Cha^s

 

Sandy Hook, Md. or thereabouts.

23^rd October.1862.

 

My Dear Arms—

                        Yours of so & so, has not come duly to hand—owing perhaps, to your having forgotten to mail it. It seems to me that you might find time away down in that dark office of your's to pen a line to yrs &c—How is it? Well never mind—here goes for an opener, and may it open a rich store of letters from you.

 

Probably you have seen the letters I have written home, and so the most important movements I have made are known to you. Here we are under the shadow of Maryland Heights, which your old friend Miles so gloriously & successfully surrendered. / Maryland Heights, which, to all appearances, and according to the opinion of military men, a child with a bunch of fire-crackers could hold against a hundred thousand men. Why, you would realize all this if you should once ascend said Heights. The other day I went up the only possible path within miles of this point, and going up I lost my saddle-blanket off behind, and coming down fell over the horse's ears. And right back of our camp, just where this wall ends the Union forces fought the rebels, lost 7 & killed 240, and then—evacuated. The next day Miles remarked with holy fervor—"I have done my duty—I could do no more" and surrendered the possession of Maryland & Loudon Hts. It's enough to make a man disobey Regulations / and speak disrespectfully of his superior officers—as well also, as that ancient saying, "nihil de mortuis" &c. The view from the Heights is one of the finest in the country. You can see Virginia spread out before you, for miles on miles—on the other side is the far-famed Maryland. The Potomac sqirms around, what there is of it, in a very meadering manner. There is a signal station on top, and with the aid of glasses, (not specs, you understand), we can see Knoxville, Point of Rocks, and where Frederick city would be if there wasn't a mountain in the way, and on the Virginia side Harper's Ferry, Charlestown, and the very Church in front of which J Brown Esq. was strangulated, Sharpsburg, Shepardstown, and distinctly with the naked eye the camp-fires of our Southern brethren beyond & about / Charlestown. The view is perfectly enchanting. I met an artist of Harper's Weekly on the Hts yesterday, and he will have some fine & correct views out soon. Enough about Maryland Heights—except that we found the hand of a dead rebel sticking out of the ground up there, in a very imploring manner. Nobody took the hint, and we left him there. By the way, Col. Ross yesterday promoted me to be Captain of Co. H 20^th C.V. He hasn't found an Adjutant yet, and so I remain in my present posish for a while, and the matter is not generally known here. You will therefore direct as usual—"Adjutant" &c Our Brigadier, Kane, offered me the place of Aid on his staff, but i did not think he would make it agreeable for me, & resp'y declined. Send this effusion to Father. The folks will be glad to know of my promotion. It is generally conceded that our Corps at least will winter here. We are building huts per order. I was up at M^cClellan's Hd. Qrs. this morn. and they / didn't look much like moving. Mac appeared in good spirits & wished to be remembered to you when I wrote. When I am promoted to Col. I will write again but hope to hear many times from you before that event. I am with regards to your Messmates, y'r aff brother Cha^s

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