Letter from Luther Bruen, Nokesville, VA to Augusta Bruen, 1864-03-22
Nokesville March 22 My Dear Wife: Yours of the 15th came to hand this evening: it was postmarked the 17th. By the way I wrote the date on which the letter was mailed on the back of one or two of mine, -- have they come to hand yet? And did they make any better time? -- It commenced to snow furiously a little before dark this evening and now there is about an inch of it in depth on the ground. It will probably end in a rain. It has been very cold all day and I have remained in my tent very closely, and kept up a big fire which set the barrels on top of my chimney on fire once. They were extinguished before much damage was done, however, and I have managed to keep myself quite comfortable. The snow will probably turn to rain before the storm is over, which will make it exceedingly disagreeable to get about. I hope it will and that it will keep on raining until it is ready to stop for good. The weather has been so fine and dry for so long a period that my recent "horror" has been of a move from our present camp, to be caught as soon as we got fairly started in a storm and to flounder around in the mud and water for a month or two, such completely disgusted individuals as it seldom becomes the lot of humanity to be. Now that a storm has set in there is some hope that we stick here until there is less prospect of our *sticking* elsewhere. -- I was glad to learn that Bessie has improved and hope she will continue to do so. In my last, sent yesterday morning, I informed you of the letter I had written home about that position in Washington. I wish you would speak quietly to your Uncle John about it and urge him to do what he can. Also write me what he says and what has been done that I may know as early as possible. -- You say nothing about the Ogden note so that I suppose it has not been paid, -- and consequently *Seeverts* note and *S.V.P.'s* interest has not been paid. I wish it were otherwise. But I have expatiated on this subject in one of my late letters, so I will say no more now. I think your plan is a good one and will have excellent results if strictly carried out. I hope you will give it a fair trial. -- The Piety case is a very funny one, in fact decidedly unique. It is a case where truth is stranger than fiction. I should think that happy family must be constituted upon the same principle as Barnum's where the members are kept well stuffed with food to prevent them from eating each other up! I feel sure the mother is a woman with very strong alimentiveness and very weak gustativeness and deficient in ideality. May they prosper! But don't you think you will miss making the acquaintance of some rare specimens of humanity by not calling upon them? By the way Perrin was the name of a woman who used to call very frequently to see Col. Burke. He told her once that it was very extraordinary that her children should have red hair when both she and her husband both had black! He used to visit Springfield sometimes. -- I see they have been trying abolish Hayne's Court. I am glad they did not succeed. If they had he would have been sorry he had not gone on #the Supreme Bench. It would have been better for your Uncle John however if they had legislated him back to the bar. (Attached Page)# March 23. The snow is a foot deep in front of my tent this morning. I don't know how deep it is on a level but it must be six inches, perhaps more. It is not my present intention to wade out to discover the depth. The sun shining very brightly, which means the storm is not over, or that is said to be the sign when it clears off in the night. If it should come on to rain this would probably be a thoroughly flooded country. The high water might interrupt railroad travel for a few days in that case we should probably suffer for something to eat. I shall give our caterer a hint to lay in a full supply for fear of accidents, as I don't feel like sustaining life on hard tack and coffee until we are fairly in the midst of the campaign. We have plenty of nice fresh eggs -- some of them laid by our own hens, *put* Miss Mary's doubts to the contrary not withstanding! and we have one hen sitting!! What do you think of that? The eggs will probably be hatched about the time we move. #If you have a prompter correspondent I would like to know who he is!# #My health is perfect, never better in my life. My habits are *vy* good. I quit drinking of ale the last day of last month and I don't think I shall ever drink any more except in special cases, until I get old enough to need a stimulus.# #I enclose $20, which you will keep as long as you can. It bears 5 per cent int and is dated Feby 6th# #Here is another sheet full of pretty much nothing, but you will have to be satisfied with it, as there is nothing else to be had in this neighborhood. I will try to send you some more money in a few days -- as soon as I get my pay-rolls cashed, perhaps this week. I have paid all my debts here except $15 so that I can spare it as well as not. Besides the less I have the less I spend. Much love and many kisses to you all. Good bye darling, L.B.B.#
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March 22, 1864
Bruen, Luther Barnett
Nokesville, VA
4 pages; + note dated 03/23/1864
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Bruen, Luther Barnett -- Correspondence
Catharine Mitchill '31 Collection of Family Letters, Wellesley College Library, Special Collections
MSS.6.292
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/292
