1862 September 25 Arlington Heights, Va.

Arlington Heights, Va.
Sept 25th 1862

Dear Miss Annie,
    Your letter of the 16th
reached me last Monday, the same day
I mailed my last.  I am determined
to put a stop to this continuous crossing
of our letters, and at the same time
prove that your fears, or, I should
say, charges, of my not intending to
answer the letters I receive are in
your case at any rate, entirely ground
less.  Yesterday our regiment was sent
out to do picket duty beyond Bailey's
Cross Roads, and as this kind of duty
involves doing almost nothing at all,
I improved the opportunity by writing
a letter eight pages long to Miss A.A.C.
Unfortunately the quality of the paper
(borrowed on the spot from one of my
men) was very poor, and my only

[page 2]
pen a miserable lead pencil (this is
Irish) in addition to which a shower
in the midst of a description of the
beauty of our location, soaked both
me & the letter.  Upon examination
this morning I find it possible to
make half of it intelligible, so I must
begin over again.  I can't say how
much you will lose by this operation,
not a great deal, I guess.  This after-
noon we returned home.  Any place
is home now, where I can get
hold of my baggage & something to
eat. Day before yesterday we got
orders to cut our baggage down
as near nothing as possible, &
off to Washington went m cot,
our surplus mess furniture, boots,
mementoes of various Kinds, inclu-
ding several smoking caps &c, in
fact leaving me just about as
little as I can inconveniently get
along with.  This is for the purpose

[page 3]
of enabling us to fulfill the new order
allowing but four wagons to each
regiment.  Our men[?] are also furnished
with tents d'abri which are carried
on their backs. We are really
better prepared on these points to
go at the rebels, than in some other
quite as essential, such as battalion
drill &c &c. I think you are rather
hard on our regiment when you speak
of its disgrace &c  We do not feel
so at all, and in this part of the
world are looked upon with some
consideration.  In numbers, drill &
discipline we are quite up to the
standard of the new regiments, in
fact have seen hardly any equal
to us.  You are nearly correct in
your opinion that it was the
officers fault that we had such
trouble about the bounty business.
If all had worked as hard as
Capt. Eliot to get the men their due

[page 4]
there would probably have been none.
Capt. E's 2nd Lieut disclaims any
right or title to credit therein,all
having been done before he was so
lucky as to get in the company.  If
any other reason is needed, please
attribute it to the fact that the
greater part of our men came from
Germantown.  Can anything but
perfection come from that locality?
  Capt Bowen only lost about fifteen
men by desertion, most of whom were
afterwards taken prisoners by the
Rebels & paroled.  Most of his men
behaved very well.  What made
you think that he & I were not
as good friends as usual?  I assure
you we are, in every respect.  I
hope it was not my remark that
I had no confidential friends in
Camp.  I have none anywhere, as
I really think myself best calcu-
lated to keep my own secrets----
when I have any, which is rare.

[page 5]
While asking questions, I also ought
to ask why you judge me of having
accused you as being responsible for
getting me off to the war. I think
you must have been indulging your
occasional fondness for sarcasm.
I know you can be exceedingly
sarcastic sometimes, & I think this
is probably such a case. Do I deserve
it?  Then you remark so coolly that
you would regret to think that your
opinions or wishes had any weight
with me.  I don't see why, Most
certainly I would be gratified to
know that any of my actions met
with your approval, and when they
do not, I should be equally glad
to be informed of it.  If Miss Gibbons
thinks she had any hand in it,
(my going) she probably feels the
satisfaction of having done something
more for her country & I would not
deprive her of such a source of

[page 6]
gratification, for anything.  If she
is anxious to continue the recruit
ing business, I would commend
to her care our Company, we being
in want of about then men, to supply
vacancies in our muster rolls, made
before we left Philadelphia.  They
must be able bodied; sober, con-
scientious & well brought up.
  I omitted in my last letter
to assure you, as I intended,
that I was not at all provoked
at the disposition you had made
of the ring.  As its intrinsic value
could not entitle it to such an
honor, I feel flattered that you
would do that for a soldier (?)
which I certainly would not have
dared to ask, merely as a civilian.
Won't you give me the limit to
which soldiers can go, in asking
favors?  I should like very little
to suddenly stumble upon a No,
 
[page 7]
as I hate to be crossed, and to e
forewarned is to be forearmed.
  I am glad to hear the Miss
Churchmans are well.  she cousin Nanny was
going to write to me, but wanted
me to write first.  As you know,
I have no time to write letters.  If
you should hear anything said about
it, you might volunteer this explan-
ation which ought to be sufficient.
 You seem to think my correspond-
ence is very extended.  All my letters
so far have gone either to my mother
or to my uncle's family, with the
exception of what have gone to Cot-
tage Row, Germantown.  I suppose
Harry Dukring has got home, to
console Annie again.  I admire
her spirit very much, tho' I did
not expect anything else from her.
I have received some touching
accounts from home of the sufferings
of the Grey Reserves--riding in cattle

[page 8]
cars, long marches, nothing to eat, &c
We have had the same experi-
ences, too, but I think it bad taste
to complain.  I have seen the old
regiments in the same condition,
but also barefooted, & in rags, &
without money, which probably
every member of the Reserves & all
of our men have had all along.
In such a comparison, our troubles
seem bearable.  Until yes-
terday, I did not taste meat
for a week.  I have had plenty
of bread & molasses, coffee, "ready
made pies  &c however, and have
lived splendidly too.  On two or
three occasions I have made a
very comfortable meal off of hard
crackers. In fact, these & coffee
are the two staples of soldiers fare,
& most of our men now take to
them quite naturally. When the
old soldiers with us hear any
complaints from such trivial causes,
they generally laugh at us.

The remainder of the letter from Joseph Tatnall Lea of the 114th Pennsylvania  to his future wife Anna Anderson Cabeen is missing.

MSS 11412