WarTime Gazette - Mason's Stop Civil War

LAST LETTER WRITTEN TO HIS WIFE BY COMMANDER JOHN E. HART

U.S. Steamer "Albatross"
2 miles above Port Hudson June 7^th 1863

My dear Wife-
I don’t know when I’ll get this letter off to you but I’ll write it anyway,- I was glad enough to get two letters from you , one of them spoke about your tin party and the rain which prevented your guests from coming , and the other letter spoke about Mattie Spalding and Mrs. Thompson from Staten Island , and also of your father’s visit to Fredonia,- All three (two) letters were interesting enough to me because they spoke of those that I feel a deep interest in.-Above all things I should have been delighted to have seen your dining room table with the tin ware on it,- You did not speak of one very important piece of tin ware, that I am told is nearly always given os such occassions (sic) , and I am not quite sure but that in your case it would very soon been used , and that is "a rattle"- How was Mattie Spalding looking when you saw her? You did not say.- I keep all the time forgetting to be remembered particularly to my friends , and perhaps they that that I forget them,- Such is not the case though,- My memory fails me about many things about persons , but it is only people that I every day meet with but those at home’ and those that I meet with when with you I never forget at all,- you I never forget at all,- I am always dissatisfied when I write a letter because I cannot say all that I want to, and I have not time to do that , - I have to send six miles every day for our mail through hot sun , and over a swamp , and for some distance the messenger that carries the mail passed in plain view and easy gun shot of the batteries on Port Hudson on the opposite shore,- Our Post Man generally comes on board with some little adventure or other ,and tells about having to dodge from one tree to another to avoid the Rebel Pickets bullets , which they will amuse themselves in sending across the river,- One particularly chaste and elegant conversation took place yesterday,- our Post Man sang out "Hello! You d— Rebel beggar , are you pretty nearly played out over yonder?"
"Go to----,you infernal Yankee, I’ll make a hog’s meat out of you anyhow." -"Fire away!" Bah! Do you call that firing , somebody out to give you a hundred lashes for that", After that came a volley and our Post Man got behind the levee and came away.- If they would have hit him your letter would have been delayed some hours, indeed I might not have gotten it at all,- The guns at Port Hudson batteries which have for the past month been firing every night have quite ceased since last evening , and I do not , this forenoon hear any cannonading which is a great wonder , something is going to happen , we all say when we have a quite time,- for silence means some times , as much as noise does,- I want to see the old flag on those cliffs, and I shall be quite delighted.- Can I ever forget that awful night , when we came by them and for four miles took their heavy firing , it

was terrible , and something that I could never have dreamt of,- My little boat is quite a wonder, and it is as well know on this river , as the name of the river itself.- I had a Rebel Lieutenant prisoner for a week and once he said to me "Captain Hart , we used to wish that the "Albatross" would sink or blow up or something would happened to her , when we saw you coming over to that point opposite our Fortifications , and two or three times General Franklin Gardiner and Colonel Smith disputed about letting you have the contents of one of our batteries(.)"
General Smith (Gardiner) said "never mind I’ll pay her off some other time (") but Colonel Smith wanted to pepper you , -I replied to the Lieutenant, "Oh, pshaw!-Your guns wouldn’t reach me nor hit me if they did "-
Marshall J. Smith the Colonel spoken of was one of my Class Mates at the Naval School , and graduated the same year that I did and we had a cruise in the Frigate "St .Lawrence" up the Baltic and Mediterranean together.- I rather expect old Marshall would like to have a good shot at me , he was always an uneasy , restless , selfish sort of chap and I never liked him much,- When Bank reduces the place I’ll call on Colonel Smith and see him,-
Our crew are very anxious to get upon the heights and see those fearful batteries,- At some future time I will propose to you a trip down the Mississippi to see the famous places that have been scenes of events to me, I am afraid that I’ll have to go incognito though,- I wish that I could see Elly, I have got another prize for Elly : it is a little revolver pistol and flask, In his little room which he must always have when he is big enough, he will have hanging all his trophies,- his swords, sabre, shot guns, carbine, revolver , gameboys (?) & etc I will get him quite a collection if I keep on,- They have commenced firing again on Port Hudson and it is very sharp work apparently , but old what a hot June sun to fight in,- I have not seen ice for a long time, I should love to have a glass of cool claret and water, it would be so nice and (I would be most grateful),-I wish that you could see our birds: we have three mocking birds , and they make a jolly racket when they sing. We have but few pets on board. I left my little puppy at Plaquemine to be raised , he was given to me by one of the officers of the New York 91^st Regt.- I named him "Sassage" don’t you think it pretty? - After passing the Grand Gulf batteries , and got nicely peppered besides doing a good amount of the same in return , the Admiral made signal to me ‘How many killed" I made signal "None"- he then signaled " How many wounded?"- I answered "None"- In a minute afterwards I heard Kitty , our favorite mouser had a little family of kittens which were littered while the ship was in action, of course, they became wonderful favorites with all on board, and I wrote to the Fleet surgeon, a very amusing letter,- asking him to make an Official Report of the same,-
You must give my particular remembrance to Mr. Paine & lady,- There

are no classical spots her for me to visit and pick up a green sprig as I did at Virgil’s tomb,- Remember me also to little Mrs. Jackson, You say that Allen Jackson is a Colonel? He may be , and is quite worthy of it in my opinion, but did you not mistake and mean a Major or Lieut.Colonel? For " you don’t know anything about war"- I am thinking of sending some of my men to pick blackberries ,- Bless you, I’ve had lots lately, -any quantity of them just by the ship,- I do guess things sometimes , one of my contrabands has been a sort of house servant and when I see a jolly good cow I send him on shore with a pail for some milk, people I suppose are somewhat supprised (sic) when "old Brindle" comes home at night and "ain’t got no milk" for them.
How strictly temperate we have been,- there has been no strong drinks brought on board of us for over three months; not even claret or ale- ‘Cause why? There is none to be had for love or money,- The HWP that I once got would be very acceptable, but there is no way of sending out things as they used to,-Harden & Co or Adams & Co’s Express does all that sort of thing- I want some paper collars 15 ½ inches, - and I want some pleasant books for my clerk to read aloud to me , if darling you would put me up a little box of some sort without newspapers or magazines , for somehow or other, there are a great many friends that I never heard of before (:) send me Harpers Weekly & Monthly & the Atlantic with compliments etc etc - So that my wife is deprived of any other pleasure except some other sort of present- books, if sent to me I always save afterwards- I want some cards struck off my plate,- everybody wants my photograph and I cannot get any one elses without good ones of my own- I never saw those of Mr. What ! His name. Whose house you now occupy- So that I am unable to say how good they are, if they were better that the one I sent from New Orleans , I would ask you for two dozen. And then I could get te photographs of almost every one of my acquaintances who would be the Colonels , Brigadier Generals- Commodores- Admirals etc etc. It costs 10 dollars for ½ dozen Photographs out here & and they are indifferent- just send one a specimen one of those I had taken in Schenectady- I think they are better than the New Orleans one I sent to you,- Well lst me see , can I bother Hattie anymore, no I can not- I wish that I could be with you— I know that we would both be happily situated in you little new house- do not get tired of housekeeping and want a change til I come home , for I have now set my heart upon keeping it up,- Have you got a good cook & house servant,- I hope so- I should like to drop in and see you and I should like to give a tea party and have the McCa— etc & Thompsons’ and all the rest to come in (and) take some strawberry short cake ---Give love to all at home & all the neighbors. Kiss Elly and believe me to be truly and affectionately your loving husband.

Jno E Hart U,.S. Navy