Head Quarters 1^st Div 11^th Corps

Brooks Station Jany 22^nd 1863

 

              I am rich tonight dear wife, two letters from you and one from Eliza. It is not often that I am so highly favored and I appreciate my good fortune I assure you most highly. Ever since our arrival at this place it has been storming almost constantly, and everything almost partakes of the gloom of the heavens. I will make an exception however for just as I am writing the band of the 153^rd Penn^a from my new brigade is under my window serenading me in spite of the rain. What on earth could have induced them to turn out in all this rain I cannot imagine. It does not rain hard, but comes down in a regular steady drizzle which it seems to me would stop all out door music. / I have ordered the regiment to move in the morning down to Aquia Creek landing and perhaps they think this is the last chance for a serenade. They are making very nice music as I write but I cannot enjoy it for thinking how disagreeable it must be for them in the rain. There they go on a new tune. Will they never stop. The worst thing is I have nothing in the way of refreshments to offer them. I must prepare for such occasions in some way for the future if I can. They have stopped and I hope for good.

 

Charley Anderson has been very lucky in escaping so well, and I hope he may always prove as fortunate. Nick will make by his wound. It will give him a reputation greater than anything else, and this for so young a man, just beginning his career will be of great advantage. Eliza says that she saw General Lytle at a party but she thinks / her interest is dying out in him, and perhaps she is getting too old for him. If anyone else should tell her so, how angry she would get. She closes her letter by saying that I must not think she loves me less than Jane for it is not so, but that Jane was always more demonstrative than herself. She seems to be having a very nice time. I am glad that you have at last found Dr Clymer and hope you will like him better than Dr Barnes. Some day I hope to have the opportunity of paying Dr Barnes in his own coin, and if the opportunity offers I surely will do so.

 

              There is no objection to Sats going to Philadelphia excepting that you will be left alone, and the expense. Sattie must reflect that this is a matter which must be thought of in everything she does. I leave this to you to decide, as you must necessarily act in many things upon / your own judgment alone. At present I cannot possibly tell when or where we can come together, but today appearances are certainly in favor of rest for the army until spring. We have for some days been under marching orders expecting as I have written you that Burnside would attempt again to cross the river and attack the enemy. He published a general order to that effect on the 20^th and on that morning no doubt all his plans were frustrated by the terrible storm which came upon us rendering impossible the crossing. Ever since the rain has continued, and now it would be folly to make the attempt, for the enemy have been warned and are now ready to meet us at all points. To advance now after all this flourish of trumpets, which has not only given notice to the enemy, but also ample time for preparations, would be to invite a second defeat. It is evident that for the present we are at a stand as Gen^l Burnside I have been informed / has today gone to Washington City. This indicates consultations and perhaps winter quarters. Those of us who are on the spot realizing the real situation of our army and the utter impossibility of furnishing our supplies as soon as we leave the line of a railroad, know that we run a great risk in making a forward movement at present. This storm comes in good time to warn our leaders of what we may expect during this winter & perhaps it may save us eventual defeat and disaster. Providence has prevented our movement this time, but who can tell which has been the favored party. If we should go into winter quarters here I will try and have the house I am in made tolerably comfortable if when we meet you should desire to join me. I am afraid there is one difficulty which / I cannot overcome, and that is we have no milk for Bessie. It will not do to run any risk in her care, and we had better suffer ourselves than let her suffer atall. If we remain here I shall be able to come up very soon, and I will do so the moment our orders will admit. We are still held in readiness to move at an hours notice and until this order is changed of course I cannot think of leaving. I wrote you that we had trouble in regard to the command of the 11^th Corps, and it seems to increase instead diminishing. Today Genl Stahel came to see me, and says that the dissatisfaction among all the officers of the corps is very great, and that even in Schurz's own division they strongly oppose his taking the command. What the result will be I cannot tell so far as the command is concerned, but I can see very plainly / that bad feeling will exist no who is placed in the command. Schurz will no doubt triumph in the end in this immediate affair but it will be a sorry triumph to him if he does for he will command troops who have no confidence in his military capacity, or his political integrity. Today I wrote to Genl Schenck detailing the whole affair, saying how unpleasantly I expected to be situated, and asking his advice and aid, but not suggesting any course. I told him that whilst we were under marching orders in the expectation of meeting the enemy I could not ask to be relieved from my present command, but that I greatly feared disaster and defeat for our corps if we went into battle under Schurz. Genl Sigel has promised to give me Col Smith's brigade in place of the german one I now have, thus placing me in command of an American division / and if I remain here I intend to insist upon his keeping his promise. He made the promise no doubt because he thought it would please his friends, but that is all the same to me, as it is exactly what I desire. A few days must settle our position in all respects, both as it regards an advance and who is to command the corps, and I will wait with what patience I can until the result is known. When I last left you I expected before this to have seen you again. It has now been nineteen days since I left you, but it seems much longer to me, and I long to be with you again. I sincerely hope the present visit to Washington of Genl Burnside will result in wise counsel and that our blunders will cease. How happy I should be to be able to spend the rest of the winter with you. I received Judge Leavitts letter & will answer it in a short time. Love to Ev & her family Tottie Bessie & darling wife with loving good night kisses.          M^cL

SOURCES