Letter from Charles N. Tenney to Adelaide E. Case, September 30, 1862 | ||
Letter from Charles N. Tenney to Adelaide E. Case, September 30, 1862
How do you do this beautiful morn=
ing? Didn't we
have a splendid view of "the Sacred soil"
at sunrise? (I mean "us
fellows.") How I wish you had been
here for about an hour. But thenits of no use wishing,
for you wouldn't come if the
Rebs hadn't burned the bridges
on the B. & O. R. R. above Martinsburg.
You will think
I am in good spirits this morning, will you not? I have
reasons for being so, I can assure you, for it should be my duty
to always rejoice.
I received your most excellent and
very interesting letter of the 22d Saturday evening, and have
been unable to reply
until now, for you must know that
even on London
Heights there are military duties to be performed
to the utter
exclusion of private enjoyments, and sometimes to the
extreme annoyance of
"our dear selves;" but Gen. Geary will not
surrender Harper's Ferry as did Col. Miles. By the way, was not
that
the most disgraceful affair of the campaign? A soldier's death
was the most
fortunate thing that could possibly have happened to
him. It certainly
shielded his name from disgrace and dishonor.
I trust a full examination
will be made of the cases of White and
Ford
.
Although Gen. Geary has
returned and outranks Gen.
Green
— Night-hawk —[1] yet he does not take command of the division
as he assumes command
of the port at
Harper'sFerry
, and he is
very active in putting everything in a healthy state,
both for
offensive and defensive operations.
"Night-hawk2," since the
battle of Antietam has been comparatively quiet, and in conse=
quence, the boys have not been so fierce for "hitting
him with
a brick". He was very cool
and collected on the field, and after
we had driven the enemy
across the bloody cornfield, he told
our brigade he should
remember "the Ohio boys for what we had
done."
"Bob Green" is as delicate as
ever, and says "Pa, Icant
drink my coffee without
milk." On the field he rendered very
efficient service, as aide-de-camp to
his father.
While I am speaking of "Big-bugs", I may as
well go the rounds
Uncle Abe is all right, having concluded
that the slaves in the
rebellious states after Jany. 1st 1863, shall be forever free. This is the
manifest destiny of slavery —
that shrine to which so many thou=
sands have
knelt and paid homage. Its days are numbered, and
America must be its
sepulchre.
Gen. McClellan is at
Sharpsburg, and though the Government has not yet
tendered
its thanks to him, or hardly recognizes the late battles as a
victory
and a success to our arms, in ridding Maryland this summarily,
he has faith in "God and the Good
Cause," and that ere long
labor under such disadvantages as does, and has Gen. McClellan.
Devotion to his country seems to be his crime, which he must
expiate on the scaffold of "political fanaticism", but thank Heaven, he
is out of reach of the keener weapons of malice.
Now of that other "pop=
ular
individual,"—
Chas. N. Tenney
— I have only to say that he is
well, and like some one else, is patiently waiting.
I am very glad you consider Ohio and particularly
Trumbull
Co.
safe from invasion, I have myself entertained
very serious doubts
as to the ability of the "Butternuts" to invade
cross the "
La belle Riviere
," and invade our beautiful Ohio.
I have been wondering what Gen.
Lee's's army of "ragamuffins"
will say, and do, when they
comprehend that a heavy force has
cut off their direct communication
with Richmond. I learn
from various sources
that a large force under
Sigel
and
Heintzlerman
has gone to Warrenton to destroy the communica=
tions between the Valley and Richmond via the above
place, Little
Washington, Sperryville and Thornton's Gap. If
successful, as I
hope it will be, the expedition will make short
work in Upper
Virginia, and much sooner than the
Rebs anticipate, our army
will be thundering against the walls of the rebel Capital.
Richmond once in our hands, and the cause of
Secession
is forever hopeless.
We have rumors that England has recognized the
independence
of the Confederate States, but it produces no feeling beyond
that of
contempt, for our boys seem impressed with the belief
that if
England should be so imprudent as to commit such an
act,
that it would result in good for the Union cause rather than
otherwise. For Canada would not long remain inactive,
nor
would Ireland.
I have just reviewed this, and the idea has occurred
to me that I may be
too political in my letters, and that
they may be not so interesting to
you, as they otherwise might
be. If so, my love, do not hesitate to tell me
and I will not
write in such a reportorial manner.
As to your letters,
darling, any letter from you is interesting and is very dear to
me, and
the longer they are the better.
Hal, and to send in to-day's mail.
Write very soon to,
Address-
Co. H. 7th Ohio Regt.
1st Brig., 2d Div., 12th A.C.
Washington, D. C.
Letter from Charles N. Tenney to Adelaide E. Case, September 30, 1862 | ||