Augusta County: George Schreckhise to James M.
Schreckhise, March 5, 1862
Summary:
Schreckhise writes to his son about news from home, including complaints about
religious dissenters who avoid enlisting, although he also encourages his son
not to enlist quite yet.
March the 5 62
Dear Son
Don't volunteer as yet there are too many loafers yet.
I now sit down to answer
your
favor of the 25 and was glad to hear from you that you were
well thank god we are all well at
present and all the friends as far as I know of I was at uncle L. Colins yesterday
and of course if any of the
friends
would
have
been sick I would of heard it and none of our boys
were
killed in the battle near
Winchester. They
were all in it but escaped.
Their
captain was mortally
wounded and a few of the
company killed a young Whitmore and a young Harris a son of Michael Witmore
the bricklayer that lives
near Zion. Things in here
looks
squally the Yankees are at
Edinburg 5 miles below Woodstock and General Jackson is at Mt.
Jackson and I suppose
they
will
soon have a big battle there is
a great deal of fear that the
Yankees
will get the Valley the
[unclear: cendre] part of the community and the Tories think so and I fear we have too many of that
[page 2]
part
among ours. There was a
great
many run off but were
caught and taken to richmond
and our legislators let the [unclear:
Dunkers
] and quakers and [unclear: Manest]
off by paying a fine of 500 and
two
percent
of
their property exclusive for their other tax but the law didn't take well with the people at large. it
is an unjust law Son. 28 or 30 of the 79 that were
taken
volunteered. the Dunkers as a general thing are cowards and Tories. They
ought not to be allowed to have
any property or to live in a country if they
won't
support the laws. There is a
great
excitement in here god only knows
what the end will be. I still hope and pray we will
ultimately
will
succeed. I still have faith
in our cause. I would
leave if it were not for mother
if I found that they
would get up here but as it is I will stand my ground. we have a plenty of wheat
and flour and meat on hand and
[page 3]
thank god the finest prospect for another crop of wheat I ever
saw. I sowed 23 pounds of oats and have plowed
all my corn ground although the
most of the people are backward with their plowing it has been
so much rain. It's
been
raining
nearly all the time it rained
last night and this morning and looks like it will
rain all day the roads are almost
impassable the report is that our men are on their way in from the Allegheny and will be in Staunton today or tomorrow and are going down
the Valley if so I will
see Daniel he is well or was a
few days ago I heard from him. Uncle
Bob got your letter and I got
your minutes of you [unclear: Senit]. I will send you ours with this letter for it may be the last chance as I don't
know but I still hope not. I
will
write to you soon if
[page 4]
I find there is danger of
the Yankees
getting to Staunton. I still
look unto god for protection he is our refuge in trouble and in
all times. I have nothing new to write. Uncle John is at [unclear: Ed]
[unclear: Shepar] he is going to the war it is pretty
well
thinned out now since the
militia have left Jackson. Bushang preached for us last Sunday he is in here now tending to
his mother but will
leave
soon again. I think he is rather much Yankee he is
rather in faver of not withdrawing from the north in
General
Senate. I have not much faith
in him but maybe I judge
wrong he takes the same grounds
that the Dunkers do the fruit is very
backward in here there is no
bloom as yet neither
peaches or apples but the peaches I think will
bloom in another
week. There has been a good many
deaths about Waynesboro
a good deal of sickness not so
much about here.
your father
G. Schreckhise
