1861 Sept[ember] 21 Camp near Germantown

My Dear Wife [Mary Naylor Chandler Phinney]

Having an opportunity of

again writing you by hand (Mr. R.B. Sloan

having been discharged) I propose to write

a short letter, although I gave you all

the news in my last. Every thing is

still quiet. We are in possession of

no information that would lead

us to infer where our Winter

quarters are to be. Camp

rumors are as numerous as

the sands on the sea shore.

The latest is that in less than

ten days our Brigade is to

be ordered back to S.C. for

the purpose of coast defence.

Too good to be true. No one

could conceive of the joy that

would exist in the event of such

a rumor being correct. The boys

have seen the elephant and

are satisfied without further

development. I am afraid my

wants are so numerous that

you will get tired supplying

them. I hope Wm. Creight has

supplied you with funds ere

this. I will forward some soon

again. Do always let me know

how your money holds out. Never

fail to pay mother for board

monthly. Does Mr. Cremer pay

you punctually for rent. I regret

to hear of the death of Mrs. Desfrontes [?].

By the way I received a letter from

Molly Long, and if you have

not heard, can tell or intimate

where Will made his visit.

Mollie speaks very kindly of the

visit, and regrets that it was

so short. Probably she does who

knows. I am not positive that

I mentioned the cotton socks. Do

get me some. I have written

so much and it amounts

to so little that I scarcely

recollect what I have said.

Suffice it to say

“A little nonsense now an then

Is relished by the wisest men.”

Do say to Will to send me

his 11 volume of Hardee’s

Tactics by Wm Creight.

The longer I am away (very nat-

-urally) the more anxious I

am to see you all. No one

can imagine the joy it would

afford me to have the ^ ‘dear’ little

family present, in the form

of ambrotypes.

In a letter to Will

I stated that I had enclosed

an extract, containing an acc-

-ount of our little skirmish.

Please hand to him, read if

^ ‘you’ wish. Having [ ‘the’ lined out] ^ ‘to’ arrange the

roll for Dan I must close.

Give much love to all and

accept the purest affection

of Your husband

JM Phinney

P.S.

Johnnie is still hearty.

Irvine Smith is better

Today two months we reached

Manassas, a day long to be

remembered in the annals of

history. My birth day passed almost

without my being aware of it. I hope

I shall at least be home to celebrate

or congratulate you with an

affectionate [ ‘and’ lined out] kiss upon your

birth day. Write soon.

Do send me lots of paper

fools cap, letter, etc.

Lieut. James Monroe Phinney was a Confederate officer from Winnsboro, S. C., in the Boyce Guards Militia and the 6^th Infantry Regiment.

MSS 12661