Weston, Virginia, August 15, 1861.
Thursday Morning.
Dearest L—: — We
had four days of rain ending yesterday morning — such rain as this country of
hills and mountains can afford. It was gloomy and uncomfortable but no harm was
done. It cleared off beautifully yesterday morning and the weather has been
most delicious since. This is a healthful region. Nobody seriously sick and
almost everybody outrageously healthy. I never was better. It is a luxury to
breathe. Dr. Joe — but don't he go into the corn? He has it three times a day,
reminding me of Northampton a year ago and your order for supper on our return
from Mount Holyoke.
Our regiment has had divers duties which keep up excitement
enough to prevent us from stagnating. Colonel Matthews and right wing is fifty
miles south. Captain Drake and Captain Woodward, with their companies, spent
the four rainy days scouring the steepest hills and deepest gullies for the
rascals who waylay our couriers and wagon trains. They captured three or four
of the underlings, but the leaders and main party dodged them. Captain
Zimmerman and his company have gone west forty miles to escort provisions to
Colonel Moor (Second German Regiment of Cincinnati in which Markbreit is
Lieutenant) and to clean out an infected neighborhood between here and there. A
sergeant and six men are at Clarksburg escorting a prisoner destined for
Columbus. Lieutenant Rice and twenty men are escorting cattle for Colonel
Tyler's command south of here. A part of our cavalry are gone west to escort a
captain and the surgeon of the Tenth to Glenville, thirty-seven miles west. On
Saturday I go with Captain Drake's company to meet Captain Zimmerman's company
returning from the west, and with the two companies, to go into the hills to the
south to hunt for a guerrilla band who are annoying Union men in that vicinity.
I shall be gone almost a week so you will not hear from me for some time. The
telegraph is now extended south to a station near where I am going to operate,
so that we are in reach of humanity by telegraph but not by mail.
Dr. Joe has got the hospital in good condition. A church
(Methodist South) in place of the court-house for the merely comfortable, and a
private house for the very sick. None of our regiment are seriously ill. The
sick are devolved upon us from other regiments — chiefly lung complaints
developed by marching, measles, or exposure. Very few, if any, taken here.
Divers humane old ladies furnish knickknacks to the hospital and make glad the
poor fellows with such comforts as women can best provide.
We find plenty of good Union men, and most of our
expeditions are aided by them. They show a good spirit in our behalf. A large
part of our friends in the mountains are the well-to-do people of their
neighborhoods and usually are Methodists or other orderly citizens.
Good-bye, dearest. I love you very much. Kiss the boys and
love to all. Tell Webby that during the rain the other night, dark as pitch, my
horse, Webb, fell down the hill back of the camp into the river. Swam over to
the opposite shore, and at daylight we saw him frisking about in great
excitement trying to get back to his companion Birch. When we got him he was
not hurt or scratched even. He stumbles a little, which doesn't do for a riding
horse, so I have taken a government horse which looks very much like him; same
color and size but not quite so pretty, and given Webb to Uncle Joe for an
ambulance horse. I shall call my new horse Webb, so there are to be two Webbys
in the regiment. My next horse I shall call Ruddy. Love to Grandma.
Affectionately,
R
Mrs. Hayes
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 65-7
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