Letter to Sarah Garibaldi (Poor), 1863

Scope and content:

Written "twenty miles below Orange Court House," Virginia. Letter regards troop movements and general news.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Stonewall Brigade, twenty miles below Orange Court House

Dear Wife

Yours of September the 11 came to hands on the 24 and had just written you day before, and I thought I would wait till I got an answer for the one I had written, but having wayted for nearly two weeks for an answer from you and never seeing any coming I thought I would write to you this present one that you may know that I am well, hoping that when these few lines will come to hands they may find you enjoying all the health that you may desire, together with Mother and Sister Russia.

I haven't much news to tell you at this time, only that we are under marching orders, and yesterday evening we had to cook our two days ration and pack up our knap sacks and ready to march at a moment's warning, but we have had such marching orders good many times before since we came across the mountain and never march afterward, so that we don't think that we will march this time. There is the Rapidan River between us and the enemy, a stream not any larger than Pots Creek in some places only it is deeper. We are in sight of each other. There is only about two hundred distance between the pickets and right in sight of each other but they never shoot at each other, but they talk with each other and sometime they exchange papers.

It is supposed that the yankees are taring up the rail road and burning the ties as we could hear all last night a continual jingle of rail road iron, and could see fires all along the rail road and we saw with a glass yesterday, a train of wagons moving entirely from us. There is certainly some movement on hands among them, and if it is so that they are destroying the rail road, they intend to give up these countries, because if they intended stay here they wouldn't certainly be destroying the railroad so necessary for the subsistance of their army.

We saw an extract in our paper taken from some of the Northern papers, which said that the army of the Potomac has told for its self and that there wouldn't be no more fighting on the Potomac, except may be some skirmishing, or cavalry fighting. They reinforcing the South Western army and if they subjugate the South it will be from the South West, they have already found out that they can't whip the South by coming in this way.

I hope that twelve months from now will bring peace. Tell George Kemper that William P. Kemper is well and with his regiment. I think I will get a furlough next winter and come home for a while. You must send me some socks, a pair of woolen gloves, some red pepper if you can by the first opportunity offered. If you can buy me three or four good pair of woolen socks, and a pair of woolen gloves for next Winter and send them to me by as soon as you can I will be very much obliged to you, for we can't draw nothing here except cotton socks.

Give my best respects to Lee A.B. Terry, to Mr. Pursinger, and to all the enquiring friends and keep a share for your self and mother and Russia and I'll remain your affectionate husband untill death.

You must write to me soon and pay for the letters that you write for we don't get any letters unless they are paid for.

Give Mrs. Sara Johnson my best respects. There is some talk about our regiment coming to Western Virginia under General Echols but I don't know how true this is nor when it will be, and perhaps never.

Subjects:

Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 27th
Correspondence

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