Roswell Farnham to Laura
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Your letter of March 3d. was rec'd last night & as Lieut. Mem. Chamberlin is going home I will answer it this forenoon. He has resigned on account of ill health.
We have just heard bad news. Fitz Hugh Lee's Cavalry made a raid upon the Court House last night & took Gen'l Stoughton prisoner. They took him, his horses, & what few soldiers there were about the Ct. H. We heard nothing about it till eight o'clk as we are ten or eleven miles from the Ct. House.
Genl Stoughton must feel well under the circumstances. He was four miles from the nearest Regt. of our Brigade & had been repeatedly warned of his danger. Col. Blunt has now gone to the station to see what course things are to take.
We are having a great deal of sickness in camp. Over ninety were reported on the
sick list this
morning - many of typhoid fever. Wm. Wallace is better.
His wife is here & I hope he will get along. Benton is quite sick, but not
dangerous.
My best horse has been sick for a month & this morning is taken much worse. I don't expect he will live.
Enclosed you will find a couple of pictures. The ambrotype you can keep till we come home. If we have a chance to get any more taken you can have one of them.
Tell Mr. McKeen that I shall write soon
I am glad to hear that you are reading philosophy & chemisty, tho' the
philosophy that you are reading is altogether behind the times. You had better
borrow, after reading "Blake's Conversations", Parker's Philosophy, the one used
in schools. Stocklardt's Chemistry will do for an elementary work but you will
have to study something more extensive. You may go into the office and get those
Nos. of Muspratt's Chemisrty on the shelf. There are over thirty Nos. I believe. You can read some articles such as you
choose. Most of the Nos. are done up in a paper. Upon second thought I think
most of the Nos. are at the house either in
the book case or back
chamber. You will find one or two Nos. at the office so that you can judge of
the size &c. The Cyclopoedia, Mr. McKeen has. I lent it to him and he took
it away before I left. The map of Boston is in my desk or case at the
office.
I also send you Russell's Diary North & South. You will have to take the last part, the Diary North with a good deal of allowance. He talks like a conceited Englishman & as tho' he was let into the secrets of every movement. You will be interested in it however & I think it will be a good thing for you to read.
I am now reading "Motley's History of the Dutch Republic" Have you read the "Woman in White". We had quite a time reading it.
Noon - Col. Blunt has rec'd orders to report at the
Station to take command of the Brigade. It is possible that our Regt. will move
to the Station tho' not at present. This arrangement is only temporary. It will
last until some other Genl. is assigned to us. If we move to the Station
Mary will remain some time longer. Tell Charlie Harding that I have
recd his letter & will answer it soon.
You will probably recognize Mary & myself in the picture I send you. Col Blunt stands leaning his shoulder against the tree in the centre. Maj. Kingsley has his hands behind his back. Chaplain Brastow has his cap on, & the other is Quarter Master Bigelow. The scene is in front of my tent. Mary is on my best horse who was not then as sick as now. I am on my new $30. steed. The picture is a very good representation of things. The tent behind Mary is the Sutler's house, not his store -
Write soon -
Yours trulyRoswell Farnham