Sunday, December 9, 2012

1862 December 9 Guinea Depot


Camp Guineas Depot
  December 9” 1862
My own dear Jennie
      Up to this time I have recd no letter from
you though now & then I hear indirectly from
you  that is I see some one from H. B who will
say “I suppose your family are well as I hear
nothing to the contrary”  a most unsatisfactory
statement to a husband & father accustomed to
receive almost daily communications from
his wife – the best & dearest wife on earth.  At
least I think so & I doubt not if any impartial
judge could be found such wh would be his
or her verdict.  I know you have writen [sic] to me
but the disarrangement of our army mails
prevents my receiving them.  I cant tell if
you get mine or not.  I suppose you do after
the usual delays.  I recon you have no time
just now to get low spirited – what with shel-
tering & feeding your stock – sheep, pigs, calves
&c  you are quite busy.  of course I dont
mean that you do it, but it takes a good
[deal] of thinking & looking after to attend to
all their little details.  In fact I see very
little difference between the general management
of a small & a large farm.  You have on
your little home every thing that any one has

[page 2]
on a much larger place.  one thing I know you
have, that I dont think can be found on any other place
in such perfection that is children.  Bless that
little baby.  Do you know that I am now thinking
of her all the time as a little brat that can
walk all about if she chooses so to do.  She is
now nearly ten months old & I think a smart little
fat thing like her ought to be doing her own
navigation.  Lizzie & Jim will be de-
lighted at her walking more probably than
either of us.  Do you know my darling that
I am getting foolish again about this war
 I have come to the conclusion that Genl Lee
has completely got ahead of Burnside so that
he cant now cross the river or make any ad-
vance without certain defeat.  Such is the op-
inion of leading officers here.  Now I am so
foolish to believe that the failure of Burnside
to accomplish anything will so demoralize
the Yankey cause both in their own esti-
mation & that of foreign Nations that they
will be unable to make more than a feble [sic]
effort next spring – if indeed it does not
force them to abandon their own cause.
 The message of Lincoln seems to me to
be very low spirited and not to make any
very great calculations in future successes
of his army or any thing connected with
his cause.

[page 3]
After breakfast – Now what do you think we had for break-
fast.  Here is our Bill of Fare – sugar & coffee, butter & hot
rolls apple butter & molasses, beef stake [sic] & the finest sweet pot-
atoes I ever saw.  On arriving here, we were pretty much
out of good things when we got here and so sent a man
to Richmond who got us a barrel of sweet potatoes for $10, sugar
70 c coffee $3.60 molasses $4.00 peper [sic] & so on so that we are
now rather thin in pocket but a pretty full larder.  We
are determined to have good things if money will buy them.
Genl Taliaferro assumed command of the briga Division
this morning and just sent me word to select in
this vicinity a good or better camping ground than the
one I have – which I must do as soon as I finish
my letter to you – which by the way I intend to
send to Richmond or Gordonsville to have mailed
for I am told that letters sent to this post office
are neither mailed or delivered within a week
of their reception at the office.  Your father was
here the other day and I requested him to get
one of the girls to write to you of my location
and doings.  So you observe that I take every
opportunity to let you know what I am
doing so if I fail you must not find fault
with me.  I got this morning 118 pair of good
shoes which I hope will very nearly shoe all the
bare feet in my command  I also got a lot of
very indifferent looking overcoats, but I think
they are warm.  My impression is that I am
better off than any other brigade commander in

[page 4]
the army, for which I will not even receive the
thanks of the men I have taken care of, such
is life in the army.
   If I was without a well grounded hope
that this war would end before another
campaign opened I think I would be a
very unhappy man.  I can see no chance
of my being able to see you all during
this winter unless we have an armistice
 no furloughs are now granted except on a
surgeons certificate of disability, and I am
geting [sic] so hearty that my chance is indeed
a very poor one.  It is quite probable
that some change may be made in
the present organization of this Division
that will relieve me honorably from
the command if so I had thought
of applying for a short leave.  If I am
relieved in a way that reflects on me
as an officer I will leave of course
 Take mighty good care of your-
self & little ones.  Julia has gone
home to be confined so our hunt
after Mr Tyler is fruitless to us.
Most Affectionately
    E.T.HWarren

[The following was written in the left margin of page 4.]
Wednesday morning – I must send this letter by
Capt Young to Luray thence by mail to you
no chance to get a letter mailed here.



“Guineas Depot”, heading – This is a misspelling of Guinea Depot.  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 own dear Jennie”, salutation – Warren’s wife, Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson Magruder Warren.

“H. B”, line 3 – Harrisonburg, Rockingham County.

“little baby”, page 2, line 4 – Warren’s youngest daughter, Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson.

“Lizzie”, page 2, line 9 – Warren’s seven year old daughter.

“Jim”, page 2, line 9 – Warren’s son, six year old James M.

“Genl Lee”, page 2, line 13 – Robert Edward Lee, Confederate general, commanded the Army of Northern Virginia.

“Burnside”, page 2, lines 14 & 18 – Ambrose E. Burnside, Union general, commanded the Army of the Potomac.

“the river”, page 2, line 15 – Rappahannock River.

“Genl Taliaferro”, page 3, line 10 – William B. Taliaferro, Confederate general, commanded the division in which the 10th VA Infantry served.  He had been seriously wounded at the Battle of Brawner Farm, 28 August 1862.

“Your father”, page 3, line 18 – Warren’s wife’s father, seventy year old James Magruder.

“brigade commander”, page 3, line 29 – Warren still held temporary command of the 3rd Brigade, Taliaferro’s Division, Jackson’s Command.  The brigade consisted of the 47th & 48th Alabama Infantry regiments, and the 10th, 23rd, and 37th VA Infantry regiments.

“E.T.HWarren”, page 4, signature – Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, Colonel, 10th VA Infantry.

“Capt Young”, page 4, note, line 2 – William T. Young whose hometown was Luray.  Young had served as captain of the Page Volunteers, Company K2, 10th VA Infantry from June 1861 until April 1862.  He was not reelected in the reorganization of the company in April 1862 and was discharged.  Obviously, at the time of this letter, Young had been visiting the men of the Page Volunteers.

[transcript by John P. Mann, IV]

MSS 7786-g

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