Roswell Farnham to [Mary Farnham]
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I expected to receive a line from you today on the arrival of the cars but was disappointed. I will answer your letter written last Sunday & rec'd Friday.
I have written you pretty often & have rec'd letters often but none too many. I mean to write you at least three letters a week & have so far written oftener, & want you to do the same.
We are still at Bristol & all is quiet. The cavalry near by alarm us every
night & we have to get up two or three times but it dont amount to much.
Yesterday morning about twenty of the rebels fell upon a small patrol of five or
six of our men & took them prisoners, but before they got away a large party
of our men attacked them & retook the prisoners, wounding some of the rebs.
It is a most unpleasant place to be in. There is no chance of a general fight
that will result in anything, but men are in danger of being waylaid &
murdered by guerillas.
I dont ride out much away from the R. R.. I
ride up and down that some every day - on horseback. Yesterday I went on the
cars to Catlett's to see the Maj'. He is as big as life with his two
companies.
Today Genl. Stannard has come down with Capt. Hill, Benedict &c. Benedict has stopped here while the others have gone on. He send his regards to you. Mr. Peach is going into Washington to see his wife before she goes home. She will probably leave on Wednesday. You & Mrs. Wallace had better go out & see her before long.
The Adjt. is in Washington
The 13th Regt. is very sickly - nearly or quite as much so as we were when at the Shoals. The 14th. had a grand review at their old camp yesterday. The Genl & all the Cols. except Blunt were there.
Bigelow has not got his commission as Lt. & so is only Qr. M. Sergt. I think the Govr. has not done right in refusing to commission him. He sends his regards.
I am sorry you did not see Mary Anderson. - Orinda too if she is so much troubled
about it. The Prichard family will not soon run out I think, tho' it looks a
little hard to see so pretty a girl as Orissa in such a
condition so
soon. Give me all the news of all kinds when you write. Remember me to all, -
Mr. McKeen, Strickland, Harding, Prichard &c. - How is Judge Baldwin &
family. Do they feel any better than they did?
Have you seen Addie Blakly? Give my regards to her.
How does our home look? The front yard & garden. I want things cleaned up before I get home. You had better hire somebody a day or two & have everything fixed. I did not agree to let Mr. Bond have the garden & hay. If I remember aright. He wanted to take the garden & hay at halves but I refused to let him have them, but offered to let him have the garden. Still I do not remmeber that the bargain was closed. But perhaps it is well enough to let him have it about as he wants it. Have some tomatoes, if possible.
You say it has been cold there. He the weather has been warm & dry for the past week. Not a drop of rain. Today is not quite so warm as usual as there is a little breeze.
I hear that Lt. Herrick is quite sick tho' Mr. Benedict tells me this morning that he is better. He has had the dysentery.
I suppose you & Laura are looking forward with a good deal of impatience to the time when the Regt. will be ordered home. You speak of the 4th. or 24th. of July. We shall not stay beyond the 4th. The boys are already counting the days. We have now but forty days after today. That would slip by pretty quick if you were here with me. By the time this reaches you five more days will have passed. You must keep up good courage, & in good health. I dont see why you should not weight more - only 104!!! I am surprised.
Especially as you have not me about you to ruin your health & make you grow poor as you say I do. Do you ever remember now that you have sometimes wishes me "in France". I am not half way there & still you wish me back. Perhaps you will begin to think I am not near as bad as you used to think me or at least that I am endurable. I think my health improves by being away from home & I think I had better stay away on taht acc't. I never weighed so much as I do now. I think you had better got to drinking porter & get fat. You know you have to do it every Spring. How are your lungs now? Have you got over your cold? Love to Laura. I wrote her yesterday or day before. Write often.
With much loveRoswell Farnham
Nelson sends love