Tuesday, November 15, 2011

1861 November 15 Camp at Kernstown, 3 miles above Winchester Va

Rockbridge Artillery--1st Brigade
Army of the Valley

Mr. W. M. Blackford--Lynchburg
My Dearest Father

I dispatched
a long letter home addressed to mother
on Wednesday morning. In it I requested
several things, a pair of pants & a bed tick,
to be sent to me here. Presuming that
letter was received I wish to add one
or two articles to the commission it
contained. If the first letter was not
received you can let me know and not
send any of the articles until I can
repeat the specification it contained-

Please select from the clothes I left
in my travelling and hand trunk two
thick vests both of grenadine silk,
one with fine red spots in it, in good
preservation, the other of solid black
with squares, in a somewhat much worn con-
dition. Also two cravats of the number
left, those of the darkest & most substan-
tial description, and a pair of half worn
thin shoes, which I wish to use some-
what as slippers. the shoes may not be in
either of the trunks but somewhere about the room.

[page 2]
all of these things I beg you will
have packed in my sole-leather hand
trunk, with my name in it and send
therein by express to me. The remaining
space in the trunk might be supplied[?]
by ginger cakes or any such thing.
Address the trunk to me, not to Mr
Bartons care as before requested,
but to "L.M.B.--Rockbridge Artil-
lery-1st Brigade A.V.--care of Capt. Frank
P. Clark, Quarter Master's Department
C.S.A., Winchester, Va."
The key of the hand-trunk Mary
has; you had better send it
to me by mail as soon as necessary.
We shall be in or around Win-
chester all the winter, I reckon,
and this trunk I will leave at
Mr Barton's as long as we are run
ning about at all, with such ar-
ticles in it as I cannot carry
with me. It will be a great addition
to my convenience. When we are settled
in hibernis of course we can keep more
baggage with us---

[page 3]
On Wednesday I gained permission to go to
town and so had the pleasure of spending
the day in Winchester. As you may im-
agine I first made my way to the homes
of your old friends. I breakfasted at Mr
Barton's, but was so late in getting
in that I missed seeing the gentleman
of the house who had hurried off that
morning to court. Mrs B. and the whole
family, for I believe I saw all of them,
recd. me very cordially, and gave me
many kind invitations of just the kind
a soldier likes to get, viz carte blanche
to come in at any time and as often
as I would, to meals & otherwise. About
10 o'ck. I went to call at Jno. Williams'
where I missed Jno. W. also, but had
the pleasure of visiting the rest of
the household. I was invited back
to dinner, an invitation which I
was glad to accept though regretted
it conflict with a similar one which
I had partially accepted at Mr. Barton's
a short time before.

[page 4]
I dined at Jno W's after with a half
dozen other members of our Co. and was
especially pleased with my entertain
ment there. They were all just as
kind and hospitable and agreeable
as they could be. Jno W. inquired
after you with much interest,
as did they all, recurring pleasantly
to your last sojourn under their
roof. But time presses to get this
letter to the P.O. on time--More of my
Winchester friends in my next. I
returned to camp with the most
pleasant & favourable recollections of
the day--It is a terribly disagreeable
day in camp, thus: --cold, rainy & dark and
no fire in our tents. We expect to move
to morrow to a much pleasanter camp
nearer town, from which you will prob
ably receive my next letter. Please
hurry what I have written for as much
as possible. I need some of the things much
In Haste--Your affec. Son
L.M. Blackford

[cross hatched on the left side of page 4]
Please send me a pair of neat woolen gloves I have thick ones for common use
also another dollar note to make out the five & a statement of
what I have drawn from you in all. Please prepay express charge


MSS 5088

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