1861 December 25, Cavalry Camp, Leesburg

[letter from Edwin R. Page to his wife continues]

Wednesday night–Christmas
I went into town this morning my darling to Church,
I thought I had managed matters so as to be free from duty
to day, but Col Jenifer sent out this morning for an
officer and a detail of men for special service, Capt
Tebbs of the Albemarle Company, who had been appointed
to visit the picquet stations to day, had to go, and Lieut
Carr or myself had to take his place. We drew straws
who should go and the lot fell upon Carr, so I was
released, after church I went to Dr. Clagett’s to dinner,
it was a family party, no strangers except Tom. Randolph
and myself. We had a nice dinner and a pleasant time
the ladies made many enquiries about you and
were anxious to know when you were coming,
every body seems to take it for granted you are
coming to Leesburg this winter, and I am
somewhat of the same opinion myself, we have
all been in high hopes for some days of getting
home, orders came from Head Quarters last week
authorizing furloughs to be granted to officers and
men for a limited time, and to a limited number,
to be so arranged as to allow all of us to go home
during the winter, but this morning comes
another order countermanding that one
and expressing an apprehension that the enemy
wou.d make a general advance in the next four
days. I think it very probably that this is merely
a temporary suspension of the former order, and
that it will be renewed after a short time. I have
no idea that the enemy will make any general
advance this winter, the present campaign, I
think, is at an end, if the order in reference to
furloughs should be renewed I will be at home some
time during the winter, most probably next month,
if it is not, why there is but one alternative, and
that is for you to come to Leesburg, I had much
rather see you at home, but if I can’t do t his
I must see you here. I have been away from you now

[page 4]
very nearly two months, and I am not wiling to be
separated from you much longer if it can be avoided,
I hate to bring you here my darling because I know
it will be an unpleasant trip to you, and if is in=
convenient for you to leave home and the children,
but you need not be surprised if I were to order
you here at any time, and remind you I am accus=
tomed to having my orders obeyed,
I will send you
a draft for $100, as soon as I can get it. Mr Powell
the cashier of the Bank in Leesburg has been
absent in Richmond for several days, and I can
not get a draft until he returns, which will prob=
ably be tomorrow or next day, Joe has been after
me for some time to let him go home and I
will send him perhaps in a day or two. I have a
notion of sending Black Douglass home, but I
have not determined yet, if I do I will make
Joe ride him home. We are still at the Fair
Grounds, but there is some talk of our moving
and we may have to move at any time to a
more convenient place in the neighbourhood.
if we do move I want to keep Joe until we
get fixed in our new camp, and then I will
send him home for a few days. Tardy[?] got back
to day, rather sooner than I expected for I calcu=
lated on his staying at least a week in Richmond,
he says if we have to decide by lot, (as we probably
shall) who is to go home on furlough I may have
the benefit of his chance and mine too, but
I shall be able to tell you more about this when
I write again, Col. Jenifer has just sent out an order
for me to report to him tomorrow morning with
six men, I don’t know what is the object, or where
I am to go, the last letter I wrote you–I sent one enclosed and
directed to each one of my little darlings, I supposed you would

[in top margin of page 1]
get it Wednesday
Morning Xmas
day, it seems
to me if I ccould
see you all onve
more, just for a
day or two, I could
be content to stay
away a month or
two longer if, ne=
cessary, but if
I were to go home
for a few days only
I fear it would
go as hard with
me to part from
you as it did
at first, at any
rate I would
like to try the
experiment,
remember
me to Tom
Cobbs and
Cousin Molly,
has she
gotten over
the tooth
ache yet?
Kiss the
little darlings
for me, has
Mary’s little
foot got well
where she
stuck the
thorn in it.
if Papa cd
Kiss it I think
it would help
it some,
God bless you
my own wife
your devoted
husband
E.R.P.

Edwin R. Page, 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Virginia
Cavalry

Colonel W. H. Jenifer, 8th Virgnia Cavalry
Captain Willoughby Tebbs, Company K, 2nd Virgnia Cavalry
2nd Lieutenant Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Company K, 2nd Virginia Cavalry

MSS 8937

1861 December 24 Picket Post No 5 2 Miles West Fairfax Co. Ho.

[This next letter has missing pieces at the beginning and end.]

