Letter from Luther Bruen, Camp near Culpeper, C.H. VA to Augusta Bruen, 1863-10-07
Camp near Culpeper C.H. Va Oct 7. 1863 My dear wife: Your letter of the 30th ult has just been a week in reaching me. I wrote to you on Sunday, to Priscilla on Monday, and to Howard yesterday, and now am writing to you again. And for all this writing there is very little to write about. -- My hay fever is almost gone. I have one attack in the morning, just before I get up generally, and that is all of it. My ankle seems to be *eating* well until I try to put on my boot when the pain advises me that it is not so. It is inconvenient not to be able to wear my big boots, as I frequently do here, especially as I have no straps on my pantaloons; but I shall have to be patient. For several days I have been annoyed by an ulcer in my mouth, which came rather suddenly but does not disappear as rapidly as I supposed it would. I thought it was a gun-boil at first, but it proves to be an ulcer on the cheek, inside. It is unpleasant rather than painful. We have been having a right sharp rain to-night. We have been repitching our camp to-day and just got all our tents arranged as night came on, soon after which it began to rain. I had no time to fix the floor of my tent so there is nothing there but the cold damp ground. My bed is raised high enough from it though. It is made of barrel staves, nailed to two poles which rest on forked sticks driven into the ground. On the staves I have had some pine boughs laid and on them blankets and buffalo robe. I slept on it last night for the first time and found it very comfortable. -- To-morrow or next day I hope to get a floor laid for my tent, when I shall be quite comfortable. -- We are making ourselves as comfortable as possible, but we have not yet begun to build chimneys. I had some bricks hauled so that they could be made in case we stay here long enough to make it an object, which will not be the case in my opinion. At any rate it is the general impression here, that we shall back in two or three weeks. This may not be so, and at any rate it is not worth while to mention it to outsiders. -- You do not appear to have rec'd Maj. *Kinzie's* check for $50. Please do not forget to mention it as soon as received, or to say that it has not been received if such is the fact, as he may forget it, or the check may miscarry and I don't want to lose the money, and you will need it, I fancy, before I can send you any more, as I shall have to use my September pay to buy a horse and saddle, not having got that part of my equipment yet. Capt. Sergeant got a letter from his wife to-night, in it was enclosed a note in lead pencil from his little girl who is now eight years old. What is the reason Sella has never sent her letter yet? I have been expecting it a long time, now. -- DId you find my fancy note paper in the F. Hamilton box? I sent it out for you to use. I thought I had *brot* more along for myself than I *have* as I believe it is all gone. I ordered my trunk to be sent to you and it should reach you before this letter. I will send the key soon. -- There is one or two pairs of pantaloons #in the box which I wish *preserved*, the rest you can use as you choose. The uniform coat is the first one I had. Save the buttons.# #I have reached the end of my paper and my story. Kisses and good bye. Thine L.B.B.#
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October 7, 1863
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Culpeper, VA
4 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.6.236
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/236
