Harper’s Ferry, Va. Oct. 15th, 1862
My own darling,
Permit me to address a few lines to you, hoping to
interest you for a few moments. There, is not that in style? Now that
I am to correspond with a Colonel’s sister, I suppose I must “put on a
little style.” I-I-can’t,–dont know how. I wo (come pretty near
writing a naughty word) – rather not try, as I shall do as I see proper unless
there be certain contingencies arising. How is it? Must I?
Your Charlie is well as usual, and of course as happy as he
can be away from thee, so you need not fear for me. I was so
glad to hear of Hal’s promotion, I threw my cap into the air and laughed
for joy. How do you suppose it mad Brig. Gen. E. R. Tyler feel
when he learned that that Lieutenant whom he persecuted and affected
to despise, is now risen to a Colonelcy? I imagine that he is somewhat
“taken down.” It nettled Lt. Col. Asper considerably. I understood that
“he thought the military committee might have selected some one older and
more fitted for the position than Case, especially since he had that rupture
with Gen. Tyler” Now I think he would like the position himself,
but he is eminently disqualified for any office higher than the one he now
occupies. The other officers in the regiment, who thought that by taking
sides with Tyler they would court his favor, and gain his influence to
promote themselves, also feel rather annoyed at his (Hal’s) rapid rise.
For my part I congratulate him and tender to him my warmest
sympathies and earnest goodwill. May God be with him.
But I forget that I have two letters from you to answer, and
you will wonder why I have not sooner replied seeing that we remain
[page 2]
in camp. I will explain. Since I wrote you last we have
changed the immediate location of the Camp,–our Sibley tents have come,
and we had to clear off the ground before pitching them, and when
we got them up as nice as you please, a lot of recruits came, and it
was found that we had not tents enough. Accordingly Seth Coon,
myself and another enterprising young man set to work and built a log
house, 8 ft X 10. for our special accommodation, exclusive of recruits. Said house
is heated by means of a stove, manufactured of sheet iron, by our selves, and
lighted by means of a canvas skylight. Altogether, when finished (for it is not
yet completed, it will be a comfortable dwelling place for three U.S.privates–
My time has been so completely taken up in this work, with my usual “guard
duty, (We are now Headquarter guards to Gen. Geary.) that I could not sooner write
-and this is my reason. Now for practically replying.
I was not at all pained to learn that you were housekeeping, nor
was I ever of young Powers’ mind. I not only respect a lady who can act
in both capacities, but on the contrary, I consider no lady’s accomplishments are
perfect unless she has a general, if not complete understanding knowledge of house
keeping. Yet I do not hold as a sequence that every lady must, of necessity
or choice, be a housekeeper; by no manner of means, yet it is a convenience, at
times to understand how to bake a little bread, or even to sweep a floor.
But do not think that I would make a servant of my wife, not for the world
would I. Next your God, you love me but, “God bless you,”
darling, for such devotion. did you know that your love gives me more strength
to do my duty, and that “Love makes the hours go lightly by”? No love I will not
“scold” you for loving one thus well, indeed I fear I shall deserve a treatment of
that “antidote for money” for not being good enough for you. But my heart, my
all is yours, and yours forever.
Now for the military department of my letter. You make inquiries
of Gen. Pope–why he was defeated on the Rappahannock etc.
[page 3]
To begin I will make this statement–Gen. Pope, although he showed
himself competent to handle a single corps in the field, while in the West
is insufficient in himself to wield our enormous army of 120.000 men.
Other men are so, not only in the North but in the South, but unfortunately
for us the South understands this better than ourselves, hence, although it was the pop=
ular wish of the people that Jackson should be placed at the head of the Confederate
[Tenney’s letter stops abruptly here and will resume on the 17th]
Charles N. Tenney, 7th Ohio, to his fiancee Adelaide Case of Mecca, Ohio. Her brother Henry “Hal” Case to whose promotion Tenney refers, led his regiment in many of the battles in the Western theater and accompanied Sherman on his march to the sea.
MSS 11616
