1862 February 3 Camp Alleghany

Monday night Feb 3 1862

My Dearest Mother
I received Ken's letter yes-
terday, enclosing brother Henry's & the stamp
& newspaper articles from Bessie--many
thanks to all for them--Ken says he reckons
"Sister Mary has told me so & so"--so I sup-
pose she wrote some but forgot to put
it in as I did not get any thing from
her--Letters from home are more & more
a treat and the pieces from the papers are
read by my mess-mates (room-mates I might
call them now, as we are in a comfortably
furnished cabin) with as much interest as by myself--Every
letter I get, they ask if there are "any
scraps" We see the papers now rather
more frequently, and I have just been
reading that abominable "Bill for
raising Virginia's quota of men" which
the Senate has passed--I hope the House
will have common sense enough to quash
it--but suppose not--If not it will
cause a "rumpus" throughout the army=--
and all of "Virginia's quota" will have
to be drafted, for they will not vol-
unteer--It makes no adequate or proper

[page 2]
distinction between volunteers & the militia-
gives the former no credit for past services
& except the paltry reward of $50 there is
no difference made--It does, it is true, allow
a company to be filled up from the militia,
to remain in the field under its old officers provided 35 of its present
members reenlist--This amounts to nothing, as
very few companies now number twice that
many--and not one in ten will reenlist in
that way--The officers as a general thing wd
be very willing to do so, but the men will
take their chances in the draft, before
they will continue in service without having
furloughs--Our Co. is as good as any of the
others--better than most==& of it not one in ten
will volunteer in this way--They ought to
have some credit for the year they will
have served--I think myself that the
whole militia now at home ought to be
called out & gotten ready for active ser-
vice--If that were done & proper credit given
thus to the present volunteers twice as many
of these would reenlist, & then if not needed
a portion of the militia cd be discharged--
It is the common saying of all the men
with whom I have talked on the subject
that they "will not thus be thus forced to vol-
unteer"--in this class are many who until
this Bill had declared their intention of re

[page 3]
enlisting--Capt. Lilly has determined to make
up a Cavalry Co. & a great many men of
his Co. had signified their intention to join
it--If I went to the service again I intended
to go with him--as it is I shall wait for
something to turn up--I am glad Ken is
at College & Lance out of the scrape--
According to this Bill the Officers now in
service, if they cannot get 35 of their men to
reenlist (& as I said they cannot) will if drafted
(& they stand even chances for it) be tacked
on to Militia Companies at home or in
the field which have already organized &
elected officers--Thus tried & experienced officers
will become privates under raw militia men-
The whole thing is absurd--The "Fool-Killer"
should visit Richmond-
I am glad brother Henry is getting along
so well & writes so cheerfully--I will write
to him soon--My term of enlistment ends the
27th of May--I don't expect I can go home
before that time--Furloughs are almost unknown
here--But it is less than 4 months & I hope
we will all be spared to meet then--I have
just finished "Hedley Vicars" read most of it
today--It has been going the rounds of the
Company & I did not like to take it from
any one who wanted to read it--There are
some to read it yet--It is a most excellent

[page 4]
book for Camp, & if I cd be such a sincere & earnest
Christian as he was, I wd have no more fear of
death than he had--I suppose no such other
mere man ever lived--I shall try to profit by
his example & so be prepared for any event that
may await me--We have preaching twice every
Sunday in the little church (I think it is marked
on that map I sent you) Capt Miller generally
preaches in the morning, but last Sunday the Chaplain
of the 12th Ga. Regt preached)--Capt Miller seems
in earnest & never lets the weather interfere with
his arrangements--He is fully as fine a preacher
as Dr. Hays--He holds prayer meetings at the
Church Tuesday & Thursday evenings--The church
is a very small one & is always crowded to its utmost
capacity--I have read a good deal of "Baxter's Saint's
Rest"--You must not think that I spend my time
very idly--I generally have a good deal of writing to
do for the Capt--"Powers of Attorney" for sick men to
draw their pay--Requisitions, Notes of thanks to ladies
for presents &c &c for the "Staunton Spectator." That
paper came out with a notice of my election the
other day--the Capt had sent it--I have received
my Commission Lieut. Wright & I are going
down to Crab Bottom as soon as the weather clears
up to "qualify" to our Commissions--We can't get
at a Magistrate nearer (10 miles)--We were thinking
this morning while it was snowing of making a
"Yankee (Secesh) jumper" to go to Hevener's in, but it is
now raining--we can get horses for the purpose--About
15 of us have established a select Debating Society & I was
Chairman of a Committee to get up By-Laws & a Constitution
& also on the Debate--Every member has to speak each
night--there are also two declamations & two original compo-
sitions to be criticised---We have had only one meeting--meet
Friday nights--I pitched into the Capt & Tom Opie the last
meeting & for some time we had it up & down--I have read
two or three plays of Shakespeare, "Quentin Matsys," "Nicholas Nickleby"
Sense & Sensibility tracts & other good books--have some to read yet--so you see
I haven't been quite idle--I write a good many letters too am fonder of it.

[in right hand margin of page 4]
I wrote to Ellen the other day.

[cross hatched on the left hand side of page 1]
Lieut John Cochran of Staunton a cousin of Miss Mitties died her
of Typhoid fever a few days ago--There is not much
sickness in camp--I am in good health & good spirits
The roads are impossible & no Yankee demonstrations
Good night & may God bless you all
Your afft son
C. D. McCoy

upside down in margin of page 1]
Tuesday morning--How does Ken get on with his German &c?
Remember me to Redwood & best love to all CDM

Charles D. McCoy, 1st Sgt, Co. D, 25th Virginia Infantry

Presumably the "Memorials of Captain Hedley Vicars" the biography of a British officer killed in the Crimean War

Quentin Matsys: perhaps a biography of the Dutch painter of that name

Joseph B. Wright, Corporal Co. B, 25th Virginia Infantry

MSS 6830-a, -b