Camp Yewel
Sunday April 13” 1862
My own darling Wife
Day before
yesterday having been relieved
from out post duty I returned
to camp about two miles
this side of the river &
found Col Gibbons gone to Richmond
on business in regard to the
reorganization of the reg-
iment. Since then I have been camping out with my
men & commanding the
regiment. this morning I received
your letter writen [sic] on
Thursday & mailed Friday for
which you have my hearty
thanks. The burden of your
letter is writen [sic] in
opposition to my leaving you be-
hind the army in relation to
that point you
can rest perfectly satisfied I
dont intend to let
you remain behind, but it is not time for you
to run yet. Genl Johnsons forces at Orange have
not gone out of Virginia, but
are either at Fred-
ericksburg or Yorktown. I am satisfied that the
most of them, if not all, are
with Genl Magruder,
where a great fight is to be
expected. My idea
of the war is this,
notwithstanding the extensive
display of forces made by the
Yankeys, they have
reduced the war to two
fights, one has already
[page 2]
been fought and decided in
our favor according to
information recd by us last
night the other is to
occur in at Yorktown whither
both sides are now
sending nearly all their
forces. If Beauregard had
been whiped [sic] badly,
Virginia would have been lost,
and you ought to be traveling
– but if he is victorious
or be not driven so far back
as to cut off our commu-
nication with the extreme
South we are still safe
until whiped [sic] at
Yorktown & so badly whiped [sic] there
as to be forced beyond
Richmond. So you see
as long as Magurder is at
Yorktown you are
safe, and even if he is
whiped [sic] our division
& Genl Jacksons command
has to have time to
fall back behind you &
when we start I will
send you information. But if you hear of Ma-
gruders defeat you may look
out for squalls.
But my hope & my
confident belief is that
we will win at Yorktown &
if we do then
I am very well satisfied of
the war ending
in the next four months. I think we are
concentrating our best troops
at Yorktown &
I feel strong in hope that we
must whip them
there & take their
army. We have had many con-
flicting rumors from
Beauregard. last night it was
[page 3]
reported that we had been
ultimately whiped [sic] and
I spent an unhappy night, but
this morning
Genl Elzey told me that the
latest news confirmed
our success & gave us
more prisoners than any
former report. The surrender of Ft Pulaski
is nothing prof
provided we can succeed at
Yorktown. I am fully satisfied that we
have opposed to us a very
small force not
over 5 or 8000. we have orders to be ready
to march at a moments notice
& I think we
are to go by Gordonsville indeed I am sat-
isfied of it, for our wagons
are all at Culpep-
er & all extra baggage
will be sent up on
the train – and thus I will
very probably
have an opportunity to see
you a night
or so at any rate. If the worst comes to the
worst I am in favor of your
taking a private
conveyance & going in the
direction of Danville
either by Lynchburg or
Richmond unless you
can easily procure public
transportation and
then you must go by
Richmond. I have some
400 or 500 in the Bank of
Rockingham that
you may draw or not as you
think best
or have opportunity. but I say again that
[page 4]
that [sic] the time for
runing [sic] is not yet come
our prospects are to day
brighter than
at any prior moment. I may be wrong in my
expectation & hopes I may
over estimate the im-
portance of Beauregards
victory or I may be mis-
informed as to the actual
result – But I give
my opinion you can take it
for what it is
worth. Monday Morning. You have no idea my own
precious darling how much I
sometimes long to see you
& the children. Generally I have been kept to [sic] busy to
think
much, but at night when all
work is over my
mind goes back to Orange to
the dear ones there
& I wonder what you are
all doing & whether
you are happy & what you
have now to alarm
you. I complained at first that I should be kept
here while the rest of the
army was so near
you, but I dont now. I am glad my lot
was here, for I still have
the consolation
that my regiment is between
you & the enimy [sic]
& Genl Johnston I
understand told some
of the people of Orange that
he expected
to keep us here
here. Many thanks for your
letter, try & do so
again. I got his one
very quickly. Kiss all our babys and
tell me how Frank is
doing. I want you
to see him every day
Devoted & most affectionately ETH Warren
"Col Gibbons", line 3 - 'Simeon B. Gibbons,
Colonel, 10th Virginia Infantry.'
"Genl Johnsons", line 13 -
"Genl Johnston", page 4, line 20 - 'Both referred
to Joseph E. Johnston, Confederate general, commanded the Army of the Potomac.'
"Genl Magruder", line 16 -
"Magruder", page 2, line 11; page 2, lines 15
& 16 - 'All referred to John B. Magruder, Confederate general.'
"Beauregard", page 2, line 4 & 24; page 4,
line 5 - "Pierre G. T. Beauregard, Confederate general, lost the
Battle of Shiloh (6 & 7 April 1862) after the Confederates were victorious
during the first days' fighting.'
"Genl Jackson", page 2, line 13 - 'Thomas J.
'Stonewall' Jackson, Confederate general, commanded the Army of the Valley in
the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.'
"Genl Elzey", page 3, line 3 - 'Arnold Elzey,
Confederate general, commanded the brigade in which the 10th Virginia Infantry
served.'
"Ft Pulaski", page 3, line 5 - 'Fort Pulaski,
Georgia, was surrendered to Union forces on 11 April 1862.'
"Frank", page 4, line 25 - 'One of Warren's war
horses.'
"ETH Warren", page 4, signature - 'Edward Tiffin
Harrison Warren, Lieutenant-Colonel, 10th Virginia Infantry.'
[transcription by John P. Mann IV]
MSS 7786-g
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