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Harrisons Landing July 18 1862
Dear Mother
I received your kind letter last night and have received all that you have
sent lately. It seems very strange to me that my letters to not get to you.
I have written three to you and one to Gust since the battles. Charley
Buchanan writes nearly every day so he can not fail to get a letter through
once in a while. I gave a description of the fights as near as I could in
my other letters and you may get them yet so I will not go into the details
of that again for it is not a very pleasant thing to think of feeling as I
do now. All that I can say about fighting is that I dont want to see any
more of it at all and the quicker I can be sent home the better I shall
feel. I think if our govornment was half alive the war would have been
ended by this time. There are a great many hard things said against Secty
Stanton. The part he has played does not look well to men that are fighting
to sustain the govornment. The papers can tell about the army being in such
splendid spirits &c but it is not so. The men are really discouraged if the
Enemy had followed up and made an attack on us here the whole army would
have been annihilated. They have not been used to retreating and do not
know how to do it and if McClellan had been reinforced when he called for
it he would not have been obliged to retreat at all. I hope someboddy will
kick Mr. Stanton out of the chair pretty quick. Harrington made out to get
aboard the boat after he was nearly dead and is now in Philadelphia he says
he has got a good place he is going to try and get a discharge. I think it
is the best thing he can do for he is not fit for a soldier. I am glad to
hear that Libbie has got a baby hope she will have lots of them if she
wants them. You ask me what to send to the sick soldiers. I could not tell
you any better than as though I had never seen a soldier there thousands of
dollars worth of stuff sent here that is never used at all A great many of
the nice things are used up by the men that work around the hospitals and
the sick men do not see them at all. And now I am going to tell you what
you can send to a well man. I want about ten pounds of cheese, dont care
about it being of the best quality but would like to have it pretty good. A
small can of jell or preserves a few dried apples and berries you may send
a pretty good lot of dried fruit for it is the best thing that we can get
here you may put in a little tea and some tobacco. Tell Gust to get a
bottle of good Gin and pack it snug and put that in The doctor says that
some good Gin would do me good for drinking this muddy water has affected
my kidney I hope you will attend to putting up the stuff right away Charly
Buck has sent to have his mother put up some stuff for him and two or three
other boys Haight and Angell have done the same I hope they will all attend
to it right away if you do not hear anything about Haights and Angells
right away you need not wait for them but put the stuff up with Miss
Buchanan and send it along by Express as soon as you can for we are in a
starving condition. Charly Buck sends his kindest regards to you remember
me to all the family.
Your Aff Son
CJH
I will write often and hope you will do the same You will have the box
directed to
C J Hardaway
Porters Division
Co. D. Berdans S. Shooters
Harrisons Landing, VA
Historical Notes
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