1862 December 6 Near Aquia Creek, Va.

                        Dec. 6th/62
                 Near Aquia Creek, Va.
Dearest Birdie,
                          I have just mailed
a letter to you, but I can't spend this
evening more pleasantly than to write
another.  I must also write when I have
an opportunity.  Th
The weather is very pleasant to day
& to night, & we have a blazing fire that
affords sufficient light to write by.
   I want to correct my statement that men
of the 27th Connecticut killed that horse.
It was men of the Pennsylvania 127th.  The
man who actually killed the horse
has been put in the guard house.
Three of the horses, taken were taken from a
boy whose father was killed int he
first three month's service.  another case
I have just learned of from Lieut.
Smith.  He was with the wagons, & one
or two hundred yards behind them, when
a a man came in haste after him, & told
him several soldiers were ransacking his
beauro & taking things, & killing his poultry
the Lieut. went back, & one of the men said
so he was "nothing but a damned officer
& shoot him"  the Lieut drew his
pistol & told him to stop immediately, or
Thay he would shoot him.  He then left.
The Lieut. said they had taken a number

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of silver relics, a little money, & some other
valuables.  A little girl 4 or 5 years old had
two pet ducks in a coop.  She run to them
& said "dont take my ducks, dont take
my ducks."  One of the northern saints
stepped up & kicked the coop over &
caught & killed them. the little girl was
heart broken & cried piteously.
  Some other fellows met a negro who
had $30.00. they took 25.00 of it from him.
  Now I cant of course say that every
brigade in our armies would be so bad:
but I have seen & heard enough to know
that there has been a great deal of it
generally.  I was told by numbers of men
& negroes near chain bridge that the
soldiers there, including our Brigade were
gentlemen compared with the first who
came there.  Our Brigade did not do
there as they did in Maryland, for the
reason that they had not the opportunity
& the country had been spripped[sic] already
of nearly every thing in it.
   Now Birdie these are the improved
breed of men in the north, where they have
not been contaminated by the polluting
influence of "the sum of all evils," slavery.
  Dont you think it is time for the army to
pull off gloves & show th all rebels the evils
of the war?  Dont you think it is time for
H. Ward Beecher to prove his assertion that
those entering the army will be in every way
benefitted? & improved? Alas! alas! for my count
try. There is no one so blind as those who
dont see, & the north wont see.  Every thing
is misrepresented as you & I have always
said it was.  There is wickedness & vandalism
in the southern army, but that it can be
much worse than the the northern army is
not possible.  The two raids made into
Pa. & Md., they did not do so according to
the northern papers.
   You know every thing quoted from the
Southern papers about the vandalism of the
northern army is denounced as infamously
untrue, & secession lies & misrepresentation.
That there are misrepresentations & lies told
by southern papers is undoubtedly true, but

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as I now know it is true of the north. But
it is an undeniable fact that there has
been too much grounds given for the
south to say what they do.
   The Capt. & Lieutenants & I had a talk
this afternoon, about it & I can tell you there
is no mistakes, that if they & many others
were out of the army they would never
enter it again under existing circumstan
ces.  The Capt. volunteered a rather ultra
opposer of the south & of slavery, but his
eyes are considerably opened with regard
to both sections.  He told me a few
days ago that he would cheerfully sacrifice
himself if it would restore his country
but he has felt ever since he left Phila
that he was going to throw away his life
without benefiting his country.  Now Birdie
for reasons your own good sense will
teach you say but little about these things
at present.  It may be he would not care, but
confidential talk should be regarded.
  Some would say I ought not to
write such things to you, but it is
better to know the truth than to be
deceived.

[letter of Captain Henry S. Spaulding of the 38th New Jersey will continue on the 7th]

MSS 38-156