Send me postage stamps

 

Head Qrs 1^st Div 11^th Corps

Brooks Station April 15^th 1863

 

            No letter from darling little wife today, and nothing to cheer me up in one of the roughest days we have had for a long time. I have kept the house all day, and the rain has come down steadily all the time. Even now at bed time I hear the steady patter in the tin gutter, promising to continue all night. The little creek which runs you remember near the house, and is ordinarily not up to the knees of our horses in the deepest part of the ford, has swollen to quite a river and back of the house has overflown its banks. This morning a wagoner in attempting to cross with his wagon and team upset the wagon and drowned one of his horses. From this you can imagine how it has rained. Does it / not seem strange that the moment we prepare for a movement, a storm seems sure to come, so as to prevent us. It was so with Burnside, and has been so with Hooker. This time our cavalry force had already started two days before this storm began, and my fear is that this rain will so swell the Rappahannock as to prevent their return. This may prove a great misfortune, for if they are compelled to come back rapidly, and cannot cross they may be captured or destroyed. I do not know where the cavalry have gone, but I take it for granted they are making a dash at the communications of the enemy with Richmond or points south & west of Fredericksburg. I shall wait with great anxiety to hear from this expedition, for its results may be of great importance to us. The whole army is all ready now to march at the tap of the drum, and I doubt not we are waiting for the cavalry raid / to develop itself before we advance. At least I think this was the case before this storm, but now we must wait a little so as to be able to get our artillery along.

 

            I hope by this time both you and Bessie have recovered from your colds. I do not fear for Bessie, but for you I cannot feel you are free from real danger, this cough has kept up so long. If it has not left you try the blue pill. It acted like a charm upon me, and now I scarcely cough atall, and my cold is going off rapidly by the nose. Disagreeable but not dangerous, and so I am contented. You must take double care of yourself now dear wife, for you are the mother and mistress both, and must manage the whole household. This reminds me to give you a piece of advice. When you go back to Glendale suppose you study the garden books and take real control / of the place, so much so as to give you occupation. If you do I think the time will come when you will find both pleasure and profit by your diligence. How much I wish to be with you, with nothing else to do but look after the fruit and garden. Perhaps before the season is over I may be able to come, if our armies are victorious. I do not however expect this in all quarters though I certainly do here. If we gain a few great victories perhaps your secession friends will think it best to cultivate your acquaintance a little more. Let them go. Traitors are no loss in any sense of the word. If we should be defeated I have no doubt more severe measures will be resorted to in order to quell secession at home. Perhaps all of this class will be sent to their friends south. How will they like this? Serve them right, for they convey information whenever they can.

 

Love to the children & family with good night kisses to darling wife—

                                                                                                           

M^cL

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