1861 December 16 Camp near Centreville

Camp near Centreville
Dec 16” 1861.
My own darling wife
I sent you an apology for a letter
this morning again and to be certain
that I will not have to do the same
thing again in the morning I commence
operations now. This morning Capt Jack
Miller M Moffett Moreson & myself took
a big Ride at full gallop around the
fortifications near centreville [sic] which we
all enjoyed vastly & I doubt not were
all impressed by it – and now will you
believe it that Ride is everything I have
to day had to Relieve the monotony of
military life. You sometimes in your
letters intimate that I am indifferent
about you. No one was ever more
mistaken. If I were constantly en-
gaged in things of interest I might some-
times not think of you for the moment
but as it is You are in my mind all
the time My favorite entertainment is
to set down & Review our past history
from the moment we first met down
to the morning we last parted at Manas-
sa. [sic] I go over the whole of it & then
I take up particular parts of most interest
to me & which make the strongest im-
pressions on my mind and Really
have more enjoyment in that than
anything else. And now suppose as
a matter of interest to both I commence
& Record the whole by letter and men-
tioning & [noting?] each pleasant incident

[page 2]
as it occurred leaving you to supply all omis-
sions. You Remember well the moment we
met at Mrs Sheffirs. You were then only 16
years old and made faces at me as Rather an
old codger – afterwards when bordering on
17 you came to H B on a visit and you
& Mag Sheffir got jealous of each other. You
made no more faces but on the contrary
many a tender look. And well do I Re
member how you used to steal on me
& John Mag too by being up early & Ready
for a long nice chat before breakfast
I Remember the trip to Lexington but
owing to the number of brass butons [sic] I think
I was only about second or third best
at any Rate from some cause I have
no very distinct Recolections [sic] of this trip
except that Mag Remembering probably
that we were to Return to Staunton to-
gether – bid me good bye in a very
tender & Rather [?] style – differing
materially from our parting the next night
in Staunton which somehow I never forgot
up to this time I dont know what
impressions we had made on each oth
er. For myself all I know is that
I could not forget our parting and was
determined to meet you again. that I went
to Richmond for that purpose & Run myself
down to effect it and finally that we met
on the Fair grounds. that you were sur-
passingly beautiful and that when we met
your eyes (the sweetest & prettiest ever set in
womans head) fairly danced with pleasure
and that we were happy in each other

[remainder of letter currently missing]

"Capt Jack Miller Moffett Moreson", lines 5 & 6 - 'Captain William Andrew Jackson Miller, Assistant Commissary for Subsistence, Surgeon Samuel Harvey Moffett, Assistant-Surgeon J. A. Morson, all members 10th VA Infantry.'

"H B", page 2, line 6 - 'Harrisonburg'

"owing to the number of brass butons", page 2, line 14 - 'This is an obvious reference to the Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, due to the large number of ball-buttons worn on their dress uniforms.'

[transcription and annotations by John P. Mann IV]

MSS 7786-g