Saturday, November 17, 2012

1862 November 18 Staunton, Va.

                                                Staunton, Nov 18th/62
Dear Mary
    I have at last seated myself to write you that long promised letter, you must
remember when you were in S that I had a very bad habit of putting off things
that should be done, from one day to another, and although I have tried to
break myself of it, I have not entirely succeeded, and particularly does my
fault show itself in letter writing, though I love both to receive and to answer
letters from my friends.  However, if you will again correspond with me I will try
to follow your rule of answering a letter a soon as it is received.  Let me
congratulate you upon being rid of the Yankees though I am late in doing it,
better late than never, an old proverb says.  Mrs Ide brought me both letters
she received from you, and from you account you must have been very much annoyed
by their presence.  We have been several times alarmed, for feat the Yankees
would get us, but they have not succeeded yet, and I trust Jackson will never
give us up to them.  they have been as near at eighteen miles in several directions.
At one time we had a regular panic, and almost everybody left Staunton, but after
playing "refugee" about a week, they returned and were laughed at a great deal
about it. We have not had school at the Institute since the war began.  Mr
Wheat has had a boy's school and Mr. Phillips has been manager of a clothing
Factory established for the benefit of the soldiers.  Mrs. Forrest has the best
school in town now, and I walk there, about a mile, every morning to take French
lessons. Mr. Ide teaches music there.  Mrs. Ide spent a day with us not long ago
and said she had either first written to you or was going to do it very soon.   It
does seem so strange that you have never seen either of her children.  They have
grown and improved so much lately.  Ella is very pretty and little Nettie Bell
is as sprightly as she can be.  Bee Taylor is still in Staunton and was over to
see me this morning.  She would send her love if she knew I was writing.  I have
not been well for some time.  I had a slight attack of typhoid fever this summer
and have not gotten entirely over it yet.  As a necessary consequence I have lost
all my beautiful suit of hair, which of course distresses me very much.  How is

your cousin Sue?  And what has become of your Sister Jennie?  I do not know when
I took such a fancy to any body from a description as I did to her.  We have been
having a very pleasant time lately, as the Fauquier Artillery have been stationed
here for the last three weeks but much to our sorrow they were ordered away
yesterday and of course had to go. As Staunton is the central depot for the troops,
and persons going to and coming from the army have to pass through, we necessarily
get acquainted with a good many gentlemen, so not withstanding the war we have
enjoyed ourselves very much.  I heard of a very narrow escape a cousin of mine
had when the laboratory at Jackson, Mississippi, blew up.  He is one of the officers
incharge of it and only happened to be out of the building at the time, because
he was sick.  I am so thankful he was not hurt.  He is one of my favorite cousins.
You may have heard me speak of him, Steve Kinney, he was at West Point when you
were here.  Mr. Ide was here this morning and says he sent you a daguerreotype of
Ella, the other day.  do you ever expect to come back to Staunton?  By the by, I
met Mr. John Bledsoe on the street a day or two ago, with his arm in a sling, I
do not know whether he was wounded or not.  Jakey Points is still in Staunton,
has never been in the Army since the first battle of [?]  We had a wedding
the other day and who do you think was married? Kittie Woodward.  I suppose you
remember her.  She lived at the Lunatic Asylum.  I have written you quite a long
letter and you must answer it very soon.  Ma joins me in love.  Bee went to the
country today with Grandpa and Rob has gone to an uncle's to stay untill Christmas,
otherwise they would send some message.  Do write soon,
                                                   Yours truly
                                                          Lizzie


[from transcripts given to the library in the 1950s of letters of the Fackler family.  Location of originals unknown]

MSS 4199











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