A7268
Fort Scott, Va. May 24th 63
Dear Sir,
I have at last received a visit from Gilless. He came when I was on gaurd[sic] at Ft Richardson and so had a walk of a mile and a half before he found me after he got to fort[sic] Scott. A Washington friend of his came over with him. I was very glad to see him but being on gaurd[sic] and ______ from our own Ft I had but little time to talk with him and what’s worse would not give him a soldier’s dinner after his long tramp. I did not ask him half as many questions as I wanted to, and I am afraid he did not enjoy his visit very much. He is coming over some day to see me, and go with me over to the 19th to see Romey. He made me promise to come and see him in Washington and I am going over as soon as we get paid [?] off. I think he is a local good boy from his appearance and am sorry he is not going back to your School. He seems to like our Judeavery much and to detest the Captitol above all other places. He says that when he first went to your school he was prejudiced against northern people but that he found them very nice people and never shall think so any more. I told him how we [page 2] liked the Hagerstown people when we were sharing provost duty there and he and I finaly [sic] concluded that there were some good people everywhere. A very sage confession that. He told me that he had a brother who was second Leut[Lieutenant] in Battery A. 5th Artillery the same Battery in which some of our boys were on the Peninsula. I had been blowing up Regular Officers just before he told me this which placed me in rather an embarrassing situation. We had inspection yesterday in which Leut. Col White was chief enforcer. I wish you could see him blunder through and an inspection and drill. He’s the biggest old fool I ever seen and is the laughing stock of officers and men. If he wants us to execute some simple movement which requires an order of two words he will get off one of his Lawyers pleas about as appropriate for the occasion as ” haw” Gee, “go along then”. Yesterday he should have given the order Officers and Guides to your Respective Companies, march. But instead he got off this thick headed statement which it took him fifteen minutes to think off[sic]. “Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, and Guides, and files, at your Respective Companies and ______ march.” At any rate he answers one good purpose in the Regt as the butt for ridicule and the laughing stock of everyone. It’s strange that a man who enlists to serve his Country can’t [page 3] have patriotism enough to resign when he finds that it’s not his mission on earth to be Leut Col. They say that he was a good Lawyer[sic] at home. No one would suppose that he would be able to fill the place of Genl [?] Burner [?] judging by his ______ as Leut Col. Rumors have been rife for the past four day Hooker has crossed the River and was advancing and since saturday morning most of them have been reverses to our Army. Saturday the Chronicle had an extra in the press containing an account of the loss of twenty thousand of our men and the flanking of Hookers Army but the War Department issued an order forbidding the circulation of it. I hope Hooker will do as well as he has promised to and if he does he shall have all the praise. He has set himself up as the perfect Gen. Has given it as his opinion that Gen McCl[ellan] and Burnside were incompetent and has stated time and again that he could have gone into Richmond without the loss of men. That Hooker is a good Gen every soldier who was on the Peninsula will testify. But his testimony in regard to McClellan and Burnside look very much like Bragy[ed note: not %100 sure if Bragy is Gen. Bragg] And I hope by proving[sic] his capacity to [crossed out] he will make his assertions good. If he does I must believe a good deal of the report of the committee on the conduct of the war. [page 4] But if he does not succeed, his testimony which derives its weight from the assumption that he is a fit judge of the Capacity of Gens. falls to the Ground. Let us hope that he will with the splendid Army under him, and[d] army which has not its equal in the world’s history, achieve victorys [sic] worth the blood and treasure that they will cost. Harman(?) Lane who belongs to the 2nd Conn Battery is sick and in the Fairfax Seminary Hospital. Lew Logan came over yesterday with his wife. She will not stay long unless his trunk is found where it was lost on the Road. I guess that Lew has got a nice girl. At any rate the ______ ______ [faded till end] so. Now I come to the matters of fact by which you must not judge that all the rest has been lying. I want a Davie’s Legendre and a French Book either Ellendorfs [??] or some other. I have been reviewing Algebra and I want to understand Trigonometry and fill the time studying French. We have a good French scholar in the company. Have you got them to spare. And if you have not will you get them for me and send by mail and I will foot the bill. I don’t like staying in the Fts a bit but while we are I don’t want to waste all the time.
Please write soon give my love to all Good Bye.
Charley Goodyear
P.S. Our times out in just 383 days.
