Saturday, December 10, 2011

1861 December 10 Cavalry Camp near Leesburg

My dear wife

Edward Early left us this morning, and I
have been down in the mouth, as the saying is, ever since,
thinking about home, I had such a longing to go
with him, the thought that he would see you
and talk with you in so short a time, and that
a cruel necessity, binding me, as it were, in iron
fetters, denies the same blessed privilege to me
is enough to make me low spirited. I sent you a
letter by him for you my wife, which I wrote
a day or two ago, intending, when I commenced
it, to send it by mail, and to write you another
by Mr Early, but when I left the camp yesterday
morning I thought I should not see him again
and I left that with him to carry you, but as
you will probably have learned from him be=
fore you receive this I returned yesterday
evening, and sent Tardy in my place, the Genl
wanted for me to go with him, but Tardy
was so anxious to be at home next Monday, and
and[sic] it was the only chance for him to get off,
I came back, the Genl. said he would carry him
through to Richmond, and from there he can go
on home, yesterday morning before the Genl.
left, we had quite an imposing ceremony,
battle flags were distributed to each of the four
Miss. regiments in this Brigade, the 13th, 17th, 18th
and 21st, they were presented in presence of a
great assembly by Genl. Evans, who then took his
leave of them, afterwards the four Regiments
were thrown into line of battle, and there was
a grand review of the whole line by Genl Evans

[page 2]
Genl Hill and Genl. Griffith, I accompanied the
Genl some distance on his way to Centreville
and parted with him with regret, he is a good
soldier and a gallant man, he asked me yes=
terday morning whether I had ever thanked you
for him for those socks, said that I must not
fail to do so again, says they are the nicest
he ever saw, and that he prizes them very
highly, I told him that you always did every
thing better than any other wife or woman
I ever saw, he scolded me yesterday morning
for going over the River the other evening
and said we had no business to put ourselves
in the power of the yankees and run the risk
of being taken prisoners, he asked what we
would have done if Genl Stone had said when
we reached the opposite shore, "Gentlemen--
you are my prisoners", I said in that event I should
have drawn my Revolver and killed Genl
Stone instantly, he laughed and said "that
would have been a gallant but a desparate
act", I do not think however there was much
risk, we should not have gone perhaps if
Genl Stone had not been there, Mr Early
will tell you all about that we are doing,
how we are fixed and getting on, we have had
a most remarkable spell of fine weather
lately, and but that we are encamped in
rather a wet place, would not be uncomfort=
able, we are expecting to change our encamp=
ment every day, and are talking of going to the
fair ground close to Leesburg, Genl. Hill speaks
of concentrating all his forces, and keeping them
together, and having his head quarters in the

[page 3]
camp, everything seems to be quiet now, the
yankees slip over the River every now and
then and steal a horse or a beef, they carried off
three Horses last night from Mrs Mason's [?]
the Point of Rocks.

[letter will continue on the 12th]

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