Difference between revisions of ".NTkz.NzU5"

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Camp Chaffin Farm Sept 2nd 1862 My dear wife: I didn't have time to finish my my last letter to you & send it off by yesterday's mail & will write now though in such confusion that I don't know what I am writing. Our regt was ordered this morning to prepare to move some four miles across the [country?] & remain a week to assist in throwing up some earth works. It will then return & another regt of our brigade will go & so on I suppose until the work is finished. As I am fortunately still connected with the Court Martial (your fear about my need of active exercise to the contrary notwithstanding) I will not go the sick also & a camp guard will be left. I am now entirely well again. [?] [?] some strange ideas about my being so fat - though I am in tolerable good condition. I have just left camp(for the court)where all was [bustle?]

2. and confusion getting tents & blankets & clothes & provisions ready for the temporary move We had too just received intelligence of our glorious victory over Pope & McClellan at or near Manassas & this added to the [hubbub?] You will see it all in the papers this Evening & it will be useless for me to write about it While I have time and think of it I will give some cautions & directions about my farm I am afraid the rains have interfered a good deal with my wheat threshing & the wheat threshing fully as much with my fallowing I wish to put in as large a crop of wheat as possible. I wish all of the best land around the [granary?]to be fallowed if it can be done & sowed as early as possible & then for all the [?] land near the double barn to be sowed in wheat. Mr Horn's system of drainage will not [answer?] for my land. The furrows must be closer

3. together - 9ft. beds - such as I had it last year with good strong hill side ditches well cleaned out & close together and cross furrows through all the wet places I wish my wheat well washed & limed before sowing & the seed wheat run through the fan at least three times & oftener if necessary Ben [Mirton]can get the lime & I wish it gotten even if it costs $10 a barrel. If your Pa can get $2.50 or 3 for my wheat would it not be better to sell (for cash) than to hold it too long for $4 I leave this entirely to him though as I know so little about the state of things around & feel perfectly satisfied that he will do exactly right I wish my tobacco cured with as little smoke as possible & tell Smiley to watch it carefully when curing & see that it does not mould I prefer smoke to mould. Also to watch my wheat & see that it does not injure from dampness the bowing wheat is much more easily

4. injured than any other sort. Wheat & tobacco are to be the great money crop this & next year and I wish as large crops of these as I can possibly cultivate. For this reason an [?] case should be had to making as much manure as possible & keeping it as well protected by trenches and from the [washing?][dams?] of winter. All kind of [litter?]old straw leaves corn stalks [?] should be hauled to the stable & farm pen at every opportunity. I wish it to be remembered that no time can be lost on my farm by draining especially when sowing a wheat crop. I wish all of my hogs which can be made to weigh 60 lbs to be put in the fattening pen & made fat as fat as they can be gotten especially if there is any prospect of getting salt at any price. I am making an effort to get salt from Maryland for your Pa & Myself but hardly think I can succeed Might have done it a month ago if I had know it at $15 or 20 a sack but it is now too late I fear

5. About sending me a box You may send one whenever it is convenient now but always write me when you are going to send it putting the letter in the office at least five days before the box is sent. Direct the box "Nath. V. Watkins Company K 4th Vn.H. (artlry) wises Brigade Richmond. Care R.R. Howison" & send by express or not at all. It cost me about $1 to get a barrel of apples & I can at any time sell two dozen of such apples as your ma sent me before for that If your Pa's orchard has much fruit on it he might make a handsome sum by sending apples to Richmond they sell from $8 to $15 a barrel according to quality fully as good as flour was last year. I have known a small wagon load of vegetables (principally roasting [?] & chickens to bring at most $125 Cider retails at from $1.20 to $2.00 a gallon and very ordinary summer cider at that. Never put any thing in a bin that can injure by a weeks delay

6. we get a good many boxes from K & [?] almost destroyed by mould. The things should be packed tightly & the box nailed very strong Now please don't put yourself or anybody else to trouble about this & don't send anything at all that any of you will need we are now making out pretty well sleeping on Yankee blankets and eating Yankee beef I don't know of any clothing now that I will want but two thick flannel shirts to wear near the skin I may though be compelled to call on you sometime during the winter for clothes If I do the home spun coat I had last winter will do first rate. The color you spoke of dying your homespun is the right one only have it as dark as possible. This is all Darling I can think of now but as soon as I send my letter off I will think of a doz. other things I know I hope Precious the victories near Manassas will make it possible for me to succeed yet in getting a short furlough that I

7. may come & see to all these things myself but if I do come I don't think I will be able to leave them all at your Pa's for even a short visit to our home unless I have a month or more You needn't think it is only you & Minnie & Charley I want to see But don't fix your heart on my getting a furlough soon. It may be necessary for the government to refuse furloughs for months yet in order to keep the army as efficient as possible to take advantage am compelled again to end my letter unfinished in order to get it off (Wednesday morning)all well much love to all [?] [?][Husband?] N.V.W