At Sea, August 21, 1865

Our wind still holds and we are getting rapidly on. We made reduced sail as necessary. Our ship is sailing very well. I will not attempt to put my painful thoughts on paper. Were the paper white, they would render it blue. Our diet is regularly slim, regularly salt, and I would be ashamed to look a salted pig or cow in the face. What we have however is very good in its way but it is a salt road.

William C. Whittle, Jr.