Near Martinsburg
October 23rd, 1862
My dear Sister:
I enclose a long letter
to Sister written from Bunker’s Hill
which I have not been able to mail
or send privately. We left that en-
campment on Saturday & Jackson’s
Corp has since been engaged in destroy-
ing the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road
in this vicinity; today they are at
work between Martinsburg and
Harper’s Ferry, and there are some
prospects of a fight with the enemy
as we draw near Harper’s Ferry;
but most of McClellan’s Army
seems to have disappeared since
the news from Kentucky save
some forces at the Ferry & maraud-
ing parties of Cavalry here & there.
The news from Bragg’s Army is
encouraging if true and the fact
of a brilliant success seems well
established & credited although we
have exaggerated details. General
Stuart’s raid into Pennsylvania
has eclipsed any dash or daring
since the war began; he brought
away valuable property but
the distribution of so many arms
& so much ordnance & the moral
effect are the greatest objects gained.
Every one thought it a precursor
of some grand move of the whole
Army but I believe that opinion
[page 2]
has exploded and all believe that
the Army will fall back some
distance in a few days; in fact,
Longstreet’s Corps has already moved
& encamped near Winchester.
Soldiers all wish the war to close
& of consequence there ^‘are’ thousands
of rumors afloat about peace.
But I see no signs of peace while
both parties are endeavoring to put
forth all their strength & are making
renewed efforts to annihilate each
other. If whipped, the North is no
longer the great nation it once
was – poverty will reign where wealth
was universal; if subjugated, the pros-
perity, happiness, & being of the South
forever perish; so that it is a ques-
tion of life or death with both par-
ties; of course then we must expect
a protracted struggle where such
momentous consequences are involve-
ed in the issue, where the resources
of each party are so great, & when
the Combatants are stubborn Ameri-
cans! Something may end the war
sooner than I expect but I see
no signs of speedy termination
now.
John has gone to Ro. Holms’s where
Sister Page is staying; it is not very
far from here and I wish
I could go to see her, but it is
[page 3]
probable she has gone to Winchester again
& besides I can not well leave now –
I hope Ed is doing well – Poor fellow! I
[brother Edloe was wounded in lungs at Gaines Mill on 6/27/62.]
miss him sadly and wish he could
be with me but Providence has
decreed otherwise & we must submit
to Him. I hope he bears his sufferings
& afflictions gently & submissively which
he ought to know will greatly allev-
iate them. Granville Mason
& George Moore reached here yesterday.
John recd. a letter yesterday which I
suppose was from home; he went
off however without my seeing it.
I will write more if I do not send
this off today which is unlikely as I
will have no opportunity.
[The letter is continued in pencil.]
Thursday 25th Oct 1862:
We reached Bunker Hill
last evening having completely destroyed the
B. & Ohio Road for miles which can be repaired
by them in time but at an enormous expense.
John goes to Winchester today where Sister Page has
preceded him in order to continue some way to get
the latter home from that place; I send this scrawl
by him to be mailed & hope it will reach you
soon & safely. I recd. last night Sister’s letter
dated October 13th and was delighted to hear
from you all again; especially that Edloe
was better than when I previously heard.
I hope that he will continue to improve
rapidly & soon be well. He seems to be looking
forward already to the time when he can
[page 4]
go about as he wishes to me to get him an overcoat;
if I can. I will do so but this article is hardly
to be found now and is in great demand;
if there shd. be another battle here, however, over-
coats will doubtless be again abundant.
I wrote to Uncle Jim to send me Bailey Ashby’s
coat wh. I left there for him in the summer or to
send it to Pa in hopes he cd. send it here. Bailey
is much in need of it & wish I could get it for him
if possible. He is a noble-hearted, generous boy and an espec-
ial friend of mine – I can not say half so much
for Willie who has turned cross-grained, ill-tempered,
[William Aylett Ashby]
highly conceited and selfish – we have little affect-
tion for each other. I must now close with
much love to you all & hopes of hearing from you
very soon. Your Aff. Brother
F. P. Jones
Miss H. M. Jones }
Louisa Co. Hou. }
Va. }
Francis Pendleton Jones, 13th Virginia
[transcript and annotations by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]
MSS 13407
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