1862 December 5 Camp near Guineau Station

Camp Near Guinea Station

    Friday Dec: 5” 1862.

My dear Wife

      It seems from the orders &c of the past

three days that we are in the locality which

the present exigencies of the service requires.  We

may change camp a short distance for the pur-

pose of getting wood, but we will make no

important change unless compelled to do so by

movements of the enimy [sic]  And it is well for

us my darling that we are not marching for

it has been raining all day long a cold and

dreary rain.  such as makes home itself un-

comfortable, but strange as it may seem I

am perfectly comfortable in my tent  am

as dry as a bone and but for a bad head-

ache would be as gay as any man could

be who is separated from a dear good wife

– the best & prettiest in the Confederacy &

the sweetest & dearest children in the world

 I begin to get home sick as soon as

I stop marching and get worse & worse

until I begin the march again  If all

soldiers are like me the best thing for

the army is to keep it marching all the

time.  I have not heard from you since Mof

fett Newman came over and not a line since

I left Woodstock.  You must continue to

write to me any way  I will get them

some time  “Guinea Depot” is our present

post office.  George I told you in my

last is with me – he seems to enjoy

himself right well.  Cupid says he has

[page 2]

a much better bed than he ever had before.

I shall get along first rate now  Cupid keeps

up my fire brings water, pulls off my boots

& pants & fixes water for me to wash & does all

I want.  George will sleep with me & he and

Cupid be the only occupants with me of my

tent.  after Genl Taliaferro arrives which we

expect he will do to day or tomorrow.  his or-

derly came to day & his servant yesterday.

 I have often been stuck with the fact that

we hear less news of the army when we

are in it than we do when away from

it.  but I never experienced it so sensibly

before.  here I am in an army of I dont

know how many men, but by far the

largest I have ever yet been in and the

commander of a brigade and yet I know

nothing whatever of what is going on &

am not even advised as to the location

and position of the different Divisions

of the Army.  Of this I am only satisfied –

we stand on the defensive – purely and en-

tirely.  Our movements depend on the Yankey

and theirs depend on the mud & rain, with

the present show for both I dont think they

will be able to do much this winter.  in

a word I am of opinion that all ope-

rations cease from this time.  I cant

see how it can be otherwise.  but I am

nevertheless in a frame of mind not to be sur-

prised at any thing.

   Do you know my own darling that this

evening seven years ago you & I pledged our

[page 3]

faith & our love before the world.  It seems

not so long – it has been seven years of honey

moon to me.  Seven years of undisturbed hap-

piness.  And yet we have seen our own troub-

les.  I have had pecuniary embarassments [sic] &

hard work to support the mode of life we

commenced with.  we have been separated

by a most cruel & wicked war & been sub-

jected to many privations and yet we have

been peculiarly blessed.  God has blessed us

with life – he gave us three lovely little chil

dren and has wonderfully spared us amid

many dangers, and the very privations we

have suffered has already taught us a

more humble mode of life from which

if we are still spared to each other we

will yet enjoy greater blessings.  we have

need indeed to be very grateful & thankful to

the Giver of all good.  If for nothing else we

ought to be thankful that we love one another

How many have begun life with brighter pros-

pects than we and in less than half the pe-

riod of our married life seen all their hopes

of hapiness [sic] utterly blasted by loss of confidence

and with it loss of love for each other.  what

did we know of each other seven years ago.  You

a young school girl – all I knew was that you

were pretty, loving & confiding and that you

had a pure inocent [sic] heart & dead honest love

for me.  Of me you knew nothing beyond the

fact that I loved you  Of course you believed

me to be every thing a man could be a perfect

model.  How good it has been in you as

[page 4]

my character developed itself to you, to overlook

its defects and get used to my faults and I

believe actually consider them virtues.  How good

in you to be willing to live in our little

cabin & accomodate [sic] yourself to our circumstance

and be as happy as a bird.  Jennie my

dear wife if I was spared to live with you

after this war ends Oh it now seems to

me I will be supremely happy & contented

never to have a better house than the one

we now have & no better security than

that of my wife & children.  What are you

now doing this cold stormy weather.  it

would be a happy moment if I could sur

prise you by stoping [sic] in this evening &

catching you all at your every day work

in your every day ent humor & every day

clothes.  Saturday Morning.  The rain of Yes-

terday turned to snow last evening so that this

morning we have about 1 ½ inches deep of

snow which in a few hours will be all

mud.  I expect you have fully 9 or 10 inches

of snow this morning, & cows calves sheep &

colts will all require extra attention.  How

is my baby this morning the dear little mon-

key  papa does want so much to see her.

  Tell Jim he must be a very good boy in-

deed & take good care of Moma, sister & little

sister until papa comes home.  Tell sister papa

says she must learn to read fast so that

she can read to him when he comes home

  Kiss all of them & believe me ever most

     affectionately

ETHW

“Guinea Station”, heading –

“Guinea Depot”, line 27 – Both referred to the same location.  The station, also shown on some maps as Guiney’s, was located some 12 miles south-east of Fredericksburg on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.

    This is the location where Thomas J. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson died after being wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863.

“My dear Wife”, salutation – Warren’s wife, Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson Magruder Warren.

“George”, line 28; page 2, line 5 – Jennie’s brother George S. Magruder, Private, Company C, 13^th VA Infantry.  Temporarily assigned to the 10^th VA Infantry as Colonel Warren’s orderly.

“Cupid”, line 30; page 2, lines 2 & 6 – Evidently a servant or slave of the Warren or Magruder family now working for Colonel Warren.

“Genl Taliaferro”, page 2, line 7 – William B. Taliaferro, Confederate general, commanded the division in which the 10^th VA Infantry served.  He had been seriously wounded at the Battle of Brawner Farm, 28 August 1862, and was still absent from division command.

“commander of a brigade”, page 2, line 17 – Warren was in temporary command of the 3^rd brigade, Taliaferro’s Division, which consisted of the 47^th and 48^th Alabama Infantry regiments and the 10^th, 23^rd, and 37^th VA Infantry regiments.

“dear little monkey”, page 4, lines 25-26 –

“little sister”, page 4, lines 28-29 – Both referred to Warren’s youngest daughter, Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson, born 26 February 1862.

“Jim”, page 4, line 27 – Warren’s six year old son, James M.

“sister”, page 4, lines 28 & 29 – Warren’s seven year old daughter Lizzie.

“ETHW”, page 4, signature – Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, Colonel, 10^th VA Infantry.

[transcript by John P. Mann, IV]

MSS 7786-g