Difference between revisions of ".NTky.NzU4"
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+ | |||
+ | Camp Chaffin’s Farm. | ||
+ | Sept[ember] 1st, 1862. | ||
+ | |||
+ | My dear wife, | ||
+ | |||
+ | I received a letter from you yesterday, | ||
+ | dated 28th & 29th, a good long one, just such | ||
+ | a one as I love much to get. All the morning | ||
+ | was rain, & I could not write well in my | ||
+ | tent so I intended going down in the evening | ||
+ | to where the court sits, and have a long talk | ||
+ | with you, but as soon as the rain [ceas[e]d?] | ||
+ | Col[onel] Goode had a general inspection, and I | ||
+ | could not go – so I will have to write hastily a- | ||
+ | gain this morning. I also received yours of 25th Sat- | ||
+ | urday, & one from Pattie which I will send you. | ||
+ | I closed my last to you very abruptly that I | ||
+ | might go to Richmond – I had succeeded in get- | ||
+ | ting Capt[ain] Bagley, Col[onel] Goode & Gen[eral] Wise to sign | ||
+ | a ten days furlough for me, & then had to get | ||
+ | Maj[or] Gen[era]l G. A.[W?] [Gustavus Woodson?] Smith’s in Richmond – I went full | ||
+ | of hope, with my Lieut[enant], who was to urge my | ||
+ | application – but Gen[eral] Smith wrote on the back | ||
+ | of my furlough “Furloughs based upon private | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | [2] | ||
+ | |||
+ | considerations, however urgent & meritorious, are | ||
+ | forbidden. If granted upon a certificate of disabil- | ||
+ | ity, it must show that the absence is necessary | ||
+ | to recovery. Respectfully returned.“ So you see, | ||
+ | darling, what are my present prospects for a fur- | ||
+ | lough. I had hoped in case I could not get a | ||
+ | furlough, that you could come with the children to | ||
+ | R[ich]mond & spend a few days with me, but lit- | ||
+ | tle Mary Howison has the whooping cough & you could | ||
+ | not stay there. You might stay though at a nice | ||
+ | private boarding house, & I could be with you for | ||
+ | two days, but not longer. Or you could leave the | ||
+ | children & stay at Mr. Howison’s – but neither of | ||
+ | us would half enjoy ourselves without the chil- | ||
+ | dren, & I hate the idea of leaving them behind. You | ||
+ | cannot [underscored] come without a gentleman to take care | ||
+ | of you. You must not [‘must not’ underscored] try it. I dont think | ||
+ | there would be any danger of the children taking | ||
+ | disease on the [cars?] I suppose, of course, Aunt | ||
+ | Judy would come with you too – but it is | ||
+ | being | ||
+ | right bad traveling for ladies with no gentleman. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | [3] | ||
+ | |||
+ | I couldn’t come my self, darling, and I sent | ||
+ | by Willie Wilson’s wife, a daguerreotype of | ||
+ | my self just as I am as a soldier. I tried | ||
+ | to get you a photograph, but they were not taking | ||
+ | them in R[ich]mond. I am sorry I could not send | ||
+ | you a better one. I would give six months | ||
+ | wages for one of you & the children. Col[onel] Goode would | ||
+ | not take a temporary substitute. If I could get one | ||
+ | for the war, over forty five, whose character I | ||
+ | could vouch for, I might get him in, un- | ||
+ | less Congress has put a stop to all substitutes, as | ||
+ | they were trying to do when I was in R[ich]mond. | ||
+ | I spent two days & a night in R[ichmond] and enjoyed | ||
