Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
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You see by the date of this that we are Still here and not on our way home as we
Expected a week ago but the transport is now at the fort which is to take us and
we are to leave here Monday morning at five oclock for Newhaven and we will
probably be at Brattleboro Wednesday and in abt one week from that time you may
Expect to see me and probably not much Sooner as it will take 5 or 6 days to
muster us out and pay us off. I have just been talking with the officers as to
my leaving the Co. and going to Danby to see my friends and go to S- with you
and they Say it will be impossible for me to
get off as I have had
Charge of the books and muster rolls. They say there will be a Settlement with
the men at Swanton and that I must be there to tend to my part of it as no one
Else understands the thing as well as I, so you See how I am Situated. I regret
very much that I cannot be permitted to visit in Old Danby as you say they are
anxious to See me but I will warrant you they would be no more pleased to See
me than I would to See them and I hope it will not be long before I can make
them a good long visit and thereby Satisfy their desires as well as mine I think
you had better go to S- by the latter part of next week that is if you get this
in time to get ready and go then you will be there and get rested by my
arrival as to getting money to go with you will have to borrow some
of Silas or Uncle David and I will Send the amount to them by mail on my return
with the pay for what you have traded so you will get the bill and take home
with you. You must have Chas or Silas go up to Rut. with you and see you off on
the train and write to Father to have him or Elisha meet you at Burlington. In
this way you will get along without much trouble. You need not be at all
backward about asking these favours for I think they will be pleased to help you
and will be paid well for it. It will be but a few days now before we will be
again to gether and as the time aproaches I am more and more anxious to See you
and
The dear little ones for whom none can imagine what love I have
for and I feel that I will be better prepared to perform the duties of a husband
and father than I have heretofore So our Separation for these three months will
be of great benefit if it merely accomplishes this End. Nothing of much interest
has happened since I last wrote you so I will not occupy space to write
uninteresting stuff but I can tell you all Ere long You probably Saw in the
papers that we were to be attacted here but we are all right yet and no
probability of an attact as far as I Know I shall Expect to hear from you when I
get to Brattleboro but it seems a great ways off it has been so long since I
have had a letter from you Give my love to All and Kiss the babies
Your aff Hus.ValG Barney