University of Virginia Library

Letter from Charles N. Tenney to Adelaide E. Case, 13 October 1862

Permit me to address a few lines to you, hoping to
interest you for a few moments. There, is not that in style? Now that
I am to correspond with a Colonel's sister, I suppose I must "put on a
little style." I - I - can't, -- dont know how. I evo-(come pretty near
writing a naughty word)- rather not try, as I shall do as I see proper, unless
there be certain contingencies arising. How is it? Must I?

Your Charlie is well as usual, and of course as happy as he
can be away from thee, so you need not fear for me. I was so
glad to hear of Hal's promotion, I threw my cap into the air and laughed
for joy. How do you suppose it made Brig. Gen. E. R. Tyler feel
when he learned that, that Lieutenant whom he persecuted and affected
"taken down." It nettled Lt. Col. Asper considerably. I understood that
"he thought the military committee might have selected some one older and
more fitted for the position than Case, especially since he had that rupture
with Gen. Tyler. Now I think he would like the position himself.
but he is eminently disqualified for any office higher than the one he now
occupies. other officers in the regiment, who thought that by taking
sides with Tyler they would court his favor, and gain his influences to
promote themselves, also feel rather annoyed at his (Hal's) rapid rise
For my part I congratulate him and tender to him my warmest
sympathies and earnest goodwill. May God be with him.

But I forget that I have two letters from you to answer, and
you will wonder why I have not sooner replied seeing that we remain

in camp. I will explain. Since I wrote you last we have
changed the immediate location of the Camp, our Sabley tents have come,
and we had to clear off offas the ground before pitching them, and when
we got them up as nice as you please, a lot of recruits came, and it
was found that we had not tents enough. Accordingly Seth Coon,
myself and another enterprising young man set to work and built a log
house, 8ftx10. for our especial accommodation, exclusive of recruits, Said house
is heated by means of a stove, manufactured of sheet iron, by our selves, and
lighted by means of a canvass skylight. Altogether, when finished (for it is not
yet complete,) it will be a comfortable dwelling place for three U.S. privates.
My time has been so completely taken up in this work, with my usual "guard duty, (We are now Headquarter guards to Gen. Georg.) that I could not sooner write
- and this is my reason. Now for practically replying.

I was not at all pained to learn that you were housekeeping, nor
was I ever of young Powers' mind. I not only respect a lady who can act
in both capacities but on the contrary, I consider no lady's accomplishments are
perfect unless she has a general, if not a completeunderstanding knowledge of house
keeping. Yet I do not hold as a sequence that every lady must, of necessity or choice, be a housekeeper; by no manner of means, yet it is a conveneince, at
times, to understand how to bake a little bread, or even to sweep a floor.
But do not think that I would make a servant of my wife, not for the world
would I. Next your God, you love me but," God bless you.
darling, for such devotion. Did you know that your love gives more strength
to do my duty, and that "Love makes the hours go lightly by"? No, love I will not
"scold" you for loving me thus well, indeed I fear I shall deserve a treatment of
that "antidote for wrong" for not being good enough for you. But my heart, my
all is yours, and yours forever.

Now for the military department of my letter. You make inquiries
of Gen. Pope - why he was defeated on the Rappahannock etc.

To begin I will make this statement. Gen. Pope, although he should
himself competent to handle a single corpo in the field, while in the West;
is insufficient in himself to wield an enormous army of 120,000 men.
Other men are so, not only in the North but in the South, but unfortunately
for us the South understands this better than ourselves, hence, although it was the pop-
pular wish of the people that Jackson should be placed at the head of the Confederate
Oct. 17Gen army, he was assigned to only a single corpo d'armee, while. Lee, although lacking
in that peculiar quality- dash- was made first in command, because he could plan
a campaign on a large scale, and handle the entire force with ease, leaving for
generals of smaller commands the rapid moves to. Now Gen. Rope
was altogether too fast in making his advances into Virginia, for while he was
ing the bold advance directly upon the rebel Capitol, he did not sufficiently guard
the flanks. Thus the Valley of Va. was comparatively free from our army, while
there should have been a strong force acting in concert with the grand army.
And in like manner the line of the Rappahannock from the edge of Culpepper County
was left without even a picket line, to within eight miles of Fredericksburg!

You will see that as Gen. Pope had his entire army maped in the vicinity of
Culpepper, nothing was easier for the enemy than to turn either flunk. When this
at last became evident to the worthy General, instead of having Burnside and
McClellan come to his relief via Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock, he ordered
them to come to his rear by way of Alexandria, and the same course taken
by himself, so that is McClellan had been two days earlier, he would have
been on the Rappahannock and Washington unprotected; for the "dash" of
Jackson by Lee's order, had completely outfluncked Pope's entire army, placing it
in the greatest danger of annihilation, had it not been for the timely presence of Gen. McClellan
which retarded Jackson materially. But you will say that it
was Pope's men who fought the disastrous 2d Battle of Bull Run. In part, it was and
in part by McClellan's men, but had it not been for the presence of the army of the
Peninsula, the "grand advance" of the rebel army would have been neither more nor less

than an assault upon our own Capitol. While we came upon the
pahannock, we could see plainly the rebel troop across the river, moving around to our
right, and Gen. Sigel requested permission to intercept the movement, (as might have
been done by guarding the passes of the Blue Ridge and Thoroughfare Units.) but Gen.
Pope told him it was but a ruse, and that he should be needed on the river.
Sigel was right, Pope was wrong. The rebels went around, and Gen. Banks
corps which was the rear-guard -- just where the advance should have been was once
cut off and surrounded, but by the superior skill of Gen. Banks we were extrica-
ted. Haven't made the matter any clearer for you. By the way, Gen. Halleck said
at the time Pope was appointed that he had but little confidence in him.

Since Iwrote you lastcommenced painting this, we haven't around our camp down the hill
nearer to water but our splendid view is impaired some what; I was interrupted
while writing for that purpose, thus we have the labor of clearing another encampment to
perform. You ask me who is my partner, Seth Coon, sho has
been absent all summer, in the Pioneer Corps, is acting in that capacity now, while my
regular partner, Bob. Murray is still in the Hospital, having been surrounded at
Cedar Mountain.