1861 October 21 Centreville, Virginia

My dear little Nannie:
I have been in receipt of the Box
& accompanying Note by Woodie Latham for three days, for which
I am indebted to you, and others very largely & the next day
after the box came I got your promised “long letter” – I did
not write yesterday because I could not continue a letter to the
Junction to be mailed & I do not know that this will go to
day – When I go in next month I will take my wardrobe
with home with me – and then Hammie shall have from
it whatever Nannie may assign him from it – I have sent
word to Jack Alexander to continue my Boots to me if they
are with him -= He is located about six miles from here in
the direction of Leesburg – If I do not get those I hope I will
have better luck with the other pair that you will send –
Callahill left the Junction for home yesterday – Brown & I
have employed Old Mr Mason of this Company to cook for
us at the enormous rate of One and a quarter dollars
per month and now we will get along very well – Clark
promised to write to me “often” but I have received nothing
from him yet – The order for his transfer to Kentucky had not
come into the hands of Gordon day before yesterday evening – I

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heard yesterday that Clark had enlisted about forty
men in Mr. Dillard’s neighborhood – I hope it is true –
I was struck with consternation yesterday ^ ‘morning’ when I dis –
-covered that my two rings were not on my finger – I
searched impatiently & failing to find them in our tent I
offered a reward of 2 ½ $ to any one that would find them –
ten or a dozen persons looked all about the encampment
very industriously for them for sometime & I gave up in
despair when they “gave up the chase” – But late in the
evening a little Irishman named Paddy Miles with
a face that indicated his honest impulse brought them
in & I could scarcely induce him
to receive the reward
because said he “I found them accidentally” – I have
placed them in the little case containing the little picture
of little Nannie and now I know that I will
not loose them again – I am glad that my little
So Car Wife has found ^ ‘& bought’ a nice winter dress & regret
that she did not get more than a full supply for
her wardrobe when she could have been better suited
last spring in Richmond – The mornings are quite
cool in this region but with the aid of the stove that Grey
allowed me to bring along from Fairfax Co. Ho. & the Great
Coat that Nannie so considerately sent me I manage
to be very comfortable – My little Messmate (Brown) &
Old Mr Mason are very busy in barbecuing a nice fat

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little white pig that the former brought in & cleaned
yesterday evening – He brought it in with an air of
exultation & blushed when I told him that I did
not approve of seizure of the property of Virginians
without compensation which has grown to be too much
a habit with this Company – I do not remember to have
told you that Tom Claiborne was ordered some ten days
since to report himself for duty at Paducah in Kentucky
He promised to call on you as he passed through Lynch –
burg if the Rail Road schedules would give him time
to do so – I have not lately seen Jim or Con nor do
I know where they are located since the falling back
of the Army to this place & vicinagd [vicinity] – I can distinctly
hear the rapid & loud cannonading going on in the
direction of Occquan [Occoquan] River apparently about 15 miles
off – I suppose it to be a duel between one of our
heavy Navy Batteries & some of Old Abe’s war ships on
the Potomac – Would that we could sink ‘em all! –
Six very capacious earth entrenchments are being rapidly
made on the hill tops here – they are the strongest works
of the sort I have yet seen and this morn nearly fills
my idea of a battle ground than any I have seen –
From an eminence here the country is overlooked for miles
around & resembles very much the view to be had from
Dr Murrell’s house (I’m afraid to say Garland’s Still) –

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When they heard that we had evacuated Fairfax
Co. House the Yankees fearing some strategetic [strategic] move –
-ment on our part left the neighborhood of Fall’s
Church and went into their entrenchments near
Alexandria & Washington – They have not yet
occupied Fairfax Co. House where our pickets now are nor do we expect them to visit us
at this place soon – Their balloon was seen
yesterday in the direction of Drainsville which
is a little village on the Georgetown & Leesburg road
above the Great Falls of the Potomac –
I love all the hopes home folk but
I aint anything but
Nannie’s Own
Choctaw

William King, Captain of the Saltville Light Artillery
MSS 6682