Letter from Luther Bruen, Nokesville, VA to Augusta Bruen, 1864-03-19
Nokesville Va March 29th 64 My Dear Wife, I rec'd a letter from you last night, commenced on the 12th. I am sorry Bessie is no better but trust you will have better news in your next letter. We are living daily or rather nightly in expectation of a rebel raid, as I believe I wrote you in my last. They have convinced themselves at Genl Head Quarters that Jeb Stuart proposes to make a *rech* on the railroad we are guarding but whether he will hit us or not we don't know. He will find us all awake and ready to give him quite as warm a reception as he will enjoy. I don't think he will be able to accomplish much but we shall see. Capt Pease told me last night that an officer 'informed that I was promoted to a Lieut. Colone *cp:* but I don't see it yet. May be so; may be not. I shant count my chickens before they are hatched certainly. If I were, I do not suppose it would change my position immediately, as I shall be continued in command of this Brigade at least until somebody is sent here expressly to command it. I might possibly be promoted to one of the regiments here when I should of course remain here. I wrote to Mr. Chase and Senator Sherman about that place in the Military Bureau, by the *mail* to-day. I don't know whether either will or can do anything, but there is nothing like trying. I found that some gentleman of inferior bank and qualifications now trying and therefore shut the door on my modesty and swallowed my independence and wrote the letter aforesaid. If they come to nothing I will have at least the consolation that I tried my best, when I see it given to one no better fitted to fill the place than myself. - I have got Capt Anderson ordered into the field greatly to the disgust of Capt. Dallas who has been in command since I left. They hate each other like cats and dogs, and I believe there are very few of the officers who like Capt. A. He is very conceited, puts on a great many airs and likes to assert his authority. He hated to come here very much, as he was having a very easy time and getting very large pay - some seven or eight hundred dollars more than I do. He, altho' he writes a most miserable scrawl and has an indifferent education, it seems, aspired to a place in the Military Bureau, but I can scarcely think he could have received any encouragement from persons of influence, unless they were entirely ignorant of his qualifications. If he would write them some letters he very likely throw them into a very lukewarm state and defeat his aspirations if he has even had the ghost of a chance. I never tho't *him* very good, but I should be sorry to think it was not by many degrees better than this. - Your last letter was commenced on the very day I mailed that last letter to Sella, yet how long it seems. If I had been asked how long since it was written I should have said two weeks at least. This is the third letter I have written since I think. I am pretty sure you get your share of epistles and I mean you always shall while have the means and *the* #*patience* to write, even if I have to fill them with matter so near to nothing that it is hard to tell them about.# #In anticipation of the raid hitting us, I burned up all your letters this morning. I am half inclined hereafter to send them back to you to keep.They will be a record of family matters which will be altogether lost if they are not preserved. I shall *enclose* here in Sella's letter at any rate, so that *of they as* kept. - Sunday The Rev. did not visit or last night I was therefore unable to send you kisses and love this morning. Goodbye dear, LBB#
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March 19, 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.6.290
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/290