My dear Little Nannie:
Yours of [____] was [________]
at Centreville & that of the 2 [____] as ju[_____]n handed
& to enable me to send it by the Waggon about to re-
-turn to Centreville this must be short & hurried –
Augustine will find difficulty in securing the
Navy Lieutenancy on account of which I scarcely know
how to advise him –
I am thankful that you and “The Cap’n”
are doing so well – Wish that I could be with
you on to-morrow!
Clark remained at the Centreville Camp
before leaving I asked him to go or send some
person to receive the Xmas box this evening –
Our five miles march to this place through
the wind & snow of yesterday was by no means a-
-greeable but in the two deserted houses we occupy
we found good fires left by the Loudo[u]n Battery
which we revived – I brought my Cot with me
& am quite comfortable in one corner of the room
the floor of which at night is covered by slumbering
& snoring men – To day the sun shines brightly but does
not seem able to thaw the frozen ground – The
wind blows cold & I pity the Infantry & Cavalry on
the outposts – They pass here frequently & report “all
quiet to day” – We go back to Camp next Monday –
With love to all & a Kiss for “The Ca[____] [Must be “The Captain”.]
I am “N[_______] {Must be “Nannie’s Choctaw”.]

Please send me some
Envelopes when you can

[“The Cap’n” must be Nannie and William’s baby boy.]

MSS 6682

1861 December 24 Manassas Junction Va

[letter written in pencil that has smeared]

Dear uncle I drop you a few lines
to let you know that we are I am
well at present hopeing when these
few lines reaches you they may find
you all injoying the same blesing
I recd your letter last saturday & Nat
got one yestord day &c I have no importing
news to write to you at present only we had
a little Scirmish last week as our
regiment was agoing to starte in afor
picket they command was to go with the

[most of the following line obliterated by a fold in the paper]

went with them and took one piece of
artilery with them and took a pass at them
they run them off of [word scratched out] there post
and they went onn and the yankes got in
to an old Church and and[sic] the atilrey
shot in to the house and they biled [piled?]out
at the windows like if you was to
throw against a hornets nest and then
we left and come back got what feede
they wanted and next day Borygarde went
out with [?] face and they tock a
nother [?] all together with artilry I dont
know what the loss was the reporte is that
both [?] at once but we wont here the
trouth is that you can here this before we can
fore they wont tell us if we do get [?]
Did you see in your letter I wrote so smal
that you thought I must be out of paper
and invlos and this is the last invelop

[page 2]
and you sed someting about clothing
I need winter clothing very bad I want
you to get you me some if you please I want
you to get have me two pare of britches and
two weskets and I [want] you to get me a over-
coat you can have me one made out of
my Faters over coat if you [?] you
would if it will mak it make them
heavy and thick shirts I have plenty
and socks Nat ses he wants a pare of
britches and wants you to send him 8 or 10
lbs of [?] if you can get a good oppirtunity
they sell for 50 cts a lbs cloth is not to be
had here that is any account some of our boys
give 5 and [?] dollars a pare and one lasted
a wekes and the other pare a daye
W.S. own got his box Nat got his basket
amd gloves I got my sock and was glad
to get them I have six pare &c
I have nothig more of any importing
so I still remain you obedent
nephew
From J. C. Jarvis
To J. M. Vawter

MSS 10571

1861 December 24

Dear Father as i was out on Picket I receivd yours & Mothers of the 17th &
as I have been in about Fourh hours from Picket, I thought I would sit down
& tell you that I had received A Letter from George & Frank Crawford
I have just answered it but Frank Crawfords I shall not answer till sun
day I like Pickiting for one thing & that is this we have A House to stop
in but I do not like the Idea of standing guard over the Rebels property
which is done & if the men even take the least thing they are sent in under
arrest if they mean to carry out the thing I do not see why they do not
carry it out by taking the things belonging to the Rebels not keep guard
over them & their Property there is one regular secessionist by the name of
Boyant he lives out where we stand Guard & they even give him A pass
to go where he wants to go Jo Brady has arrived here with eighty new recruits
for this regiment & eight of them is in this Company & among them is
the world renowned John Shaw he is in this Company & the same one
that lives in Pleasant Street Place I suppose you have heard of this
renown Shaw he has A wig something like his Brother Andrew only
in its A little grain darker the said Shaw says he does not want to go
home not till the Regiment goes, when I get Paid off and you receive
that allotment money I want you to give Mother five dollars of it which
I promised her & I want her to have it & then you may have the rest
of it & do what you want to with it I am well, From your Son
Joseph A. Leavitt

