1861 Dec[ember] 2 Outpost No 6

Outpost No 6 Dec 2d 1861.

My darling Jennie

I am glad so far as I am presently
concerned that I am on picket & in a house after
the weather was last night & to day extremely cold.
so cold that if it does not send us into Winter quarters
Nothing else will & we may deliberately con-
clude to spend the winter just where we are.
My duty is to observe a general & close watch
over the Regiment see that each officer & man
does his duty & not am bound to pay a formal
visit to each post once in 24 hours. I manage
always to sleep in a house & eat in one two
I think I would freeze if in my tent &
will Really feel sorry when the time comes
for me to Return except only that I am a
little hopeful of then geting a leave of absence
& going to see my dear wife & children &
spending a few days of the coldest weather with
them. Capt Tom Yancey has gone home. He Received
information that Pet was very ill & not expected
to live. on this he sought leave of absence which
was Refused. But they granted him leave to

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go home & have his tooth pulled. I hope he
found Pet better I understand she has scarlet
fever. I have no news nor do I believe there
is any in camp I have heard again Rum-
mors that the Enimy are advancing
but dont believe a word of it
I have not time to write a longer letter
affectionately
ETH Warren

Rockingham County Register & Virginia Advertiser, Harrisonburg for December 13 "Capt T. L. Yancey, of the Harrisonburg Cavalry has been on a visit to his family here, called home by the extreme illness of an interesting little daughter."

On February 14, the following notice was published "Death of Capt. T. L. Yancey....Capt. Thos. L. Yancey, who died at his residence in Harrisonburg on Tuesday evening last, about 7 o'clock. He was taken sick whilst
on his post of duty, with his company, at Centreville, and reached home a little more than a week ago. His disease was "camp fever," contracted whilst on duty in camp...He leaves numerous relatives and friends to lament his early death; but the hardest blow falls upon the wife of his bosom, and his little children yet too young to know and to feel the loss they have sustained in the death of a father who loved his family with almost idolatrous affection."

"Pet" or Mary Rebecca, aged 5, daughter of Thomas Layton Yancey and Margaret Louise Newman Yancey. Yancey's other child was a son, William Moffett, aged 2.


Camp fever, i.e. typhoid fever.

Transcriptions and annotations by John P. Mann, IV
MSS 7786-g