September 3, 1862. Lewis & W- came over to study. Rain.
[Rebecca] September 3, 1862. A warm morng. shower in the P.M. A very quiet day – Geo still poulticing his foot. Henry makes shelves for Tivie.
September 4, 1862. Rain prevented our going to Tina’s.
[Rebecca] September 4, 1862. A cloudy, drizzly morng. Split palmetto for H’s hat, all the morng. – Sew after dinner.
[Winston Stephens to Octavia Stephens]
Camp Stephens Sept 4, 1862
My Dear Wife
I seat myself this P.M. that I may write you a more deliberate letter than the hasty sheet sent you before. I find it impossible to write without interuption as I have ben interupted already.
Your long, interesting & affectionate letter found me in good health free almost from any symtom of cold & you may rest assured that if I die of cold it will be one that is to come. My Command is not so well, Swep is sick the Dr is sick & about 9 or ten others, some have been threatened rather seriously though to day they are all on the mend. The Dr has no medicine for the sick & that is one reason why we suffer as we do. I cant tell you what all. The Dr has no medicine for the sick & that is one reason why we suffer as much as we do. I will send as I have sent today by Mr Smith to Lake City & cant tell what will be his success. I have purchased the cotton cards. No knitting needles to be had of the size. Tell Mother I could not get the cloth any where on the road & some of the women had been offered one dollar pr yard. Pay her the dollar Dean paid me for her & tell her that alumn is worth $5 per pound & Coperas $1.25 pr pound, so she can see how much she lost in her last sale. I have written Clark about Simmons & it will depend upon circumstances if he trades, but if he does not you can buy any thing you want that he has at a fair price. I cannot afford to make the trade on account of his kitchen furniture which is perhaps worth five dollars. I cannot find any shoes for Rosa. I am ordered up to Tallahassee as a witness in the case of Maj Barnwell & will try to think of them & the needles then. I start next Tuesday. Mr Gardners trial will come off on the 15th which will give me the opportunity of being there.
I have just ben called as a Courier stands with orders near my tent. The orders are that I hold myself with 25 men in readiness to march on saturday morning, with three days cooked provisions for myself & men, I dont know where we are going & therefore cant inform you but suppose it is to scout the coast so as to allow Capt Dunham [to] see the Country ‑ I will write you if any thing turns up worth hearing.
I called yesterday on Mr Burrett & was invited to dine with him but had to decline as I had just dined at camp. I went with him into his dining room & had quite a long chat with him & his better half. Mrs Burrett inquired very particularly about Mother & yourself & I told her that Mother had written to Miss R. Foster & about her request hoping to draw her out. but she did not know any thing more of Col. Bryant than we had already heard & Mr Burrett did not learn any thing of him on his last visit to Richmond, but saw Mrs Sanderson there, she told him that the Gov of Florida a Mr Smith & Judge Fraser had gone to St Augustine. You know Fraser or Mother does as he lived in Jacksonville. One thing I learned of Mr. Burrett & that was that Gardner had given him a power to draw money from the Federals for the rosin taken at Pilatka which testimony will be valuable. Gardner has been Paroled to wind up his business & get his evidence.
I got a letter from Mr Greely stating he had purchased the uniform & had got me a cheap one what do you think of that? We had a report in circulation that we were to be sent out of the State in a short time but its all false I think nothing confirming the report I heard before I left that Officers had been appointed & it is not believed it will be but that we will have an election for our field Officers. I will finish this tomorrow.
Sept 5th 4 PM. My Dear I have just sat down to finish this. We had more glorious news to day by the Cars. Kirby Smith has defeated Genl Nelson of the Federals at Cumberland Gap capturing his whole force 10,000 men, our loss was not as heavy as could have been expected, but in the last days fight between McC & Pope with Genl Lee our loss was heavy & a dispatch was received to prepare for 8,000 wounded. You will see by the despatch that they had three days fight. It is thought that by this time that Buell has surrendered or defeated. The 7th Fla was in the fight at the gap ‑ God is surely with us as we are all the time victorious & our cause is prospering. Whit Smith is just from Richmond before he left & they were stil coming in. I send by Mr Smith 12 yard of cloth for you & 12 for Tina. I don’t know when Mr Smith will come as I hear he has gone up to Tallahassee. The other articles cannot be purchased. When you hear from this part of the world again you will hear that the St Johns River has been blocked on the Yankees as my scout is in connection with that object. I cant give you the particulars as I am sworn to secrecy, but dont be uneasy as I will take care of myself & you shall hear as soon as I return. I am not so anxious to make the trade with Simmons as when I was up there & have written to Clark to be careful & not buy unless the stock is good. you can give the cards to Mr Basford. I send Mother some thread wove if you wish & manage every thing to your liking & I will not complain. I have written to Clark about the Mill to try & get him to take hold & finish it. Do as you wish about the Dean house all I care for is the pea house & take care of the nails to have them for the Mill. Good bye lots of Love to all & many kisses to Rosa & love to you
Yours aff
Winston Stephens
September 5, 1862. Davis 23rd birthday. W & Lewis over to study. No rain.
