Joseph Rutherford to [Hannah Rutherford]
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I have just recieved your letter dated Sept 29th & 30th, and I was right glad
to hear from home, and such good news too. We have to take our chance for
getting letters. This is the first mail we have had for more than a week. It
seems you have not, or rahter had not received my long letter when you wrote. It
is getting to be very sickly in our camp with fevers, and I have to work very
hard. But it certainly surprises you to see how well I stand it. I am just as
touch as a not, have not lost a day yet, and for the last three days have been
all alone. The other Asst Surgeon has not been able
to do a days work since we left Camp Chase, until yesterday. But as long as I
feel as well as I do now I can put
up with it. One object in sticking
so closely to any business is to earn a claim to a furlough after we go into
winter quarters. Surgeon Childe was in Washington Sunday and saw Dr Jed Baxter,
and the he Baxter spoke in the very highest terms of me, which you know was very
flattering to me. You would laugh if you could just look into my tent and see
the picture it presents. I am sitting by my table writing, with a bayonet for a
candle stick, said bayonet hanging on the corner of the table, the chaplain sitting in the door of the tent smoking his pipe, and at feet lays asleep one
of the blackest little contrabands you ever saw. Why he is so black that his
face fairly glistens and a better and more attentive boy never lived. He is as
bright as a lark and will sing as well. He was sold in
the spring at Richmond
for 900$ and run away when our army left
Richmond. He is 17 years old. The weather is very hot. I go more than half the
time without coat or vest with nothing on but my pants and woolen shirt and [ ] as that soem of the nights are very cold. We
had a great scare on Sunday morning word was sent in from the Picket that the
Rebs were croping the river in large force, at 4 oclock. Now I can tell you that
if things were not picked up in a hurry then I am no judge. It proved to be some
of our own troops. So we composed ourselves again and all has been quiet since.
Wednesday morning 8th. The sun just rising finds me writing. Perhaps a sketch of
my daily duties would not be uninteresting. Usually our mess cook comes to me at
day light and gets his directions for breakfast & dinner. Then my Moses goes and
feeds my horse. Then he comes back
slacks my boots brushes my clothes, brings a pail of water, and by the time it
is fairly bright day light I am ready to get up. Then I see that my saddle bags are properly filled by the Steward. We got our
breakfast at six oclock. After which my Lady lightfoot is
brought to my tent and saddles, for we all keep our saddles where we can lay our
hands on them at any time. While this is bring down I visit the Hospital as a
rule. Then I mount & am off to visit the different parts of our pickets. By
riding fast and working quick I can get home by dinner time which is 4 P.M. When
I sit down to a dinner the cooking of which I had the direction of and with an
appetite that any dispeptic might envy. After dinner we all sit down together
and have a very social time in talking and [ ]
Then comes the time to look after the
sick in hospital and make out
the reports of the sick. Then there are constant calls for medicine and advice
and it is seldom that I can sit down quickly before 9 oclock, at which time you
could readily conclude I must be pretty tired. Yet for all this I feel the best
I ever did in my life.
Oct 9th. This is the third attempt to write this. News came yesterday that we
were to be ordered to move and must hold ourselves in readiness, but where we
are to move to we cannot find out I thought of a thousand little things
yesterday that I intended to say to you but this moving operation has knocked
other end ways. I would delay any other day but the Post boy will be here after
breakfast, and I shall not have a chance to send again for 3 days. IS this not
rather singular now we are within 3 hours ride of the Mchopolis of the Union,
and yet
it takes us 3 days to get our mail from the General P.O. There
are no roads for cariages. But I have not time to give a description of the
country now.
I should like to have been there and taken kitten with her
kitten up in my arms as she did the kitten. She is a
good little lady. I am glad to learn that you get along so well. I should think
Helen could write to me once in a while, or has she forgotten her Father? I know
she has not for she loves me too well for that, but she does not know how lonely
I feel sometimes while riding alone through the Rebels country. Tell Mr Baker
that when we get into a position that we are seen we shall stay 24 hours I will
write to him. I am writing this just at sunrise and it is so warm that a coat is
more than comfortable, I am so glad that our garden
does so well. I am
now called to breakfast, and if I can steal time after it I will write mroe I
must close this now hoping to write a longer letter next time.
Hinan Steele has been sick with the Typhoid fever is about now. Give my regards to Mrs Sargent and Mrs Parker also to all of our friends.
Give my love to the children and accept an unlimited amount for yourself.
Ever your loving husbandJ C. Rutherford