1862 June 19 Poe's Farm 2 miles below Richmond, Va.

           Poe's Farm  2 miles below
         Richmond June 19th  1862
Dear Mama
                              If Nannie has
received my last letter written
a day or two ago in which I told
her how long it had been since
I had heard from home. You
may imagine how delighted
I was to receive the last three
letters from Pa & you & Nannie.
It was a real family talk
as Pa called it  & I am sorry
now I scolded so about
you all not writing, as it
seems from Nannie's note
that she has written several

[page 2]times & the letters were lost.
I was very glad to hear that
you were all so well, because
I knew that some of the family
had been sick & was fearful
it was still the case.  I myself
am enjoying my usual good
health. There is nothing new to
write about at all & my letter
must necessarily be a short
one: I reckon you all see
the papers pretty regularly
and they have published
all the late news.  Old
Stonewall Jackson, the
Napoleon of this war, has
been sweeping everything
before him in the valley &
Stuart down here, has made

[page 3]
the most brilliant exploit I
ever read or heard of.  I expect
to get the transfer to the "Ches=
apeake Artillery" today & will
probably join it tomorrow or
next day.  I went into Richmond
yesterday with a gun to have
some repairs done to it &
there met with the company
I expect to join.  Martin Harvey
told me that the Captain
(Brown) had gone over that
morning to General Pendleton's
head-quarters, to get him to
sign the transfer & that he
would send it to me today.
The Sec War had nothing to
do with it, it only had to
be signed by the General

[page 4]
of the division to which I was
transferrred. The officers in
the company are all nice
gentlemen & most of the
men are nice good fellows,
though some of them are
right "hard cases".  I will
either get a Sergeantcy in
the company or the position
of Gunner. In either case,
instead of having two horses
to drive & attend to, I will
have one horse to ride &
will be placed in the line
                         other
of promotion. My ^ reason
for joining the company, is
to get rid of driving horses
in this one & there is a pros-
pect of getting up in the
mountains under old
Jackson. General Pendleton
has promised the Captain
to send his battery off, the
first time any reinforce=
ments are sent to Jackson.

[page 5]
which atime he says will be
next week.  He sent the
whole battery into Richmond
yesterday to have everything
about the guns & caissons
fixed up & painted over
again ready for the march.
The battery consists of one elegant
rifled gun, two 6 pound field
pieces & one 12 pound Howitzer.
I wish to goodness I could stay
here until this fight is decided,
but I am afraid it will not
come off soon enough: I
reckon though we will have
a plenty of it to do when we
get under old Jackson. I know
you will not like my going
off up there, but I believe I
will be just as well off up
there, Mama, as I am here.

[page 6]
There is only one thing I don't
like about it & that is, it
will be so hard to hear from
home & to get letters home.
Martin Harvey said he thought
the company would certainly be
ordered off next week; he didn't
know what part of the week.
The company is now at Battery
No 2, down on the river road.
I am very much obliged for
sending the shoes down to me
so promptly & which suited
 me in every respect.  The pair
that Pa gave me fitted me
about the same way they
                         too
did him; one was ^ short, &
small across the toe & hurt
me so much that I sold them
to a fellow for 7 dollars after
I got the other pair. The

[page 7]
pair you sent me will last
me all the summer.  I
am in want of nothingnow
but one flannel undersirt
which I expect howevcer to
get in Richmond & two more
pair of socks. I am very much
obliged Mama for the kind
offer on your & aunt Becca's
part to send me a box
of eatables and I should
send you word to send
them right down if I expected
to remain around R- long
enough, but we may move
off before you could send
the box down, so I reckon
you had better put it off.
I reckon you all are
luxuriating in cherries
& strawberries?  I was

[page 8]
quite surprised to hear that
I had another little cousin.
you didn't tell me what
her name was. Give my
love to Cousin Bec & all
at Uncle Tom's.  Give my
best love to Aunt Mary
& tell her I will write
to her next.  I must now
close Mama, for I have
nothing else to write.  I
shall look for a long letter
from Nannie in a few days.
                   to
Give my love ^ Aunts
Bec & Eliza & to all
at Grand-pa's & to Walt
Bec, Dinkie, & little
Tommy & Leight & Frank.
Hoping to hear from you
again soon I remain
   Yr devoted son
    James P. Williams

James Peter Williams, 1844-1893

1st Regt. Virginia Artillery and Maryland Volunteers, Chesapeake Artillery; later a freight agent and the last superintendent of the Lynchburg division of the James River and Kanawha Canal 
Company.

MSS 490