Letter from Luther Bruen, Camp near Centreville, VA to Augusta Bruen, 1863-10-17
Camp near Centreville Oct 17. 1863 My dear Augusta: It is just a week to-night since I last heard from you. We rec'd a mail yesterday, but to my intense disgust it bro't no letter from you. I got newspaper containing an account of your Union Convention. - I wrote you day before yesterday giving you some account of our marching and countermarching to the *camp were then in*. Yesterday it rained hard in the afternoon + we had a pretty uncomfortable time for a while. It cleared up about one o'clock and we soon got things all right again and as we remained in camp until 5 we thought we were sure of another night of *camp punatrae* comfort. But about 5 1/2 the General sounded and by 6 we were on our march. A great many troops were on the road and we had to wait sometime (there goes the General) and had scarcely got a mile from camp before it began to rain very heavily with a good deal of wind. The roads were soon afloat and the men were *looking wet*. My overcoat + rubber kept me quite dry. We only marched two or three miles before we came into the present camp. Camp on Second Bull Run Battle Ground Oct 19. 1863 You see the General holds about the same relation to me in regard to letter writing that Mary does to you. The day I wrote the above *tho* marched back to Centreville where we lay on the side of a hole all day and night. The next morning we marched back to our old camping ground near Fairfax C.H., where we stayed all night. There we had a chance to get at our baggage. Of course we all took advantage of it. I had a good wash + put on some clean clothes, - the first time for two weeks. While going from camp to the wagon trains my horse fell down. He did so very unexpectedly to me, while going over a very smooth piece of ground + while I was engaged in looking around for the train, that I went over his head on to the ground. Luckily the ground was soft and the only hurt I rec'd was from striking against the pommel of the saddle. I was afraid I was pretty badly bruised but I have suffered very little inconvenience from it to day + have not been able on a slight examination to discover any trace of a bruise We had expected to remain in camp two or three days, but Reveille sounded at 4; the inevitable General at 5 and *ike* advance at 6. We marched back to Centreville, being the fourth or fifth time we have passed over the road. Before leaving our camp however I had the pleasure of receiving and *viewing* your and Sella's letter of the *7th*. Tell her I was much pleased with her letter I hope she will write again soon. - We marched thro' Centreville + came on to this place. I have picked up abt three or four mementoes of the locale. So far we have found no rebels and the general opinion is that we won't. - I am *antsy about owek*, lying in my tent but I guess you will be able to read this as well as the lead pencil letter I sent you from Fairfax C.H. I will send this to-night if I can. Good bye + God bless you LBB
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October 17, 1863
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Centreville, 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.6.238
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/238
