Transcribed and Submitted by
Teri Button
Great Great Granddaughter of Charles Hennrich, Company D.
Eastport, Miss.
January 27, 1865
Dear Parents:
I received your letter the 27th of January and see that you are all well, as I, thank God, also am. I hope that these few lines will find you all in good health.
Dear parents, up to now things have gone pretty hard with us here. For four days we could get nothing to eat. They could not get enough up the Tennessee River for us so we had to live on corn and meat. Today a big fleet arrived again with provisions aboard. God knows who was to blame that they could not get enough food to us with the water as high as it is now on the Tennessee. Our old General Smith does his best for the boys but he cannot always be everywhere.
Dear parents, we are pretty well situated here now. We have built ourselves blockhouses with fireplaces in them and everything would be fine if they would only see that we have enough to eat.
If you still get a paper then send it to me as the time gets pretty long here when one has nothing to read.
There is nothing much new here. Great crowds of rebels come to our outposts every day and surrender. They say that Hood's army has played out completely. The most of them do not want to fight anymore and many are deserting. The bush is full of rebel deserters. The last we heard of him he was in Tupelo, Mississippi with the remainder of his army.
How long we will stay here we do not know. They are again preparing a field-train and General Thomas, the "Rock of Nashville" arrived here a couple of days ago.
Dear parents, you wrote me that Heinrich Waterman is dead. I cannot believe that because our second lieutenant arrived yesterday from Nashville and said he was improving. And we received a letter from Michel Thein who wrote that his wound was healing and that he felt pretty good.
Dear parents, if you would be so good and send me a few postage stamps. One cannot buy any here. I also received a letter from Fritz today. I wrote him that if he could he should send me a few but I am not sure that he can.
Now I will close with greetings to all of you.
Charles Hennrich
Answer soon.