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Seven Pines Va June 14th
Dear Brother
Perhaps you will not be able to find Seven Pines on your map and may perhaps think it somewhat remote from any place which we have before occupied.
We are now about 7 miles from Richmond. I write you from this place just previous to the Battle of Fair Oaks telling you that we were then on the eve of a Battle. I recolect the expression which I used (that we had our toes then about on the fighting line) which may be of some help by way of recalling it to your mind. I think it was the next morning after writing that letter that we moved to the right some
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three miles to Fair Oaks where we had the Battle. We were then about 5 miles from Richmond.
Since then we have had several encampments and have finaly come back to occupy this[underlined place[underlined] again. I suppose you have by this time learned most of the particulars of the Battle and are aware that that was not the final that there is yet another pending before we get to Richmond. I feel tired of this warfare but not discouraged. I feel great confidence in our Gen. McClellan. I feel that he is doing all that can be done and I think today we can show the enimy a stronger front than ever before.
A year has passed away since I have been in the service. The days and months have
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seemed short but the year to look back seems long. It is not quite a year since I took my last leave of you. I shall never forget the few hours which I spent with you then, the rememberance is worth more to me than gold.
My health is good. I think it was never better. When I think of the exposure which I have been subjected to I know not how to account for the large share of good health which I have enjoyed during the past year [save?] that it be by the workings of a kind Providence. We are having pretty warm weather now but it does not disagree with me. I love the summer as well as ever. The Trees Birds and Flowers more than repay the little incon venience which I suffer from
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the heat. By the way I must tell you of the Roses which we have out here. This is a great country for Roses. I have seen several varities her which are new to me. One is the Yellow Rose. I didnot know that there was such a flower in existance. I don’t think I shall be able to fine any of my rare kinds before mailing my letter but I am going to try to find one of some kind to send to Mother. I dreamed of being at home last night. It seemed to me that we were all dismissed until the 1st of Feb. I saw Mother but I dont recolect seeing Father or Henry. I shook hands with Grandpar and told him he was looking much
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better than I expected. I should like to hear from him when your write again. I told you a short time ago that I had lost a part of my clothing but the only loss which I much regret now is one of the shirts which Mother made me but I have replaced that with a government shirt which is pretty good. Our Quarter Master has ordered a new supply so there will be no [?] of clothing here in a few days.
We were paid off again last monday. Please tell me as soon as you receive th amount which I allotted. You have not mentioned receiving my first allotment (this is the
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ed) though I presume you have . Our suttler has come up with us again so I have got a new pencil and a little paper. If you send me a few envelopes occasionaly as you have been in the habit of doing with stamps on they will be very convenient. I can get paper enough. I dont think of much more to write so I will go and look for the Rose and when I get back perhaps I can tell you that I have Recd a letter from home.
I recd another Paper last Thursday. Well whilet search ing for roses i met with a a soldier of the N.Y. 55 Regt who gave me a nice [Magnolia?]
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that will be new to you. I shall only send you a few Rose Buds this time.
The Mail has not arrived yet I am waiting very impatiently.
Again with pencil in hand to write you a few lines before it is quite too dark. I had not long to wate before receiving your letter. It was all good but the last part. I am sorry to hear that you are not well. I hope it will prove but a slight illness. Father wants to know our position in the Battle and Mother is feeling anxious about me. I wish she could know tonight how com fortable and happy I feel. I shall write more in the morning.
Va June 15th
Dear Mother
Father tells me that you are feeling very anxious about me. I donot wonder at it since you have heard of our loss, but things are not so bad with us as one who can know only in part would naturaly suppose. I donot mean ever to represent things in a more favorable light than they will bear and in this case I can tell you truly that my loss thus far has been of but very little inconvenience to me. I wrote you last Sunday the extent of my loss and perhaps it will be well enough to repeat it
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again today as you possibly may not receive that. I will
[first?][crossed out]
tell you in ^ the place that we didnot return to our camp again as a company but a detail was sent from each comp to find what they could. I was stoping with Frank H and Isaac Chamberlain at that time (Built tent with them) and Frank was one of the detail. He knew most of my things. They were scatered about the camp in evry direction. He found my Knapsack wollen Blanket Towel and empty Port folio. Drawers Stocking shirts and Tent Blankets were all gone. Frank found both
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of his Rubber Blankets but lost his wollen Blanket but found another which no one claimed. I have got a Rubber Blanket in the same way so with Franks 2 and Isaac one we build a good tent, cover the ground with ceder Boughs and then spread a wollen Blanket. I have got drawers shirts and stockings enough now. We have good living now. Plenty of meat, salt and fresh Beef and Pork Stued Beans and Rice and Molassess and Tea and coffee. There have been times when we have not lived so well but Uncle Sam means
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to use us well when he can. I havnt so much time to write as I anticipated this morning. So I shall write you again soon and tell Father more about the Battle. The Roses and Magnolia are so wilted that I will not send them this time. You shall hear from me again soon.
