[1861 August 12?] Camp Harman

My Darling Wife,
I intended to have written
my regular Sunday letter on yesterday, b[ut]
from some cause had a very severe pain
in my eye and did not think it safe to use
it. I have received three letters from you and
my trunk last week. I am gratified to
find you are staying out at home, and
think if you would get some of the idle
women about town, Anne Lewis, Mary Chapin,
&c to stay with you, you would have a more
pleasant time than in town, and you would
at the same time be fitting yourself to render
me valuable aid & advice in farming
when I return, & if I should have the luck
to get one of Lincolns bulls [bullets?] in my head
before the service is over, your would be
prepared to take charge of the farm. B[ut?]
Love I will say do just as you pleas[e]
for I know you will do that any ho[w]
I am delighted to hear you say how m[uch]
my presence would add to your happ[iness]
at home. How long before your would rai[se]
a row with me. A very sweet wife until you
sour, which you know was just the day after
I got home. I know you don’t mean to d[o]
so again, & see that you don’t.
I had a chance to show my gallantry last w[eek].
I was directed one night to pass a Mr Pen-
dleton & his party through our line of sentinel,
I reached the party about 10 o clock & found
the party consisting of an old gentleman, driv-
ing the carriage & in it the wife of his son

[page 2]
[-] three or four little children. She told
[me] they were going to stay a mile beyond
[-] with a lady to whom she had a letter
[& w]ere on their way to Virginia from
[W]ashington. Knowing the difficulty they would
have in passing the sentinels of the other
camps I volunteered to accompany them.
But when they reached the house where they
expected to stay all night, I delivered their
letter & was told they could not be taken in
as the house was full of sick people & there
was no other house in the village where
there was any prospect of getting them in.
The only chance then was to take road & run
all night. I went with them and succeeded
in getting them lodgings at a farm house three
miles farther on. She was profuse in her
expressions of gratitude & I took leave of
them & walked back four miles to our camp
which I reached about one oclock, well paid
[fo]r my trouble in feeling conscious that I
[ha]d done a good deed.
[Gl]ad to hear that our wheat turns out so
[we]ll. I think it better to send in to Richmond
[--W]m White can do as he thinks best with
[it] I am very glad to hear also that the corn
[ne]ar the house, has had rain enough
[to] make it turn out well. I feared it was
[m]uch to thick & would fail if the weather
[w]as dry – Keep dear little Mathew & Gala
for me, talk of me to them often, &
never let them forget me. Tell Aunt Fuller
that I see Sam frequently – he is quite
well & a first rate soldier. – remember
me to Annie – Good bye Dearest
Ever Yours E. F. Paxton
[Parts of the above letter are included in Civil War Letters of General Frank “Bull” Paxton.]

MSS 2165