1865 April 22 City Point

Dearest Mother

As we have more traps than we can
possibly carry with us this warm weather, and as we
think of soon joining our regt Asa Ballou of Kirkville,
my tent-mate and I thought we would express home this box.
I will send it to you. it will probably be left, at Hodges.
pay the espressage, and we will make it all right, Mrs. Ballou
will either come or send after her husbands things, most of
the things cost us nothing only the charges of getting them home.
the pants if the cord was taken out and colored would make
a fine pair. The portfolio is new and worth $400. The Jacket
I have worn more or less for eight months, when cleaned it
will make Ira a good-coat. the goblet is a reminiscence of our raid.

[page 2]
The over-coat belongs to Addison Cole, the two Blankets to Ballou.
I will give you a list of my articles.

1 pr. Pants
1 Shirt
1 pr. Drawer. --blue
1 pr. Mittens
1 Port-Folio
3 bunches of Paper Dollars
2 cakes of Soap
1 metalic box of Shaving soap
2 towels
1 Goblet
1 Scarf
1 pr. Spurs

The rest belong to Ballou
except Cole's Overcoat--
Hoping that this will
reach you in safety and that
I may soon come too, I am
Your affect son
Hervey

My Drawers are blue, Ballou's are the white ones.
H.E.E.

1865 April 20 City Point

Dearest Mother,

Hurrah!!! Hooop!!
Meeting is out! Elders Davis, Lee,
and Johnson have pronounced the
benedictation, and the Rebellion has
been dismissed. Yes.

Played, defunct, without a doubt.
The lamp of its existence decidedly out.

But, while the nation is in the
highest flow of its tide of rejoicing,
how stupendous, how terrible, is this
blow of sudden bereavement, that
has turned all of our Joy, into
intense sorrow. Abraham Lincoln,
benefactor, and second father of his
country. The Washington of the
nineteenth centuary, is dead: and at
the hand of a vile, miserable

[page 2]
wretch, not worthy to commit such
a deed on such a man.

The feeling in the Army
among the soldiers is intense in
the extreme: I have heard men
say, that if they ever got into
battle again, they never would
take any more prisoners: last night
we got a part of our back mail,
I rec'd. Mrs. Lyon's letter, one from
James and one from Eddie. There
must of course be some more
for me some-where. James writes
that my ^'money' is received by him all
right, and that Lizzie is improving.
has she been very sick?

I suppose that Eddie is
having a gay time now, him
on his spring vacation. tell him
to Just go in and win, and to keep
up my end, the same as if I were
there. Although we may not
be able to ho home till our time expires

[page 3]
yet I would not be surprised
if we would come, in two months
there is nothing more for us to do
down here. by the papers this
morning, Johnston is reported to
have surrendered, Mobile is ours and
Jack Mosby, and Kirby Smith across
the Mississippi, have applied for the
same terms granted to Lee: from the
fact that the Cavalry costs the Gov.
four times as much as any other
branch of the service, and from our
great need of curtailing our already
enormous expenses. A few of us
wise-acres have surmised that we
would be mustered out of the
service as soon, if not sooner, than
some others: our boys are getting very
uneasy indeed, now that there
appears to be nothing much for them
to do. they want to get home and get
their crops into the ground.

You don't write whether you

[page 4]
have received that express
package or not: as soon as it
comes I wish you would drop
me a line to that effect for
if it goes through all right
I have a pair of pants and
some other nice things that I
got near Petersburg, they would be
worth fifteen or twenty dollars if I
could get them through. write what
the package cost. After I had sent most
of my pay to James, the Sutler came
along, and to pay him what I owed
Just about cleened[?] me. I have but
one cent left, and that was captured
on the raid. I wish you would send
me three or five dollars. Addison Cole is
now with us, he tents with me, he is getting
along finely, his wound has healed up, he
sends his kind regards. Our Regt. is
near Petersburg, about 8 1/2 miles from here.
Ad. Cunningham was mounted and went up there
the other day, we have drawn new saddles
& equipment & expect to go to the regt. soon
I am getting tired of Camping here & will be

[written in side margin on page 4:]
glad to join my command. I have been acting regimental Quarter Master and
have had a pretty busy time of it. Write soon to Your aff. son Hervey

[written in the side margin on page 2:]
We have been dismounted now,one month and are getting quite sick
of it. we are anxious to be doing something Shoemaker has made

[written in top margin on page 2:]
us a little visit. H.E.E.

1865 April 7th City Point

Dearest Mother

We still remain
here in the remounted camp,
and I still continue to keep a
stream of letters flowing to
you and James; but nary a
one do get in return: I
think it is very strange, as
I have given you the
proper direction several times.
I have only rec'd one frm
James, over two weeks ago, and
that was dated Feb. 27th the
very day we broke up
Winter Quarters.

I went up to the front
the day Petersburg and Richmond
were evacuated, the number of
wounded men were enormous.

[page 2]
I came back here on a very
large train bearing the wounded.
those that were helpless were
carried inside, and those that
could, climbed up on top: to give
you an idea of the excessive
number aboard: one engine
could with great difficulty
start off with us, and the car
that I was on broke down
with the weight; while there:
I was fortunate enough to get
some baggage that would other
wise have been lost: yesterday
I sent by Express to you one
shirt, one pr. Drawers, one pr.
socks, three scarfs, and one scarf
Jim: it will not probaby come
to you in less then ten days.
I sent it the 6th, about the 15th or
16th let Ira go down to John Hodges
and see if it is there; it will
be left there by the Rail-Road

[page 3]
Stage. There will be from $1.25 to
$1.50 collected on it. please pay
and let me know if it comes all=
right: if it does and if I come
home safe and sound, I will have
sent pretty cheap under-clothing.

You will also find
in the paper wrapped about the
thing: a partial account of
our raid also enclosed you will
find a Richmond paper, that
I got to Petersburg day before
yesterday: I had a very pleasant
trip. Addison Cunningham and I went
together. we went through a part
of the fortifications, and in sight of
Fort Stedman, celebrated in the
last fight: we were not fortunate
to see Fort Hell (Union) and Damnation
(Reb.) but we think they must have
had some warm times, if they
partook anything of the nature of
their enemies, certain it is that

[page 4]
an Illinois Regt. charged and took
the latter: charging such strong
fortifications as I saw, must have
been terrible, and it is no wonder
that the number of killed and
wounded was so great. I went
through a good part of Petersburg,
it is a large fine city built mostly
of brick and in a modern style of
architecture; it is by far the finest
city I have seen in the South,
and must have been of considerable
com^'m'ercial importance, but the eastern
part, that towards our batteries is
completely shelled and riddled to pieces.
the military rail road is now
completed from here to Richmond,
and I am gong up there if
possible, one of these days, won't you
send your love and compliments to Mrs.
Jeff Davis! If so I would be the most
happy to bear them. My health is as
usual tip-top. Now do please write to
Your affect. son Hervey

[written in side margin on page r:]
Direct Co. H. 2nd N.Y. Cav. Dismounted Troops City Point Va.