From your affectionate son Rufus
Seven Pines Va June 20th 62
Dear Mother
I dont think of anything special to write this morning, but when I have time it is never more pleasantly occupied then when writing to you. I Recd you letter containing this sheet of Paper day before yesterday. I have yet paper enough now but I want you to send the envelopes with stamps just as you have. The size is just right, and the quality much better than I can get here. You[crossed out]
You may be atloss to know why I sometimes donot return the same Envelopes which you send me. The reason is some of the Boys have been out of stamps and Envelopes when I have had a spare one. The one I sent you last with a hole in the
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corner was repaid to me and I have had several gifts from one and another in that line. I donot think of anything that I am in need of now that you can send me but if there should be I will let you know. Since being paid off this time I have bought some little trifles that it wouldnot pay to send home for I have lost my Needle Book which you made me. I was very sorry to part with it, but I had just given my Trousers a good mending. So one Needle and a little thread will do my sewing for a long while. I dont ware clothes out very fast here. My shirts (the one[s][crossed out] which you made for me) and which I saved is as good as new. Nothing has provoked me more than the loss of the one which I left in my Knapsack for I think it was as likely to be the work of our men of some other Regt as the
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Rebbels although I have got a good one in its stead.
I have just Recd Henrys letter. The Mail arrived a few minutes ago whilet I was eating my Dinner. We had stued Beans and they were good.
I havenot lost my little jacknife and I wouldnt [for now?] It is a good knife. I have lost my Toothbrush but I donot think it is worth while to send one. I can buy one here and it will cost but little more than at home. I have yet a pencil which I have just Bought but I think I shall not use it any more. I have taken to likeing a pen much better and I think you will not object. If I was realy in want of anything that I couldnot get easily here I would tell you so and I know you would be glad to send it. I like best to have you send
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the stamps on the Envelopes. I have got 2 Envelopes directed to you now without stamps. Send me 2 stamps for
pes
those and a stamp on all the Envelo you send. The one you send today comes very exceptable. I wrote you last Sunday the 15th and again th 17th to Father and to Ruth yesterday. I have not Recd a letter from her since the one I sent you. I have no doubt we are on the eve of a Battle but how soon it will come no one can tell. I shall try when it comes to do my duty Trusting in God for the result. I have got two rose Buds that I am going to send to Mother. There is nothing perculiar about them but I know she will like to see them. I shall try to send you a Magnolia though I know it will not look very Pretty when it reaches you. We are having very fine weather and I am well
Yours Affectionately Rufus
/62
Seven Pines Va Saturday june 21st
Dear Brother
Another pleasant morning has [dawned?] upon us and I have a few liesure moments to write to you. Perhaps more than a few moments, for if we are not detailed for fatique or Picket duty, I shall have most of the day to myself. I have taken quite a notion of writing, of late, since I find I can write with a Pen. It is drill time now. I will give you our morning exersices when I come in. Well the drill is over and I will now tell you what has taken place this morning up to this time (1/2 past 8). The first thing then is our early rise. A new rule which has been in force about a
[which?][crossed out]
week ^ requires us to be up at ½ past 3 and stand in line of Battle until sunrise. This is to prevent an unexpected attact. Yesterday morning and this, a part of the time was occupied with Battallion drill. The next thing is to wash up and get Breakfast. I have lived like a Hero since we were paid off. Uncle Sams fare begun to improve about that time, and I buy a little to go with it. My Breakfast this morning was a good cup of Tea (which I steeped myself,) some little English Herrings such as you have seen at home, a piece of cheese and my Hard Bread. I have omited one thing which come ammediately after drill, before washing and Breakfast which is Police duty and means in this case to take some twigs and brush up and carry off the [waste?]
