1862 June 1 Five miles from Richmond

House five miles from Richmond
Sunday, June 1st 1862 25 min past 12 oclk
I have an opportunity, my darling, to
write you a few lines to assure you
of my safety, and to give you
a short account of the battle
that commenced yesterday.
Day before yesterday just
before night, we were relieved
from picket duty and ordered
to camp near the toll gate
about two miles from Richmond
J W Knight that evening received
a letter from his wife and
family in which she said you
had written her asking her to
accompany you on a visit
to Richmond.  I fondly thought
of telegraphing you to come,
hoping I might have some
leisure to spend in your
dear society, But early in the

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morning the troops began to
move down the Williamsburg
Road and about 11 o'clock P.M.
we were ordered to advance.
As we came down we heard
the first shot fired at 20 min
past 1 o'clock. P.M. The cav-
alry has not up to this time
been engaged with the Enemy,
so I can only report to you
what I heard.  We made
the attack & the fight con-
tinued from the hour men-
-tioned above until after
dark.  We drove the enemy
back beyond their camp
and their first line of
entrenchments, took their
tents & the cannon they
mounted in their breast
works. We hold these
now and I suppose, though
this is mere matter of in-

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ference with me, the Generals
are making arrangements
to keep up the fight and
to prosecute their success.
I shall send you a
note, darling, whenever
I can giving you infor-
-mation of what we are
doing.  I thank God for
this victory, & pray that he
may give me strength of
arm & courage of heart
to discharge my duty, and
may preserve me through
all the perils of battle.
Dont be alarmed. I repeat
again at any rumors
you may hear. If any
thing happens to me
 will try to have you
informed at once.

I have written you
twice, dearest wife, since I

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received your last letter
and I suppose there is now a
letter from you for me at
the post office in Richmond.
Forgive any thing in those notes
that you think amiss, but, my
darling, it is impossible at times
for me to write otherwise.  You
are so inexpressibly dear to me.
I thirst so intensely for your
presence. the memories of your
tender, overflowing, abounding
love for me are so trans-
porting, that when I come
to write to you, I set down
the swelling emotions of my
heart without regarding
too strictly forms and modes
of expression.  Good bye my
own, my darling wife.  Kiss our
children for me. Love to Mrs Riddle
Remember me kindly to the servants.
I kiss you, dearest wife, with unutterable
fondness, & pray God to bless & guard you
& our children.  Yr affectionate husband
John T. Thornton

Mr Deland[?] of Prince George has just come in
& tells me that Genl Hill has informed his
troops that he has just received a message
from Genl Longstreet that if they will
hold their position till night McClellan
is whipped

[with this letter is the last part of another letter also dated June 1st/62]
 2nd sheet June 1st/62
that you have made me a
different man and given
me a higher character
than before I knew you
It is with pleasure I make
this confession to you, my
own dearest wife (This serv-
vice in the army has not
been without its benefits
and as I trust, great last-
ing and eternal benefits
to me  The busy, bustling life
I had led ever since I left
College until  I left home
for the Wars, gave me but
little time for calm, serious
sober thought on my past
history and future life.
In the quiet of the outpost
in the stillness of the camp at
night in the weary solitary
journeys to visit the chain
of sentinels,m I find ample
time for reflection.  With

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no books to read, with no
business cares to engross
or distract my attention,
my mind has turned back
upon itself and often has
the path I have trod been
travelled over again by me.)
Thoughts of you, dearest,
restrained me from those
vulgar vices of the camp,
drinking and card playing.
Thoughts of you, darling,
kept back my tongue from
profanity: and then thought
of the words you had spoken
and written to me, my own
true wife (and thoughts of
the goodness of God and of my
sins and of my need as a man
led me to seek salvation
through the mercy of God

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I trust my darling, that I truly
believe and shall prove faith-
ful to the end and be an
inheritor of the promises.
If I am spared to return home I
trust that you and I , darling, will
live through the long years to serve our
Heavenly Father who has been so kind
to us, if such be his Holy will.  Bit
if in his wisdom and justice & mercy
He determines otherwise and either one
of us be shortly taken from the
other, then may the other bear
with meekness the chastisement
and look forward to a reunion
in Gods own good time on that
blessed shore "where adieus and
farewells are [?] un-
known" &c
I have written you this note,
my own darling wife, in this
summer afternoon, with tender

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love for you gushing from my
heart I have deemed it right to tell
you my sweet, precious one, of the in-
fluence you have exerted on my
character, and to let you know
that you are, dearest, truly a
crown of glory to me.______
I have but little news to write.  This
morning about sunrise Genl Garland
sent out a line of skirmishers. They
soon met with the enemy and quite
a brisk fire was kept up for
twenty or thirty minutes.--It passed
off with the skirmish and every
thing has been quiet except an
occasional shot from the pickets.
It is now 6 o'clock in the afternoon
Kiss all the boys for me.  Give my
love to Mrs Riddle; I hope she
has recovered.  Remember me
kindly to the servants. Farewell
darling  I pres you to my heart. &
print a thousand kisses on your lips--
May God bless you & our dear children
yr affectionate husband
John T. Thornton.

John Thruston Thornton, 3rd Virginia Cavalry


MSS 4021