Huntersville V^a

Dec 6^th 1861

 

Dear Sister

                  Your ever welcomed & affectionate favor of the 18^th ulto has come safely to hand & believe me I was truly glad to hear from you & learn that all were well. You will find from my post mark that we have moved from our former camp. we are now encamped about 4 miles from Huntersville & about 10 from where Herefords Company is stationed. We had a most awful time moving down here, it rained snowed freezed & the wind blowed like a huricane nearly the whole of the trip, but I wraped up as well as I could & braced up against the cold & reached here in tolerable good condition, though right smartly used up It seems they intend to keep us always on the tramp. we have been though in two hard fights, one on the 13^th of last July & the other on the 3^d of October. I done as much in both of them as any other Soldier in the Northwestern Army & a great deal more than most of them, but Shumaker (an infernal whiskey barrel) has never give me any credit for my heroism, but if god spares me to return, I will give him one blessing through the Newspapers, & if he cuts up about it I'll sink him into eternity. / I will show him I am of a family that will not allow their feelings to be trampled upon by any such a drunkard & scoundrel as he is he takes delight in putting the heaviest duties of the company upon me, and it has come very near ruining my right hand. I have scarcely any use of it now. I think two or three of the sinews between my thumb & forefinger have given away entirely. A few days before I left our camp I was lifting at the cannon wheel with my right hand and I felt the sinews give away in the scar between my forefinger & thumb and for several days I could not bend my thumb a particle. You would be surprised when I tell you that while writing this letter I hold my pen between my forefinger & the one next to it, but it is true, but I endure it all without a murmur.

 

            I went down to see Hereford's Company a few days ago but found it considerably scattered, as Joe & Tom were gone home & a good many others of my old acquaintances were at the Hopsitals sick. I did not enjoy myself so well on account of so many absentees. I saw Pemm Choice, down there, but he looked like he had been run through a bark mill. John Burch got a discharge a few days ago & is now on his way home. I had a notion of applying to Uncle Peyton while he was in the Convention, to ask of the Secretary of war to grant me a discharge on account of my hand but I am fearful some numbskull would think / I was just trying to get out of service, therefore I hardly expect to do so. There is no possible chance that I can see of my visiting home this winter or before my time is out. Shumaker would see me to the devil before he would give me a furlough, though he has given them to a good many in the Company so you may all despair of seeing me before next May, & in all probability never, unless something fortunate should turn up in my behalf which I hope may be the case.

 

I was very sorry to hear of the sudden death of Girard Burch's wife. she was a good woman & the flower of the whole Richardson family. No doubt but her loss was a great shock to Mr Burch for he seemed to think a great deal of her. I am blessed with one thing & that is good health, but the rough treatments I have had to undergo have made me almost wreckless. sometimes I care for nobody nor anything, but if by any means I may be so fortunate as to return. I'll try & rub out some of the hard times. I think Martha Booker was doing a ticky business by marrying a widower whose wife had been dead but a few short months. it looks like girls think it's the last chance, by marrying while the flowers of the country are in the army fighting for them. I would not have any girl that would marry a man who had not fought for his country, & if I had a sweetheart & thought she would marry a man that had never / been in the Army, I would form a contemptible opinion of her & would treat her with contempt ever afterwards. I like to have forgotten to mention one thing. I received a package of the most beautiful gifts from a rich sweetheart of mine from Nashville a few days weeks ago that ever was seen in these diggins you just ought to see a needle case & thread basket she sent me, it must have cost her a months labor I returned her my sincere thanks for them & favored her with a long letter & in reply she was quite lengthy & set every word very diggin, & sounded sweet. her given name is Josephine, but the rest I shall not yet mention, but wait for further developments. She & I have kept up quite a tender correspondence all summer, & I'm going to pay her a visit if I should ever get out of the Army. she is a jewel & perfect beauty.

 

            I'm glad to hear that father saved me some puppies I want you to name one of them Cheat in commemoration of the fight of Cheat River.

 

I am in hopes you all will take good care of my mares. horses will bring an enormous price next spring. I will close for the present. I think it quite likely we shall leave here soon, but where we shall go I am unable to say. kiss all your little children for me & give my love to father, mother and all the family. don't you think I had better apply to Uncle Peyton to get a discharge for me. I would write much oftener but my hand will becomes too weak to write much at a time. accept my love & best wishes & write immediately on reception of this.

 

Your Affectionate Brother

  PBGravely

 

direct to care of                       

Capt L M Shumaker                                     

            Danville Artillery

            Huntersville Va

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