.NTk4.NzY0
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Chaffin’s Bluff Batteries Sept[ember] 17th 1862
My dear Wife:
It seems that the mails are getting [all?] [?] again, as I have received no letter from you of a later date than 6th Sept[ember]. The recent changes, that are we have been making, have pre- vented my receiving your letters as much as I would otherwise have [done?], as my time and mind have been pretty fully occupied for the last four or five days; but still, Darling, there is a lone- liness & anxiety and a sense of the absence of something essential to my being, which [falls?] very heavily upon-me when I allow myself to think of you all at home and while I have every thing here that I could have [?], to make me satisfied & contented & peaceful, I still feel how entirely indispensable are your two letters a week to make me only moderately so. We commenced yesterday to get logs & [slats?] to build our winter quarter, & we will have noth-
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ing to do for the next month but this. We got our battery just in time to save us from a long & disagreeable &, I think, useless march down towards Williamsburg [Virginia], as all of [General Henry Alexander] Wise’s Brigade is now under marching orders for to-morrow. They expect to scout in force through most of the country around Williams- burg; and as much of this country has been disolated by the enemy, & the enemy all gone, it will not only be a very useless, but an extremely unpleasant march. They may be absent at least a month. In the mean time we will be quietly employed in cutting logs & [?] [slats?] for our quarters, for we have the whole thing to do for ourselves, and if you will come down about a month later than this & make a visit to our encamp- ment, you will doubtless see some very [?] specimens of rustic architecture. I asked the Capt[ain] this morning for per-
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mission for five (our [crowd?]) to have a separate house built for ourselves, at our own expense; and he promised to see Col[onel] Page to-day, & find if he could all this. If he does, I will employ a farmer in the neighborhood, to send his carts & hands & build us a snug cabin, which we can have entirely to ourselves, & under our own con- trol. The houses which the government will give up, will be, I fear, too much crowded for health or comfort. I am exempt from all this labor as long as the court keeps in session, and as it only employs me now for about four hours in the evening, I have the rest of the day to stroll where I will, or do what I choose. I have finished fixing up all the little comforts we need about our tent, and now spend my mornings in fishing for cat-fish, or wandering about the country. Our mess received this week another cargo of
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of provisions from our kind friends in K[ing] & Q[ueen] [Court House,Va.]. We had for dinner ,yesterday, stewed tomatoes & raw, peas, butter-beans, sweet & irish [po-] tatoes, chicken etc. – during the day wate[r] mellons, grapes, apples, & peaches, as m[uch] as we could wish. These things have all come in fresh where government is furnis[h-] ing us rather scantily & with very ind[e-] ferent fare. It is almost time now, I th[ink?] for you to be sending us another box, if [you?] have not already started one. The tailor w[as?] down at our camp all day yesterday, tak[ing] the measure of our company for our wint[er] uniform. I think I mentioned that Capt[ain] [...?] succeeded last spring in getting 700 y[ar]ds of very substantial, nice cloth for the camp... This will give us a full suit of uniforms, at about [$25 written over] $20. –just [written over] [...ting?] the making – and $14 for those who have theirs made by the ladies in K[ing] and Q[ueen] - just a half of the pressent prices in Richmond, for such clothing.
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(5) The news again this morning was still encouraging] and of a more important character than be- fore received. The surrender of Harper’s Ferry [Va. now WVa.] with 10,000 prisoners & arms & artillery was a great loss to the enemy, and of much importance to us as it opens a communication between our army in Maryland, and the [Shenandoah] Valley of V[irgini]a; and affords a strong retreat for our army in case it is compelled to fall back, [&?] [accross?] the Potomac [River]. The enemy too now are very scarce of arms for their
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new [?], and the loss of enemy drilled ^ men is equal to that of five [?] recruits. The defeat of [General George B.] McClellan too with 80,000, by [General A. P.] Hill, first with 15,000, & then with not over 40,000 (after [General James] Longstreet had joined him) if only a partial victory ac- complished its end; as it ensured the capture of H[arpers] Ferry – and demonstrated still further the su- periority of our officers & troops over the enemy. The news of the uprising in Kentucky, & Missouri, the 50,000 Missourians, with the L[ieutenan]t Gov[ernor] at their
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head declaring for the confederacy is of more im- portance than a signal victory. Yes, Darling, as you say, the God of battles is for us. And I am glad to see that our authorities and people are all willing to acknowledge it. I have been struck with the dispatches of all our Gen[eral]s after every victory -no boasting – no claiming any credit for them- selves, but giving all the glory to God, and ac- knowledging his hand always. How different from the lying, braggadocio, fanfare [...ding?] of the Yankees, -claiming always a victory from their own skill, & the valor of their troops, even while plying before our victorious armies – They almost seem to ig- nore the existence of a God. I was talking yes- terday with a gentleman whose house was used as Head Quarters by their officers, and whose property was destroyed & family insulted by the miserable scoundrels while their army was on the Chickahominy [River] His account of what he suffered almost made my blood run cold. I could scarcely believe that any people were mean enough to act as they did.
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I suppose you have received my letters answering y[ou]r questions about [Jim Pittard?] & employing Mr. Harris. I don’t want [Jim Pittard?]. I hea[r]tily approve of your Pa’s plan for employing Mr. Harris. I [want?] Tommy sold, & though very sorry indeed [‘sorry indeed’ underscored] for that it is necessary [underscored] feel no scruples about it. I don’t think as you do, that my being at Home would have prevented it – it might have done it – but this does not make it right that he should be kept [&?] have an evil influence on other negroes around him. If our Pa thinks it best to replace him by one of his own boys, I will be very glad, and will agree to anything he thinks right. I think though that if he intends selling him, he ought to do it as quickly as possible - by all means he ought to be sold. I wish all of my negroes to understand en- tirely that as long as they behave themselves I will consider them as members of my family, and will part with any & all my property before I would sell a single one; but if they make it necessary, I will not hesitate, & will have no scruples about selling.
