Letter from Luther Bruen, Camp near Mountain Run, [Culpeper, VA] to Augusta Bruen, 1863-11-11
Camp Near Mountain Run Nov *11th* 1863 My dear Wife: I wrote you a short letter from our last camp in pencil not knowing when I might have another opportunity. I also rec'd one from you the evening I wrote; it was the one dated November. Nothing of any moment has occurred since my last. - We have had no sutlers within reach of us for some time. What we secured when we had *we were* obliged to *consume* immediately so that when we commenced this last movement we had nothing to carry away with us. For several meals we had nothing but tea + coffee + hard tack. The latter quite populous. Last night at supper Coates got of his piece a worm about half an inch long. They don't generally grow *as* large, but there are enough of them to make up for it. Last night *however* we had a second supper which we enjoyed very much. We had only had a lunch at noon so our cook got us *up* something as soon as we came into camp. Afterwards our cooking utensils came up and the second supper was cooked. It consisted mainly of a steer made of beef, pork potatoes + hard tack - which we all devoured voraciously with a reckless disregard of weevil + worms. This morning we had a chicken stew which was not so good as the other. We also had a chicken in the larder and a prospect of having our sutler with us in a few days. We are not likely therefore to starve immediately. We are all puzzled by the late movements and don't know what to make of them. If Meade wanted to fight Lee why did he fall back to Centerville? Probably Meade was in ignorance of Lee's real strength and was afraid his wagon trains might be cut off. At any rate he appears to be willing to fight him if he does not have *far* to do it. Lee is said by *one of* the natives to have been here *two or three* days before we came. There are two rebel encampments here one on each side of us. They had built themselves very near little *huts* and would have been very comfortable this winter could they have lived in them. They were obliged to leave in a great hurry and *?* they come back. if they soon do they will find no nice little house to move into They went away in such haste that in one *hut* I saw slices of beef lying where they had just cut them off to cook. They had no time to destroy their huts if they had any inclination to do so. I picked up some relics in the camp nearest to us which I enclose. One is the autograph of a Lt Col of a Virginia regiment, which was attached to an ordnance return; another is a *receipt* envelope and the other a rebel *tract*. They are scarcely worth the postage but perhaps they will interest you that much. The Troops in their two camps appear to have been mostly from North Carolina tho there were some from Georgia and Virginia. Their camps are much better laid out than *ours ever* have been, they had been selected however + built with reference to a long occupation They had a chapel two stories high in one camp and a sort of camp *ministry* arrangement with *rails* for seats in the other. We found scraps of several religious papers, one of the Biblical Records which had an extract from the Chicago Times in it of *?* the extract was *? ?* of Lincoln. The Recorder was published in North Carolina, was dated *? this* month + belongs to the Baptists. The *editor* said he had been obliged to pay $22.50 a ream for the paper on which it was printed. - You need only *direct* my letters to Maj. B. 12th Inf. 5th Camp Army of the Potomac. There is an army mail which is delivered from *Camp* Head Quarters. I regret to notice in the paper you send me the #death of Andrew *McAlpin*, the old gentleman. I met him several times at New York this last summer.# #I am glad to learn that Priscilla is doing better. I have had *?* little hope that D.B.C. would do any *? ?* family for several years past. Love to all LBB I find I have lost the reb envelope. It is no great loss as it was badly torn. The *?* he *curiosity* about it was that it was printed on the inside, + having been intended as part of a *work* for computing interest# #My trunk was sent to the care of Mrs Forrer. If not yet recd *have* the matter investigated. I enclose the receipt#
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November 11, 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.6.248
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/248
