Just know, in your heart, that however long it must be, I will be here, waiting and praying.
I love you Charlie, please know that. I love you, all of you, and I want you to come home.
Eternally yours,
Rebecca
Charlie immediately sat down and, balancing his lapboard across his knees, wrote his response, trying to keep the ache of missing Rebecca from his letter, with only marginal success.
Tuesday, February 28, 1865
Dearest Wife,
Oh, how joyously I write the above words. Wife. I never thought I would have a partner in all of the love and joys, trials and sorrows, challenges, defeats and victories of life. Then you came into my life and changed it in more ways than I will ever be able to express to you.
Finding your letter in my bedroll was such a gift. It is as if a little bit of you is here with me, and I have placed your letter next to my heart.
This first day of travel has been about as miserable as any I can remember. The complaints from the men are legion! I doubt there is a single dry anything in this camp, yet there is a strange energy among the men. I think that, like me, they feel the end is in sight, for better or worse. At this point, an ending –– any ending –– will be greeted with great thanksgiving.
We travel south, along the rail lines until we can turn west. It is no secret that General Grant has General Lee’s forces surrounded with a three-prong pincer. I believe the way the war ends will hinge on the supply lines –– as General Meigs so aptly reminded me, an army moves on its belly, and the siege of Richmond and Petersburg has seriously limited the South’s ability to feed its troops.
I have to say, my loyal cavalrymen are less than thrilled at the idea of guarding rail lines. The more glory-hungry boys want to be part of the great charges that only cavalry can pull off. I am perfectly happy to be on this duty, though, as the risks are fewer, and I hate having to write the sorrowful letters to the bereaved families those glorious, foolhardy charges tend to engender.
So rest easy, my love. We are up to our hocks in mud, but are basically on reasonably safe ground in terms of how we are being deployed.
My love and kisses to our little imp. Please write and let me know each wonderful thing little Em learns. I know this is a time when she will grow up quickly. I am sorry I will not be there to see her in the coming weeks. Has she settled on a name for the little monster called a dog that Duncan and the boys gave her?
All my love, my heart and soul, to you my dear. I will dream of your head on my shoulder tonight and every night until I am back beside you.
Your Charlie
--*--
Thursday, March 2, 1865
Charlie’s regiment moved with great urgency. Sheridan was determined to prevent Early’s troops from crossing over Rockfish Gap and supplying Lee’s beleaguered forces. Charlie’s orders were to defend Rockfish Gap at all costs. As his forces arrived at the eastern end of that easy passage over the Blue Ridge mountains, couriers and telegrams started arriving, reporting that Custer had successfully engaged Early. Instead of riding into battle, Charlie’s troops spent a very tense day scanning for escaping rebel soldiers. When Charlie returned to his quarters that night, a letter from home was waiting in his non-urgent dispatch case.
Wednesday, March 1, 1865
Dearest Charlie,
Things progress here as you might expect. A few of the men that you mustered out have decided to stay on and help me get the crops in and we are currently deciding what would best be put where, when the time comes.
I must say that I am surprised they come to me for my thoughts. They seem to understand I am, until your return my darling, the head of this household. Of course, I do believe that Tarent keeps them in line as well.
Em misses you terribly and I have had my hands full trying to make her understand that you will be home. It is not unusual for me to find her plastered to the window in the front parlor. We try to keep her occupied, but she is easily distracted when her thoughts return to her Papa.
Constance is not improving at all, but at this moment she is still holding her own. The baby certainly seems healthy enough as it moves around almost continuously.
I went into town the other day for a few supplies. It had been raining as if the Good Lord was bringing another flood. To this end the roads were a complete mess, filled with water and mud. As I was going into the mercantile, Mr. Cooper was getting a shipment of supplies. (He said to thank you for assisting him in that endeavor as well.) Two very sturdy young men were unloading a crate from the wagon when it slipped and splashed down in a large mud puddle. Guess who was standing near the puddle? I swear Charlie; it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. I have never seen Mrs. Williams turn that particular shade of blue. It was truly amazing.
I miss you so and the place seems empty without you and your troops around.
Please give my best to Richard and the others and give Elizabeth a hug for me, as I miss her like a sister.
Eternally yours,
Rebecca
He immediately sat down and composed a response. These letters were a lifeline to him, he had discovered.
Thursday, March 2, 1865
Darling Wife,
The rain, sleet and mud continue here as well. I begin to believe that all wars are fought against the weather, as well as against the opposition, whoever they may be. I am sure Mrs. Williams managed to inform the clumsy young man of every failing he had ever had. Ah, the sweet wine of charity does not run in that woman’s veins, does it?
We reached Charlottesville with no major problems other than a couple of mired wagons. The men unloaded everything, and with horses pulling and men pushing, we managed to free them from the mire. Then, of course we had to reload them until the next muddy bottom trapped the wheels again.
Upon reaching Charlottesville, we turned west, toward Rockfish Gap. Before we could join with the rest of Sheridan’s forces over in the Shenandoah Valley, his troops encountered the remnants of Early’s forces. Custer’s cavalry surprised them in the early morning in Waynesboro. It was a rout. We took up guard positions on the eastern side of the Gap, but very few of Early’s forces got through. Most of the Confederate forces surrendered –– I have heard as many as fifteen hundred men. General Early and only a handful of men escaped. I suspect most of them headed south down the Valley toward Lynchburg.
We are to wait here until General Sheridan’s forces manage to get across the Gap, then we head east to join the western flank of General Grant’s forces.
I am sorry that the little imp is being such a bother. Tell her that Papa says she has to pay attention to her lessons, that I love her and am proud of her.
I pray daily that Constance can find the health she deserves, but if not, that she goes to her Henry with a full heart and a clear conscience. I know you and I will be the parents to her children she hopes we will be.
I love you, darling, and miss you and little Em more than I can tell you. Please keep me advised as to Constance’s condition. She looked so pale and frail when I left.