Letter from Luther Bruen, Washington, DC to Augusta Bruen, 1861-03-24
[1861] Sunday
Washington March 24
I wrote you, this morning, my Dearest One, quite a long letter; & I commence another tonight because, firstly, I have nothing else to do, and secondly because I shall wish to write you tomorrow in answer to the letters I expect in the morning, and want to have a good deal of it written tonight, as I may wish to do something else in the morning.
As I expected Robert did not go today and does not know when he will be able to get off. He says he means to be home on next Saturday, but I think it very doubtful whether he is able to leave then. He is making something by prosecuting claims in the Department[s] and while he can do this, I don't think he will return; at any rate, until he knows whether he is to be Chief Justice of Nebraska. When that appointment will be made no one can say. He talked this evening about getting me appointed District Attorney for the Territory. i do not think this could be affected, and if Mr F. gets the P.O. & I am re-elected City Solicitor, I have very grave doubts as to whether I would accept, if I could. Life in Nebraska would undoubtedly be rough and inconvenient, but enterprise would more certainly be rewarded there than at home. Your repugnance to leaving Dayton would be one great obstacle to going west, tho' I believe we would be better satisfied in the end. By hard scratching we can manage to make a living in Dayton; while the same labor in Nebraska in ten years would put us in affluent circumstances.
I am anxious to hear from Dayton to learn what you all think about my scheme of filing an application for the P.O. in Dayton for myself. I shall not do it without consultation with Mr. Schenck and did not intend to until I found he was determined to take sides definitely with Comly. In the event, I should file an application and rely upon Chase's influences to get the appointment either for Mr F. or myself. I would very much prefer that he should have it, but if that can not be accomplished then I would like to have it myself. If I am not an applicant Mr Chase will support Green or Denny and might possibly give the place to one of them; but if they could be excluded from the contest then he would support Mr F. as against Comly. If I could have assurance that the office would be between Mr F. & C. then I should not think of presenting my name. But Ibbegin to believe that Mr. Schenck has not near as much influence with the President as he thinks he has. There are no indications at any rate that he has any controlling influence over him. He may possibly be able to control him so far as to limit the choice between Mr F & C. but I have no evidence that he can. If the President would say positively that such should be the case I would have a strong hope of securing the office for Mr F. but Chase, I know, will prevent that if he can_ You see how I am perplesed. Were I to get the office, I think I could make every thing satifactory to Mr F. but I hate the idea of [injecting] myself, even apparently in opposition to him, and would really prefer that he should get it. _ Enough of this for one letter. I shall finish this in the morning & start it for home in the afternoon, that is if you have been good & I get a letter from you.
Tell your Uncle John to see Redmond (I believe that is name) he is an Irishman who lives in a new brick house on the east side of Main, just north of the culvert over Seely's ditch & hire him to work for me on election day, if Stich remains in the field. R is a good friend of mine & can get me a good many [Irish] votes.
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March 24, 1861
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Washington, DC
4 pages; dated "Sunday Washington March 24"
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Bruen, Luther Barnett -- Correspondence
Catharine Mitchill '31 Collection of Family Letters, Wellesley College Library, Special Collections
MSS.6.149
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/149
