Augusta County: Jesse Rolston, Jr., to Mary Rolston, April 3,
1863
Summary:
Rolston comments on the punishments for soldiers who "flank" fights, and about the loss of a
member of their company. He also gives advice to his wife who is managing their farm in his
absence.
April 3-1863
Camp Hamilton Crossing
Spotsylvania County Va
Dear Companion
I seat myself this morning to inform you how i am and how i have
been since my last letter. I have had a bad cold for the past week but i have had a good appetite to eat
all the time. I am well at present and hoping that when you receive this that it will find you enjoying good health and in good spirits and hope all of our
family friends and neighbors may be enjoying the same blessing. I received your letter that you sent by Captain A Airhart in the first of April. J just came off of picket that
day and we enjoyed
ourselves very well considering such a spell of weather as we
had. we was gone three days. the first day it rained very hard all day. the second day it was
cold and the wind blew very hard and cold
all day. the third day but quite pleasant until evening after we
got in camp. it clouded up and the next morning it was a snowing. it fell about 2 or 3 inches
but it soon melted after it quit snowing and made a slop. it has been
quite moderate since. the man that was send to richmond that you spoke of had went home three
times and he would when [illeg.]
[page 2]
camp in times of a fight would run off
until it was over. it is harder on them that flank a fight than them
that don't. they have been hard on some of the
others too. there is Jacob and David Shull and John and Richard Michael sent to richmond April
1st for six months hard labor and 6 months pay. that was their sentence. William Shull hasn't had his trial yet-April 5th. I am well and
hearty but it pained me when i read in your kind letter the death of your brother. it makes of
[illeg.] in which a man has but a few days and full of trouble. god giveth and then taketh away. blessed is the name of the
Lord. We have lost another one of our company. Absolom Michael yesterday morning at 7 o'clock departed this life to a world where
there is no more parting. he wasn't sick but about 2 weeks. he had the
typhoid fever. he was able to walk about
some until the evening before he died. life is uncertain in the
army as well as at home. i don't know but what he is better off now
than if he had a lived to heard his trial for his case would be been
hard the way they punished the others. i don't think we'll stay here many more
days until we move it [illeg.] report in camp now that we are to go out back in the
mountains west of Staunton but i don't
know
where we will go for they take take us where
they please. the
yankees appear to be quiet and they say they don't want to fight if they can help. they say there is a great
many of them will go home the first of May or rebel against old Abe. if they do that the war can't last much
longer. from what i can hear and see i don't
think [letter torn away here]...if you think you can manage any more corn [illeg.] the
bottom field as you won't have oats enough to
sow. the field of cornstubbles on the
hill could plant some in there and if you don't plant there sow the best of the ground in oats as far as
it will go and let the remainder be until [illeg.] put more on your self than you can
manage. it is not worthwhile to expose yourself to put out a crop if you don't get any out of it. you can
keep the stock off the new ground field and the orchard. it will make as much hay as well. keep
the stock if the season suits and what luck do you have with your help?
So no more at present but remain yours
from Jesse Rolston
write and [letter gone] Mary Catherine Rolston
