Soldiers Home Memphis
	Monday Mar 6 /65  Ten
	     Dear folks at home
We arrived here this morning
The Soldiers Home, is the
Mansion. of the Rebel Gen Hunt
once the residence of Gen Forrest
A very pretty place. The first time
we have been out from under
guard, no drafted men [illegible in original]
substitutes, or even that have
to be guarded are allowed here
It is run by the sanitary [illegible in original]
the fare is good, We are to have at
5 P.M. I could notg et a pass to
go down town to See Bradley
perhaps he will beat the boat,
Our journey from Cairo [down?]
was hard they marched us down
to the wharf where we waited. about
3 houres for a boat to come along
It was very cold, at last we

got aboard. they put us upon
the Hurricane deck and kept
us there all the way to this place
We slept without any covering, but the
sky, it was very cold water froze
3/4 inch deep on the pails. on deck.
the wind blew. I slept cold, and took
cold, did a little better the next
night. it being warmer, They put
a lot of drafted men and substitutes
from Miss in company with us
is the reason they kept us under
such close guard,
Mouth of White River, Tuesday
We started from Memphis yesterday
about 5 P.M. on a boat which we
thought was to take us clear through
but when we arrived here we were
ordered off the boat going to a
different place, we are here in a
[illegible in original] [illegible in original] camp (mostly negro
Soldiers) sitting on the deck on
the bank of the river, waiting

for a boat to take us up White River
it may come in a hour & it may
be a week, we have to lay on the
bare ground. & we have no rubber
blankets, I stand it pretty well
considering I have a head cold,
The boys are all well.
There is one gun boat & 5 [illegible in original]
steamboats laying here. A
steam boat comes along evry hour
or two, they almost all show
bull holes, made by the Rebels
firing on boats they have not
fired on us so far. the pilots are
protected by iron plates,
	I will send this as
     soon as I can
PS I did not see [illegible in original]
     They hav the [illegible in original]
here.
There are 3 boats coming in now
a brass band on one 
		           FP Warren