Richmond June 25th 1862
My dear Ma
I cannot let the large package go
without at least a few lines from me, although the
numberless letters we have sent off within the last
week must have told you everything worth know-
ing, still I have great reason to fear that my last
one of seventy five pages will never reach you and
in that case you will think me most unloving &
ungrateful–I am writing this morning with I
on the one side
must say the most divided attention, you & home ^
and the great battle on the other, I think that my
thoughts are entirely with you and I find myself
straining every nerve to hear the booming of the
distant cannon which will announce the opening
of the great battle so confidently expected by every
body to take place this morning, I have not heard
it yet and I fear–yes I fear that it has been put
off another day, for although the agony of mind
is terrible while the battle is raging, still everyone
acknowledges that the sooner it comes the better
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for our course, and and as we are so perfectly confident
of our success, as the horrible fight is inevitable, as
the agony has to be borne, we would willingly
spare ourselves this wearying suspense, this dreadful
waiting and expecting–it has lasted now ever
since the Battle of the Chickahominy, every day since
we have listened with aching hearts for the contin=
uation of the dreadful booming which so thrilled
us with terror on those never-to-be-gotten days of
Saturday & Sunday–Oh! shall I ever forget them!
when I sewed & sewed and felt that on the bed I
was making before night would be stretched
a noble man, possibly one endeared to me by
ties of blood–bleeding, maybe dying–and
as each cannon boomed I stitched the faster &
my tears fell the faster, oh! it was a scene
most indelibly impressed upon my memory, that
room full of weeping, praying, sewing, women,
the organ in the Church where service was being
held, pealing out its solemn music over our heads,
and still, as an accompanyment it seemed that
terrible cannon! but this is a digression (which
you will excuse I am sure) the battle now is imminent
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it must take place tomorrow or the next day for–
Jackson is here, and he does’nt wait–all that
suffering is to be gone over again, but we look forward
to it calmly, for we know what a glorious triumph
it will be and that it must be followed up. Ewell
is with Jackson and with him the remnant of
our glorious little Maryland Regt are not you
all proud of that Regt.? just think of the little flag
we brought on (and which is the only one they carry)
being pierced with bullets, bloody ragged and
almost unrecognizable, but all the more glorious
with the Bucktail fastened to the Staff, by
order of Genl Ewell, on commemoration of
their magnificent bearing in the fight they had
with that Regt I have seen a good many
of Bill Murray’s company in Richmond and
they have given me the most intensely interesting
accounts of their campaign, I wish you could
have heard them or that I had time to write them to
you–our Regt was always in the place of honor,
in the rear if retreating, in the front if advancing–
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at night
sometimes ^ it would be in the rear after a long march
on a retreat, and the next morning it would be marched
through the army to the front, the soldiers saying as they
passed, “Something’s up, Marylan’s in the front again,”
or “Go on boys we’ll be after you soon, tell them we
are coming too”– The regt I am sure will be
filled up soon, Willie Murray’s company is
going back, and it has won so much glory for
itself, that I am sure the plagued men here
who oppose its reorganization will be brought to
their senses and be only too willing to join it–
Bill M. is still sick at Charlottesville, not at all
seriously tough, I suppose Claphams is with him-
I hope to see them both down here in a week
George Thomas is here, and very busy of course.
I’ve seen him twice but both times we had so
much to say that I could not fine out what he
intended to do in the coming battle–Bill Lemmon
and Bob Lemmon are both here, I think it
is probable they will all volunteer in the coming
battle–Louis Smith was here yesterday evening
he is recruiting for his regiment, he looks
very well as (as indeed they all do in spite of
all the hard marching & the six battles they
have been through–Louis brought us a
daguerre he had taken for this father in
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his uniform, and we will send it the first chance
we have, would send it with this but the uniform
prevented–he said Willie Nicholas was perfectly
well, and would be here in a few days to recruit
for his company in case Jackson did not have
another battle–Frank Markoe asked me to ask
you to let his mother, who is B- I believe) know
that he was perfectly well and was acting as volunteer
aide to his cousin Maxcy Gregg – until his company
should be reformed, when he intended join it
again–he is a glorious fellow, as brave as a
lion–I have told the young man who is to carry
this and who will see you all about our coming
home, and Het and I have both written you
about it too–letters which I hope you have
received–I have just been interrupted to
read a letter from you just brought up from
the post office dated 16 June and sent by Flag
of Truce–oh! dear Ma if it were not for this
horrible impending battle I think I could be
perfectly happy, her getting all these letters from
you and being able to send you some in
return and getting the trunk, and having the
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* strange! but a fact–
prospect of seeing you so soon, we have
written already so much about the trunk that
it is scarcely necessary to tell you the gloves
& shoes fit beautifully–do kiss Lutu twenty
times for me–We are going this evening
to take with Mrs Carrington Cabel, she has
invited Genl Price & Staff to meet us –we
expect to enjoy have quite a pleasant * time—
(entre nous) Price is an awful old stiffy !
Cousin George has gone off this morning to
examine a number of midshipmen–he
is perfectly well–however he writes to
Cousin Louisa by this–I am perfectly
well now but dread hot weather in this
town) it is at awfully unhealthy, he nearly
everybody is sick of my old bug bear and
I dread it–I take an awful amount of
care of myself, for I would’nt be sick
away from you for anything in the
world–I am in an awful hurry as
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you will perceive–Love to all
Good bye
Your devoted daughter
Jennie
I suppose Mrs Hale has heard by this time
of the death of her brother Baker Thompson
I was shocked when I learned from Jr
T–that she did not yet know that he
had been killed at the Battle of Shiloh
Shot while gallantly leading his
regiment to the charge–
Jennie Cary, her sister Hettie Cary and their cousin Constance Cary, known as the Cary Invincibles, sewed the first three Confederate battleflags for Generals Beauregard, Van Dorn and Johnston. Hettie later married General John Pegram.
MSS 1415
