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Richmond 3 May 1863 Sunday
I received your most welcome letter by C. Hansford
my beloved wife, on Friday evening, having received your
previous one by mail a day or two before.
I am rejoiced to know that dear Lelia is able to
leave her room, and that all the rest are well only
varied by the continued weakness of dear Anne;
tho' I hope she will soon rally. I am very glad
that the box of pills went safe.
I saw James Semple yesterday who told me
you all and whose account, as his society was
along with it, I enjoyed almost as much as I did
your letter; he said that my darling Lucy Page
was fat and rosy & lively as possible. How
thankful I am that the beloved child has so
completely recovered. You did not say any
thing in your letter about the articles which
Mr. S. was so kind as to have imported for Lelia
along with some things for his wife, but he told me
that he carried them up with him. I am truly
glad that in the scarcity of such things that she is
so far supplied. I hope that the articles, by their
value, justify the price; that is, that Mr. S. did
not have the trouble to get them unless they were
cheaper than they can be had here; tho' I suppose
that must necessarily be the case as their was
no profit upon them; he said $21 in gold for
Marginalia-page 1
Affectionate love to the dear girls. Thousand kisses for my darlings. Kind regards to Mr. Wilmer.
I have bought an ounce of quinine; I sent you about 40 grains; it is pasted up for safety:
When you open it, cut a hole & hold it over another paper. I will get some ginger. do you
want pepper?
them and I paid to a broker $105 for $21 in gold, to
repay him. The articles ^bro.t by C. Hansford ( one pair, shoes & gloves) I
will endeavor to do the best with. He went up to carry
his man Jim to hire him out, not choosing to let him
remain in Richmond as he had run away once: he
hired him in Danville. I am glad that he did not
hire him near the courthouse as the example and pre-
-sense of a servant who has been amongst the Yankees
and had once gone off, would in all probability have been
deleterious to our servants with whom he is of course
well acquainted. Some things that you told me in
your letter about Williamsburg I had not heard. I suppose
they came from Jim as I made special enquiries of all
who went from here to Wmsburg & returned. For instance
I had heard nothing of Molly & the house that she is at;
Moreover I had not heard that Elia was still in Wil-
-liamsburg; on the contrary you wrote me some time ago
that Mrs. Ball had informed some one that she was gone,
& the gentlemen who went to Wmsb. could not tell me.
It seems then that the very servant that we left in
Williamsburg, except Sam who was hired at the Lunatic
Asylum, is still in place. I do not except Nat as
his departure was cotemporaneous with ours, and all
that remained at the farm are still there except
Jacob who was enticed away by his wife, who like all the
rest of Mrs. Tucker's servants (except the very old) had taken
rest of Mrs. Tucker's servants (except the very old) had taken herself off.
I made a special enquiry of Mr. Sydney Smith & of Charles Hansford
about Fanny and neither could tell me any thing about her;
I learned however that her husband, Sam Bonner, had
gone down to Old Point some time since; I infer that Fanny
went with him. I doubt whether her owner, Mrs. Hofheimer,
will ever see her again. The Hofheimers went to Baltimore.
I cannot hear any thing about Williamsburg or the
Lunatic asylum. When Mr. Douglas was here about ten
days ago he said he thought the Yankess would give
up the institution. He went down to see and said that
if they had given it up or would do so, he would come
back here to see me & make some arrangement about
its support. I have not heard from him.
It seems to be considered here that a general engage-
-ment at Fredericksburg is imminent if not actually
going on. They have been fighting in a promiscuous way
in detached parties for 2 or 3 days; nothing very re-
-markable done as yet. Poor Mr. & Mrs. Price have
lost their son Channing; he was killed near Fred. a
day or two ago, his funeral ( to take place tomorrow)
was announced at Church- St. Paul's-this morning, where
by the way, Mr. Ambler read the service and a gentle-
-man preached whom I did not know, nor did any one
with whom I spoke. I have seen Mr. Ambler since
I wrote last and asked him about Miss Sally Galt and
Miss Gabriella. He said that Miss Sally was in very good
health & he believed reasonably comfortable, having Mrs. Shirwell's
society &c
herself off.
I made a special enquiry of Mr. Sydney Smith & of Charles Hansford
about Fanny and neither could tell me any thing about her;
I learned however that her husband, Sam Bonner, had
gone down to Old Point some time since; I infer that Fanny
went with him. I doubt whether her owner, Mrs. Hofheimer,
will ever see her again. The Hofheimers went to Baltimore.
I cannot hear any thing about Williamsburg or the
Lunatic asylum. When Mr. Douglas was here about ten
days ago he said he thought the Yankess would give
up the institution. He went down to see and said that
if they had given it up or would do so, he would come
back here to see me & make some arrangement about
its support. I have not heard from him.
It seems to be considered here that a general engage-
-ment at Fredericksburg is imminent if not actually
going on. They have been fighting in a promiscuous way
in detached parties for 2 or 3 days; nothing very re-
-markable done as yet. Poor Mr. & Mrs. Price have
lost their son Channing; he was killed near Fred. a
day or two ago, his funeral ( to take place tomorrow)
was announced at Church- St. Paul's-this morning, where
by the way, Mr. Ambler read the service and a gentle-
-man preached whom I did not know, nor did any one
with whom I spoke. I have seen Mr. Ambler since
I wrote last and asked him about Miss Sally Gold and
Miss Gabriella. He said that Miss Sally was in very good
health & he believed reasonably comfortable, having Mrs. Shirwell's
society &c
Marginalia -page 3
Mrs. Minnigerode sends love. Kind regards to Mrs. S. & Bessy. Gilmers, Coles. Whittler, Martin's &c
also, that altho' being sad of course, she was more calm than
any one supposed she would be. Miss Gabriella is pretty well
and has not been much disturbed.
You are mistaken , my dear wife, if you think that I
"respire" or "brood over" my affairs; it is not my line.
I never did adopt any such position about any thing. I have
too much life in me. Were I where I could see you and
our dear children and grandchildren when I desired, I
should be as contented as any one can be during this war.
The condition of things has pretty much the same effect
on me that sickness has; it enrages rather than
depresses me, I feel the most intense hatred all the
while actuating me and filling me with desire to see the
Yankee race exterminated. I believe I could calmly wit-
-ness the sacrifice of every man every woman and every
child of the accursed race on one field. I would be
willing to live in my house for one year if it were
painted from cellar to roof tree, inside and out, with
their blood, without having it cleansed or decked with
any other ornament. When I said that I would
wait until the adjournment of Congress before I came
up to visit you, I was actuated by this conversation.
As I have undertaken to hold office here I want as
I am absent from you , to make it as effective as possible
towards our support. I thought that after the members of
Congress ( who are always pressing their protégés upon the
Secretaries for places) were gone there would be more
opportunity for me to be advanced. They are gone - Congress