Fort Vance, Texas Feb. 20″ 1864 Dear friends.
I wrote a letter to you the 7″ of this month and now it is time to write again. I received a letter from you ð 7 3 the 14″ dated the 28″ of Jan. it seems by your letter that it is pretty sickly around home this winter. I was surprised to hear of so many deaths, but God sees fit to take those at home as well as those that are far away from home. God can Shield us from the grasp of death in the tented field on the weary march as on the field of battle.. as well as in our pleasent and peacefull homes. still the Lord has seen fit that many should be slain in the contest of Battle while comparatively few have died at home. but our cause is just but it matters not where we fall if “In God is our trust and conquer we must” tis far away in an Enemies country. on the Sandy Shore of the foaming Gulf On the wide plains of the Sunny South in our pleasent homes with kind friends in some desert place where no human form is visible in battle in peace or else where.. if we fall in the Army of Jesus all is well. many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.. the health of our Regt at Preasent is very good. George Case of our Co. is the only one sick of the Co. he is in the hospital tent.. he is very low the Doc thinks his case doutfut. (Just now the Pickets have brought in a Reb to the Colonels quarters) we are at the same place we were when I wrote last there is no particular news to write nothing of importance has taken place since we came here. only the Rebs keep up deserting their Army and coming in to our lines.. there has several come in since I last wrote.. it is reported here in camp that our Division are under marching orders. but where we will go I cannot tell. but I expect we will go some direction in a few days.. the weather has been quite rough in past few days. the wind has blown quite hard some of the time. but it is quite pleasent again today.. our protrated meeting has come to a close.. we have Preaching every Sabath. prair meeting every tuesday evening.. Capt. Eastman has not yet come to the Regt. I am very ancious to have him come with those Photographs. we had a new recruit come to our Co. last Sunday morning. one of Sargeants Harbottles recruits.. I don’t know as I have told you of his being at home. he went home from New Iberia to recruit for our Co.. he lives in Trenton near Olivegreen. I have but little to write this time so will close. Write often and forget me not though far away In distant land I rome Remember me in prair to God While in your peaceful home.
Yours truly, Lu Carhart