[added: [Gift of Dr. A. L. Crabb ]]

This is the 7th day since our arrival here, and believe me it is the first oppirtunity [opportunity] that I have had of writing since that time — My constant engagements in the discharge of my duties, now that I belong to "Uncle Sam", which have so far been very laborious, has only give me time to [unclear: not ] at night — And now, My Dear Mother, that I have seated myself for the purpose of writing you, I do not know where to commence, for I have so much to speak of, and so little time to do it in, that it leaves me in doubt as to what I shall communicate first. Well, I am growing very sick of the "Crescent City" — the weather is very warm, and our quarters not by any means comfortable — We are in the French part of the city, opposite to the lower end of the shipping on the levee, and are quartered in [added: an] old "lumber yard", about three miles from the St. Charles Exchange — We are greatly annoyed at night, with these nasty things called musquitoes [mosquitoes], and without bars to protect ourselves from them constant and [gap] attacks upon us, and were it not for these troublesome "customers" and their friends the fleas, we would get along pretty well — All are anxious to leave and Col [Colonel] Campbell has just informed me that we will get off this evning [evening], if not then, most certainly tomorrow evning [evening] — There has been but little sickness amongst the troops — one death however, (the cause of imprudence in drinking cold ice water) in Capt [Captain] [unclear: Fresser ] company he had but a few hours after he was taken and [unclear: un ]

buried [burried] on Sunday evning [evening] with military honors — his name was McAdams from near Shelbyville and has a wife and three children — You will have seen before this the many compliments paid the Tennessee Volunteers by the all the public [unclear: parades ] in the city, and it is conceeded [conceded] on all hands that they are the finest troops that have yet passed here on the way to Texas — Harry heard all these things I began to grow proud and [unclear: look ] big and determined at once to parade my company, the "flowers of the army" through some of the principal streets of the city — and from the time that we were upon parade until we returned to the encampment, we were followed by crowds of citizens — and there it was that I was a foot taller than even before — The [unclear: "Harsmm Gamass" ] " Capt [Captain] Foster company of Tenn. [Tennesse] Volunteers were noticed in the papers of the next day, and most higly [highly] complimented, as the finest and best drilled company of Volunteers that ever paraded through the streets of N.O. [New Orleans] There was scarsly [scarcely] a [unclear: man ] of standing and [unclear: respectability? ] that did not advance and give me his hand, at the same time crowding me with compliments,— but I did not get [unclear] and act the [unclear: part ] buy so much flater [flattery] and know that I met it with all [unclear: becoming n? ] — I never enjoyed better health, and have not been the least sick since I left — The great hurry with which I am compelled to write, make it almost illegible — but my dear Mother know that situated as I am, that I have but little

time that I can call my own, and will most cheerfully excuse the haste and with which I write and all mistakes in spelling and composition — Many thanks to my dear Sister Ellen for the kind and affectionate letter— Love to all and say to father that my next shall be to him from the [unclear: army ] of occupation

and believ [believe] me my dear Mother Your most affectionate Son

Robt [Robert] C. Foster 3

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Mrs Ephraim H. Foster Nashville Tenn [Tennessee]

[added: June 16 - 1846]