Augusta County: John Quincy Adams Nadenbousch to
Hester J. Nadenbousch, April 20, 1864
Summary:
Nadenbousch writes his wife with the good news that his resignation has been
accepted and he is out of the army. He will come home as soon as he is well and
able. For the moment, he will not because he does not wish to take an oath of
loyalty to the Union. He tells his wife not to worry about confiscation of their
property, as everything will be sorted out after the war. He expresses the
opinion that the coming campaigns will decide the issue and asserts that
Confederate forces are in good shape and highly motivated by such issues as the
enlistment of black men in the Union army. He also sends messages for his
children.
April 20/64
Staunton Virginia
My Dear Wife
I again have an opportunity by which I hope to send you a few lines & of course embrace it as you may be glad to hear from me though not anxious to write me
I have just received official notice of the acceptance of my resignation & yesterday turned over the command of this post I now am out of office (a citizen) I feel like an uncaged bird after 3 long years of close servitude I now am liberated (could say more here but won't)
I am still much crippled up with Rheumatism am hardly able to limp about the house but hope so soon as the weather clears up & settles to get better. I have suffered amazingly for the last 5 weeks.
Well I suppose the next thing you want to know is when I am coming home This I can't positively say but certainly so soon as the way is open
I must first now try & get well & then arrange other matters we
are doing a fine business here and would much prefer having you here with me,
which I think can be done before long And if the way is not soon
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open we will try & make some other arrangements for the best You wrote
me to come home This I can't do now I would be compelled to take the Oath or be imprisoned this I
have not concluded to do yet & hope there will be no necessity for it My
own opinion is that there will be some heavy fighting in Virginia this spring & that this will about end the war I trust to
god it may for I am sorely tired of it Our troops are in the best condition and
much more determined than ever known. The negro soldier seems to fire them up. I
think this spring's campaign will settle the question
of subjugation
I hope you have gotten over the mood you were in when I
last heard from you it pained me so to see you so low spirited &
disponding You try & keep a home some place there and full &
plenty to live on. take care of yourself & family and don't bother about the property if taken it will only be temporarily
& can't last we will still own it all let it go
now & don't let any one annoy you about it all
will be right I still have [added: full &]
plenty here to keep you well if all other was entirely gone to which I am daily trying to add. I am
anxious now to know the exact condition of things as I have heard
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so
many reports about our matters. how I would like to see you now and hope it will
not be long until we meet If you can't write get some friend to write me fully about our private
matters I enclose you a small draft on a party in Maryland you give to H L Staub
& ask him to have it collected for you. or if he can't, get some one else to collect for you whoever collects can
in[unclear: sert]sert their name in the draft and you use the money
& let me know if you need money as if you do I can buy here such funds as you can use there
My love to all the children & Miss Jane. don't let the children be too closely confined at school as it might injure their health. try and train them up as well as you can Bring them up in the fear of the lord & to do good
My Dear children be obedient to your Ma who is now more than over burdened with
grief & trouble conduct yourselves in such way as to make her happy.
attend school try & learn as fast as can Keep off the streets and out of
bad try to be good & do good. We are separated now but it will not be
long so I soon expect
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to see and be with you and hope we can then
all live happy together give my love to all our kin & kind friends
Hester as I wrote you M r J Thomas & family is here with us & Miss G Snodgrass
M rs G had a frollic 4 days ago & produced 2 boys one dead the other alive & she doing well I have nothing new of importance to write you. I hope soon to get well
Write soon
Yours ever
John
