A Letter from John H Devers
to his 'wife' 1870
Transcribed from the original which has been handed down from the eldest daughter to her daughter and so on.
Fort Union,
New Mexico.
September 17th, 1870
Dear Wife,
I received your letter on the 4th of this month. I was glad to
hear that you and your parents were in good health, as this
leaves me at present. I never felt better in my life than I do
at present. This climate of New Mexico agrees with me first
rate.
I am now 2000 miles from New York. We had seven days and nights
in the Express train, then we were as far as the train could take
us. We had then 13 days marching and riding in mail trains to
get to this post. I promised you when I left you to give you an
account of the voyage but tis too long to give you all of it so
I will sketch it.
Friday, April 29th 1870
Up at 5. ??? at 8. Passed the doctor at 11. Sailed
at 12. Beautiful day sailing down the Thames. As I passed
Woolwich I said goodbye.
4 p.m. a fresh wind and swell of sea. continues all night.
Passengers are getting sea sick. I am alright.
Saturday morning, 30th
Passengers nearly all sick. A heavy sea. We are now on the
coast of France. wind against us all the way.
May lst
Sunday morning 10 a.m. Havre is a beautiful place. Brandy 1s/4d
a pint. I have been on shore all day. The Theatres are all open
and business going on like any other day of the week. We looked
like fools not being able to speak French.
May 2nd
Monday morning. We are now sailing out of Havre. We took 300
German passengers on board here making a total 5 hundred and 60
passengers.
May 3rd
We are on the coast of Devon, the sea calm. Noon. We are now
on the coast of Penzance. The day is beautiful. 4 p.m. the ship
is rolling from side to side like an old tub and the passengers
are sick. I am all right.
May 4th
We passed a steamer this morning at 2 a.m. We fired signals to
her and told her we were the Bellona bound for New York. She was
the city of Brussels.
May 5th
Nothing strange today but the sea is very rough and she rolls
like a tub.
May 6th
A rough seawind in our favour going 11 miles an hour.
May 7th
The sea is calm. She is only going 4 miles an hour. Slow old
tub.
May 8th
Sunday. We have seen a ship today but they were too far off
to signal them. I can notice the weather is warmer here than
in London.
May 9th
Not a ripple on the sea. Nothing but sky and water.
May 10th
Stormy sea. Very ??? quite a storm. The waves go as
high as our mast head when she goes ??? waves.
You would think she would??????
the waves are coming over the side of ????
the deck is three feet deep in ?????
Balwarts were carried away. The storm ?????
old sea men say they have crossed 20 times and never saw it so
rough. 4 p.m. hatches are fastened down and no one can go on
deck till the storm is over. It has now been on 24 hours.
May 11th
The storm carried away our bakehouse and we have no bread
today. I would not allow a dog I respected to come by a
London line of boats. ????? of the ????? of
married was ????? conditions.
I cannot give you any more of the voyage in this for I have
something else to say but I might as well tell you it took us
21 days to get to New York. I sent you a newspaper the day I
landed, you did not say you got it. I will finish a sketch of
the voyage in the next letter.
Today I have sent to New York to get a draft on a London Bank
for 20 dollars or 4 pounds English money. I do not exactly
know how long it will take to get an ????? from New York.
Twill be somewhere 3 weeks and I will send the money without
one days delay when I get it. I have not the patience to wait
without writing to let you know, for I know ?????
????? be anxious to know why I did not
????? please answer this and let me know
????? health is as I know all your trouble
????? his will reach you. You do
????? fear the black women dear. I thought
you knew I had a better taste than to have a black woman while
there is such a woman as Mrs Devers alive. No, I may have
faults and plenty of them but that is not one of them.
I have joined a Temperance Club here and mean to be another
Jack Devers not the same man at all. You will remember
hearing me say I would never save a penny in England and I
never did. ????? hear me say that I would in this
country and I mean what I said.
I must conclude dear with my respects to your brother William
and hope his wish of meeting me in this country may be
gratified. It will not be my fault if it is not. I also send
my respects to your father and mother and sisters Kate and
Nelly. Let me know if Kate got married to the Basket Maker.
I have nothing more to say at present but remain your
affectionate husband.
J.H. Devers,
Musician,
8th Cavalry Band,
Fort Union,
New Mexico.
I am going to register the letter with the money, therefore I
cannot put my address in it, so you had better take care of my
address now as they will ask you some questions to find you
are the right person to receive the money.
I might as well send you a few xxxx
Created 18 July 2007
by John Bartlett