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which hs collected around our tests, and bring the blankets out to air. After Breakfast I light my Pipe and take a walk about camp to see what is going on. I have a Pear Tree not a very good looking one but well filled with fruit, a few Apple, Peach and Cherry trees and a few Rose bushes to look after. They are all well filled with fruit and the cherries are almost ripe. The cherry trees stand in the front yard of a House which is just in the rear of our camp. They are the old fashion Red cherry. I have seen a number of trees filled with cherries like Mothers flesh colored. The Trees were much larger but the fruit not more than ¾ the size, which those bear. That kind was ripe 3 weeks ago. Well as you see I have written you but a few lines after my morning walk before I had to fall in for the 2d drill. This commences at ½ past 7 and continues an hour. We have no music of any kind along the lines now save an old Triangle which was picked up on the place here and probably used by the slaves when they had a Dance. It is used now instead of a Drum to call us together for Drill. Within the last 2 weeks there has been a change ordered in our diet. The Doctors say it is not good for us to drink so much coffee. We are haveing Tea more instead. I like the change. I have used but very little coffee for several weeks. I had got rather tired of it so when we had no tea I drank cola water. We have had a little apple sauce and some Potatoes lately. We have dried vegitables
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which we use for makeing soups. It is Turnip Carrot and Cabage dried and presst into cakes Fresh Beef and a little Rice is used with it and it makes a good soup. It is now nearly 4 oclock. I have had nothing to do since morning but eat sleep and write. You can see how much I have done of the latter and that will be enough for you to know although I will say we had some vegitable soup for dinner and after that I had a Nap, which lasted until about this time. I think I am rather too lazy for home use but it does very well here. I sleep like a Pig mights but the early rise and the warm weather inclines me to have a Nap in the day time. I have nothing new in regard to the war to write about or the pending Battle. There was some cannonadeing on our right this morning, (nothing [uncommon?]) Since then it has been as still as Sunday. We are detailed occasionaly to work on a Fort near us which we have nearly compleeted and have done a little [cor..roying?]
Sunday Morning june 22d
I left my letter last night to go and get some Boughs to cover the ground in my tent. When we have a good thickness of spruce or ceder Boughs under us and a Blanket spread over, then we have a good soft bed. We have had inspection this morning and as it is Sunday I suppose we shall have no other duty until evening Parrade. The weather is as fine
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as yesterday and I think it is as still here now as it is in High Street. I think you are now about starting for meeting Oh how I should like to go with you. I think oftener of the little church and the people that assemble there than I write. Those faces I shouldnot see that were once so familiar. They have gone to their long home. It is hard to realize I am glad to hear that you have so good a Sabbath School. I hope it will continue to prosper. I feel if I should ever take part in it agan I should work with greater zeal and strive to be more faithfull. I am glad to hear that the Trees are looking so well. What a treet it would be to take a walk with you after meeting to look at them. I hope the white graft will ripen. You know I always felt a peculiar interest in them. Does that old tree on the west wall (The [?] apple] bear this year. You must not get discouraged about the strawb- erys I think that misterious worm can be easily destroy ed. It may be the Tan you are puting around them will do it. If not I think Salt, Lime or Ashes will do it and it these should fail I would try [?] water but I donot think they will trouble you another year. It is dinner time now so I will will close. It is Beans again today but they dont come too often. My health is good.
Yours Affectionately Rufus
62
Seven Pines Va June 24th
Dear Brother
Frank is wrting a few lines home today and has given me an invitation to enclose a few lines with his. I have not an oppertunity to write a very long letter but a few lines will be better than nothing to let you know that I am well. We are on Picket today (Co K) about ½ a mile from our camp. There are Pickets ahead of us. We are held here as a reserve for those ahead if need be to fall back upon. We are stationed at a saw mill quite a pleasant place and duties not at atall hard. We have got a prisoner to [guard?] at a house near by. He is not a Soldier but a citizen come back to his place to avoid danger.
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We came out here this morning at 10 oclock and shall probably be relieved tomorrow morning about that time. We had a heavy shower last night commenceing about 11 oclock and some pretty heavy thunder. I suppose all together it was what might be called a tempest. Our tent which Isaac Chamberlain Frank and I occupy kept us as dry as a bone. It is now nearly 4 oclock. We have had no rain yet today but it has looked much like it all the time and I think it will soon. I have picked a few Ripe [...leberrys today. I know of nothing new to write you for war news. Thing are going on about the same with us as normal. I will try to write you again soon.
Yours Affectionately Rufus
