| 3 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, March 14, 1862 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | What can be more lovely than this day. warm as the
summer days generally are and the more beautiful because it is March..
Can you see me. Charlie sitting here on the root of a maple tree about
two feet above the little brook that is south of Auntie's house? Here I
have been sitting dreaming and listening to the babbling of the little
stream till it sounded like sweet music. and then commenced talking to
me of absent loved ones. occasionally looking at the sun that is
peeping through the soft haze which envelopes it. until--well something
struck me. the thought that I would go to the
house and get my writing desk. When
I started back.. I caught up
Titcombs "Lessons in Life," and here it lies on the mossy bank by my
side. Oh! who is not a lover of Nature.. the true mother of all
beauty.. Here I can sit and dream for hours. with no companion but the
little birds that are even now singing among the not leafy but
leafless boughs above my head. And of what am I dreaming. do you ask?
Of what could I be dreaming save my Charlie.. It
does seem like "fairy land" wonder if I could not see their footprints
up on the hill. How I wish I was an artist would not I draw some grand
sketches.. Or if you were. but here. I presume I would have you
installed immediately.. Oh. Charlie. what is there now to hinder you from
coming home. Manassas. Winchester. and all of the prominent places that are in the possession of our troops. I can see
no objections why you can not come I do wish to see
this must be to those whose
friends have gone. What can ever give them strength to bear the great
grief but the hope of meeting them in death.. | | Similar Items: | Find |
4 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, March 23, 1862 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | Do I not deserve - am I not worthy of a letter from my idol? This is not a tear..
I hope my tears are not quite so black as that ugly spot I can see no other reason why I do
not recieve a letter. Dear one please tell me in what way I have offended you for I
am sure that I have. or you would have written ere this. I have given my letters a
review in my thoughts but do not know what I could have written to cause you to
not write, unless it was the remark I made respecting your sending me
Miss Holcombs letters. Dear Charlie I did not intend to
write any thing in that, or any other letter to
alienate your affections from me. Darling will you forgive me if I have done wrong?
Oh, I can not believe. dearest. that such is the case. Charlie. would that you knew
Addies heart you would know that she could not willingly wound your feelings. Two
long weeks have fled since I recieved your last. I more like two months. I heard that
the "3rd Brigade" had moved but did not learn where it had gone. nevertheless I shall
continue directing to the "Valley of Virginia" until recieving instructions to direct
in some other direction. I am at home now. I came home friday last. "our folks" were
quite anxious for me to come. and I came. Do not wonder, my darling, that I did
not feel very desirous about coming. for how could I. but hush! do not allow me
to write to you in a discontented tone. | | Similar Items: | Find |
7 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, April 13, 1862 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | Would you not like to converse a short time with Addie this mor- ning?
Perhaps I can not be quiet long enough to write much of a letter. for I
heard this morning. that Hallieis over to
Auntie's and I wish very much to see him. I do not know whether he
will come over home or not. I presume I can be more contented when
writing to you than any other way.. I do not feel very contented any way to
day. the battle of Pittsburg Landing has
occupied my thoughts most of the time since thursday. How frightful! I
have been reading the particulars of it this morning. and it causes me
to tremble. I would so like to know if you are safe to day dear Charley
I feel so lonely and sad to day that
all manner of thoughts enter my mind. Perhaps it is wrong but I
sometimes wish that you were not in the army. but I feel that it is your
duty to be there, therefore I will try and be reconciled. I do not
wish to discourage you dear one, but my heart sometimes rebels. | | Similar Items: | Find |
8 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, 1862 May 16 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | Who would have thought when I wrote you last that more than a week would elapse
before I should write you again. But how fast time does fly. I know you will forgive
me darling for you know how little time a teacher gets to write especially where they
"board around." I should have written sunday but I attended church both
in the daytime and evening and between the meetings I wrote to Hal. I recieved your letter of the 11th and 22nd of April last evening.
Laura forwarded them from Mecca Had I not heard from you since then
I should be real anxious for you wrote that you was not well, but I can hardly conceal my anxiety now for I have recieved but one letter from you since I commenced my school with
the exception of the one I read last eve. You are not ill are you dearest? I feel
confident that you would let me know if you were. (I am writing in such a hurry this
morning as it is almost school time) I was very thankful for your lettersalthough written so long ago, besides one
from Laurie accompaniament there Indecent (how correct that is spelled)
Dear Charlie you seem to be quite eloquent in your praises of your "Ohio
girl" I do not blame miss Rice for replying to you that I was not pretty, for I
too think you must look with a partial eye, for I can trace no expressions of beauty
in my ugly phyg. although I — don't try much. I dont see
how she could "hate Yankees" after conversing with you,
I would not. Yes darling I am proud of it, I mean that I am a
Yankee, and if you should ever see her again please tell her "that the
Yankee girls" would not only sacrifice home friends, dear friends but even
lie to protect their country and their flag. Oh
Charlie how I should love to see a regt of ladies armied equipped and ready for
battle, but that we must remain at home and donate a little to the "Aid
society," every week while our friends and protectors fall and die alone
with no friend near. Oh it makes me so indignant. But what could we do? Do! we could
fight, fight like patriots as we are, but perhaps you will say you guess our
patriotism would cool down by the time we march one or two thousand miles, strong if
it unclear! | | Similar Items: | Find |
9 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, May 18, 1862 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | Few, very few are the days which I have spent equal to this. I am not
happy to day, darling, far from it in fact. I am not well. A violent
headache has clinnig to me all day, which added to the
oppressiveness of the atmosphere makes me feel miserable.— Oh!
