1861 May 1 Fort Palmetto

                                 Fort Palmetto
                                                      May 1st 1861
     My Dear Wife
                              Again has you[r] welcome and
interesting letter been received, and read
with unusual interest.  I do not regret your
having remained from Church this morning
as I had the pure gratification of perusing
a letter from you.  If you perform no
worse act than that of writing me on
Sunday I feel that I would like the respon-
sibility to rest upon my head.  You speak of
fearing that we will be ordered to Virginia.
At present there is not the least danger
but to come to the point I believe that I
would prefer going there to remaining here.
Our location is not a favorable one
and the water is so miserably bad.
However you may rest at ease about
the matter.  We are getting along as well
as we could expect, having plenty to eat
and being an officer causes one to fare
a great deal better.  The officers excepting
Shedd, (that , is Macfie, Trapp, McCant and
Myself are all quartered together in a house
and are not exposed to the night air

We have some little amusements in the way of
fishing and rowing boats.  On Saturday Macfie
and myself are going a shell hunting and
hope to be able to get a choice collection.
Wm. Creight will be up on Saturday and I
think I will send some clothes to be washed
and also the Palmetto boquet.  Speaking of
the shirts being made in Winnsboro for the
boys.  I have been and am now wearing
a clored [sic] flannel shirt and besides my
moustaches are growing.  Send the box of
provisions as soon as you choose and
of course let Mr. Thompson know of
it.  Send it as you do my letters sending
by express and pay freight.  By the way I
have been out to dine to-day.  The war Steamer
Seabrook lying in offing invited Macfie
and myself aboard, and we had quite a
fine dinner.  I felt quite at home with a dish
of baked beans before me, and other niceties
too numerous to mention.  Mother should
complain to the council of the pig stye, and
report it as a nuisance unless he removes
it.  Tom begs me to say to you to tell
Jemina that her letter has been received
and that he has written to Amelia, and
requests her to forward it to her at an
early date.  Do go often to see mother and
say to her that I will write her some of these

days, but as I write you so often you can com-
municate with her.  The name you suggest for
Nannie is quite pretty but I think you must
find out Lady Davis name and when I
come up we will decide.  I received the shoes
and a couple of rose buds much withered, bu[t]
I put them aside.
                           I did not get a Bible in
the city yet.  I find enough here and I read
them at least on Sunday.  I expect I will
furnish you with money pretty soon and
I may deliver it in person which may
be in about 2 weeks.  Do let me know
about the covering and about any
dressing you may want.  Give much love
to all, and accept much from your
                     affectionate husband
                                        J M Phinney

James Monroe Phinney, 6th Carolina Infantry


[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 12661