Camp near Hunters Chapel, Va.
Oct 6th 1862
My dear Miss Annie
Your letter from Bristol
duly reached me, and were again so
unfortunate as to cross each others path,
-at least, I calculated that my last
letter must have reached Germantown
about the same time you wrote from
Bristol. I was quite surprised to
hear of Miss Carrie’s engagement, it was
entirely news to me, tho’ I found that
Ned Bowen had known it, as you said
ever since that pic-nic. I never knew
him to keep a secret so well before. I
hope he will continue to cultivate the
same trait of character, for I got
confidential lately, one very fine even-
ing as we were taking a stroll, &
let out that I had heard from you,
under strict pledge of secresy [sic], of course
[page 2]
I guess he will keep it too, if for no
other reason, because he has no other
person to communicate it too. He has
written lately to both Miss Carrie &
Cousin F, but I saw both letters, and
in fact had a hand in concocting
both. In the former’s, I put in about
a page, in which I most innocently
spoke of myself in the third person.
Did she detect the imposition? My
most intimate friend here is Capt Eliot.
The more I see of him, the more I
admire his character & disposition, &
the members of the Company really
idolize him. He has less selfishness
and more principle than almost any
man I ever Knew, and living in the
same tent with another gives a very
good opportunity of becoming acquainted
with a man’s faults, if he has any.
Our other Lieutenant (Anderson) has not
joined us since we left home, being
still in Philada. looking after recruits
[page 3]
and deserters, consequently Captain &
I have been thrown much more to-
gether than we otherwise would have
been. By the way, it is very probable
that Anderson will not rejoin our
Company again any how, but will
take command of another company,
and your humble correspondent become
our First, after which my ambition
for promotion will be satisfied, as
I would not leave our company un
der any circumstances, and do
not desire any promotion which
would deprive the Company of Capt
Eliot. He, although senior Captain,
does not aspire to and will not
accept any position as a field of-
ficer, so our respective places for the
future, barring casualties in the field,
will then be permanently fixed. How-
ever, these plans are still only plans
and I don’t want anything said
about them, as they may fail.
[page 4]
Changing the subject, you really
think I am a hypocrite, am I?
Of course I plead not guilty and
shall proceed to open the case for
the defense. Firstly, I have not the
slightest intention of obeying your
command and returning my flag,
at least, not until I can do so
in person after the restoration of
the Union, certainly not before.
I told you the truth, too, for it
alone dies & shall decorate our
tent, in front too. Unfortunately
it is made out of material so
heavy that it will not fly from
a flag pole, and in damp weather
would droop most disconsolately. I
accordingly did mention to my
cousin, in one of my letters that
I would like a flag made of
bunting for that purpose & she
made one, which reached me
a few days since. to-day we
had a general “fixing up” in camp
[page 5]
and I sent a party out who cut
and erected a magnificent pole
at the head of our company street.
My first act was to hoist the old
flag upon it, after which the new
one was sent up and the old one
restored to its old place on the
front of our tent where it now hangs
and is going to hang, except on very
windy days when it will be on
the flag pole. I really regret that you
were so very dignified when you
heard my cousin mention it. If you
had only suggested to her to put an
F reversed on the other side I
would have been under renewed
obligations. She, unfortunately, got
around the dilemma by leaving one
side white, & as it has a blue border,
on that side it represents a U.S.
Signal flag & may get me into
trouble. But Mrs Eliot is coming
down in a few days & I am going
[page 6]t
to get her to rectify it if she can. Now,
what is your verdict, am I guilty
or not guilty? As it is the fashion
to make charges, I mean to repeat
my charge that you on sundry occasions
said you could get along very well
without your groomsman, and will
refer you to Miss Gibbons as a witness,
among others. Of course, you didn’t
mean it, and I did not believe it,
At my advanced period of life, I
have got so that I don’t take any
young lady’s remarks literally, would
you advise me to? Perhaps I should
add that your remark was made
in connection with bridal parties &c
where a groomsman is generally
supposed to be a necessary appendage
to his bridesmaid. Speaking of Miss
Gibbons reminds me again of her
engagement, which really surprised
me, considering the unfortunate con-
dition of her intended.Supposing he
[page 7]
should not recover, and remain a crip-
ple, I do not think the prospect very
pleasant for her. I do not see how a
man under such circumstances can ask
a lady to marry him, and I think
the same rule applies to a man
going into the army who very possibly
may come back in the same condition.
I could not reconcile it to my ideas,
any how, if I really loved the lady,
and of course I should not want to
be engaged to her, if I did not. My
views may not be very romantic, but
I think are correct, and if you hear
that I have had one or both legs
shot off, which is, I hope, never to be
my fate, you may at once place me
on the list of your future old batch-
elor friends. You seem to think, by
the way, it is very wrong to not think
about getting shot &c. If you allude
to it in a religious aspect, of course
you are correct. In any other, I
[page 8[
dont agree with you at all, but
I intend to drop all these dis-
agreeable subjects. I hope you can
read this scrawl. My hands are
slightly numb tonight, and my
tent, though newly floored to day
& really very comfortable, lacks
all the modern conveniences. We
have neither hot not cold water,
gas, nor furnaces, and I am
afraid cannot introduce them at present.
Yours Truly,
J. T. Lea.
P.S.
My photograph was not sent to you
by my brother because they did not
like them at home. I had one taken
a day or two ago in Washington, and
will get them in a few days, when
I will send you one. In my hurried
departure I left all my valuable ones
at home, and think Miss A A C might
send me one of hers. By way of vanity,
I will take the young looking one
this time, if she will send it.
James Tatnall Lee, 1840-1916, 114th Pennsylvania, to his future wife Anna Anderson Cabeen
MSS 11412
