Balt. March 7th 62
Dear Hettie
I have just heard of an under ground, &
tho’ I feel too sad & weary to write, yet as only time is
given me for a few lines, I will write them, for
it will be a relief to me to express my wonder
& amazement & grief that we get no letters from
the boys never any at all–except one from Willie
Sept 17th letters are recd. from Willie Murray to
Mrs Noale, to the girls, to his cousin Mrs Irwin
from Jen Clark one or two to John quite lately
from young Lyon to his mother, various epis
=tles to various people from the Lemons.
I read a letter recd last week from John Smith
to Ellen of 24 pages & sent from R____d Jane
Sterrett has recd two in the last week from
the Capt; MrsCorane Crane’s from her son, one
last night of 14 pages. I am so worried about
the trunks! I suppose the first sent are
hopelessly lost & in them, between $250 & 300
worth of things many of them Nannies. I am
[page 2]
just on the way now to pay Bottomer’s [?]
bill of $20–how cheerfully wd I pay it if
I cd hope you have had the comfort of
the boots & shoes; but I suppose you can
never expect to recover the trunk & box.
They were sent across I am confident
as Genl. Wool wrote me at Xmas when they
went down but at the same time
with with[sic] so much baggage for the
prisoners that it was lost & missent–
Well I was very happy in getting the
things & making them, & I’ve been happy
in the thought of the comfort & pleasure
they gave you girls–but I’ve certainly
paid more for my own enjoyment than
I’ve ever been in the habit of doing.
I sent another trunk by the Revd Mr
Beattie but that may never have reached
you for I put up some shirts for Willie &
some old summer coats of the boys
& they may have compromised the
whole. I thought I might rest assured
of yr getting the lace veil wh sent by
[page 3]
Col. Pegram but three nights ago Mr
Mason told me that Pegram had arrived
in R___d before he left & that he was con
=fident you had not recd the veil. I gave
it to the man of violets & he said it sd go
by the Co: & Mrs Davis & he afterwards told
me it did. Mr M says it did not–so you
see I have all this to worry & depress me
but more than all else—no letters—
And the prospect of a long war——
I ought not to write,–for a letter sd
always be pleasant, a missive
to make those we love happy &
I cant make this much less
sad than I feel–I’ve written
& written & written–On Monday
some one came to tell me of an
opportunity & for the first time
I said no–I’ll write no more–
I feel perfectly despondent & no
heart to write. Long ere this yo
will have heard of poor Mrs
Wm Henry Norris’s arrest–It has
[page 4]
enraged the people here to the
highest pitch imaginable–No one
can devine the cause she has been
always so very prudent–I think
I know & I think there is an officer
in the South who when he hears it
will think as I do. I expect her servants
who are slaves have betrayed her–poor
little woman my very heart bleeds for
her–she is in solitary confinement in
the old Capitol Washn Lannie Irwin
is sinking I hear. W. Pennington yr
pa says he heard him say at the
club he thought it was only a
question of weeks or two months
with him–still he goes about.
Tell Lizzie Jane has recd two letters
from her lately one by flag one later
by the underground. All of us are
well Sally & the children unusually
so–Mr Mc is crazy to send you girls a
box of flowers by flag but they wd be
withered if they had my luck. This
arrest of Mrs Norris has made us
[on top of page 1]
timid again about yr coming home
but I cd not stand a seperation[sic] of years
Oh our beloved Southern land! My heart
bleeds for her !–Yr aunt Sidney sorrows lie heavy
a my heart–Poor Dabney Harrison
I cannot feel easy until I hear certainly
about Edith Fairfax. God bless you my
own precious daughters prays yr Ma
“Mrs. William H. Norris was arrested at her residence in Baltimore, Md., by orders from Washington, and conveyed to that city, on the charge of transmitting clothing to persons in the rebel army in Virginia.— Baltimore American, March 5.”
MSS 38-258
