Valentine G. Barney to Maria Barney
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It has been some 4 or 5 days since I last wrote you but so many things have
transpired to keep me busy I have had but little time to do any thing. to day I
have been with Col. Ripley around our picket lines and arranging them
differently so have been in my saddle ever since morning & to night am a
little tired I tell you I was disappointed in not getting a change to go to
Vermont to recruit but presume all is for the best I see by the Burlington Times
that Elisha is at home and I know just how you will feel when he arrives and I
obliged to remain here but be assured that at my first opportunity I will make
you a visit and when there I shall want you to give me a dose of
something awful that will make me so sick that I will be obliged to get my leave
extended for should I not get sick it would be a marvelous case, for all (or
nearly so) who go home on leaves are taken sick and have to stay a long time and
you know I want to follow the fashions of the world, but I fear that my cake is
doe for a while so you need not begin to prepare the dose till I write that I am
coming The party Capt Bartlett, Capt Kilbourn, & Ten men Joel Baker included
left for Vt day before yesterday. The remains of Maj Jarvis also went on the
same steamer from Morehead City I went down, also quite a number of our officers
and went over to Beaufort and looked around I found it to be a complete pile of
sand and nothing pretty about it Col R- & I took dinner with Col Jourdan
com’d’g sub dist. of Beaufort & came back same day. We intended to have
another grand hunt in a day or two and I expect to kill one or two deer
If I do I will let you know and send you a quarter of venison in my
next letter. Col Rs Brother is now here and is such a rattle headed young chap
that we have plenty to laugh at. I sent you by Express Two Hundred Dollars two
or three days since & hope it will go through all right. I dont want to keep
much money on hand and think perhaps it would be bet to buy a lot of land some
where or lay it out in some good way. what say you? You will think this is awful
writing I know but now I will try and finish my letter in good shape and make my
writing intelligable I will answer Carries and Freds letter soon and you may
tell them I wont forget it this time I dreamed last night of being with you and
I though you had had back luck frying nutcakes as you had once before and was in
an awful stew but to comfort you I told you that if we could not eat them then
the old cow could. I often dream of you all and hope that eve long I will be
so situated so that dreaming of you will be unnecessary
Love to all Affly & devotedly Val