Wheelock G. Veazey to Julia A. Veazey
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I continue to get yr splendid letters every day- is’nt it a task for you to write
so often? I wish we could be together, hope the time will soon come when we can
have our home, & such things as we want. Perhaps it will- but if the
sacrifice is necessary let us make it cheerfully & as becomes patriots. If
you could only witness the suffering of people here in Va. in the vicinity of
our armies, & the rebels. I never speak of it, for I cannot possibly give
any idea of what civil war is as I see it here. No one is safe for a moment,
& all have a thousand things to terrify them. I have seen wives, mothers,
& sisters, whose husbands, sons & brothers were imprisoned by one side
or the other, their property being destroyed- ruthless soldiers about, shells
flying, or bullets, for there is a continual target shooting all about us, life
indeed looks dark to such. Northern people know nothing
of the horors of this war. They have to furnish men & money, tis true, but
what is that to the
to the terror & suffering of these people near
the field of action! Atherton has been here nearly all the afternoon. I had a
good fire in my trench & we sat & smoked & talked about our wives
& prospects &c. He says his wife writes him that she dont cry all the
time now. He is looking rather slim. I believe it would kill his wife, if he
should die. Dont believe she has so much to occupy her mind as you do, therefore
she just thinks about him & nothing else. I went out in command of quite a
large force as an escort to Genl. McClellan yesterday on a
recconnisance I do wish we could get up a smart fight on some of
these trips, its discouraging to go so often and do nothing. It amuses me to see
the clamor of portions of the Northern press at what they call the inactivity of
our army. I wish they could take our places awhile & do our work. I think
they would soon think enough was being done.
McClellan’s movements so far seem just right, but both
his & the rebels’ are a perfect mystery, or rather
their plans are. It is said that not even McClellan’s aids, nor the generals
under him know the number of his command. He is a short, think, familiar &
rather soldierly looking fellow, generally has a cigar when in quarters. Always
polite to his troops, don’t converse much, but would
be taken for
rather a companionable man. The lower part of his head looks
as tho. he would enjoy a good fight, yet there is no deficiency in the
intellectual regions. On the whole I like his appearance about as well as that
of any general I have seen. We are to have one of his staff, Lt. Col. Colburn, a
Vermonter, of the regular army, for our brigadier, in place of Smith, made Major
or to be made Major. I have sent my clothes to Washington to be housed, instead
of sending them home as I may need them bye & bye. I think I will have you
send on my overcoat & shawll soon & a pr. of drawers,
colored, hav’nt I another pr? but will let you know when I want them, am pretty
well supplied now.
Yr devoted husbandW. G. Veazey