Fort Scott, Va. May 24th 63
Dear Sir,
I have at last received a visit from Gilless. He came when I was on gaurd[sic] at Ft Richardson and so had a walk of a mile and a half before he found me after he got to fort[sic] Scott. A Washington friend of his came over with him. I was very glad to see him but being on gaurd[sic] and ______ from our own Ft I had but little time to talk with him and what’s worse would not give him a soldier’s dinner after his long tramp. I did not ask him half as many questions as I wanted to, and I am afraid he did not enjoy his visit very much. He is coming over some day to see me, and go with me over to the 19th to see Romey. He made me promise to come and see him in Washington and I am going over as soon as we get paid [?] off. I think he is a local good boy from his appearance and am sorry he is not going back to your School. He seems to like our Judeavery much and to detest the Captitol above all other places. He says that when he first went to your school he was prejudiced against northern people but that he found them very nice people and never shall think so any more. I told him how we [page 2] liked the Hagerstown people when we were sharing provost duty there and he and I finaly [sic] concluded that there were some good people everywhere. A very sage confession that. He told me that he had a brother who was second Leut[Lieutenant] in Battery A. 5th Artillery the same Battery in which some of our boys were on the Peninsula. I had been blowing up Regular Officers just before he told me this which placed me in rather an embarrassing situation. We had inspection yesterday in which Leut. Col White was chief enforcer. I wish you could see him blunder through and an inspection and drill. He’s the biggest old fool I ever seen and is the laughing stock of officers and men. If he wants us to execute some simple movement which requires an order of two words he will get off one of his Lawyers pleas about as appropriate for the occasion as ” haw” Gee, “go along then”. Yesterday he should have given the order Officers and Guides to your Respective Companies, march. But instead he got off this thick headed statement which it took him fifteen minutes to think off[sic]. “Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, and Guides, and files, at your Respective Companies and ______ march.” At any rate he answers one good purpose in the Regt as the butt for ridicule and the laughing stock of everyone. It’s strange that a man who enlists to serve his Country can’t [page 3] have patriotism enough to resign when he finds that it’s not his mission on earth to be Leut Col. They say that he was a good Lawyer[sic] at home. No one would suppose that he would be able to fill the place of Genl [?] Burner [?] judging by his ______ as Leut Col. Rumors have been rife for the past four day Hooker has crossed the River and was advancing and since saturday morning most of them have been reverses to our Army. Saturday the Chronicle had an extra in the press containing an account of the loss of twenty thousand of our men and the flanking of Hookers Army but the War Department issued an order forbidding the circulation of it. I hope Hooker will do as well as he has promised to and if he does he shall have all the praise. He has set himself up as the perfect Gen. Has given it as his opinion that Gen McCl[ellan] and Burnside were incompetent and has stated time and again that he could have gone into Richmond without the loss of men. That Hooker is a good Gen every soldier who was on the Peninsula will testify. But his testimony in regard to McClellan and Burnside look very much like Bragy[ed note: not %100 sure if Bragy is Gen. Bragg] And I hope by proving[sic] his capacity to [crossed out] he will make his assertions good. If he does I must believe a good deal of the report of the committee on the conduct of the war. [page 4] But if he does not succeed, his testimony which derives its weight from the assumption that he is a fit judge of the Capacity of Gens. falls to the Ground. Let us hope that he will with the splendid Army under him, and[d] army which has not its equal in the world’s history, achieve victorys [sic] worth the blood and treasure that they will cost. Harman(?) Lane who belongs to the 2nd Conn Battery is sick and in the Fairfax Seminary Hospital. Lew Logan came over yesterday with his wife. She will not stay long unless his trunk is found where it was lost on the Road. I guess that Lew has got a nice girl. At any rate the ______ ______ [faded till end] so. Now I come to the matters of fact by which you must not judge that all the rest has been lying. I want a Davie’s Legendre and a French Book either Ellendorfs [??] or some other. I have been reviewing Algebra and I want to understand Trigonometry and fill the time studying French. We have a good French scholar in the company. Have you got them to spare. And if you have not will you get them for me and send by mail and I will foot the bill. I don’t like staying in the Fts a bit but while we are I don’t want to waste all the time.
Please write soon give my love to all Good Bye.
Charley Goodyear
P.S. Our times out in just 383 days.
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