Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
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It is now nearly one week since I last wrote to you and you no doubt are
anxiously looking for a letter and wondering why in the world that man don’t
write. Well the truth is I have had so much writing to do for a few days past
making out muster and pay Rolls that I have nearly written my fingers off, and
taking the writing with other duties has kept me pretty busy and allowed me no
time to write letters I have just finished the Rolls, and carried them up to the
Adjutants. he looked them over and pronounced them correct and said they were
first ones made out in the Reg and that they looked very nice indeed. We are to
be mustered for pay the last day of this month and will probably get paid off
about the middle of next I got a letter from you last night and it appears that
the one you wrote before that is missing and no doubt it was with the mail that
the Rebels captured between here and Harpers
Ferry about one week
ago when they burned the cars. You speak of my letters not being mailed till Two
days after being written I dont know why this should be as they are always taken
to our postmaster evry day just before the mail closes. Yesterday morning we
were very much pleased to see one of our Cavalry Companys bring in 10 Rebel
Cavalry men who they captured at Newtown about 8 miles from here Our men
surprised them in the morning before they were up and took them with out
resistance. they also recovered one of our men (a private in the 60th Ohio) who
was taken prisoner a few days ago while on picket. I went down to the Guard tent
and looked them over. They are real Tough, Fat, Healthy looking fellows. They
were very well dressed with Grey Jackets & Pants I told them that they did
not look as though provisions were very scarce at the South and one of them said
that they did not go hungry much as long as there were Union men in the country
who they could steal from. They were sent to Washington this morning. We get but
little news here from any where and are yet
in the dark as to the
final result of the fighting on the Rapidan We could hear firing here very plain
on Sunday which was near Warrenton as we suppose. Friday morning I have just
finished my breakfast and will now finish this letter and expect that now while
I am writing that you are snoozing in bed as it is not yet 6 oc we have to get
early breakfasts on account of the men getting of to work on time so you see we
have not got through with our workings and have had no drill. We are obliged to
sleep out most evrey night either in the Fort or down at the stockade and for a
week past I have slept only one night in my tent. At first it came rather hard
on me to lay out but now I stand it well and sleep so soundly that sometimes the
firing of the large gun does not wake me in the morning at daylight. I recd a
letter from Elisha last night from near Alexandria I did not know where he was
till I got the letter and no one in the Reg knew where the Vt Brigade was till
then. He is well and has 51 men with him they will probably go down to Warrenton
soon and I hope as soon as we get our Reg. drilled
we will join
them. The health of our Reg. is not first rate. There are but 6 Captains for
duty and but 12 Lieutenants, and in my Company we have 12 sick enlisted men
Lieut Sherman & Jewett have both been sick for a few days past but to day
Jewett is on duty again Sherman went down town into the Hos- yesterday he has
got a low fever but is not very sick and will probably get around in a few days
I am feeling first rate and gaining right along and I dont know but I stand in
as well as any one so if you should not get letters from me at just such times
you need not think that I am sick for possibly it will be so that we cant get
letters through at all, and I dont know as I should be much disappointed if it
was so. I would like much to see you and the little ones but cant say when that
time will be but look forward to better days. I dont have any idea when this war
will end but be it long or short I am bound to see it through if I have my life
and health. If any thing should happen of interest I will write and keep you
posted Kiss the children and accept one for yourself.
Truly your Affectionate Val