Saturday, November 17, 2012

1862 November 18 Camp near Cedarville

                                                 Camp near Cedarville
                                                        November 18th 1862

Dear Aunt Mary,
                                   Your kind and affectionate letter
on the 9th was received a day or two ago & I can not tell
you how very glad I was to hear from you, though it
really distresses me to find that so many of my letters
hone & so many coming from home are miscarried.
The package you sent me by Major Howard & the letter
were received some time ago, on October, while we were
encamped at "Bunker Hill," & immediately sat down
& wrote you a long letter acknowledging the receipt
of the Socks &c, which letter I had hoped to have
been received by you long since & I was certain
when I received your last letter that it was an answer
to the one I wrote.   The said letter has probably not
reached you yet & probably never will, so I must
again thank you for the nice little package sent
me containing articles so essential to a soldier's
comfort.  I don't mind thanking you a thousand
times & am delighted always to find an opportunity
of writing to you, but I am afraid you have
thought rather hard of me for not writing before
this, if it so be that you have not received my

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other letter.  The letter ought by rights to be addressed
to Papa, but as you probably will never get my
last letter to you, you must have the benefit
of this one.  Your last letter, Aunt Mary, was a
real good long letter, just such an one, as I like
to get from home, & I was delighted to get it.  I am
so glad to know that you have recovered your health
and that you have such a pleasant comfortable
home. It seems to me that in our recent troubles &
afflictions, our friends have been almost too kind
& affectionate towards the family. I am glad to hear
that all the family are so well, but sorry to hear of
the suffering among the poor servants.  I was very
sorry to hear of the deaths of little Cindy & Harriet; the
former was always a great favorite of mine.
There seems to be good deal of Smallpox in different
parts of the state; though I hope its progress will
soon be arrested.  I am in perfectly good health
myself & the army is in fine condition in every
respect & just longing for one more chance of ending
the War this fall. The rebels have all taken up an
idea that the Yankee army has just been furnished
with new Overcoats & Blankets for the winter, & they
want to get a few of them before cold Weather sets in.

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It is reported that Longstreet has been fighting two
or three days, east of the Blue Ridge, but we have
learned nothing definite as yet.  Our division has
been busy for the last week being tearing up the Manassas
Gap Rail Road from about Front Royal back towards
Manassas.  What Jackson's plans are, nobody knows;
some think he intends leaving the valley & some
think that he will remain here all the winter.
I wrote to Nannie about ten days ago & sent her the
measure for a pair of pants for myself, & also for
a pair of boots; I hope the letter has been received.
Nannie sent me an excellent pair of Gloves last
Winter & they are still very substantial Gloves,
but you can send the pair you have for me, when
the other articles are sent.  I am more than very much
obliged to Cousin Nannie Carrington for her kindness
& also to you, aunt Mary.  I told Nannie to let me
know as soon as possible whether the pantaloons
& boots could be had & I would write her word
of some way to send them to me.  I have a plenty
of Socks for the present, Aunt Mary, but will want
more after a while, and you can knit them for me
at your leisure.  I am very glad you wrote me something
about Miss Mitty; I always liked her very much &

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have thought of her more than once since being in
the army.  Present my kindest regards to her when
you see her & tell her that a certain young gentleman
in the Howitzers was very anxious to know of me,  not
long ago, whether I had had any tidings from Miss
Mitty recently.  I reckon Millie & Ida Venable
are delighted at getting off to boarding school together
I thought of writing to Millie sometime ago, but I havn't
much time to write & besides I reckon she has a
plenty of correspondents.  Joe Williams saw both
of them in August & brought several messages from
them to me, the other day; he says, Millie is one of the
finest looking girls he ever saw anywhere.
And so Miss Ellen Clark is married!  Captain Brown
knows Mr Lee very well & our 1st Lt. Plater knows both
the Miss Clarks.  I am very glad to hear that Uncle
George has gone back to Richmond.  I shall write
to him very soon.  I must now really stop, Aunt
Mary for there is nothing more to write about.
Give my best love to Papa & tell him I will
write to him in a few days.
I shall certainly pay you all a visit this
winter, if there be any possible chance. Give
my love to Wattie & to all of my friends.
I must again thank you Aunt Mary for
your kind & affectionate letter & beg of
you to write to me very-very often, for I do
love to get letters from you.  I am very anxious
to get a letter from Pa, though he wrote to me last.
Hoping to hear from you again soon, I remain
as ever--Your Affectionate Nephew
                      James P. Williams

James Peter Wiliams 1st Regiment Virginia Artilllery

MSS  490



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