Courtland G. Stanton to Mary E. Lewis, 28 June 1863
White House Va.
Sunday June 28th
I wrote you
Thursday immediately after my arrival. I have not received any letter from you yet Nothing of interest has transpired since then except our removal here. We were the first Infantry that landed at this place Some of our Cavalry landed the day before & drove the Rebs. from here. There was only a small force here & they had better preperations for retreat than defence. They had a contrivance if which had been completed would have caused some/annoyance before our Gunboats could have drove them out It consisted of a very heavy Gun mounted upon a car to run upon a common rail road This they would run down on the road from Richmond & then they had a branch track laid to run it into a heavy earthwork in which they had a turn table so they could swing to fire in any direction This they fired one shot from & then run it off The Cavalry that came here before us returned last night from (a reconoisance) bringing some two hundred Rebs prisoners & thirty wagons with teams & some sixty horses & mules beside They burned some forty wagons that they/could not bring. They went quite near Richmond burned a bridge where the rail road from Fredericksburg to Richmond crosses the Paumuky river thereby cutting Lee communication with Richmond This place (White House) you will recolect was McClelan’s base of supplies where he burned the Gov. stores upon his retreat from the Peninsula. It is only 22 miles to Richmond much nearer than we have ever been before How soon we shall move forward I do not know. Our Reg. at present is doing Provost Guard duty at this place I do not know whither we shall stay here when the rest move forward or not/I do not know whether my letters will reach you or not I mail them though But as the Paddy said “Of you do not get this write me & I will blow the P.M.” Dearest I am getting “way wiser.” I am not home sick a bit although I prize home & its dear ones as I never knew how to prize them before I hope to hear from my darling soon. But I know that you have written Write often My love to mother. You I will never forget to love
Court. G. Stanton
P.S. I wish you could puchase a good map of the seat of war in Virginia then you tell just where I was at all times You could send to New York & get one by mail. Court.
224
DATABASE CONTENT
(224) | DL0011.042 | 16 | Letters | 1863-06-28 |
Letter from First Lieutenant Courtland G. Stanton, 21st Connecticut Infantry, White House, Virginia, June 28, 1863, to his wife Mary
Tags: Animals, Artillery, Cavalry, Destruction of Land/Property, Fighting, George B. McClellan, Railroads, Robert E. Lee, Ships/Boats
People - Records: 2
- (459) [writer] ~ Stanton, Courtland George
- (460) [recipient] ~ Lewis, Mary Elizabeth ~ Stanton, Mary Elizabeth
Places - Records: 1
- (259) [origination] ~ White House, New Kent County, Virginia
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SOURCES
Courtland G. Stanton to Mary E. Lewis, 28 June 1863, DL0011.042