Letter from Luther Bruen, Fort Hamilton, NY to Augusta Bruen, 1861-07-29
Ft Hamilton July 29th 1861
Yours of Thursday, my dearest, has just come to hand, and tho' I despatched a letter to you by the post this morning, I am commencing another to you already, as you see.
You have never said anything before about the Cooper Institute. Sam Craighead has been making some inquiries on behalf of [Lucretra] Dickson, & will be able to give you all the information you desire. He leaves for home tomorrow evening. I will make some inquiries myself as soon as I have opportunity. I should be glad to have Mary with us. Our house has three bed rooms, two of them very good ones, so that we might accommodate her without any trouble. She could easily go to & from the Institute from our house. It would take her about an hour & a half to make the trip each way & she could have her choice between the steamboat & the cars, in going or coming.
You say nothing about the progress you are making in your preparations. I hope you are pushing them on rapidly, because I expect to send you marching orders as soon as Howard gets well enough to leave. If Robert goes to Washington you had better try to come with him as far as Harrisburgh at least. I could meet you either there or at Philadelphia, if Robert should choose to go that way.
July 31st
I stopped writing on Monday evening intending to resume after supper, but something, I don't remember what occurred to prevent. On Tuesday I went on a fishing excursion, was gone all day and did not fish once. We had a delightful sail however & passed a very pleasant day. On my arrival home, I was met by your despatch which puzzled me exceedingly and I was not able to comprehend it until I received your very blue letter this evening._ It is now half past one o'clock A.M. & I have just returned from a very pleasant little army party at Capt Blitz', a brother of one Major Clitz. He is to sail in his ship, the Iroquois, tomorrow for the Chesapeake. As I intended to visit the city tomorrow to draw my month's pay, I want to finish this letter & take it over & mail it there, so that it will be on its way in the afternoon. _ I confess I don't like your plans of leaving two of the children: mainly because I have no idea that you will have any pleasure here at all with two of the children in Dayton. I am certain to be here for four months, & I may be for eight. You can understand very well that you could not stand a separation for that period from Sella & Robby. I might stand it I suppose, but I don't want to if it can be avoided._ I have already rented a furnished house for $150 till May 1st & have paid $40 rent. I can get fuel from the port free, & buy all our groceries at government price (cost) so that it will not cost us much to live in the modest way I contemplate. The economical way for us to live is to keep house. If we don't, we should either be obliged to live in the case mates, & as you complain of your health now, I should expect to have you bed ridden in about two weeks, if we did; we should be obliged to go about a half as then quarter of a mile above the fort to board & pay as much as it would cost us to keep house, to ask, $15 per week at least, & live in one little contracted room like pigs. Our house with the cost of living at the outside would not cost over $15 per week & then we should have things comfortably about us. If you come here without all the children, you need not expect to have a moments peace while you stay here, & after you have been here a couple of months you would be pretty near crazy. If you bring Ernestine with you, you would certainly be able to go out when you please. *Girls* can be had here for $11 per *month*, & if you have your washing & ironing done out, she might cook & mind the children when you are away. I can get the washing done for $4 or less per month. The walk from the house I have rented to the fort is not a long one & you & the children, with Robby might come down at any time._ If you conclude to bring the children & live in my house, you may as well send a box of things by express, directed to me No 38 Broadway. I wish you would answer this letter by Monday's mail, so that I can give the earliest answer possible to the gentleman who wishes to take the house off my hands. I may as well say I have bought some furniture in contemplation of living in casemates & I should like to get some bought from it & as, tho' I get it cheap, it could not be sold without a sacrifice.
You will excuse me my dear, I know from pressing this subject any further, this morning and from answering any of the rest of your letter, which I shall give further attention in a day or two.
Love to all from
Your
Husband
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July 29, 1861
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Fort Hamilton, NY
6 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.6.162
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/162
