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Charles L Powell Powhatan County Virginia to daughter either Hattie Rebecca or Nina Powell np 26 April 1863
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Powhatan Co
Apl 26/63
Darling daughter
My present house is a very plea
sant & desirable one, in all the comforts
which easy circumstances, & good hu-
moured hospitality can supply. I would
however willingly exchange it for a much humb
ler one which would give me the society of
wife & daughter. The thing which most interferes
with m comfort is what you would not com
plain of - the crowd of young people attracted
here by the generous hospitality of the [?] &
the society of a son & daughter just turned out.
Miss [Ginnie?] is quite [?] to be a [belle?] with her
[?], kind, good humored, with a merry
laugh, dimples, fresh complexion, & bright black
eyes, good sense & considerable humor. She
has not much taste or [...............?..............]
[?] but sings & plays very well. I heard her
say to one of her beaux, she did not know what
was best to drive away [horseflies?], she never had
had any. Bernard has spirits less elastic but [...................................?......................................................]
[...................................?...........................................]. No doubt
there is a spectacle here as in every household [?]
not yet [?] [?]. Bernard (the son is abt 20.) Kind
considerate & amiable, practices no excess, except
perhaps in the use of tobacco, of good practical
sense, has no taste for reading, & is very fond of
music. He is good looking enough, is like his sister
not quite as eager in pursuit of pleasures. In his
countenance & complexion there are [?]
of greater delicacy of [?]. He was
one of the earliest volunteers when the war broke
out. Was taken with the measles, which fell upon his
beings & has had repeated & severe hemorrhages [?]
[?]. He is discharged from the army & is engaged in
farming. When I came from school on Monday, the
[Page 2]
presence of sabers & holsters in the [?] indica
ted an arrival of a squad of soldiers because [?]
there were in the pasture these young lads, & three
young gentlemen who had been spending the day
they all staid all night. The next day on my return
the 3 [?] had left. The gentlemen all stayed through
the succeeding night until the afternoon of the
next day. I found the coast clear Wednesday night.
On Thursday there came another beau said to be a
lover. STaid util next day, when he was succeeded
by four others one of them a [?] man who
left this morning for the army. Three are here
[?] [?] [?] [?] the last a merry little
fellow said to be very much in love with the Miss
[G?]. I don't know whether he has ever told his love.
Certainly he is not pining away with a melancholy
shady green & yellow** or of any other color. He is
very [?] & has a great deal of [?]. Certain
ly I should not grudge the poor young fellow, [?]
[?] [?] - how do I. They are very polite to
me & although as I occupy a bed in the boys spare
room my privacy is somewhat invaded by having
those three [?] with myself, but [?] [?]
& poor fellows their four nights are justified
and on Monday they are [?] going off. We
had another to join the happy [?] [?] [?]
I am afraid there is no chance the little girl is fixed
in a school under charge of a young lady from Richmond
who boards at [?] Michaux but alas a school
of 11 puples in the woods half way between my school
house [?] [?]. Have you heard that Frank Lloyd
[?] on a visit to their mothers in [?]
were taken prisoner & came to Washington.
In a letter from Mrs. A. H. [Powell?] she says [Millroy?] is
treating the people of Winchester more [horribly?]. He had [?]
Mrs [Logan’s?] family out of time taking possession of the house
& every thing in it allowing Mrs. L to take nothing but a few
clothes which he had put into her trunk. This was done
on compliant of a negro [?] whom one of her sons
had [?] on this [?]. That it was supposed several other
families would be sent off. Your cousin [?] was in
Richmond a few days ago. She thinks Mobile can be as
well defended as Charleston. I trust Mr. Walkers
grandson will be preserved to her.
Your devoted father
Charles Powell
- This appears to be a reference to Shakespeare's a Twelfth Night where Viola says, "And with a green and yellow melancholy. She sat like patience on a monument, Smiling at grief."
