1862 September 21, Arlington Heights, Va.

                 Arlington Heights, Va.
                    Sept 21st 1862

Dear Miss Cabeen
                   Your letter of the 9th
duly reached me, and as it probably
crossed one from me it is evident
that I was not awaiting it.  Really,
I had hoped for one, tho’ I did
not know whether I was entitled to
look for one, and acted accordingly.
The receipt of it, was none the less
agreeable, however, and I beg leave
to differ from you in one opinion
you express, anyhow, viz;-that I
would find it very stupid.  If your
standard is so very high, I fear
that it is useless for me to attempt
to interest you.  Of war news, I know
very little, depending entirely upon
the Philada papers.  Our own
every day life would not be worth

[page 2]
narrating, yet to us it is everything.
There is a charm about camp
life to me, which I cannot describe,
tho’ I feel it.  In fact, it must be
seen, before it can be realized, by
any one who has not tried it.
We are now encamped on the
extreme front, on the Virginia side
of the Potomac, probably a mile
from the river.  Between us & the
river are thousands of tents, all of
which are lit up at night until
half past nine when at “taps”
they all disappear as if by magic.
This represents the quiet beauty of
the scene.  The noisy part is when
all the drums & fifes & brass bands
of the 20.000 men lying here are
are[sic] playing at guard mount in
the morning, and retreat at sundown.
This last I do not appreciate
at all, though I am not at all
romantic, as you are well aware.

[page 3]
a few yards in the rear of my tent
runs a redoubt which represents
our line of defence at present, tho
our pickets extend five miles out.
I hope that the time when our
lines will be out of sight of this
Capitol, at least, is not far distant
and that when it does come, our
regiment will be afforded an oppor-
unity to do its share. It seems to me
an outrage to make old regiments
like the Reserves continue to do our
fighting.  The lives of those who still
survive are just as dear to them
& their friends as those of the new
regiments, and I think the sooner
we relieve them of the brunt of it,
the better.  I believe we will soon have
a chance.  We are now under marching
orders, with five days rations on
hand all the time--two cooked, &
three in the quartermaster’s hands.
This merely means to be ready.

[page 4]
You are correct in feeling sure of
my sympathy in the death of your
cousin, of which I had already heard.
His character & courage are spoken
of by all in very high terms, which
will be perhaps some little conso-
lation to you.  I do not approve of
grieving too much for those who
fall in battle however.  If it is
in our power after death to feel
such a sentiment as pride con-
cerning the manner of our death,
I don’t think I shall want any
better fate than that of such a
soldier, in such a cause.  I
don’t often think however of such
things, nor do any of the officers
whom I know.  At least they
do not publicly express their sen-
timents, if they do.  Our lives seem
to be only for the present, and
we enjoy ourselves today without
thinking of the trouble of tomorrow.

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The Germantowners spent this even-
ing with Capt Eliot & me--Bill
Dorr & Henry Lambdin. Their regi=
ment is encamped near us.  The ad-
joining tent to mine is occupied
by another--Charlie Robinson--our
Adjutant, while every day I listen
to a big drum labeled “Germantown
Cornet Band,” so you see there is
no danger of forgetting the existence
of such a locality.  Our company
flag now decorates the front of my
tent,  in all its original magnificence
of red & white, so whenever you
hear of the Zouaves d’Afrique, you
may safely whistle “Our Flag is still
there.”  When we march, I do not
trust it to the tender mercies of the
baggage trains, but carry it in my
haversack, and hope some of these
days to return it to the fair makers
of it, and when Co. F returns to Germ-
antown, after the war is over, whether

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your insufferably striped correspondent
(as you have probably remarked
mentally, by this time) is along
or not, it will be carried at the
head, and the presentation made
in style, with military honors.
  My mind often recurs to the happy
scenes of last spring & summer,
& I sometimes wonder how Mrs
Gibbons gets along without her
everyday groomsman.  How much
she has given up, for her country’s
sake!  With you I know it is
different, for you always were
anxious to get rid of him, at least
you frequently said so, and you
are never sarcastic.
But now, Miss Annie, I am going
to stop with one more favor to
ask, which is that I many be
allowed to hear from you soon.
When we do leave  here again,
our mail facilities will be so poor

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that I should like to draw at
sight for the next six months
allowance of letters from all my
friends.  Is it necessary for me
to add that I know this has been
a “very stupid” letter. Let the
fact speak for itself, and, as far
as I am concerned, I hardly know
how to explain it, unless it’s my
nature.  Very Truly Yr’s
                       J. T. Lea

Joseph Tatnall Lee, 1814-1916, Co. F,  114th Pennsylvania to his future wife Anna Anderson Cabeen

MSS 11412