Camp Near Point of Rocks V^a. Sunday Sept 4^th/64

 

Dear Phemia

                        Your kind letter of the 29^th inst. came to hand yesterday. I am glad to hear your health is still as good as usual and glad to know you are able to visit among your friends and enjoy yourself so well. I am also glad you find some pleasure in my letters and unless some unknown circumstance prevents I will endeavor to furnish you one to read every week as usual and hope I may continue to receive letters from you as often as I have done, for I am sure I would be very lonely without them. I can asure you my dear Phemia you will always have my sympathy and undivided love. if it is not always expressed, it will always be felt and my best wishes will ever attend you though many miles may seperate us and circumstances deprive us of each others society. But it gives me pleasure to think if we both live / that we have a prospect of seeing each other again in one year. I am aware that time will soon pass away, yet it seems a long time and I trust we may meet before that time expires. But did you know that I sometimes think we are better acquainted than we perhaps ever would have been if I had not enlisted and thus been sepperated from you. You may think this strange, but if it had not been for the little present you sent me while at camp Swift in Geneva I should perhaps still been labouring under the rong and foolish impression that you dispised me because I was poorer than yourself. I am aware that I done you a great injustice by cherishing such a thought, but a too sensative person is apt to form rong conclusions of others, and often rob themselves of many pleasures they might have enjoyed, and this seems to have been my case for no doubt I might have enjoyed more of your society if I had been less sensative in several respects. but while living under the rong conclusion I had formed, I should never have taken the liberty of trying to become better acquainted / with you unless some circumstance had placed us on an equality in respect to property I mean, and I think it doubtful if that circumstance had ever taken place. But I am very thankful that one did take place that lead me to believe I was mistaken in the true feelings of my little friend. Farther enquiry not only proved to me that I was rong, but assured me of the sincere love of one that had long been dearer to me than all the world together. If I had not enlisted I should perhaps still have been loving you in secret, without the consolation of knowing that you were generous enough to love one in poorer circumstances than yourself. I am very thankful to have such a friend, for with all others, I feel as if the world would be lonely without my little friend Phemia and I hope some future day will afford me the pleasure of siting by her side and expressing my thoughts instead of placing them on paper. I am glad to hear Miss is better. I hope her health may continue to improve and that I may soon hear she is well again. Please give her my love and good wishes, and tell her to not get / discouraged. We are still in the same place that we were when I wrote last. Our situation here is far more pleasant than it was when we were near Petersburg. Our duty here is mostly picket duty, and not a great deal of that. I am at present in the color guard and as the colors are seldom sent on a picket line my duties are very light. Capt. Schutt has resigned and gone home. I think we shall miss him in the company. he had been with us so long and so constant that it seems to me we can hardly spare him. Lt. Evenden has also resigned, so that we have none of our commitioned officers with us that came out with the regiment. Dan Readfield is with the company and has been promoted to second Lt. and is in command of the company. Charlie has been promoted to Orderly Seargent. so you see there has been quite a change in our company recently. The general health of the company is pretty good, and I think it is gradualy improving. quite a number have recently returned from the hospital and no one has been sent there since we arrived at Point of Rocks. I hope this may find you well and happy. my best wishes will ever attend you. Accept the assurance of the sincere love of your Friend

Russell F. Wright

 

To Euphemia O. Gillet                                                                       

 

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I have no brillient victories to mention from these parts but all seems to go on well.

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