MCWL_102: Camp Oliver, New Bern NC May 14, 1863; George W. Gould to his mother

Camp Oliver

Newbern N.C. May 14^th, 1863

Dear Mother

absent neglected though not forgotten I will now try to write you a few lines to let you know that I still live and am well and hope this will find you all the same. It has been a long time since I have written to you or heard from you and there has been a reason for my not writing one reason was we had not been paid off for six months and I could not get postages stamps to put on a letter hardly enough to send any home and then there has been a good deal to do here this spring we have been up to Plymouth about two hundred miles from here and built a fort we were gone there about six weeks and had to work pretty hard they were expecting an attack there and we had to work sunday at all the rebs were in force about thirty miles from us at a place called Washington (you have probaly [sic]  read of it in the papers) they were booming [??] away there for seventeen days fifteen thousand against fifteen hundred of our men they thought they had got old General Foster that time for a certain for he was there and the river was blockaded so he could not get out by land or water without running the blockade which he did at last without much loss there was only one man killed and that was the pilot of the boat but the old boat got a pretty good riddling when the rebs found he had gone to Newbern they thought it best for them to be moveing [sic] for fear he might come up in their rear with his Newbern Army and bag them.

There is not much news stirring here just now everything is quiet in this department though there is stirring times in the army of the Potomac I do wish this thing was played out but I don’t see as it is any nearer to an end than it was one year ago but I haint got but seventeen months longer to stay so you see my time is most out.

But I must close this time and before long I will write again to one of the boys I had a letter from Mira the other day and she wrote that Father had had a fall and hurt him very much I want you to write me as soon as you get this for I want to hear from you very much I hope he is better ere this and will not be laid up as long as he fears for must make it bad for you at this time.

Please give my love to Father and the children and all inquiring friends and receive a large share of yourself now dont [sic] neglect to write as soon as you receive this and believe me your affectionate son and well wisher

(George W Gould

Fosters division (Mass. Vol.   Newbern N.C.