New Berne N.C.

Nov 5^th 1864

 

Dear Father,

                        I have received yours of Oct 16^th since my last. Don't know where it can have been all this time. To-day General Harland got a lot of Bulletins (he subscribes for them) and among them I noticed a part of a private and confidential letter from me to you. I cannot undertstand why you wish to parade me before the public in such a light. "I have kept very well, and have the satisfaction to know that I have been able to stand by the General and be of service to him". My dear father, I hope nothing will ever betray me into showing you an improper spirit of fault-finding or disrespect. I do not intend any such thing on this occasion. But will you consider how the sentence above-quoted will read here? If words were ever written for the home-circle alone / these certainly were. I have asked you kindly, urgently and repeatedly not to publish anything which I write to you. And lately you are handing my letters around the neighborhood and printing in the newspapers. Must I always write guardedly, and with a view as to how my words will look in print, or must I make my letters less frequent and even shorter than the press of business has made them of late? The only information in my letter of any possible interest to the public is that General Harland was well. Could you not have told Bromley so, instead of giving him a chance to show up my egotistical, hastily-worded rambling style? I feel very sore about this, and will stop lest I say something which I do not mean. I feel as if it would be useless to reiterate my request for you to keep sacred the confidence of my correspondence, and perhaps you feel that you have a right to do what you like with what I write. If the latter is the case, why I simply don't know what I shall do. At any rate it / will take all the pleasure away from writing home. The surgeons announced yesterday that the fever had entirely abated. With much love to Mother, Sallie, and yourself, I remain

 

Affectionately yours

Charlie—

 

[overleaf]

 

Chas Nov 5

A. Nov 9. 1864

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