.NTg1.NzUx

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Chaffin’s Farm August 14th 1862 My dear Wife: -

The mail came to-day with no letter from you – here since last Saturday – so as I cant read one from, I must write one to you. I got one yesterday from Abe Daniel, but it was some three weeks old, & Sam had gotten one of more recent date, - also one from Sis[ter] Sue informing me that she would start a box to Richmond to-day for me. All well in Pr[ince] Edw[ar]d [County, Va.]– Sue’s baby better – Bro[ther] Dick at home on a five days furlough, but would stay a fortnight – was improving. [Ven?] Daniel came to our camp yesterday evening & spent a short time with us – he has been camped on the op- posite side of the [James] river, in full view of us, & not more than 1 1/2 miles off, for a month, & neither knew of the others whereabouts. [Ven?] found us out by having seen Daniel Booker when he was at home. [Ven?] too got home. Every body it seems but poor Sam & Doc. But I hope, Darling, that our time cant be very far off. It is now nearly Fall,

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the Spring & Summer have nearly passed since we left our beautiful, happy, quiet home for my first visit to Glo[uce]st[er] P[oin]t. How much have we suf- fered since then! How many long hours of anx- iety, & suspense, & painful uncertainty! How ear- nestly have we desired to see & be with each other again! – And still the long days grow longer as they wear wearily away, and the time seems [underscored] to be no nearer now than then. But I know [underscored] it must be nearer – and I feel [underscored] that then we will be much happier than ever. Oh, Darling! we have never known our own love before, & how mutually dependent on each other we are. And we have never before been sensible of the many & great blessings we have enjoyed together – we have murmured & complained about little things & trifles. Now we will look up on all things as trifles, if we can be happy again at Home, with our precious little ones. And yet during all these long five months we hav’n’t been unhappy – entirely so. We have and so

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much to be thankful for – have been blessed in so many ways – have been watched over so mercifully & tenderly by our kind Father, who knows best at all times what is for our good, that we cant complain – that we cant help but being thankful. And will not all of these trials – have they not already made us wiser & better? Will we not, if we are ever again permitted to live to-gether at our happy home, live nearer to, & more for Him – who has been so kind & merciful to us? I know not why I should write all this, Precious, but I frequently indulge in such a train of thought. And I suppose just now happened to be one of the times. I wrote hastily to you yesterday morn- ing before breakfast, thinking the Court Martial

                                                           [letters?]

would give me but little time for writing ^ : but to-day it failed to meet, & I have a holiday. Yesterday after writing to you I wrote about sixteen pages of foolscap, a good deal of it right

                           such hard work

tedious – but wont have ^ many more as hard [‘as hard’ struck-through] days with [struck-through]. If nothing causes us to be moved

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from this place, the Court will probably be in session for nearly a month. They have already tried six cases for desertion – and the plea to several of them was “a wife and two [underscored] little chil- dren at Home, suffering.” It will go right hard with some of the criminals – You may ea- sily imagine how I [underscored] felt for & pitied the poor fellows. They were all men who deserted from a Glo[uce]st[er] P[oin]t company as we left Glo[uce]st[er] P[oin]t. There will be some tried for desertion & taking the oath of

       to the U[nited] S[tates]       be 

allegiance ^ - probably they will ^ shot. Some of the members of the court are anxious to have it moved to Richmond. If it is & I am still retained as recorder you can come & we will be together for some time – but I fear there will be no such good luck. Wouldn’t it be nice if it could set there for sev- eral weeks. Why have you never said anything a- bout meeting me in Richmond – I dont mean during this hot weather – but when the weather becomes more pleasant – What do you think of it?

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Friday morning 15th. I felt so sleepy & lazy last evening, was compelled to stop writing – Had been invited out to dinner, - to a [real?] veg- etable dinner & over eaten myself. A mess in our company had just gotten a wagon from home, & gave me a [special?] invitation. Had peas, tomatoes, corn, onions, cabbage, potatoes, fried chicken, nice ham cooked at home, beef steak, two kinds of cake, puffs, preserves, [?]. The first tomatoes I have eaten. You may im- agine how I enjoyed them. If you have any cans, or bottles which you will not use, can you not put up some stewed tomatoes & send me when I write for them – if the weather will be too hot, wait until fall. We intend sending the jars & bottles we have to Mrs. Howison, who can keep them if she needs such things, or have them sent back by some opportunity. We are enjoying the vegetables & apples you sent us very much. They will last us for some time yet.

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The weather has been much more pleasant for the last few days. During the extremely hot weather we had last week, Gen[eral] [Henry Alexander] Wise & Col[onel] [John Thomas] Goode excused us from evening drill. [Captain] Baskerville told me his men were compelled to march 12 miles that day & form twice on line of battle. I dont think I could have stood it. Col[onel] Goode came round to our officer’s tent last night and told them he had succeeded in getting the Minnie [Minie] rifle for our company & would give them to us to-day. We are now armed with the Springfield musket a splendid arms. He has formed a great partiality for our comp[an]y and frequently compliments us. The rest of the reg[imen]t is made up mostly of very rough material officers & men. Our whole reg[imen]t will be splendidly armed with rifles, & most of the comp[an]ys with Sabre bayonets. He says that our Brigade is in no Division but is a detached service – All the other troops

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from around us on this side of the [James] River have been sent off – to [General “Stonewall”] Jackson I sup- pose. We are expecting the next great battle to take place on the Rapidan [River], and as the enemy cannot fall back on their Gun boats there, we hope, if old Stonewall meets with his customary success, to make

               again

it necessary for [President] Lincoln to call ^ for six hundred [thousand] additional troops. A signal de- feat there will, Darling, I hope bring the North somewhat to its senses. They must be now feeling heavily the weight of the war & of Lincoln’s tyranny. After sup- porting such an army as they have had, and for so long a time, an additional draft for 600,000 troops, and the taxes necessary for arming, equipping, & supporting such an army must bear heavily on any people. But they can never feel it as we have. The men they have heretofore sent have

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been foreigners & from the lowest classes. And the war has been carried on, on our own soil entirely. No one can begin to con- ceive of the horrors & devastation of war, until they have seen the country which has been passed over by two, large hostile armies. But I would feel perfectly satis- fied to have peace now[underscored], without attempting to punish them by an invasion of their territory. But I must stop for the mail. I certainly expect to get letters from you to-day. Are the crops suffering for rain? How does my corn look? What does your Pa think of my matters? I am getting very [hungry?] for a let- ter. Every little thing – the smallest – interests me. About everything & every body at y[ou]r Pa’s & at home. Give much, much love to all – Oh! that I could spend but one day with you. Kiss little Charley & Minnie for me. Doc & Sam are well. Y[ou]r Aff[ectionate] & devoted husband N[athaniel] V. W[atkins]