University of Virginia Library

Letter from Adelaide E. Case to Charles N. Tenney, 8 December 1862

What a cold
winter evening is this, but not cold
enough to dirive away warm loving thoughts
from the heart. But with those same
loving thoughts of thee dear one are strange=
=ly mingled sad ones. And for several days
previous to this. those same sad thoughts
those.--I am almost tempted to say
uncwelcome forebodings. have lingered
about my heart. at times coming[?] in to feel so
very depressed in spirit. as to not care
whether life or death were near. and at
other times the warm tears would gush
forth in torrents, and still I would

not know for what I wept..
Is it owing the fact that I do not
oftener hear from you dearest? I know
of nothing else that could cause such
feeling in my heart.. I know I am
an ungrateful child. but then you
know the heart will be human in spite
of our efforts to make it appear different
at times, Oh. darling. how very much I
desire to see you.. How very many long
months have passed since "last we met"
and God only knos how many more
will pass before we shall meet again,
And you dear patient Charlie bear this
seperation without a murmur.--you way
off deprived of the common comforts of
life, patiently endure, not only this
seperation but toil privation and suffering
while I surrounded say all that can make
me happy except thy presence dearest, am
bitterly complaning against an all wise
Providence. who sees fit to seperate us
for[1] an indefinate time, Ought I not to
be whipped?

Yesterday! oh - guess how I spent the day,
In reading all all of thy darling letters
I told Carrie that if I would not be
the reciever of a letter from you I would
read old ones. No they are not old
darling. your letters can never grow old.
any more than our love. Whil[e] reperusing
those precious treasures strange but pleasing
emotions filled my heart, Although I have
read them many times before. yet I
never before read them with such happiness
cominngling with that same feeling of sad=
ness of which I have before written. allow[?]
me to recapitulate some of your writings a
little. The first-of your letters gave a
description of Camp Dennison. then came the
several letters written whil[e] you were in
W. Virginia. Your trip to Cincinnati
the Charleston flood, battle of Cross Lanes
Floyds Pursuit and many other interesting
facts which you so kindly acquainted me

with. then your transfer into E. Virginia, and
amid all this came the declaration of your love
for me. Oh with what rapture did my heart
respond to those precious words.. How very happy was I then darling. Can those letters ever grow
old to me dearest? No never while life remain[s?]
But I wander. Next came those, relating your
different adventures whil in the Potomac. then
forward move of the "Grand Army." Soon the
fight aaat Winchester in which you suffered
so cruuelly then the march up the valley of
Shenandoah. and all the marches backward
and forward. your march to Fredericksburg and
back finally your retreeat and so many different
relations that it would be almost impossible
for me to repeat them all. So I will write
no more of this. once again I ask can those
letters ever grow old? And once again I
repeat. No never!

Only listen to Carrie playing on her guitar.
She is now playing the Star Spangled banner
She has played "Hark I hear an angle sing"
"Lorena" Kingdom am a coming" and various others
But dearest I have severall lessons to learn
yet this evening so you will excuse the short=
ness of this will you not? Also the writing
for I have been in a hurry. Will you not
write very soon love? Pleaaase do. Could you
know how very much I wish to hear from
you. you certainly would not fail
writing as often as once a week. if not oftener
God belss thee to aught darling and always