Letter from Luther Bruen, Fort Hamilton, NY to Augusta Bruen, 1861-07-13
Ft Hamilton July 13th 61
My dearest,
I received your letter of the 9th this evening; it was very pleasant reading I assure you. I got another this week so that I have faired better than you._ This week has been quite destitute of excitement. I have bought some furniture & shall have my room fitted up quite well in anticipation of your arrival. By the way you had better be looking out for some one to come on with. The merchants will be coming East pretty soon & you might have the company of James Perrine, Harvey conover or some body else who would be pleasant travelling companions. My intentions as to have you bring all the children, but if you should leave any, it ought to be Sella for we have so many young officers here that I am afraid they would spoil her. Frank & Robby will get along better & I think you had better bring them. We may remain here so long, however, that you will be sorry that you did not bring them all. _ As to dress, do just as you please. Mr Gilman has left the fort & starts for Indianapolis tomorrow. He belongs to Col. King's regiment. He will take this letter & drop it in some where, so that it will reach you ten or twelve hours, perhaps a day, sooner. _ There may be no ladies in the Fort & there may be several, by the time you arrive. Maj. Clitz has arrived & will be here tomorrow. The effect of this will probably be to oust me from my place as commanding officer, which I shall be very sorry for, because , as I learned yesterday, it increased my pay $36 per month, making it $210 instead of $175. I shall get pay for eleven days any way, and that is something, in these times. I may possibly retain it a little longer, but as soon as a ranking officer comes here, of course I shall be superceded. I shall probably be the last Major to leave the port, and will be likely to hold command again before the regiment in organized. Recruiting goes on very slowly and we shall be several months getting our compliment of men unless the business improves. If we don't succeed better when the three month volunteers come home I shall be in despair. I don't believe you will be very sorry, if you and I could live together six or eight months longer. It would give me time to make greater progress in learning my new profession, and to both of us to determine whether I had better remain in the army or not. It is a very honorable place, and secures me a good deal of attention and very few persons would entertain the idea of declining it. But the pleasures of home are not lightly to be surrendered and I should be sorry if any combinations of circumstances should lead to such a result. I needed however to mix with men more than I have done lately and in my present position I meet them on fair terms. The responsibilities which devolve upon me are well calculated to make one cautious & call for the exercise of sound judgement. The experience will unquestionably be beneficial whether it be of long or short derration. __ 14th I think you had better go to Kinneys or Kerfoots as soon as you begin to pack & buy one of those large lady's trunks. you will want to bring a good many things, & will have no difficulty in filling your old one & a new one. You must bring some double sheets & pillow cases & make all your arrangements complete for staying several months; and you need not be surprised if the arrangement lasts but a very short time. That is the way things are done in the army & we are all obliged to keep ourselves in readiness to march on a very brief notice. If we had no children we could manage this sort of life very well but with our three bairns, it is not at all a desirable way of living. We shall have to put up with its inconveniences for two or three years, and then we will discuss & determine what ought to be done. _ I have not been to see Belle Borrows yet, nor shall I get to hear Beecher today. Perhaps I may next Sunday & I shall try to see madam this week. _ I would advise you to commence your preparations immediately, so that you can leave by the earliest good opportunity. Don't wear yourself out getting ready_ have your sewing done & save yourself as much as possible. It is all in a life time any way & none knows how short that may be. Let us enjoy the world rationally as we go along, living in the moment, neither dreading nor hoping too much for the future. Get what you want & think you need, without hesitation, or danger of being thought extravagant by me. Goodbye dearest & keep on writing. Luther
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July 13, 1861
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Fort Hamilton, NY
5 pages
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Bruen, Luther Barnett -- Correspondence
Catharine Mitchill '31 Collection of Family Letters, Wellesley College Library, Special Collections
MSS.6.157
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/157
