5th Maine Infantry - Brevet Brigadier General

Item LTR-8980

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 4 pages, written in period ink.


Headquarters 5th ME Volunteers
Camp near White Oak Church, VA
February 15th 1863

Dear Maria,

I have just come off picket. Been gone near four days. We have had rather a bad time as it was wet and musty when we went on the line and it has rained for the last eight hours and it is now very muddy again. I wrote you yesterday but had but a few moments to write in and thought I would write again today and answer your last letter more fully. You speak to me in regard to what the doctor says in his note. I presume he meant nothing but he should be a little careful of what he writes or not to advise a person to be loyal. That has exposed his life in as many a bloody battle as I have gone through. His brother is here from Pownal has been stopping two days past he appears like a very fine man. He comes to see a sick boy he had in one of the new Regiments from Maine. You say you do not know what I wrote in my letter to the boys. I wrote the facts as they were and I challenge any one to refute them. But because I do not like all this is done at Washington, do not make out that I have changed in politics. As I wrote in my last letter to the boys that I think there has been some challenges at Washington. I would like to know how my friends get over some of those things that is in regard to the removal of Freemont & Hunter. Now in fact they fetch nothing against McClellan either in his military or business affairs but the same cannot be said of Freemont. And I would ask why Secretary Stanton does not publish the Maryland Campaign. The fact is they dare not do it because it would put McClellan at the head. It would give him too much glory. You see how Stanton slipped over it in his report at the seating of Congress but as I have wrote so much on the matter I will let it drop in this. In regard to what I wrote yesterday about Kate, I hardly know what I did write but I shall never change to be satisfied of her ever going there. I want to hear no more about her any way so you drop her name entirely from letters directed to me. In regard to the woman, I have seen two very decent looking VA Girls since I went on picket but I do not know as they had any effect on me whatever. I think I can guard myself as I am not troubled much in that way. Ms Sawyer I hope is all nice. Say to her that I will pay her all up for what she has done for you and interest. Then there is Ellen Wornell. I hope she will get called off before the Army gets home if she does not it will go hard with her. You speak of the small pox as spreading in Bethel. I am sorry to hear it. As I think but all are fit to die in that town I presume there are more caskets of the other kind now then there of the small. I was just paid off for two months and if I fail in my next attempt to go home I will send you eight hundred dollars as I now have that on hand. That is with the check I hold against NY. I hope you will be all right if I do not go home as you know it would cost me at least fifty dollars and my stop at home would not be more than six or eight days.

So it would hardly pay. You have got so used to laying alone that I think you can now get along quite well. I may get a chance to go home after everyone else goes. But still we have officers that have families at home and one I know of that lost one of his children who has never yet been away. You will write as before as there is but little prospect of my going. If I should be fortunate enough to go it will be about the first of March. As the others will be back by that time. I hope this will find you all well and happy. My regards to all,

C. S. Edwards
Lieutenant Colonel
Commanding