No envelope, written in pencil
In the wilderness of La.
October 24, 1864
Dear Friends:
I received a letter from mother the 24th dated October 2nd. I was much pleased to hear from you for it had been a good while since I had heard. I suppose the cause of my not getting your mail sooner is because the male that comes down the river for the 96th does not go to New Orleans any more. it is stoped & distributed at Natchez. therefore the mail for me goes by the way of New York and stopes at Orleans and it lays there some time before it is forwarded. it is lately that it has been handled in this way. Therefore it will be better for you to send your letters down the River again. before we came up to Morganza I got my mail sooner to come by York but not so now.
On the 18th of Oct our Brigade and 2 Regt of Cavelry were ordered out on a 5 days expediton. we marched out to Morgan’s Landing on the Asahafalya River 15 miles from Morganza. found the Rebs to be entrenched on the other side of the River. We planted 2 peaces of artillery in the wedge of the woods clost to the river & threw over a few shots & the Rebs replyed with musketry.. whenever any of us would show our selves they would shoot at us and we would do the same by them untill yesterday Eve were ordered not to shoot
the Rebs continued to shooting for a while & would once in while show themselves. finely we hollowed and told them they need not be afraid for we were ordered to not shoot. In a little while they told us they had the same orders & they came out of their rifle pits & we went out on the bank & we stood & talked about two hours. The Rebs then went back into their hole and we went Back puled up stakes and moved back about 3 miles in the woods. I understand they are exchanging prisoners up at Simsport about 15 miles above here. I expect we will go back to the Bend in a day or two. They say the mail goes out in a few minutes so I will have to stop.. I will write when I get back to the Bend. Please send them things by John Beader if he comes to the Regt. the boys & myself are swell. Direct your letters in this way.
Lucius Carhart
Co “G” 96th Regt O.V.I.
Morganzia LA