Letter from Ebert Smith to his sister Hannah Thacher, March 23, 1863.
Creator
Smith, Ebert
Subject
Lackawanna County (Pa.)--History;United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Description
Letter from Camp Mansfield at Deep Creek describing food and provisions.
Date.Original
1863-03-23
Rights
Item is in the public domain.
Publisher
Scranton Public Library
Physical Dimensions
20 x 24.5 cm
Coverage.Temporal
1860-1869
Type
Text
Source
Anthracite Heritage Museum
Transcript
March 23, 1863
Camp Mansfield Deap Creak
Dear Sister
I received your letter last nite and was glad to here from you I had been looking for it a day or two and I was sure that I would get it soon.
We are here at deap Creak and we like this cind of Souldering very well not
much to do yet and enough to eat and good quarters you said that I must write
what we had to eat we have such a variety that I dont now as I can think of
all but I will try it
one loaf of good bread a day beans once a day
rice once a day pork twice a day
potatoes, twice a weeak fresh beef twice
Shugar 1 % Ib for 10 days a weeak and besides
Salt and Vinager all that I buy corn
all we want meal and make a corn
cake once a day which
is the best of all
We have quite a variety bread and Coffee for breakfast and Coffee and bread for dinner Sow I dont think that you will need to send my provisions at present as I have got a large suply of tobacco that Alf sent me. The most that I would like is some pickles it they was nothing more than some tomatoes but it would not pay for the trouble that it would make you. I get along a great deel better since we came here for we have a coocking stove in our room sow we can roast potatoes and bake any thing that we can get to bake I expect to have plenty of fish in a few days as quick as it gets alitle warmer Thare has been a very hard snow storm here but it is all gone now and it is warm and very nice now.
I have nothing that will interest you trrwrite I should like to see you all but I suppose I shal have to wate till my time is out and nothing happens it will come a round about the Sixtenth of July by that time I suppose a white man will be black I expect that Louisa will think that dont think of her and she has a good reason to for I dont now as I have ever wrote to her at all I write to Alf when I write home and it dose for them all I expect and that is all rite to tell Louisa that I will be up with a pocket full of green backs in July I will send you some Cotton seads if I can get them No more at presant
E Smith to
Hannah Thacher