Head Quarters 2^nd Brig 1^st Div

Camp at Uptons Hill Sept 19^th 1862

 

            Your letters now come dear wife very regularly as I receive one almost every day. They make me very happy for they show me how happy you are now at home in comparison with a few weeks since. Our dear little baby has operated like a charm upon you, and I suppose I shall have to love her all the more for it. No doubt you will discover many new charms in her every day, and before I see her she will have grown to be a wonderful baby. I am sorry that her eyes are not like yours, but if she has a grey eye that will do very well. Evy no doubt has made herself chief nurse as far as you will permit her to do so. She always was the best child that ever was, and I know that she will make a most lovely woman for nothing / seems to spoil her. We will settle in regard to her school when we meet which I hope will not be far distant. If it can be properly arranged it seems to me that it would be better to have a teacher in the house for both the children. You can then have them both under your own eye, and this to me will be a most desirable thing. I equally with yourself am unwilling to send Evy away to school so long as she can have such care from you at home as she will have. Perhaps we can procure a suitable person at a reasonable price and if so I am decidedly in favor of doing so. We can talk this matter over however when we are again together. At present the prospect for our meeting brightens with every day's report from the battle field. Gen^l M^cClellan seems to have had great success and we anticipate the total rout of the rebel army. There is only one bad feature / in the reports received, which atall makes me doubt their correctness. These reports are all from unofficial sources. Nothing has come direct from M^cClellan that has been published and I am afraid he is not so confident of first victory as our newspaper reporters. He is unlike Pope in all things, and never makes false reports. Today we are all of opinion he is fighting perhaps the final battle and I pray that God will give him the victory. Everything however is uncertain in war. Small things sometimes turn the fate of the day in battle. Yesterday I was in Washington and heard of a sad thing for Evy Kingsbury my niece. She had received a despatch that her husband Col Kingsbury was severely wounded. I did not see her as she together with sister Ev & her son John had started for Fredric to see Kingsbury. If he should die it will be very sad. His wife is only seventeen and is shortly to become a / mother. Tomorrow I am going into the city and hope to hear good news from them. It will be a terrible blow to all of them if he should die. He was a most devoted husband, and his wife seemed to be entirely wrapt up in him. I will hope for the best.

 

You have not yet said whether you had received the draft I sent you. I hope it has arrived safe & relieved you from all money troubles. Gen^l Schenck has been made a Major General, a promotion which his service well merited. Whether I will be thought of or not I cannot tell. A short time will determine as the new Brigades will no doubt be made very soon. My letters were never presented as they all thought the time not proper as all had been appointed that the law allowed. The other day I handed the letters to the Secretary myself without any comments & he filed them for reference. Whether they will ever be read is doubtful. I will write to Maj Minor about Captain Johnson. He was separated from his regiment & went to Alexandria whilst we went to Bull Run & the first I heard he was dead. We

 

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could not bestow any care upon him for we were many miles away whilst he was sick in the hospital. Poor fellow he was much loved in the regiment and was a fine officer. Love to your mother Lindy & the children with loving kisses to darling wife & baby.  

                                                                                                                       

N. C. M^cLean

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