Tuesday, November 6, 2012

1862 November 6 Hd. Qrs. Near Brandy

    Hd. Qrs Near Brandy--Nov 6th
Dear Mother
                   I wont have the half
sheet of paper you sent me, so I
send it back to you.
     Last night I returned from
Gaine's X Roads, where I have
been several days.  There I had
a good time, meeting friends &
living high on honey, Turkey
pie, sweet potatoes, Irish Do.
persimmons, milk, apples,
buttermilk, corn & fodder for
horse, maple sugar, "raised"
& "light" bread, clean clothes,
coffee and Johny Cakes.
On reaching Camp your letter
was handed me.  I was
very glad to get it, & thought
it the best one you had
ever written me.  this
morning Mary's enclosing
1 from Miss P. was given

[page 2]
me.  Both shall be answer=
ed when the wind stops blow=
ing.  I made up a fine
batch of bread this A.M.
using ashes Hickory ashes
in leiu of soda.
At the same time I received
an Atlanta paper--very
interesting--from "J.B.H."
wh was a suggestive thought.
  I did not see the grand
Cav. Rev. yesterday Twas said
to exceed all others as a
pretty show.  All the move=
ments were ordered through
the flag floppers.
-------To Jemmie --casualties
slight--2 killed, 4 wounded
Gen S. & the women doubt=
less enjoyed the fun----
Gen R. E. Lee's Hd.Qrs. are
just opposite ours & I
see him every day. He
parts his hair behind like

[page 3]
Kelemeckers Ellet.  Do not
send me any clothing now
I hope to be at home be=
fore I need it.  I am as
pleasantly fixed as any
man in the Con. Army & w'd
not even exchange with
W.R. Ragland with his
millions.
I think Jemmie would
have a pleasant place at
Goshen. It is a Bap
tist oasis in a Presbyte=
rian Dessert.  There
are some refined Baptists
living about there, but
the majority are good but
plain Dutch descended
people.  A man could
have a good time & live
well on "Smearcase" &
Kraut out there, and
go to see Col. Ed's pretty

[page 4]
daughters 1ce a month.
Miss Lou Jordan, especially
used to be a neat, pretty
girl. I remember once
I____never mind, but
if he goes to Goshen I'll
go out to see him.  Sev=
eral people say that they
w'd bet a Thousand Dollars
that Chaplain Taylor came
back a married man.
Has Miss F. Braxton married
J. Ficklin?
A.P. Hill's Corps of Inf. is
moving back some where
this morning--
That large body of timber
n front of Welford's house
has entirely disappeared
& gives the country a
strange look.
Gen. S. has a new kind of a=
musement.  When he wea=
ries of Swinney's banjo, he

[left hand margin of page 4]
gets together all his escort & couriers & staff & every
one imitates the cry of a different animal, rep=

[left hand margin of page 3]
resenting cats, owls, hogs, snakes, dogs, pea-fowls,
roosters, mules, mice, hens, crickets, horses,

[left hand margin of page 2]
terrapins, whip-poor-wills &c &c ad infinitum---

[left hand margin of page 1]
If you cant find out who this letter's from, write me word
& I'll let you know in the next.

[page 5]
Jemmie's writing all the news
so I will only add a line
to ask one of you to send
me in your next letter
a copy of the descriptive
list sent home by Capt
Grey (Do not send either the
original or duplicate sent
by him, but a copy) I
hereby send a "Power of
attorney" by which my
pay can be gotten.  After
paying  $24 to sis Jane, let
the rest go to paying Alf
or Father for my horse-
Capt Grey told me the other
day that more was ow=
ing me, & that is the rea=
son I want the copy.
As ever, Affty Ch. E. Taylor

Charles Elisha Taylor, 1842-1915, was originally with the 21st Mississippi Infantry.
Wounded in action, he was unable to march and obtained a position in the 10th Virginia
Cavalry.  After the war he became a Baptist minister, professor, and eventually president of
Wake Forest University.

MSS 3091












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