Fayetteville, Virginia, January 2, 1862.
Dearest: — I
hope you all enjoyed New Year's Day. I dispatched you “a happy New Year’s”
which I suppose you got. We had nothing unusual. The weather still good.
Twenty-six fine days in December, and a start of two for the new year.
Dr. Jim got a letter from Joe yesterday. Sergeant McKinley
was drunk. I doubted him somewhat, but thought if trusted with an errand, he
would keep straight until it was done. A good soldier in camp — somewhat
obtrusive and talkative, but always soldier-like. He got into the guard-house
for raising Ned at Gallipolis.*
For convenience of forage, and at the request of Union
citizens, a detachment of five companies — two of Twenty-third, one of
Twenty-sixth, and two of Thirtieth — have occupied Raleigh. All quiet there.
One or two other places may be occupied in the same way, in which case I shall
go with the next detachment. This all depends on the continuance of good
weather and roads. I do not mean to let it prevent my going home the latter
part of this month, and it will not unless the enemy wakes up again. At present
their attention is so occupied on the seacoast and elsewhere that we hear
nothing of them. . . . Dr. Hayes is a
quiet, nice gentleman. Jim likes him very much. Jim is now acting surgeon of
the Twenty-third under employment by Dr. Hayes as “a private physician” — that
is, at a hundred dollars per month.
As detachments are likely to be sent off if this good
weather lasts, Dr. Joe better return when it is perfectly safe for him to do so
— not before.
I shall come home as soon as possible. Nothing but these
good roads and fine weather keeps me here now. If the weather and roads were
bad I would start within a week; but in such weather I don't feel that it would
be safe to leave. We may be required to move forward, or to be ready for
movements of the enemy. Such weather puts us into a campaign again. We have had
men sixty miles further south and forty east within a week or ten days. No
symptom of enmity anywhere. . . .
Affectionately,
R.
Mrs. Hayes.
_______________
* Mrs. Hayes wrote, January 5: “Your Sergeant McKinley is a
curiosity. . . . Don't say anything
about the sergeant's condition when he called, for getting home had overcome
him and it did not affect me in the least.”
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 174-5
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