Richmond Virginia

June 25^th 1862

 

Dear Naomi

                        I was the happy recipient of a very kind and polite letter from you some weeks ago—the perusal of which gave me pleasure bordering upon rapture I am always glad to hear from you and I hope circumstances will allow a more rapid correspondence between us hereafter. I owe you an apology now for having deferred answering yours until so late a day. But I hope it is only necessary to refer you to the stirring scenes through which we have passed to insure / a pardon for my apparent negligence, apparent, I say, for I protest it was almost an utter impossibility for me to write sooner. We have been on the march continually—not stopping every time for the darkness of the night. We have fought two battles of considerable importance, and until very lately we have not known what it was to have a regular encampment. But at last I hope we have pitched our tents where they will remain till we drive the Yankees from before Richmond, or they beat us back from our Capitol, an event, I hope and firmly believe, can never occur as long as there is a Southern soldier that has not poured out his lifes blood in its defence. Now, we have comparative leisure, and I trust it will last long enough for me to finish this scroll. Every thing in Camp is quiet and monotonous. / We cannot go a visiting to the City or to other Regiments without we do so at the risk of returning and finding our Regiment gone to parts unknown. So you need not be surprised at our manifest ignorance of what is occurring around here. There might be a considerable skirmish on the lines without our having any intimation of it except the occasional boom of a cannon. Tis true we get the morning papers, but they lie so that little confidence can be placed in them, and they have failed to reach us this morning from some unknown cause. I suppose you have of course heard the details of the battle of "Seven Pines". There were several Tennessee Regiments engaged on that memorable day. I dont know whether you had any acquaintances in them or not. But if your most "Beloved" was on that sanquinary field, I am sorry that I cannot / relieve your mind of that anxiety that you must feel for his safety. I can only hope with you that he is safe.

 

            I cannot prolong my letter to any greater length—I beg you will excuse the Yankee paper and many imperfections with which it is blessed.

 

            I would be greatly pleased to soon peruse a letter from your own tiny hand. next time I will endeavor to be punctual in my reply.

 

            Can I ask you to remember me as I shall ever cherish the memory of you?

 

                                                                        Your Friend as ever

                                                                                    T. H. Williams—

 

P.S—I forgot to tell you that Miss Lou T— is over in the city to see David. nearly all the boys, her acquaintances, have been over to see her. I have not had the pleasure. H

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