MSS 66

1861 December 24 Cavalry Camp Leesburg

I sent you a long letter yesterday morning my
darling. do you know why I am writing to you
again to night? I’ll tell you, it is the night of the
24th of Decr. and the anniversary of an event
which I always remember with gratitude as the
greatest blessing of my life, it is one my darling
which a life time of devotion can never repay;
this night eleven years ago I took you to my bosom
as my wife, and since that time, whatever may
have happened, although I may sometimes have given
you cause for pain and resentment, (and I can
never remember such an occasion but with
the deepest regret) there has never been a day or
an hour or a moment that I have not been
a perfect slave in my devotion to you, and now
after all these long years, which have passed like
a dream, I can clasp you to my breast with an
ardour unabated, and a love that has only
gathered strength from the lapse of time,
even before we were married, my darling, my
attachment for you was of a most remark=
able character, and now in addition to this, which
is as fresh and fervent as it was in the “smiling
days of courtship,” I know and appreciate your
value, I know you are a good and true and
loving wife to me, and I can never have a
thought of happiness or enjoyment that is
unconnected with you, life indeed would be
no life to me without you my wife,–
I wonder if you get all my letters, I have hardly
ever missed sending you two a week hitherto,
though I have been very much engaged lately,
and it may be that this will prevent me from

[page 2]
writing to you sometimes as often as I would wish.
I will always find time to write to you my darling
whenever I can, but if I should fail to do so at any
time, you may know that my duties have
made it impossible. I have to go off sometimes
to the piquet stations and stay several days and
nights, and then I am liable to be called off at any
time, I went down to Dranesville yesterday, and
looked over the ground where the battle occurrred
last Friday. I fear it was even more disastrous
to us than it has been reported, from the best in=
formation that I can get 42 of our men were killed
and more than a hundred wounded, there are
various conflicting accounts of the enemy’s
loss, but I could not hear of but two that were
certainly killed, after examining the position
it seemed a mercy to me that Stuart’s whole
force was not destroyed, he advanced along a
narrow road between pines so thick that a
man could not walk ten steps into them, until
he tot within point blank range of the enemy’s
guns, which were planted upon a hill command=
ing the road completely, they had to retreat by the
same road whilst the enemy was pouring grape
and canister shot into them from eight guns
almost as far as they could reach, they killed
13 of our horses, our loss was greatly increased by our
men firing upon each other, I see the papers also
give an account of a battle near this place, which
is altogether a fabrication, as you have perhaps
learned before this, —

[letter will continue on Christmas night]

1861 December 24

[From the diary of James Dinsmore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]

Did not go out to Guard mounting
this morning practiced as
usual Dress parade this evening
Will Critchfield came in this
afternoon brought papers from
his sister Cold. Clearing off
this afternoon.

MSS 10317

1861 December 24

[from the diary of Francis G. Hale of the 34th Ohio Zouaves]

it is very cold this morning
and not mutch wood
to warm by so we have
to get clost to the
fire and it keepes part
cold and part warm
there is one of our
boys that had a fit
last night and had
one the night before
and has one now
his name is Harrison
from frost station
he will get a discharge
I expect there is a lot
of the boys going home
now on furlough for
we have been payed off
we was payed off yesterday
$41.22.

MSS 13405

1861 December 24

[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding of Co. F, 25th Massachusetts]

Got a letter from home. Slept
down in the steerage last night
very well. After breakfast we were
all taken over to the Navy Yard where we
were instructed in making out the rations
Waters and myself were then permitted to go
to camp after our knapsacks &c We then
came back and started to go back to the
Admiral, but couldnt go over tonight.
We then came back to the building again
where we were furnished with coffee,
bread, butter and cheese. We are to stop
here to night.

MSS 11293

1861 December 23

[from the diary of Francis G. Hale, 34th Ohio Zouaves]

It is very cold this
morning I am cook
to day we have got
our bunkes fixt up
they are bully bunkes
to 4 of us in a bunk
and lots of Body guards
I had lots of fun cooking
we had crackers and
coffee and salty pork
for breakfast and
salty pork & crackers
for dinner mixt with
water I did not have
to drill any so
I rested on my owers[?]
for they was tiard
any way got supper
kicke round made
afuss & then to roost.

MSS 13405