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| + | Friday morn[in]g Aug[ust] 22d 1862 | ||
| + | Camp Chaffin’s Farm | ||
| + | |||
| + | My dear Precious: | ||
| + | |||
| + | After dreaming about you & Charley & | ||
| + | Minnie all [underscored] night, I feel like having a long | ||
| + | talk with you this morning, - but must has- | ||
| + | ten again as the mail leaves before seven oc[lock]. | ||
| + | [Samuel?] & Phil [Greelean?] & Frank Cooke & I suc- | ||
| + | ceeded yesterday in getting a very snug little | ||
| + | tent just large enough for four to sleep in | ||
| + | comfortably & raised it, ditched around it, & | ||
| + | had just gotten fairly in when it commenced rain- | ||
| + | ing. You cant image, dear, how snugly we | ||
| + | slept [struck-through] felt, & how finely we slept. There is some- | ||
| + | thing very refreshing in the sleep a soldier | ||
| + | gets in his tent. His bed is hard, he get e- | ||
| + | nough fresh air, he is at rest from all his | ||
| + | cares, & his dreams are generally of home. | ||
| + | I make it a point of conscience never to | ||
| + | wake a sleeping soldier, unless for duty, or | ||
| + | necessarily – I got your letter of the 14th day | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [2] | ||
| + | |||
| + | before yesterday – [C[larks]ville?], I hope get another to- | ||
| + | day. Your letters, darling, always make me very | ||
| + | happy while reading them; but when I go back | ||
| + | and think over their contents, how much love | ||
| + | and happiness there is for me at home, and | ||
| + | how impossible it is for me to enjoy it, I am | ||
| + | obliged to go busily about something else, that | ||
| + | I may forget all about it. I am afraid to | ||
| + | think too much about it. One of my Lieut[enant]s asked | ||
| + | me yesterday, what was my age; I told him | ||
| + | and then told him, that I could never count | ||
| + | this as one of the years of my life – should | ||
| + | I live ever so long, it shall ever be a blank | ||
| + | to me: - for I am seperated from all (in this | ||
| + | world) that I live for, & that makes life | ||
| + | worth having. Doc was in Richmond yesterday | ||
| + | and the day before. The first day he saw Willie | ||
| + | Wilson, & yesterday evening before he got | ||
| + | back, a courier from Gen[era]l [Robert?][Ransom’s?] Brigade | ||
| + | (which was near Richmond on its way to Louisa | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [3] | ||
| + | |||
| + | brought | ||
| + | C[ourt] H[ouse]), bringing [struck-through] ^ an order from the Sec[retary] of War for | ||
| + | Doc to report to the 25th R[written over] N[orth] C[arolina] Reg[imen]t, as ass[istan]t Sur- | ||
| + | geon – a full appointment. Doc came so late | ||
| + | last night that I didn’t have time to talk with | ||
| + | him, and dont know whether or not he will | ||
| + | accept. I know he will dislike very much | ||
| + | to leave us and go among strangers, and | ||
| + | we will dislike very much to give him up: | ||
| + | I will give him no advice, but hope very much | ||
| + | he will stay, & I think he will soon get a | ||
| + | place in this reg[imen]t. Col[onel] Goode told me he had | ||
| + | much rather have him than Dr. [Carter?] our pre- | ||
| + | sent ass[istan]t Sur[geon], whose place Doc now fills. – | ||
| + | said he would send Dr. C[arter?] if he could & keep | ||
| + | Doc. All of our army now, except this Brigade & | ||
| + | one on the other side of the [James] River, have gone or are | ||
| + | on the way to the Rapidan [River]. Our Brigade is again | ||
| + | alone. The Yankees below have all gone too. They | ||
| + | have given up Richmond from this side, and | ||
| + | [General George B.] McClellan has indeed changed his base. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [4] | ||
| + | |||
| + | When I wrote last, I said that I was right | ||
| + | unwell. I am getting better now – It was | ||
| + | a slight attack of Jaundice, and did not | ||
| + | make me sick enough to prevent my atten- | ||
| + | dining the sittings & dong the write of the | ||
| + | court martial. Indeed, I preferred doing this, as | ||
| + | I was so low-spirited (one of the effects of the | ||
| + | [?]) the occupation did me good. The | ||
| + | greatest convenience from it, was a temporary | ||
| + | [disagreement?] of my stomach, which is now | ||
| + | much better. I have gotten in the last two or | ||
| + | three days a letter from Daniel & one from Mr. | ||
| + | Booker. They speak of a great deal of dis- | ||
| + | [pare?] in the country – from their accounts, as | ||
| + | much as has been in the army. I cant say, | ||
| + | darling, when I will get a furlough, but I | ||
| + | can claim one of 30 days, in the winter. I | ||
