Augusta County: Jedediah Hotchkiss to Sara A. Hotchkiss, January
21, 1863
Summary:
Hotchkiss writes to his wife, describing camp life and activities. Yankee troops had been
making some demonstrations, but no battles had developed. He writes of food supplies, and
responds to news of the family. He also describes the sacked city of Fredericksburg.
Sara A. Hotchkiss
Wednesday, Jan. 21st 1863
Camp at Moss Neck, Caroline Co. Va.
My Ever Dear One:
Your excellent letter of a late date came to me in good time and I should have answered it before now & must beg pardon for waiting so long & hope you will not "go and do likewise". We have been very busy, as the enemy has been making some demonstrations that looked like another attempt to cross, so we have renewed activity in fortifying and the Gen. has called for a complete map of our position and defences, some 14 miles long, on a large scale, so you see there is no lack of hard work, then I have had a wretched cold for some two weeks making me so stupid that I have not done much unless under the spur of necessity, and so have put off writing to you until I shall do it no longer. I have been alone for several days, I got Gen. Stuart to ask Gen. Jackson for him for a few days, and he sent him up to Fauquier to see his sweetheart and the "love sick fellow fairly danced with delight, it would have done your heart good to have seen how happy he was in anticipation of his visit to "the loved one". But the worst of it was that Gen. Jackson wanted him again to construct some works, after the Yankee demonstrations, so he sent up after Gen. Stuart's Engineer & of course he had to let him come, and Stuart laughed at me yesterday, saying "you caught me once, but you won't again."
We have been living gloriously ever since I came back, "gorgeously" as Boswell says, and you
would be surprised how things hold out, you must have endowed some of the "wee" jars &c
with properties like the "widow's Curse"
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I ate the last of the catchup today, on a
snack of bread & butter, when very hungry & weary and o! how good -- the butter
is not half gone yet, we have some pickles left, but they go tolerably fast -- , we are
particularly fond of them, especially the cabbage, I never thought it half as good before, then
the corn, berries, hominy, & dried fruit are almost intact, not a fourth of them gone
& I may say that some of the corn meal and biscuits, of course
the apples did not last long. Every one that eats with us praises the good estate of our
larder, and "my wife" often comes in for the credit due her for the comforts that make this
barbarous, or at least half civilized way of living at all endurable, I do not know how I could
stand it but for the nourishing palatable food I get. Last night, after 3 cold days, it began
to rain and has rained steadily until now, 8 P. M. of the next night and the ground is quite
wet, the stream coming up, making camp quite unpleasant, while clear, cold & dry a tent
was very comfortable with a good fire, but in a heavy rain the tent gets wet and a hot fire in
a stove partially vaporizing the dampness makes a tent like a steam bath and unfits one to
endure the changes of the temperature we are exposed to. I intend to try for a room in the
house if we stay here much longer, at least until I get rid of my cold & headache
caused by it. I think I brought about my cold by washing when I changed my clothes after I came
back from home. I have never washed all over in camp, in cold weather that it has not so served
me, and I intend, here after, to profit by my lesson of experience and rub clean & make
the clothes do the washing for me. I am sorry Nelly has been so
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poorly and hope she
is entirely recovered. I fear the warm stove room may help to make the children so liable to
throat diseaes, but hope not. You have so many wearisome nights with the sick children, I am so
sorry I may not be there to relieve you, I often think of it on my pallet on the ground and
wonder if you are enjoying rest or being worn down by the care of our children -- but it will
not be so always, and we must pray our merciful Heavenly Father that these days may be
shortened and that neither we nor our offspring may see any more of the like -- we must nobly
endure and suffer, for the boon we seek is a priceless one, but O how much it costs. I was up
to Fredericksburg on Monday, went with Col. C. J. Faulkner, who is our "Chief of Staff", he
wanted to see the "Battlefield of Dec. 13
th
," and understand it fully, as he is writing out the Report, and so the Gen. sent me up
with him, and we had quite a pleasant day, as the elements were favorable, I saw two unburied
Yankees there still, mere boys in appearance slowly washing away thus far from their homes,
killed in a vain attempt to subjugate us. Heaven help them. I went into Fredericksburg for the
first time, called on the Mayor, most of the people are still away and the town is deserted
save by a few men and our soldiers "on duty" there The people are still moving away the wrecks
of their household property, but as the Mayor remarked, "there is scarce one thing that makes
life pleasant and comfortable that the Vandals have left behind or have not destroyed. He said
there was hardly a house that had not a bale or shell hole in it & our men have picked
up tons of unexploded shells & solid shot. I saw houses completely riddled, roof sides
& ends and perfectly untenable. I had no idea before how a bombarded
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sacked
city would look and I do not wish to see it again, unless it would be right to sack Washington,
that sink of iniquity, after bombarding it with all "old Abe's" horrid crew in it. The river is
quite narrow there and the pickets can sit on the opposite banks and converse There is no
firing of pickets at one another now and our men are throwing up breastworks in easy musket
range of the enemy -- in fact one of the pickets called to our men, saying, "You needn't be
throwing up dirt there, we don't intend to come that way again". I hardly think the enemy
intends to come over here again, though they may. Col. Faulkner says all these elections in the
North mean peace, he was in prison there until a year ago and some of the men that have since
been elected to office there or are candidates, were in with him and they told him how they
intended to proceed until they got the government into their hands when they would make peace,
though he does not look for it until Abe's time expires, though he thinks hostilities will
cease after next June. Write to me often my Darling One, for the mails have to be depended on
now our line of courriers is stopped Put on the letters to Guinea's station P.O. in addition to
what You usually do. I shall be quite sure to come home before the sale so as to be there and
we will keep what we want and I will arrange for garden, pigs &c. I have got William
hired, expect him here now every day, got him very low -- and in the Spring I will hire Allen
out to some farmer & send William to you and he can make garden & do anything
you want done -- I will send you some money if I have a chance. Be of good cheer my love and
may you and our nestlings be in God's holy keeping and be abundantly blessed in all things is
the constant prayer of your absent husband
Jed. Hotchkiss
Make us some more pickles if you can--Harman says we shall have some beans from his house.
