Helena, Arkansas, July 21st, 1864
Dear Brother and Sister (Charles Gordon and Elizabeth Mendenhall Stubbs Gordon)
Take my pen this morning to acknowledge the receipt of your letter which came to hand yesterday and was read with pleasure. I am in good health at present but there is a great deal of sickness in the Regt some companies have between thirty and forty on the sick list. Our company have the least sick of any in the Regt and we have near twenty - but none of them considered dangerous I believe. Three men died in four days last week. Disease chronic diarrhea or bloody flux we used to call it. That is all we have lost out of the Regt since we left Minn. I think the reason there is so much sickness is on account of the water. It is as muddy as you generly see it standing in a mud puddle after a rain and just as warm as dishwater and a green skum all over the top of it there is some springs around here that are nice and cool but they are said not to be healthy. The water in some of them will run through a man like a dose of salts. We are putting up quarters now for the Regt. We build three houses to a company 72 by 40 feet. I am detailed to help we have been at work for over a week. I think it is good for me to work some though we cannot stand it to work in the heat of the day. The hottest day we have had the thermometer stood at 110 degrees in the shade. Last Sunday. a squad of fifteen of our company went about a mile out of town to pick blackberries. We found plenty of them they were in an old orchard. There was over a hundred peach trees and several apple and some plumb trees but the apples and plumb were all gone. The peaches were not quite ripe. And there it has been so long since the trees were trimed or taken care of that they do not bear much. Well everything seems to be quiet around here now, no prospect of any fighting here I guess. Some bushwackers but they don't come very close here for fear of being gobbled up there is a regiment of cavalry here now but their time is out next month. Don't I wish ours was so near out. Well I guess I can stand it a year longer if we can't come home sooner. This fall will decide whether we have to serve our time out or not. If the war don't close, then we will have to serve the rest of our time but I am in hopes that Grant and Sherman will whip Old Lee and Johnson. Then the thing is done or so near that it will not trouble us much more. Well if the hands commence work on the Railroad to Wayzata it will make lively times around there and land will soon begin to come up. I hope Joel will get his land paid for if Milt has good luck he can help him and take part of the land. I hear that Joel has been making some kind of a trade with Miller or Gerank but don't know what it is only that Miller got Milt's oxen and Frank Feathers old waggon. Well I am glad to have you go and see how Lydia and the children get along when ever you go to the lake I hope they will keep well while I am gone. It is hard for them to be left there alone. But if they could be sure I would get back at the end of the year it would be easier for them I suppose. Guard duty is pretty heavy now there are so many that are not able for duty it brings the rest on every other day. Our Regt. have to stand picket guard around the town every three days. It takes over a hundred men for that and then our camp guard every day. The boys don't like troops very well for keeping camp guard when there is no need of it. Old Billy. Says Co. B. are damned good men. I will now draw this to a close and remain as ever, your brother E. P. Stubbs
Be sure and write soon. Direct your letters as before. The envelope you sent is very executible. Stamps are hard to get some times. E. P. Stubbs
Helena, Ark. Aug. 2nd 1864
Dear Father, Mother, Brothers and Sister,
I take the pen to inform you that your kind letter came duly to hand and was read with interest. Father's advice about what to do in case of flu just suits my notion. The doctors down here never cure a bad case at all. We have lost fifteen men, most of them with that disease. Our Reg't. have not more than three hundred men for duty now, six weeks ago we had nine hundred and forty. I guess most of the boys will now have to enjoy the bracing air and healthy climate of Minn. When they get the chance to go there. There is hardly a man in the Reg't. but what think Minnesota is the garden of Eden when compared with any thing they have seen since they left there. Well I suppose you have seen an account in the papers about our big fight out here ten or twelve miles from here. It was fought by three hundred Colored troops, one hundred of the 15th Illinois cavalry on our side and about twelve hundred Rebs. The fight commenced about 12 miles from here where there had been some Rebel cavalry conscripting for old jeff. The Colored troops marched out in the night and stopped for breakfast at a place by the name of Big Creek. The settlers said the Rebs had all gone but about five o'clock while our men were eating breakfast the Rebels surrounded them and took them by surprise. They hardly formed in line of battle when their Colonel was killed. The Darkeys then got down behind logs and trees and commenced a murderous fire on the Rebs. Our men had a battery which the Rebels charged on several times, but only to be killed in heaps by our guns which was double shotted with grape and canister. The little squad of our cavalry did not reach the scene of the action till near eleven o'clock. But when they did come, they did not wait to see the number of the enemy, but charged right through their thin lines and