| + | will write to you again next Sunday, when I | ||
| + | shall have some time. Don’t use such small | ||
| + | paper your letters are too short any way. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | [Marginalia] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Give much much love to all at your Pa’s – tell your | ||
| + | [?] [?] often think of her lying on the bed, & chasing | ||
| + | the Yankees. I can [...tily?] join her now, & go much | ||
| + | farther than she every did. God bless you all, My darling, | ||
| + | I write in great haste. Y[ou]r devoted husband N[athaniel] V. W[atkins] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:54, 14 August 2017
[1]
Friday morn[in]g Aug[ust] 22d 1862 Camp Chaffin’s Farm
My dear Precious:
After dreaming about you & Charley & Minnie all [underscored] night, I feel like having a long talk with you this morning, - but must has- ten again as the mail leaves before seven oc[lock]. [Samuel?] & Phil [Greelean?] & Frank Cooke & I suc- ceeded yesterday in getting a very snug little tent just large enough for four to sleep in comfortably & raised it, ditched around it, & had just gotten fairly in when it commenced rain- ing. You cant image, dear, how snugly we slept [struck-through] felt, & how finely we slept. There is some- thing very refreshing in the sleep a soldier gets in his tent. His bed is hard, he get e- nough fresh air, he is at rest from all his cares, & his dreams are generally of home. I make it a point of conscience never to wake a sleeping soldier, unless for duty, or necessarily – I got your letter of the 14th day
[2]
before yesterday – [C[larks]ville?], I hope get another to- day. Your letters, darling, always make me very happy while reading them; but when I go back and think over their contents, how much love and happiness there is for me at home, and how impossible it is for me to enjoy it, I am obliged to go busily about something else, that I may forget all about it. I am afraid to think too much about it. One of my Lieut[enant]s asked me yesterday, what was my age; I told him and then told him, that I could never count this as one of the years of my life – should I live ever so long, it shall ever be a blank to me: - for I am seperated from all (in this world) that I live for, & that makes life worth having. Doc was in Richmond yesterday and the day before. The first day he saw Willie Wilson, & yesterday evening before he got back, a courier from Gen[era]l [Robert?][Ransom’s?] Brigade (which was near Richmond on its way to Louisa
[3]
brought
C[ourt] H[ouse]), bringing [struck-through] ^ an order from the Sec[retary] of War for Doc to report to the 25th R[written over] N[orth] C[arolina] Reg[imen]t, as ass[istan]t Sur- geon – a full appointment. Doc came so late last night that I didn’t have time to talk with him, and dont know whether or not he will accept. I know he will dislike very much to leave us and go among strangers, and we will dislike very much to give him up: I will give him no advice, but hope very much he will stay, & I think he will soon get a place in this reg[imen]t. Col[onel] Goode told me he had much rather have him than Dr. [Carter?] our pre- sent ass[istan]t Sur[geon], whose place Doc now fills. – said he would send Dr. C[arter?] if he could & keep Doc. All of our army now, except this Brigade & one on the other side of the [James] River, have gone or are on the way to the Rapidan [River]. Our Brigade is again alone. The Yankees below have all gone too. They have given up Richmond from this side, and [General George B.] McClellan has indeed changed his base.
[4]
When I wrote last, I said that I was right unwell. I am getting better now – It was a slight attack of Jaundice, and did not make me sick enough to prevent my atten- dining the sittings & dong the write of the court martial. Indeed, I preferred doing this, as I was so low-spirited (one of the effects of the [?]) the occupation did me good. The greatest convenience from it, was a temporary [disagreement?] of my stomach, which is now much better. I have gotten in the last two or three days a letter from Daniel & one from Mr. Booker. They speak of a great deal of dis- [pare?] in the country – from their accounts, as much as has been in the army. I cant say, darling, when I will get a furlough, but I can claim one of 30 days, in the winter. I will write to you again next Sunday, when I shall have some time. Don’t use such small paper your letters are too short any way.
[Marginalia]
Give much much love to all at your Pa’s – tell your [?] [?] often think of her lying on the bed, & chasing the Yankees. I can [...tily?] join her now, & go much farther than she every did. God bless you all, My darling, I write in great haste. Y[ou]r devoted husband N[athaniel] V. W[atkins]
