Camp Vernon Alexandria Virginia
September 4, 1861
Having a few leisure moments this morning I thought I would commence in answer to your ever welcome letter which I received day before yesterday. I was very glad to hear from you I can assure you for I hadn’t had a letter in three or four days which is something rather unusual for me to be so long without hearing from some of my correspondents. I received Rand’s[2] (letter) of the 12th and answered it about two weeks ago. She ought to have received it before you wrote. I have got entirely over my cold and am feeling first rate just at the present time. It seems to me you are having pretty gay times down there this summer. If I had known you were going to have such good times down there as you are having I don’t believe I should have enlisted. Why yes I would too. I am glad to hear you are all enjoying yourselves so well and I hope you may enjoy yourselves as well for some time to come.
Well I guess you may make that big cake and have it ready for I shall be along one of these days and then I shall want a piece of it. If I shouldn’t be there to the picnic you may save me a good large piece til I do come. You must have had quite a time that Saturday you went out riding. Why didn’t you let me know you were going and I would have gone along too? That is if you’d had no objections.
I suppose you are watching the papers very closely to see what we are doing. Such has been the report for some time that the rebels were going to make an attack on Washington. All the reason why they don’t is because they dare not: very good reason, isn’t it? That’s just what we are waiting for them to do. They would have a good time I guess before they got through with it if they should make an attack on us. I understand though that our troops are going to make an advance today, how true the report is I cannot say.
I have not received anything from Fannie[3] yet and did not know she was going away anywhere. We are all enjoying ourselves down here in Dixie’s land as well as we know how and as well as we can under the circumstances in which we are placed. It has been reported that they were expecting an attack on this place but they haven’t done any such thing as yet and I don’t think they will very soon.
Carrie, how I would like you to take a peep into our camp this morning and see what we’re doing and how we look. You would find Joe sitting on a blanket with a board and sheet of paper on his knee writing to Carrie. That is all the writing desk we use down here. The bugle has sounded for us to fall in for morning drill so I suppose I shall have to stop writing pretty soon.
I should like to be up home so as to go over to Sunday school once in a while. I can do as we do down here sometimes -play I am there. We get molasses to eat on our bread and play its butter and it makes a very good substitute. They only ask twenty to thirty cents per pound of butter and its half lard at that. And other things in proportion. I wish I had some thirty or forty firkins to sell at that price. We have got to fall in now so I must stop til after drill and then I will give you an account of it.
I have just eaten my dinner and seated myself to finish my letter. We were only drilled in marching this morning and they gave a pretty good turn at it. Speaking of which, I will tell you what we had for dinner. A couple of fried pieces of pork as salty as brine, some bread and a small cup full of hominy and some molasses. I presume you think its rather of a slim dinner but we call it a good dinner. All we generally have is a little meat and bread. For breakfast, we have meat, coffee and bread. For dinner, meat and bread. For supper, coffee or tea and bread. You will think it is rather poor fare, but that is what we have to live on. If you had to live on such fare you would think it rather hard living, wouldn’t you? We are allowed rice, beans & hominy with our meat so we make out to fare very well. Not as well as we did in Elmira. You will have to charge Hank[4] and Jim for Reggie’s board. ???? for taking care of her. We had quite a time that night, didn’t we? I wish I was there tonight. I would have a little fun I’ll bet.
I get to thinking once in a while of the good times I’ve had and often I wish I was back there to have some more good times. You would laugh if you should see us now. We have all got regular infantry hats and they make us look like old men. We have a good deal of fun with Wiley. When we were in Washington they got the story around that he was going to join the cavalry and ever since then they have called him the cavalryman and since we have got our hats we have more fun than ever with him. He could not find a hat that was small enough for him and we tell him he will have to put a couple of sticks in his ears to keep his hat from sitting down over his shoulders. Oh I must tell you how our hats are fixed. They are high crowned black hats- real old fashioned- trimmed with light blue cord and tassels, a large black ostrich feather to wear on the side, a bugle pin in front and an eagle to put on one side so as to fasten it up. I tell you we look grand with our new hats all fixed up.
Enclosed you will find a couple of flowers, one of which is the ‘Rose of Sharon’ or ‘the last rose of summer’ and the other I do not know what it is. I do not recall of ever seeing anything like it before. Wiley sends his respects to you all and says he guesses he will have to accept your invitation. He is not feeling very well today.
Oh- I came pretty near forgetting to tell you we intended to have had bread pudding for dinner but the man did not bring it quite soon enough so we are going to have it for supper. We have a brigade drill every afternoon.
Please accept those flowers with my compliments and if anyone asks you where they came from tell them they came from Dixie’s land. Tell Rand I’ve answered her letter a long time ago. Give my compliments to your Father & Mother, Rand & Will and tell them I should like to see them very much and you too. Seeing I can’t suppose you and Rand and Fannie, just send your faces down this way and I will take good care of them. Write soon and oblige. Ever yours,
Joe [5]
To Carrie
[1] Caroline Wibert born in Mar 1844 in Galen, Wayne Co, NY to George M. & Julia A. Wibert
[2] Rand refers to Carrie’s sister Erranda Wibert born 4 Nov 1846 in Galen died 2 Mar 1932
[3] Fannie likely refers to Fannie Backman, sister of Henry born abt 1839
[4] Hank refers to Henry Backman born about 1831 in Wayne Co, NY to Abram & Catherine Backman. He would become Caroline Wibert’s husband in 1866
[5]Joseph Alonzo Braden born 11 July 1840 in Seneca Co, NY to Louis & Electa (Moore) Braden. He became a infantryman in the Union service 30 April 1861 in Co. D, 27th Regiment, NY Volunteers under Colonel Slocum. His command was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and participated in the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) and in all the engagements of the McClellan campaign. He emerged from his period of service unscathed and was discharged in June 1863. On 23 March, 1864 he married Lucy Angel born 20 March 1845 in Galen, Wayne Co, NY.
[5]Joseph Alonzo Braden born 11 July 1840 in Seneca Co, NY to Louis & Electa (Moore) Braden. He became a infantryman in the Union service 30 April 1861 in Co. D, 27th Regiment, NY Volunteers under Colonel Slocum. His command was assigned to the Army of the Potomac and participated in the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) and in all the engagements of the McClellan campaign. He emerged from his period of service unscathed and was discharged in June 1863. On 23 March, 1864 he married Lucy Angel born 20 March 1845 in Galen, Wayne Co, NY.
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