1861 September 6 Camp at Fairfax Station

My darling Jennie
We have orders to march tomorr
ow morning at 6 o clock for Munstons [i.e. Munson's] Hill
with four days Rations-which means four
days service out of camp. I hope I
will get a letter from you to night
before

or in the morning before we start as
we will not likely
have
get any mail
before we Return. The news I wrote to
you about taking another Hill seems
not to be so, though I have heard to day
both that it was & was not so, Every
thing is now buisy[sic] in camp preparing
for an early start in the morning, and
I am making my arrangements by
writing to you a letter which I in-
tended to be full of instructions about
things I wanted you to attend to for
me & yourself-but I cant take
time to other you now about such
things. I pity Maj Walker[?] his wife
will be at the junction tomorrow &
Genl Elzey refuses him permission
to go & meet her. I told him to go any

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how and I will take his & my place
both. His wife will be there without
any protection whatever which is far
worse than I left you & my darling
little brats. I suppose they think
I am a large owner of bees- by the
way Examine our bees and report
to me their condition. I have thought
of them oftener than any other piece
of property--down here it has been
a very fine season for bees and
I expect ours have plenty of honey
to spare. Have a long talk with
Stephen & find out all about the
former & let me hear every thing
HIs wheat ought to be in the ground
but I fear it has been too wet for
him to work. I think of your
visit to Rockingham with real
pleasure, sorter[sic] like I was going
there too. How I wish I could
be with you & hitch up old Top in
the buggy & go to the farm and
lay out the grounds for our new
house as you know we have done
at least 100 times--I would like
to see Jim & little daughter chase
butterflies out in the field and

[page 3]
eat grapes down in the garden--one of
the boys gave me a fine bunch yester-
day which put me to hard thinking on
the subject of grapes & home in partic-
ular--But to return to camp--Since
you left here a large quantity of pro-
visions have been sent to this station
which has been made a post from whi-
ch supplies are issued to five brigades.
Two large bake ovens have been con-
structed which looks very much like
not backing out from this place. Both
Genls Johnston & Beauregard have been
down visiting our advanced po-
sitions the former was down two
or three days--They are noble Genls to
have an eye to everything--Genl
Johnston gave Elzey a very ser-
ious rebuke for the manner in which
the sick were treated w ho were
send

sent up the day or day after you
left. Tattoo is now beating & I must
draw my letter to a close--I will
direct several envelopes & take them
with me & write you a letter if
I can get a chance to send it from
Munstons most affectionately
ETHW

ETH Warren, Colonel of the 10th Virginia

Major Walker is Samuel T. Walker, Major, 10th Virginia Infantry [John P. Mann IV]

MSS 7786-g