Charleston, Camp Elk, July 2, 1864.
Dearest: — Back again to
this point last night. Camped opposite the lower end of Camp White on the broad
level bottom in the angle between Elk and Kanawha. My headquarters on one of
the pretty wooded hills near Judge Summers.
Got your letter of
16th. All others gone around to Martinsburg. Will get them soon. Very much
pleased to read about the boys and their good behaviour.
Dr. Joe went to
Gallipolis with our wounded, expecting to visit you, but the rumors of an
immediate movement brought him back. We now have a camp rumor that Crook is to
command this Department. If so we shall stay here two or three weeks;
otherwise, only a few days, probably.
You wrote one
thoughtless sentence, complaining of Lincoln for failing to protect our
unfortunate prisoners by retaliation. All a mistake, darling. All such things
should be avoided as much as possible. We have done too much rather than too
little. General Hunter turned Mrs. Governor Letcher and daughters out of their
home at Lexington and on ten minutes' notice burned the beautiful place in
retaliation for some bushwhackers' burning out Governor Pierpont [of West
Virginia.]
And I am glad to say
that General Crook's division officers and men were all disgusted with it.
I have just learned
as a fact that General Crook has an independent command or separate district in
the Department of West Virginia, which practically answers our purposes. We are
styled the "Army of the Kanawha," headquarters in the field.
I have just got your
letter of June 1. They will all get here sooner or later. The flag is a
beautiful one. I see it floating now near the piers of the Elk River Bridge.
Three companies of
the Twelfth under Major Carey are ordered to join the Twenty-third today —
Lieutenants Otis, Hiltz and command them, making the Twenty-third the strongest
veteran regiment. Colonel White and the rest bid us goodbye today. What an
excellent man he is. I never knew a better.
You use the phrase
"brutal Rebels." Don't be cheated in that way. There are enough
"brutal Rebels" no doubt, but we have brutal officers and men too. I
have had men brutally treated by our own officers on this raid. And there are
plenty of humane Rebels. I have seen a good deal of it on this trip. War is a cruel
business and there is brutality in it on all sides, but it is very idle to get
up anxiety on account of any supposed peculiar cruelty on the part of Rebels.
Keepers of prisons in Cincinnati, as well as in Danville, are hard-hearted and
cruel.
Affectionately,
R.
Mrs. Hayes.
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of
Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 478-9
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