Head Quarters 1^st Div 11^th Army Corps

Brooks Station Jany 24^th 1863

 

              No letter from you today dear wife, and you will remember that lately many of my letters have commenced in the same manner. I still blame the mails however, not you, for I will not believe that you have neglected me.

 

              I forgot to write you in regard to the note of Israel Ganard, and will do so now in the beginning of my letter lest I again forget. Burnet must be mistaken. The note is among my papers unless some one has taken it away. I cannot now distinctly recollect where I placed it, but I am sure it is there. Ask him to examine in some little paper back books containing blank bills of exchange. I have sometimes kept notes there, but I intended to place all papers of the children in one place / The note must be somewhere among the papers, and if the proper search is made can be found. No one who has had access to my papers had any interest in taking the note, and it could not be used without my endorsement, which is not on the note. If I was at home I have no doubt that I could find it in ten minutes, but I cannot say where it is unless it is in my desk.

 

              As yet our orders are unchanged, and everything seems to rest in very uneasy quiet. In fact our condition is so unsettled that the soldiers scarcely feel like making themselves comfortable. The news from the front is not encouraging for an advance. The roads are said to be so horrible that it is impossible to feed our troops any distance from the railroad. In some instances I have heard of provisions being carried on horseback because the road was impossible for wagons. 

 

              If but half of the statements are true I do not see why our commanders will not accept and submit to this inevitable delay in such a manner as to enable our troops to make themselves comfortable. Our corps seems yet to be in confusion in regard to its commander. Both Genls Stahel and Schurz I see by these papers have been nominated for Major Generals by the President & as yet the order giving the command of our corps to Schurz has not been published I feel however that it will come, and unless Smith's brigade is given me in place of the German one I now have I will certainly make a strong effort to be relieved. Even then I shall not feel contented but perhaps all will turn out better than I anticipate. I see by the Tribune of yesterday that unless the law limiting the number of Brigadiers to two hundred is repealed there will / be only ten out of the sixty three nominated who can be confirmed, and of course under such circumstances my name will never be reached as there must be a large number before me in point of time. Perhaps after all dear wife you will be compelled to take me back home only a plain citizen thus realizing the predictions or warnings of our Glendale friends. Never mind we I hope will take cheerfully whatever may come to pass in this regard. Tomorrow or next day I intend to make an effort to get leave for a few days next week and unless we are still expected to advance I think permission will be given me at least to try on my new slippers. If I cannot get leave for five days I will take less. It is a bad time for me to leave when such changes are taking place in the corps but I must see you all as soon as I can. Love to Ev & her family, Tottie Bessie and darling wife with loving good night kisses—    M^cLean

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