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I felt at first as you did about Dr. Flournoy, but am glad to find that I am mistaken. I don’t think his influence is so much for evil – it is about as much for good as any [civilian?] man’s could be. He is in fact to all appearance as moral as a great many who [portend?] to be much better. He dis- [continuances?] everything like [...ing?], thinks it is low & [?]. He told me last night in presence of Daniel & Sam, that he thought a good deal on the subject of religion – but had no hope. He doesn’t read his bible or attend religious meetings and I fear, is trying to believe that a man can be saved without a change of heart; but he is to honorable to try to instill any such notion in the mind of others; and is too good a [presbyterian?] to succeed in believing it himself. His influence over Daniel & Sam is not very great, I think & his ar- guments about such things are always such as they themselves can expose. Let us hope & pray, Darling, that instead of his having a bad influence on others , there may be a good one exercised over him.
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I will be compelled to close again very abruptly as I will have an opportunity of sending this to Richmond early in the morning. As Goode’s Reg[imen]t will leave to-morow we will have no mail until we can make arrangements to have our letters brought down to Chaffin’s Bluff, which our Capt[ain] says will be made in a few days. In the mean time, darling, I have no letter from you since the 6th. I would like so much to spend to-morow (thanksgiving) with you at Shiloh. Oh, what cause have we for thanksgiving – how signally have we been blessed. Tell Charley that while the men were cutting logs to-day for our house, they caught six little squirrels, which they are going to tame. Give much love to all for me. If there is any irregularity in your getting my letters just think it is because of the change of our company to this Battery & the impos[s]ibility of making mail arrangements
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for some time. We are having the easiest times now we have had since being in the service. Tell me all about my farm and crops, and about the children. May god bless them, dear precious, and spare us for each other, and soon return us to each other. Y[ou]r devoted husband N[athaniel] V. W[atkins]
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(Sunday Morning (21st) – as all the soldiers except our com- pany are gone there will be no preaching in camp this morning, but some religious exercises this evening by Mr. Bagley. The morning is too rainy & wet too for out of door practicing. Abe and I have come up to the [?] [?] that we [?] read and write without interruption. I felt last night when I had finished writing, that I hadn’t talked with you half enough. I had a good many little things that I wished to tell you. I got a letter from sis[ter] Sue Friday, telling me that she had sent a small box to me – it is now in Richmond, & I hope to get it soon. I will get the one you sent about the last of this week . Sis[ter] Sue wrote me of Cha[rle]s Hundley’s death from typhoid fever. Poor Fannie will be left a widow with those little chil- dren. I seems that almost every letter from Pr[ince] Ed[ward] I hear of the death of some of my friends. I have heard nothing of Bro[ther] Dick’s wish to sell the old place, but would not be surprised if he did, - and I have thought
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that probably it would be best for me to sell too: only I am so much attached to the place, and don’t know where I could do better. Maybe it may be necessary for me to sell. Col[onel] [Dapney?] & Mr. [Hasting?] have been offering their places for several years. I thought some time ago that I un-
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derstood two little marks ^ you made during certain names in one of your letter, but now from what you said about the same persons in your last, I know that I fully under stand them. It isn’t worth while for you to be so particular – no one ever sees your letters, and I never tell secrets. I would like very much to get a pair boots made by a boot maker at Buffalo Springs [Mecklenburg County, Va] as soon as possible. Daniel siad he had ordered a pair to be made from him – the same man made [Jimmy?] Watkins a pair when he went into service & they lasted him a year & Doc had them on when he left us. Daniel says he asks $20 a pair, -such boots cannot be bought in R[ich]mond for $40.
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I would like mine to be made with legs coming over my knee and size No. 8. Jimmie will attend to it for me. I would like to get them as soon as possible, & have them sent by express to Mr. Howison. Send by the first opportunity a pair of strong shoes – the stitch [?] at home will do. The shoes made at Gregory’s are of such in different leather they stretch out of all shape. Tell Aunt Judy to send Sam a pair of strong shoes, or boots, as soon as she can. I told him the other day he must write for such clothes as he needs, & he said he had written. I know he will soon need a pair of strong shoes. I have not gotten my trunk yet, but it is safe. One or two gentlemen have promised to bring it, but say they have forgotten it. I will write for it this week – Don’t care much to get it until I go into winter quarters. Wool is selling in Richmond at from $1 to $1.50. If you have any for sale it is worth as much in our neighborhood.
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I saw in the last paper that [Sam?] [Garland?] was killed in [General] Hill’s fight with [General] McClellan in Maryland. Mr. Baskerville was in his brigade, & of course if well, & not on detailed duty was in the fight. You say nothing now about you & Aunt Judy coming to Richmond. I wouldn’t have you come un- less your Pa approves of it entirely; but if you don’t come I would like to know if you are talking or thinking about it. I can’t tell you how I feel about seeing you and the children; I sometimes feel as if I had almost given up in despair of seeing you soon; - and then again, I think, it cant be very long before I will be allowed to come to you. I do feel thankful, Precious, that when disease and death have been all around you and me, [we?] and our little ones have all along been spared. Give my love to all – to the neighbors & negroes. Tell the negroes, if they will behave themselves towards all around them, they [need?] not fear getting into any difficulties; if they do not, they will certainly get into them. May God bless my dear wife & children Y[ou]r devoted husband – N[athaniel] V W[atkins]
