West Point New York

April 12^th 1862

 

My dear mother

                        I expect you think me very inconsiderate in not writing home more regularly and more frequently and certainly I have no excuse to plead in defense of such an opinion, and by the time two more years roll round I expect it will be an utter impossibility for me to write a letter, especially if I labor under the disadvantages that I do now for items of correspondence.

 

            I have felt a great deal of anxiety concerning Taff since I read an account of the terrible battle recently fought in Tennessee he was in it I guess, if he still remains under the command of Nelson as his division was engaged very conspicuously the last day

 

            I suppose it was as hard a fight and on decidedly a grander scale than any that has ever before occurred on this / Continent. I know it is impossible for us to get a correct account of the battle as it is to the advantage of each side to exagerate as much as possible, but taking the medium between the accounts of both sides, we find no lack of generalship, chivalry and bravery on either with a single exception and that was the 50^th Ohio who were sent to the rear in disgrace for refusing to fight. Of course I regret that this single instance occurred, but I would prefer it was a regiment from that state than any other of the Western states as the Ohio men generally are getting considerably conceited concerning their valor and that of their state troops.

 

            Did you ever hear of a campaign more brilliant than the one that is now in progress by our army; a series of victories and examples of masterly strokes of generalship almost without a parallel M^cClellan notwithstanding his youthful age is regard as being second to none in the world for scientific generalship, all of these movements along the entire line are but the execution of / his well laid designs. Rebeldom I suppose is well near its short but eventful life. If M^cClellan succeeds in taking Yorktown, which there is not much reason for doubting, I suppose it will have received its death-blow

 

            The reappearance of the Merimac at Fortress Monroe is now the theme of every tongue here, and various rumors and predictions are afloat concerning it; we have not as yet however received anything reliable. I have little or no local news to give you. the snow is nearly all gone, and boats have running on the river for more than a week although we had quite a heavy fall of snow during the 1^st of this month and the weather still remains quite cool. We have been drilling at infantry and artillery drill for about a week. My studies are quite similar to what they were when I last wrote. Taff's trade, surveying farms now my principal study, though I am not confined to plain surveying like himself but include also Geodesic which is on a much more extended scale and embraces coast-surveys, that of large tracts of land, and even whole countries / for the purpose of maps, the computation of the heights of mountains and the distances of inaccessible objects, &c.

 

            I suppose you are all gardening down in Kentucky at a great rate, and father I guess is busy having his trees trimmed, which are nearly in full bloom I reckon by this time. What is the prospect for fruit this year, I hope it is flattering for your sakes at least as I presume it wont benefit me much. I suppose you are all not very anxious to see me, or if you are you had better begin to quiet your anxiety as there is some doubt wheather you will see me for two or three years to come. I am under an order now to remain at this post during nearly all the time that I anticipated going on furlough, however I have some hope of the order being revoked or rather the penalty of a little inconsideration changed. If it is not I hope mother you will make but little of it, for as long as you know I am well and doing well neither displeased nor discouraged but decidedly the reverse, I think it enough to satisfy any person. Give my love to all and write very soon. if Taff was in the fight and came out all right tell him to give me a long description of it.

 

Very affectionately     Your son Rezin

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