[Rebecca] September 5, 1862. A fine morng. – Employ myself in various ways in the morng. until time for the boy’s lessons – Write most of the afternoon – The eveg. most beautiful.
[Rebecca Bryant to Davis Bryant]
Rose Cottage Sept 5, 1862
My dear Davis
This is your birthday, and I will commence a letter to you and finish it on Sunday morning. We are now having most delightful weather, after much that has been disagreeable and I hope you are enjoying the change. I think you have had a regular north‑easter, from the course of the weather here. Your most welcome & interesting letter of the 26th and one to George, came through, for a wonder in five days & reached us on Monday P.M. How nice it wd. be if they wd. always come so promptly. George was very much pleased with his, and this together with Willies commendation of one Henry wrote to him seemed to inspire H‑ with an idea of writing to you ‑ He thought he shd. have a letter ready to go with mine on Sunday, but has found several little jobs that claim his attention before Sunday and thinks he will defer it until I write again. I suppose you have recd. the letter sent by Winston to J'ville. I mentioned writing to Miss Beckie, and Winston promised to call and let her know that she could write to me by Mr Smith who was to go down a few days after, but Winston writes that Mrs Foster had gone to Aiken for her health, having had several hemorrhages - no doubt this is the reason you have not heard from them. I am very sorry to know that Mrs F- is so decidedly an invalid and fear now she may decline rapidly. Winston forwarded my letter and I hope for a reply if they remain long at Aiken. I received a letter from Aunt Julia before we heard from Winston, in which she gave an account of a trip half way to Savannah and mentioned meeting Mrs F- & Rebecca in the cars and having an hour's conversation with them! She did not say where they were going, but that they wd. make every effort to see Willie at some point - and therefore I supposed they had suddenly decided to go North. Aunt J- writes that they talked of us all and each individually and with so much interest that it "stirred them to tears which could not be repressed." She says they parted “with regret, like old and dear friends,” to her they seemed to be nearly connected with us – you remember she saw Mrs F- at our house, but Miss Beckie was absent at that time. When she returned she found Parris on the cars, going home for a furlough and he went to pass two days with her. She says nothing of his going to Virginia, so I infer that was a false rumor we heard, of his Regt. being ordered there. Some weeks before, Aunt J- had occasion to pass ten days in Sav. and the vicinity. She went by request of the Association to which she belongs, to visit the Hospitals, a friend of hers Mrs Reed (formerly Miss Alston) went with her and they carried a petition to Gen Mercer, in behalf of some of the Georgia companies who have suffered terribly from sickness. He recd. them cordially and complied so far as the removal of the troops the next day, to a healthier locality. She says she did not wish to court attention and declined many kind invitations, but was pleased by the proprietor of the Pulaski receiving her on the footing of a guest, and the omnibus driver refusing to take fare – She had a carriage placed at her disposal that she might visit different points without expense and she passes over the R. Road free – Mr Patten a commission merchant of Sav is the Agent for the Association and she passed the evegs. and nights with his family in Whitesville a few miles from the city. She went to Parris’ camp and dined with him & his Col – her friend Mrs R- going with her – As she was going on the cars to Sav she met Mrs Latham & Carrie! They told her of their house being burnt and their visit here, but as Aunt J- couldn’t devote much time to them in the city, did not hear all Mrs L- wanted to tell her – They took tea together at the Pulaski and Parris was introduced – He was quite pleased with C- so much for Aunt Js journey – She had recd. my two letters and says I was much more forbearing than she dared to hope, she feared my love for her would not, could not, survive the test – yet looking back she sees no other way she would have done in justice to others, she sent much love to you with all rest.