+ | it as much as I could when away from | ||
+ | you. Slept at Mr. Howison’s on a nice [Mat[t]ress?], | ||
+ | the first bed I have slept in for four months. | ||
+ | It was so nice I couldn’t sleep for a long | ||
+ | time – thinking of you all too kept me awake; | ||
+ | as it very often does now for hours at a | ||
+ | time. I will answer now some of your questions a- | ||
+ | bout my clothes. I can get blankets from the | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | [4] | ||
+ | |||
+ | Quarter Master (good Yankee ones) for $3. which | ||
+ | is much cheaper than getting them from home. | ||
+ | Also better pants for the service than you can make | ||
+ | at $4.50. Our company bought a piece of good | ||
+ | uniform cloth last spring just as I joined | ||
+ | it which has never been made up, because | ||
+ | we have been moving almost ever since. We | ||
+ | will have the tailor down this week to [cut?] | ||
+ | & make it – so you see I will not need | ||
+ | blankets or clothes. I will need though two | ||
+ | thick [underscored] flannel shirts to wear next my skin, | ||
+ | & would like to get them by 1st or middle of | ||
+ | October. We cant wear white shirts in camp. | ||
+ | If I can find suitable material in R[ich]mond I | ||
+ | will get some for colored shirts – will need | ||
+ | two before Christmas. – You may though keep | ||
+ | materials on hand for a full suit for me as | ||
+ | a soldier sometimes loses his all in a march or | ||
+ | in battle & you need not make it up. I can | ||
+ | get cotton drawers from the Quarter Master at $1.00 | ||
+ | have worn my flannel all summer & they are still good. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | [Marginalia – page 1 – continues on page 4 marginalia] | ||
+ | |||
+ | Give much love to all – Tell Charley I am gla [see page 4 marginalia line 1] | ||
+ | Darling, you don’t know how I long to see y [see page 4 marginalia line 2] | ||
+ | tions about furlough are very hard & unreaso [see page 4 marginalia line 3] | ||
+ | will write [see page 4 marginalia line 4] | ||
+ | |||
+ | [Marginalia – Page 4 - continuation of Page 1 marginalia] | ||
+ | |||
+ | d to hear he is so kind & god to little [?] [continued on page 1 marginalia line 2] | ||
+ | ou or my children. I think the army regula- [continued on page 1 marginalia line 3] | ||
+ | nable – but they are almost [oblige?] to be so – [continued on page 1 marginalia line 4] | ||
+ | more to-morrow or next day. Y[ou]r devoted husband – N[athaniel] V. W[atkins] | ||
+ | |||
+ | [Marginalia – Page 3 – continues on Page 2 marginalia] | ||
+ | |||
+ | I am well again – the court closes tomorrow or n [see page 2 marginalia line 1] | ||
+ | jaundice slightly. Am afraid Tommy will try to m [see page 2 marginalia line 2] | ||
+ | it out that he will not whip him by my [wish?] - & t [see page 2 marginalia line 3] | ||
+ | the best way. I am determined to tell him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | [Marginalia – Page 2 – continuation of Page 3 marginalia] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ext day & I am very sorry for it – I only had the [continued on page 3 marginalia line 2] | ||
+ | ake his way to the Yankees – if your Pa will [give?] [continued on page 3 marginalia line 3] | ||
+ | hen put him in jail & sell him, I think it will be [continued on page 3 marginalia line 4] |
Revision as of 13:29, 12 September 2015
[1]
Camp Chaffin’s Farm. Sept[ember] 1st, 1862.
