get there, and I am in hopes that we shall get paid again soon, but I will put this by for tonight and try to think of some news to finish. January 6 Last Tuesday, we had orders to store our surplus things and be ready to go on the boat. We got already to start and our commissary went to town to draw our beef and find out what boat we was going on, and they told him to fetch the meat to camp as they had given no orders to move and had no boats for us. So we fixed up our tents again and here we are yet and probably shall stay till our troops get to Memphis and send after us. We are not fixed quite as comfortable as we were. I built a chimney last night and had to fix the fireplace this morning, as it smoked so that I could not stay in the tent. The weather has been quite comfortable for a few days back. It is some rainy today. Write how you get along, how your stove suits. Does Kitty go to school, what the children study, if you have got all the money I have sent you, and everything that is of interest to me. I will send you a paper if I can find something to stick it together. I have to pay ten cents apiece for them here. Pretty dear reading does your paper come yet. It is pretty near time to renew the subscription, I guess. Write all about the meetings there as I am quite interested in them as I can’t think of anymore to write. I will close by sending love and kisses to all. From your affectionate husband, Silas W. Haven. No. 2, Commission Rooms, Nashville, January 13, 1865 Dear Jane, I am pretty well at present and we started yesterday for Eastport, Mississippi, where we expect to find the regiment. We got to the levee and the boat that was to take us was...

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