Roswell Farnham to Mary [Farnham]
Primary tabs
Your kind note of Friday June 5th. was received tonight after waiting two long days without a letter. How much good so kind and affectionate and gentle a letter did me in reply to my foolish letter, that I almost feared would offend you. I am so glad to hear from you & I will try & be as good & pure as your true love deserves.
You see we are still at Union Mills and think now we shall stay here the rest of our time. We shall probably leave here before the close of this month - so that when this letter reaches you there will be only about fifteen days more for us to stay here.
Tattoo has just been beaten - and a train is now coming in that has been expected
for several hours from Rappahannock with prisoners. Stuart was intending to make
a raid & Genl. Pleasanton crossed over at Beverly's Ford, where we were a
few days ago, and attacked Stuart before he left camp yesterday. The fighting
lasted almost
or quite all day yesterday. Cavalry & Artillery with
a very little infantry. A long train of twenty cars went past here last night
loaded with the wounded. This train that has just come in has prisoners. What
the definite result of the fight is I hardly know, but our forces still hold
their own the other side of the river. The fighting was in sight of our old camp
at the Rappahannock R. R. Bridge - Men from our Regt. have gone down on the
trains today to guard them and I suppose some are on this train tho' I have not
heard from them, guarding the rebel prisoners.
Officers & men liable to bear arms cannot get passes to Washington without a great deal of trouble - Such passes are in fact forbidden at present - "on account of the enemy being in force in front of us." That is the reason given in the order, tho' there is no enemy within twenty five miles of here.
I dont think there will be any trouble here. The rebels have been straining every nerve to get men to send to Vicksburgh & they are pretending to be about to attack in this vicinity to call our attention from the removal of troops from Fredericksburgh.
We have got thro' with the examination of witnesses in the case of Lieut. Hartshorn but have not made our report yet. Yesterday we went over to the hospital to take the testimony of Henry, that little red cheeked boy that waited upon Mrs. Brownson when we were there, who jumped off a car & broke his leg. He laid right in sight of the rebels when they came to the train & set it on fire.
Qu. M. Brownson has been very sick, but is now better & is here with the regt.
The Adjt. was in at Washington last night & got some strawberries which we had for supper tonight. They were splendid.
Mrs. Peach is still in Washington.
Nelson has just come in. He has been down to the train. He says there were sixty more wounded men & about one hundred & eighty reb. prisoners. The cavalry men who have been in service two years say that it beat all the fighting they have ever seen.
There were said to be ten thousand rebel cavalry. I dont know how many we had but the number must have been immense.
Our men drove the rebels down to Brandy Station - the first station below the bridge. There they saw a large train come in with infantry from Culpepper -
The Maj. is out tonight as field officer of the day - No moon & cloudy - He will have a hard time of it.
I wrote Laura a day or two since & will write Charlie H. & Mr. Strickland -
If you want a more loving letter you must read the one I wrote you a week ago unless you have burned it as you should do. Your letter I have read four times already & shall read it again in the morning.
I wish you was here now. You would have a delightful time riding round. Mrs. Stannard is here. There was a picnic at Centreville yesterday & all the officers wives were present. There were ten ladies present I understand. I was not there.
Capt. Hazard, with his battery, is now at Chantilly. He called here today & I had a pleasant visit with him.
Write often & will try & reply as often as you write. If I dont write all that I would it is because I ought not to do so.
I am glad you have got the porter. I think it will do you a great deal of good.
I sent you $350. to Geo. Chamberlin. Write me at once whether you receive it or not.
Your most affectionate husbandRos.
Thursday - All quiet here -