Letter from Luther Bruen, Nokesville, VA to Augusta Bruen, 1864-02-27
Nokesville Va Feby 27 64 My Dear Wife: I was very near commencing "Sir." -- My Commissary has just rec'd a letter (10 P.M.) directing him to have three days *rations* ready for a start early in the morning! What it means I don't know, but I have very little belief that we will move early in the morning. To be on the right side I have commenced a letter so that you should not be wholly without epistolary comfort at the expected time in case we should move. I have rec'd no letter from you since Tuesday. I confidently expected one to-night but was disappointed. The mails are at fault and not you dearest, I doubt not. So never mind the letter will be all the more welcome when it does come. There is an article in the "Atlantic" for Feby called "House and Home Papers" which I wish you would read. It has some ideas in it which I have been accustomed to teach myself, but the writer has developed them more fully than I ever did. The writer makes a distinction between keeping a house and keeping a home. Your mother has succeeded admirably in doing the latter, altho' I dare say many house keeping women, like Mrs. *Brady* for instance, have turned up their noses at her, for not being a house-keeper in their sense. Of course, you will not suffer that Mrs. B. ever said anything in my presence or within my knowledge to Mother's disparagement. If she had she would have got "fits" even if I had not married her Daughter, you'd better believe. There is so much truth in the writer's article, that I hope we shall try more than we have ever done to make our house a home for our children. If it is made so, I have little doubt that they will become all we wish them to. More children have turned out bad because home was made repulsive to them than for any other cause, in my opinion, and I have always thought that I would spare nothing within my means to make home pleasanter to our children than any other place they can go. It will require labor and self-sacrifice I have no doubt, but I would rather make sacrifice for that purpose than any other. Sunday morning. -- Some time after midnight I rec'd orders to get ready to march, but up to 9 this morning nothing further has been heard, except the artillery banging away in front. If we move we go in that direction. You will please have my Life Ins. punctually attended to, as it may make some difference, in case we should go into action. I wrote to Sella in my last. Don't fail to tell me what you think of the letter and what she says. If you feel like making any suggestions as to the style or the #topics, I hope you will do so. I shall keep this letter open as long as I can to give you the latest news, tho' you will probably learn something from the newspaper before you get this. 10 o'clock and no further news. So I will close this for fear of losing the mail. Good bye dearest Thine L.B.B.#
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February 27, 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.6.280
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/280