My dear wife,
I received a letter from you yesterday, dated 28th & 29th, a good long one, just such a one as I love much to get. All the morning was rain, & I could not write well in my tent so I intended going down in the evening to where the court sits, and have a long talk with you, but as soon as the rain [ceas[e]d?] Col[onel] Goode had a general inspection, and I could not go – so I will have to write hastily a- gain this morning. I also received yours of 25th Sat- urday, & one from Pattie which I will send you. I closed my last to you very abruptly that I might go to Richmond – I had succeeded in get- ting Capt[ain] Bagley, Col[onel] Goode & Gen[eral] Wise to sign a ten days furlough for me, & then had to get Maj[or] Gen[era]l G. A.[W?] [Gustavus Woodson?] Smith’s in Richmond – I went full of hope, with my Lieut[enant], who was to urge my application – but Gen[eral] Smith wrote on the back of my furlough “Furloughs based upon private
[2]
considerations, however urgent & meritorious, are forbidden. If granted upon a certificate of disabil- ity, it must show that the absence is necessary to recovery. Respectfully returned.“ So you see, darling, what are my present prospects for a fur- lough. I had hoped in case I could not get a furlough, that you could come with the children to R[ich]mond & spend a few days with me, but lit- tle Mary Howison has the whooping cough & you could not stay there. You might stay though at a nice private boarding house, & I could be with you for two days, but not longer. Or you could leave the children & stay at Mr. Howison’s – but neither of us would half enjoy ourselves without the chil- dren, & I hate the idea of leaving them behind. You cannot [underscored] come without a gentleman to take care of you. You must not [‘must not’ underscored] try it. I dont think there would be any danger of the children taking disease on the [cars?] I suppose, of course, Aunt Judy would come with you too – but it is being right bad traveling for ladies with no gentleman.
[3]
I couldn’t come my self, darling, and I sent by Willie Wilson’s wife, a daguerreotype of my self just as I am as a soldier. I tried to get you a photograph, but they were not taking them in R[ich]mond. I am sorry I could not send you a better one. I would give six months wages for one of you & the children. Col[onel] Goode would not take a temporary substitute. If I could get one for the war, over forty five, whose character I could vouch for, I might get him in, un- less Congress has put a stop to all substitutes, as they were trying to do when I was in R[ich]mond. I spent two days & a night in R[ichmond] and enjoyed it as much as I could when away from you. Slept at Mr. Howison’s on a nice [Mat[t]ress?], the first bed I have slept in for four months. It was so nice I couldn’t sleep for a long time – thinking of you all too kept me awake; as it very often does now for hours at a time. I will answer now some of your questions a- bout my clothes. I can get blankets from the
[4]
Quarter Master (good Yankee ones) for $3. which is much cheaper than getting them from home. Also better pants for the service than you can make at $4.50. Our company bought a piece of good uniform cloth last spring just as I joined it which has never been made up, because we have been moving almost ever since. We will have the tailor down this week to [cut?] & make it – so you see I will not need blankets or clothes. I will need though two thick [underscored] flannel shirts to wear next my skin, & would like to get them by 1st or middle of October. We cant wear white shirts in camp. If I can find suitable material in R[ich]mond I will get some for colored shirts – will need two before Christmas. – You may though keep materials on hand for a full suit for me as a soldier sometimes loses his all in a march or in battle & you need not make it up. I can get cotton drawers from the Quarter Master at $1.00 have worn my flannel all summer & they are still good.
[Marginalia – page 1 – continues on page 4 marginalia]
Give much love to all – Tell Charley I am gla [see page 4 marginalia line 1] Darling, you don’t know how I long to see y [see page 4 marginalia line 2] tions about furlough are very hard & unreaso [see page 4 marginalia line 3] will write [see page 4 marginalia line 4]
[Marginalia – Page 4 - continuation of Page 1 marginalia]
d to hear he is so kind & god to little [?] [continued on page 1 marginalia line 2] ou or my children. I think the army regula- [continued on page 1 marginalia line 3] nable – but they are almost [oblige?] to be so – [continued on page 1 marginalia line 4] more to-morrow or next day. Y[ou]r devoted husband – N[athaniel] V. W[atkins]
[Marginalia – Page 3 – continues on Page 2 marginalia]
I am well again – the court closes tomorrow or n [see page 2 marginalia line 1] jaundice slightly. Am afraid Tommy will try to m [see page 2 marginalia line 2] it out that he will not whip him by my [wish?] - & t [see page 2 marginalia line 3] the best way. I am determined to tell him.
[Marginalia – Page 2 – continuation of Page 3 marginalia]
ext day & I am very sorry for it – I only had the [continued on page 3 marginalia line 2] ake his way to the Yankees – if your Pa will [give?] [continued on page 3 marginalia line 3] hen put him in jail & sell him, I think it will be [continued on page 3 marginalia line 4]