The author of the following letter has not yet been identified. He informs us that he is in the 3rd Brigade, 8th Division, 16th Army Corps, Army of the Mississippi, but he doesn’t say what regiment he was in. I’m having some difficulty learning what regiments were in this Brigade—it can’t be more than three or four. I also can’t tell what his name is. It looks like Harry or possible “Hamp” for Hampton? We know that he’s from Suffolk county, Long Island, but I’m not aware of any New York Regiments serving in the Mississippi river valley that might have been in this brigade.

He wrote the letter to his brother, Jetur White of Southampton, Suffolk county, New York, but my search through ancestry records did not turn up a brother or brother-in-law that seemed to fit his circumstances. Perhaps a Spared & Shared reader can help us out here.

We know that his regiment (or at least a portion of it) left Memphis on March 15th, 1863, and the name of their encampment was “Camp Smith.”

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Camp Smith, three miles from Helena, Arkansas
March 20th 1863

Dear friends,

I am very lazy but as I have nothing to do just now, I thought that I would write you a few lines to let you know how I am getting along and where we are. We left Memphis the 15th on the Champion bound for Vicksburg but our boat was too large to go down the Yazoo Pass so we had to stop and wait for small boats. We are on the opposite side of the river from the pass. Our camp is on a sand bank and the river is so high that the water is all around us. The sand reminds me of Old Long Island but it is not quite so nice and white.

I had a big time yesterday. Three of us started out to see if we could not get off of our island. The water was rather cold but we put on and came to where they were farming—a distance [of] about two miles. I guess we were not wet or nothing. The river is within fifteen feet of our tent and when I got back, I took a good swim.

It is very warm here in the day time and cool nights. The boys are in their shirt sleeves a most all the time. I don’t know how long we will stay here but I hope not very long. The boys have not much to do here and the most of them put their time in playing cards. Each sergeant has command of a squad of men and in my squad not one of them plays cards and but one of them that will use profane words and that not very often. I am getting along first rate and I don’t think I would be satisfied if I were out of the service if there was any war going on. To be sure, I want the war to stop—that is what I am fighting for. And the sooner it is over, the sooner I will get to Old Long Island. I think it must stop soon for the rebels have not anything to live on. Their army is worse than ours and every soldier knows that we have more to eat than we ought to have.

Jetur, I suppose you will be planting corn soon. If I do not look out, I will forget all about farming. I would like it first rate if I could come down there and help you this summer. I don’t know though whether I would be must help or not but I think not if there was any game there. There is plenty of ducks here but we cannot shoot them. We are in the 3rd Brigade, 8th Division, 16th Army Corps, Army of the Mississippi.

But our hard crackers are ready for us and I must get some of them soon if I want any dinner. When you write, direct as you have been doing and they will come to me. I have had my dinner. Did not have any chickens though. Don’t [ ] them drawn here but I had one hard cracker without any meat. Love to all. From your brother, — Harry