Letter from Luther Bruen, Nokesville, VA to Augusta Bruen, 1864-02-17
Nokesville Va Feby 17. 64 My Dear Augusta: We are having a taste of winter to-day. The wind shakes the canvass walls of my house and makes so much noise that I cannot write very satisfactorily. You have misapprehended my suggestions about Frank. I certainly had no idea of stimulating him with alcohol, -- he will probably take that on himself quite soon enough. My idea was to get him to eat meat freely and anything else that is very nutritious. My head quarters are on the farm of a Mr. Nokes, whose name has been given to the railroad station here. He is the President's Gardener and has been making us a visit, or rather to have his property surveyed to see how much damage has been done to it by the Union soldiers. He is something of a blow-hard, but I have given him your address and he has promised to send you some of his best and choicest flower seeds. He talks of sending some grape cuttings. He has also promised to send us a box of celery. How much performance will come of all this, I can't say. Should the flowers arrive, you will know where they came from. I send you a very beautiful tribute to Thackeray by Dickens as it may not fall under your notice otherwise. The weather is so cold that it is with the utmost difficulty that I write a half dozen sentences at a time. Yesterday I was not well all day, and that with the cold prevented me from writing any more than the first half page of this letter. I see I am not doing much better to-day, but this must go off in the morning mail. I am glad you took the children to see Williams Entertainment. I am sure they enjoyed it and it will benefit them. I would take them out to such places as often as convenient -- even if the exhibition is not in itself instructive, it will waken them up not a little. The death of Mr. *Passott* will take the Col. out of the service; if it does, I would like to get his place and might if the proper effort were made. I shall not know whether there is a vacancy or not, until it has been filled I suppose. The old man has been making a good deal of money of late, so I suppose they will all be well off. It seems to be a difficult matter to get an answer to a letter from Dayton, from any one but you. I have written several lately from which I can hear nothing. I sent a letter to Rob in one of my late letters to you; in the same or another, I sent a funny sensational novel from Punch. I'll try to write you a better letter in a day or two, when the weather is warmer and I am in better spirits. Good bye dearest. Love to all. Thine LBB
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February 17, 1864
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Nokesville, 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.6.276
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/276