what a refreshing breeze has just swept by — and then almost
two weeks have passed since I recieved the letter that you wrote last.
Dearest why do you not write ofterer would that you know how much happiness
your darling letters brought; and
how unhappy I feel when so long a time passes without recieving one.
Do you hear that music Charlie? Grand isn't it? It is down stairs in
the parlor. Who is it do you ask? Libbie Armstrong one of my scholars. (Did
I mention that two families live in this house.) She has just played
and sang, "Red, White, and Blue". I imagine I can see Charlie, my best and
truest friend bearing that glorious
flag on to liberty. Go on dear one, the prayers
and blessings of Addie attend thee. Listen to those sweet strains
another piece she is performing now, How quickly will music draw the heart
to its gentle accents. What language is in music. Do you see the great
tears which almost throws these lives into obscurity. It
is not sorrow that brings them now, but it is the influence of that gentle
music. Leibbie is not a good player neither is she a good singer but I
am just far enough away to have it sound more like the chanting of angels than like the effect of a
human being's voice and hands. I promised in my last to give you my
experience in “boarding round” the second night. In
my “experience” that I gave you last, I think in
fact, I know I gave you the wrong date. It was the 1st and I gave you the
14th did I not? All for the sake of contrast here goes, | | Similar Items: | Find |
10 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, May 26th 1862 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | My school room is unoccupied with the exception of one lonely being and how
thankful she is to obtain that solitude for which she has all day wished, But is it right
for her to be alone? Alone to those torturing thoughts which cling to her sleeping or
waking. and which nothing but a letter from that idolized being can drive away? Oh
Charlie! My own loved one. if it is in your power. why do you not break the silence
between us Three long lingering weeks have passed since
last I heard from you and God only know how much longer time will pass before I shall. Are
you ill darling and not able to write. If so why
not let me know. I could bear that Or - Oh. no
I will never write that thought, If I did I should feel every letter sinking into my
heart. as if written with a pen of fire, Ah! those tears thank heaven for them,, But
they are but few to what I have shed over my dreams. The thoughts while waking are
not enough to torture my poor heart but dreams. frightful dreams! Oh I can not think of
them, If the cruel monster Death - My God must I write it - has done his work. why do I not know it for then yes then. I
might die. Die! Ah. what is death to this fearful suspense. It is nought. And then I
might meet my idol, Here again I am thinking that it must be so.
just as my dreams picture to me. and not only thinking but writing it, Is this madness? or is it caused by short And
yet at times sharp pain around my heart | | Similar Items: | Find |
11 | Author: | Case, Adelaide E. | Add | | Title: | Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, July 2, 1862 | | | Published: | 2004 | | | Subjects: | The Corinne Carr Nettleton Civil War Collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Nettletoncivilwarletters | | | Description: | If I thought there was so much happiness for me as the probability of
soon seeing my loved Charlie I would not write this morning but as
every thing generally goes contrary to our wishes and expectations. I doubt
not but that such will prove to be the case now. I do not know why I
had so anxiously waited and looked for your return, this 4th but as the drowning man catches at a straw. I
clung to the little encouragement. Lieut Brisvine
gave you. and even now I shudder at the thought of abandoning that
hope. There is scarcely a day but that I hear of some soldier coming
home to meet his friends, and when I think of Charlie
so long absent. I find myself
fervently wishing that others were obliged to stay away as long as he.
I know it is a cruel wicked wish. but it is perfectly natural for
human beings to wish for someone to share their trials as well as
their joys or at least to sympathize with them and when I see others
so happy because a dear friend has returned from from the wars, I
wonder why such happiness is given to some and denied to others. You
will call me an "ungrate- ful little minx" as Hallie says. but refer
the case to yourself. Look way down in the naughty corners. (If you
have such) of your heart and if you do not find just such rebellious
thoughts, striving so hard to get the control. then call me a poor
judge. But you will say I am arguing both sides will you not? | | Similar Items: | Find |
|