Franklin County: William Kindig to Henry A. Bitner, July 21, 1862
July 21th 1862.
Waterloo on the RappahannockFauquier County, Virginia
My old friend Harry
Dear Sir
I have
been writing and writing and writing to you ever since I am in the
army, and at last I've wakened
up all of a Sunday morning to
find myself sealed behind a whole
sheet of foolscap, trying to make it
look like a letter to old Southampton.
I would make an awful long yarn to
tell you everything that has happened
since I left home, in fact, it would
make a young history, so will try
our hand in the condensing line &
squeeze out all the little things retaining only the big facts. After our
regiment had been encamped on the sacred
soil of Virginia
for several weeks near
Munson's Hill, we were attached to
General Duryee's
brigade then lying near Alexandria, and
our regiment. was accordingly
moved thither.
Next our regiment was detatched from the
brigade for awhile to guard the Railroad
from
Alexandria to Manassas Junction.
From this
we went 12 miles beyond Manassas Junction
to what is called Catlett's Station,
but when
Banks retreated, we fell back on
Manassas
to defend that place. Here Ord's and
Shield's
divisions soon came pouring in like bees
and advanced thence to Front Royal
in pursuit of Jackson,
at Manassas our
regiment or rather our brigade was
attatched
to Ord's, now
Rickett's
division. I suppose
you've read the letter describing this march
in the news. I was not along with the
regiment on this march, but
got sick at
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Manassas,
and was sent to Washington, After Jackson
disappeared our
divison fell back again on Catlett's
Station where I rejoined my regiment
after
an absence of about 3 or 4 weeks. Thence
we marched to Warrenton, County seat
of Fauquier, and from that again a
distance of 8 miles out here on the
Rappahannock.
We are now in Pope's great
army of
Virginia. The men have great
belief in him and his energetic policy,
and all desire and expect that he will
soon give us a chance to distinguish
ourselves. We all regard his late stringent
orders as just the thing, and all are
down on slow coach
McClellan, who
marched his army into the swamps of
the Chickahominy, and kept
them intrenching and digging, while they were dying
by the thousand, and all this time
made no attempt on Richmond.
[page 4]
He occupies a splendid position on
the banks of the James, but why
didn't
he go there in the first place. We expect better things of Pope
who has already
proved himself no ordinary General
in the
Western Campaign. Our Colonel
(Ziegle) died
the other day. McAllen is too sickly to
take the command, so the Governor
I suppose
will appoint us a Colonel
Jake Gish just
got back from Washington last night
with his commission as 2nd
Lieutenant We
have bully officers. MacThompson
is a
clever Captain,
McPherson is clever, but
Gish is the best man of the party. The
boys all like him because he makes himself so common. Write and give me all
the news of Southampton,
Shippensburg, the
schools, your studies, &c.
Truly your friend,
William H. Kindig
