No. 3
Camp Dea, near Youngs Mill
Saturday 16th Nov.,
1861.
My dear Wife:
After
waiting for an opportunity to send for the box containing the stove, etc. I
received it at last yesterday, and I am now seated in my tent, with a plank
floor, carpet and stove with a fire in it, and tho the wind outside blows cold,
I am quite as comfortable as I would be in a house. Please return thanks to
David for the cassimere shirts, which were the very things I wanted, also to
Coz. Amanda and her little girl, with Luly, for the socks, all of which will
contribute largely to my comfort this winter. You have no idea how the old
carpet reminded me of home and the nursery, and it would require but little
encouragement to become homesick, but orders are that leaves of absence are not
to be granted till 1st January and it may be that I will not see you
all before that time. I will come home in the event I am taken sick, but shall
not otherwise unless Gen. Magruder relents.
I
have a great deal to do in having log huts built for my men as well as myself,
for tents will not stand snow storms. Then I will have a great tax on me to
attend to my sick when I lose Dr. Parker, who has resigned and expects to go up
on Monday. He will be a great loss to the whole Regiment and from intimate
acquaintance with him and seeing his success as a physician, I have great
respect for his ability, and while I dislike to lose him I cannot blame him and
think it would be selfish to wish others to be forced to share with me the
troubles of our disorganized Regiment, while they have not the same
responsibility to look after as the Captain of a Company. I am very uneasy
about the health of my Company, as the winter is now coming on and they have
not a house to go into on account of no tools to build them with, and the
exposure to cold I fear will give them pneumonia, rheumatism, etc. I wrote to
Col. August an official letter upon this subject the other day, calling his
attention to the necessity of at once attending to the health and comfort of
this Regiment, and requesting him if he could not remedy matters to send my
letter to Gen. Magruder, and if necessary to the Secretary of War. I have heard nothing more of it, but there is
evidently a disposition to provide tools at once and hasten the building of
winter quarters, and we may yet get in them by Christmas, tho I doubt it very
much.
I
have more sick now than at any time since I have been in service, 10 at
Hospital in Williamsburg and 16 unfit for duty in camp. I hope the Lord will
temper the storms of winter and not let its severity carry them to an early
grave. Oh, that through the dark clouds
of war peace could shine upon us, that God, our God, should become the God of
our Nation and be acknowledged in all their ways. Then will war have proven and
blessing rather than a curse. (I am writing it being so dark I cannot see the
lines).
Yesterday
was a fast day, and in fasting I hope I found it profitable to my soul. We had
no military duty to perform, and it was the best day of rest and prayer and
private mediation that I have enjoyed during the last six months, and while I
find sin in my heart and feel self condemned that I have not improved the time
allowed me to entirely root it out, I behold at the same time the boundless
mercy of the Lord, the great love of the Saviour, and I determine to keep on
relying alone upon them for salvation. I hope that the great national
chastisement of war may make us individually better Christians, and a united
Christian effort will tell upon the world around for the Glory of the Redeemer,
and that the close of the war may be followed by a more vigorous onslaught upon
the kingdom of darkness. But the end of the war is far distant, it may be, and
since all things are possible with the Lord, let us improve the present and do
good while we would get good. How
unfortunate that at a time when an unusual number of human beings are being
ushered into eternity, both in battle and the disease incident to camp life,
Christians, yes good people, allow themselves to be so entirely absorbed in war
and rumors of war, who have itching ears for the result of the latest victory,
whether we conquer or they conquer, and forget for the time the great warfare,
which is to tell in eternity in which they engaged as soldiers of the cross,
they allow themselves to sleep at post, and the great final Court Martial will
consign them to an ignominious eternal death unless the executive clemency of a
kind Saviour interfere in their behalf.
If the occasion does not present itself to do good, let the quiet example of Christian consistency like leaven
make for God’s glory.
I
am expecting orders daily for our Regiment to march towards Hampton to be
absent twelve or fifteen days, sleeping out without tents, to gather corn,
etc., from all the farms between this place and Hampton, all the farmers having
deserted their farms early in the summer. After that expedition the weather will be so
cold and the roads so bad that the campaign will be closed for the winter, and
we will then build winter quarters and remain in them till spring opens. In
this expedition my buffalo robe will be invaluable and will keep me warm in
spite of the weather.
My
dear, if I have not before told you, I have been guilty of neglect in not
advising you that this is a land of sweet potatoes, but not Irish. I know you
send them because you know I am fond of them, but just put something in the
place of them.
Kiss
all the dear children and let them know that I want to see them just as much as
they do me and that six months or more and I hope our little home circle will
again be made pleasant by a happy continuous reunion.
Give
my love to the Stewarts, Uncle ______, and all friends when you see them, and
remember to pray continually for God’s favour on our arms and his direction of
our affairs and a speedy peace.
Yours
most affectionately,
Jno.
S. Walker.
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