William Wirt Henry to Mary Jane Henry
Primary tabs
I wrote you a few hurried lines this morning before the mail left, but am not
satisfied with that for an answer to your good letter of the 28th. The “Shadows” I am very glad to receive, for I was almost
forgetting how you looked. I think they are first rate and I do not see what
made you run them down so. You can preserve this letter as one written during an
“awful battle” for as I write the ground is jarring all the time with the continual roar of Cannon. You take notice of the papers and see if you do not
find that an awful battle was fought sunday afternoon – it is now just half past
and it seems they roar louder than ever – it is somewhere in the vicinity of
“Aldie” and “Charlestown” and has been going on since Friday afternoon – it was
quite hard yesterday, but
worse today. We cannot get any news from
it here yet although we cannot be more than twenty five miles off. We are
expecting every moment to get orders to go up and help them. I hope it is the
“big battle” that will settle this awful war, for it
is to bad to take the lives of so many human beings. About your coming out - I
wrote you all about that in my last long letter ¬ which
is all I have to say on that matter except that I think more and more that I
want to see you very much and the very first chance I get
to leave honorably you will see me there for a few days.
If I should be sick or get wounded I should send for you at once, and I think
you have proposed just the thing – “for Emory and Eliza to live at the house and
take care of the Pets while you were gone. They would be glad to do it, and
would do it well. I would like to see my blessed little Mollie very much, but it
would be very hard work
for you to take her out here. The drum has
beat for “dress Parade” and I must “halt” a moment. After
“dress parade” and supper. It is now dark and the booming of the Cannon has
ceased, up the river and all is quiet again with us here. It is a lovely
evening, the moon is shining bright and lovely, but there must be an awful field of death and suffering only a short distance
from us, but it is the fate of soldiers. Thursday last I was quietly at work
building me a very nice “log cabin” when I looked and who should I see coming
but John. He slept with me all night and had a grand good visit here. The Col.
took quite a shine to him. If he had stoped until about one hour
longer Friday he would have heard the cannon roar, and I guess he could hear it
as it was, for he took a canal boat for Washington, so he did not get off far.
As I told you this morning, the same mail that brought your good long letter and
ambrotype with Mollies
also brought me a “document” from “Uncle Freddie” (as we call him) saying that he
considered your husband a proper person to become “Lieut Col” of so good a Regt.
as the l0th Vermont, and I am now commissioned and acting Lieut Colonel of the
Regt. and you know very well I will never disgrace the
position if it cost my life. I little thought when I went to Brattleboro with
Captain Dillinghams company sometime about the seventh of August, that the first
of Nov. I should be a Lieut Col. of a splendid Vermont Regiment, yet so it is
and I am grateful and proud of the place, proud that I was considered worthy.
Are not you my darling one? Remember you are “Lieut Col”
too!! Nobody but you and I!! Now I think you will be glad you let me go to serve
my country, and I know that a good many of my friends at
home will be glad to hear of it too. We do not know yet who the new “Maj” is to.
be but likely some one of the Captains of the Regiment. Capt. Dillingham is
about well again. His company had only one excused from duty to day. Corp
Stickney one of Katies Montpelier friends. He has had Typhoid fever but is most
well now. Sarah Wells will remmember him. you say she is going to write me -
that is right. I like to hear from all my friends. Geo is
first rate he will go home after “pay day”, which I hope will be soon. Good
night my darling one, God bless you all.
As ever your loving husband William