Some days after I wrote you I recd. a letter from Willie and as he was going to write you the same day, I presume you are acquainted with all his movements – The Regt had been assigned to the division under Brig. Gen. Saml Jones – and they were being kept in readiness to march at the shortest notice. Expected to have a march of 150 miles, to give up their tents &c – yet he was anxious to be on the move. His letter was dated the 15th ult. Winston writes that he saw a letter from him dated the 19th and the Regt was to march the next day – but he doesn’t say to what point – Willie thought when he wrote me they wd. be marched to Nashville. Sixteen days have elapsed since they began their toilsome march – how much they must have had to endure in that time, even without a battle! He said he shd. not be able to write me so regularly hereafter, therefore I do not expect a letter on Monday, but I shd. think we must hear something definite from our troops and Buel’s army by that time. You know Dick Stephens & James Gaines are both in Tenn. at Knoxville where Winston last heard from them. Poor Mrs Gaines has been terribly tried and must now be in deep affliction. Her son Lewis was going down to Winston's camp to stay a month, as substitute for Swepston ‑ he stopped at his sister Mary's for a couple of days, went out hunting, his gun caught in a tree and as he attempted to save it from falling, it fired and shot him! He only exclaimed O! Lord! and expired. This happened a few days before Winston stopped there on his way to his camp. Mrs G‑ has now four sons in the service. It is not long since she heard a report of James' death, which she believed for two days, as it came by a private letter from the Regt he is in ‑ she then recd. letters proving it false. I think I shall not have much space to fill on Sunday if I write any more now ‑ Tivie sends much love and hopes this is the last birth‑day you will ever pass in camp ‑ and I heartily respond to that sentiment. We are to pass tomorrow with Mrs Stephens. I have begun teaching her two boys, three days in the week ‑ they come in the morng. and study with Henry & George two hrs. in the am & one P.M. I proposed it partly for their sake and partly for my own, as I require something to divert my thoughts from the gloomy channel into which they constantly flow, despite of all my efforts, when my mind is not occupied entirely and it is all I can do to be useful here now to any one ‑ Henry looks very thin and sometimes pale, but I think it is caused by his rapid growth principally. He has a good appetite and is sufficiently active for the season ‑ I think the cool weather will increase his flesh.
Sun morng. ‑ We passed a pleasant day with Mrs Stephens yesterday ‑ It is four weeks since I have been there, or any where off this place, and the change and ride were enlivening. Mr S‑ heard from Capt Canova just from Jackvlle that Gen Jackson had been again victorious in an engagement with Pope ‑ had taken 400 prisoners and got Pope's uniform! But unfortunately he was not in it.
Mr Smith is expected up from Jckville in a few days. Mr Stephens is P.M. during his absense. Mr Dean has agreed to carry the mail to the end of the year, and I am relieved on that point – Willie writes that their “postman” makes new arrangement for recg. their letters whenever they move and he hopes to get all due him after a while. He says they now have their letters forwarded free and yet he stamps his, how is that? I asked Mr S-s about and he said there was a law, so Mr Smith said, that soldiers shd send letter for half postage. Why do you not avail yourself of it, if it is so? Tivie recd. a letter from Loulie Tydings last Monday ‑ they are living in a place belonging to one of his uncles (Dr Adams' brother) where they are making salt. Mr Tydings superintending the negroes for him. The place is called Sopchoppy and is some distance from Tallahassee. Lou expresses great anxiety to hear about you & Willie and indeed all of us, and we were rejoiced to hear from her. She says they are cut off the world and fears she will not be able to hear from us ‑ Tivie wrote to her immediately.
We look with renewed impatience for tomorrows mail, hoping for favorable news from Tenn. and from Virginia. It seems to be the general belief that if we do not gain our Independence in the next two months, the War will be indefinitely prolonged; perhaps for the whole of Lincoln's term of office. Do you see any newspapers? Some of the N. Western states are greatly opposed to the emancipation act ‑ and deserters say there is much division in the Federal army. All this is in our favor. Don't fail to let me know as soon as you hear anything of Willie's movements, as news will probably reach you earlier than it will me. You see I do not know when to stop, after I begin writing to you, it is as pleasant to imagine that I am talking with you ‑ but alas! I do not hear your replies. How do you pass your Sundays? Have you any chaplain or clergyman near you?
If I do not hear through Winston this week that he has seen Mr Burritt and questioned him about your Father or that you have been in Jackvlle and talked with him, I shall write to Mrs B‑ and ask her to tell me what she knows. The boys send much love ‑ Henry says he will write soon ‑ Ten thousand kisses and blessings for you, my dear boy, from
Mother
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