fired on them right and left. Then they wheeled and charged back again. Then they went around on the other side and charge their lines. This set them in confusion. They thought they were surrounded with cavalry, so they skedaddled giving the infantry time to get started in the Retreat. They got five mile when the Rebs finding out how the little squad had fooled them under took to cut off their retreat. They formed a line of battle across the road before them and on both flanks. Our men charged on them in all directions making them take to the woods and corn fields. After this they did not molest them any more. Our Reg't. was ordered out to their relief, but the fight was over before we got there. The whole loss on our side was sixty-two killed wounded and missing. Five officers of the Negro Reg't was killed. One thing strange, not one of the cavalry were killed and none wounded, so but they were able to ride into camp on horseback. They charged through the Rebel lines four times at least, captured five prisoners. They say their loss is not less than two hundred killed, so they paid pretty dear for trying to gobble the negroes. I saw the Darkeys as they came in. One of them said he was hid in some logs and loaded and fired as fast as he could. He said he knew he killed seven, they were coming right towards him one at a time and he saw all fall to the ground. They were a very sure shot. Miles Alden is very low with Typhoid fever or something of the kind. I fear he will not get well again. We haven't lost a man out of our Company yet. There is only four men in the Company but what have had to take medicine. I am one of the lucky ones. If I can only continue so, I will be very thankful. Well, Roll, it appears you didn't stick to the smithing very long. Well, I guess it is all right. I think farming will suit you much better. So you have some notion of going to Minn. this fall. I should like to go too if I can get uncle Sam to let me go, but I guess that will be doubtful unless they should wind up the thing for good. Well I got a letter from Marmaduke Stubbs this morning. Our relations were all well. Well there is a call for more troops. I think it will be doubtful about Charles, Tom and all of you being lucky enough to miss the Draft. Yet they may never be called into the field. The mail goes out in a few minutes, so I will bring this to a close hoping you will still continue to write and keep me posted. I remain as ever your well wishing Son and Brother,
Enos P. Stubbs
Camp Bufort, Helena, Ark., Sept. 19, 1864
Father, Mother, Brothers and Sisters:
I will now endeavor to write you a few lines to let you know how I am prospering. I am happy to inform you that I am well and have been since I came here, the only one in the Company that has not been sick.
William Fleming is quite weak. I don't know what is the matter with him. I think that it was overheat in the first place, Jonathan Grave has been sick a long time. He cannot walk and cannot talk above a whisper. His lungs hurt him some. He is on the gain. Charles Grave is almost well but does not do any duty yet. John Stafford about the same as he has been for a month or two -- looks rather thin.
Well, it is no use for me to mention the names of the sick boys; suffice it to say that we have about two for duty to wait on the sick.
Well, Rolla I bought myself a pair of boots today -- had to pay ten dollars for them, that is a big price. I thought that it was better than to go with wet feet and get sick although I may get sick for all that.
I have heard that you have not sold out and will most likely stay in Indiana this winter. I suppose that the man you wanted to sell to backed out or you would have gone back to Minnesota before this time.
I heard that Father was not very well but I hope that he is better by now. I want you to write more often than I have though I have so much duty to do that I have but little time to write.
I am detailed on daily duty at the hospital and must go now and haul a load of water and finish writing this evening.
(later) Well I must finish my letter as we are doing nothing now, but standing picket guard every other night. The 200......(illegible) . sick {?} have gone home so it leaves us with too much duty to do considering the health of our Regiment. We have buried over 50 of our Regiment since we come. William Batdorf among the rest. It will be a hard blow on his folks.
We have a good deal of argument on the War question and the election of "OLD ABE". Most of our men are for "OLD ABE". Some think "Mc" will be elected but he won't if my vote can keep him from it. No Rebels around here.
Seventeen of our Company have gone up River to Jefferson Barracks. The last letter I had from Milton he was as well as he expected to get this summer. He thought that he would come down to his regiment. I have not heard whether he has come to Memphis or not. I hope that he can keep well until he gets home again.
Well, Rachel if you are there at Father's now, I want you to write me a good long letter and I want to hear from Anna Jane. I have not hear from her in a long time whether she is at home or not. There is a good deal of talk of our Regiment being moved from here. I don't know what it will amount to, I would like to be further north but I don't want to go further south. There has never been a Regiment that has got so low as ours in the field in the same length of time.
I will close now, I remain your well wishing son and brother,
Enos P. Stubbs, (write soon and often)
Enos died one month after this letter was written on October 21, 1864 in Philips County, Arkansas.
