Letter from Thomas Moses, Jr. (3)

Federal Point, North Carolina

January 1, 1865

Dear Parents,

It is a long time since I wrote to you. But it is a longer time since I have heard from any of you. It is a month lacking four (4) days since we started on the last expedition. I was mustered in as First Lieut. the firth day of January at Fort Monroe. And being out of money, I borrowed $75.00, seventy five dollars, from Capt. Wilder, a perfect stranger to me but he took my word and was kind enough to lend it to me. I gave him a draft on you of that amount. He said that he would want the money soon and that he should send the draft right on for you to cash. I presume you received it some time ago. If so, I hope you have attended to it. It took $60.00, sixty dollars. To buy a suit of clothing, suitable, and $15.00, fifteen dollars, is what I had left to live on, which of course lasts but a short time where a person has to buy his own living. I have now over $300.00 or three hundred dollars due me, but it may be some time before we get pay. The $130.00, one hundred and thirty dollars that you sent me, I left for one of our corporals to take out of the office, and told him to express it right back to you. He expressed back $125.00 and the other %5.00 he borrowed of me. Have you received it yet? If not, write and let me know. Also tell me whether the draft has been sent on to you or not and all the particulars.

We have been here three weeks and nothing of importance has taken place, since we captured Fort Fisher. It is useless for me at this late date to give you the account of its capture, for you must have all the particulars long before this. We are all in good health. We are expecting the other part of the battery to join us every day. Capt. Lee went for it ten days ago. I presume William has written quite often to you. We have had very cold weather for the last four days for this country. I think it must have been very cold up north.

The fall of Fort Fisher is the hardest blow that the rebels have had in a long time. It brought gold down thirty cents. We capture a blockade runner almost every night. You see they did not know that the fort was ours and they would run right into our hands. I will not write much this time. I will enclose in this a $10.00 Confederate bill. Keep it as a mementoe of the rebellion.

I remain as ever your son

Thomas Moses

1^st Lieut. 16^th N.Y. Battery

Remember me to all the children, also inquiring friends.

Tom

Address:

Thomas Moses

1^st Lieut. 16^th N.Y. Independent Battery

24^th Army Corps.

Federal Point, N.C.