18th. Letter from Cousin Minnie, also from home. Have made application for about a dozen furloughs and sent as many men to hospital for examination for discharge.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
June 18, 1865.
My bell is safe at the school, and the carpenter has begun the belfry, which will be of the simplest description, as I shall pay for it myself. It will not cost over twenty-five dollars, all done and the bell hung. Mr. Tomlinson did offer to have the work charged to the Committee, but all their work was done and closed up, and I do not care about having this charged separately, as they might think it a useless appendage. We want to petition for a fence to our playground. We have proposed it once and been refused, as the estimate was too high, but we will strike for a cheaper fence this time. Our school does splendidly, though I say it. The children have read through a history of the United States and an easy physiology, and they know all the parts of speech, and can make sentences, being told to use a predicate, verb, and adverb, for instance. Ellen’s class is writing compositions. We are going to have a grand school exhibition before we close, with dialogues, exercises in mathematics, in grammar, geography, spelling, reading, etc., etc. We are cramming for it. Young Gabriel Capus has come back to his place, which was one reserved for the people. He warns them to buy no more of his land, as he shall soon have possession of it again! He went to his people, told them he had no money and nothing to eat, and begged them to let him stay with them. Old Rina took him in, and he lives in her house, but he begins already to show airs. Hastings and Rina are greatly exercised upon this question of the return of the old masters. Rina says that nothing could tempt her to go to “The Oaks” for a single day. There is no prospect of her going. She is very ill, scarcely able to walk across the floor, and I think there is little doubt about her having a cancer and that pretty far gone. But she still keeps up. We have to get our washing and ironing done by two women who come to the house, and we have for housework a nice little girl who seems very honest and capable. Did I tell you that little Katie, Hastings’ daughter, stole ever so many of my pretty precious stones? Took them to play with and lost them! She took also so many other things that we soon got rid of her, though we hated to do it, for the grief it would be to good faithful Hastings. He boards her now near our school so that she can come daily, and she promises to worry us well. We also have Harry’s daughters. Our school is the high school already, and we mean to make it more so.
Fort Ethan Allen, Va., June 18, 1865.
Dear Family:
Your last rec’d. It does seem as if the flies would eat me up!!! and as for bed bugs, we caught them by the peck this afternoon. We relieved the 6th Penn H. A. I went to work, white washed my room and scalt the bunk; but from the rest I got last night should say that there are bed bugs yet. Lt. Col. Shatswell is Commanding the Brig, but our Regt. is at present the only one in it; he is entitled the same however to a staff and orderlies. I know you would not expect me to write if you saw how the flies trouble me, so will close for now, or go into spasms.
L. Bradley, Jr.
Sunday, 18th—We had regimental inspection at 10 a. m. by Captain Foster. The weather is very hot and this afternoon we had a heavy thunderstorm. I was sergeant of the regimental guard and during the night, on account of the rain, I had the guard relieved.
Chattanooga, Sunday, June 18. To-day has passed like a hundred others which I have endeavored to note down in my diary. How can I find anything to individualize this day from others, the same mechanical duties, the same lazy nothing to do. The evening closes over us into night quietly. The very atmosphere seems an earnest voice. Discussion is not heard nor the merry laugh of the jester. The soldiers group together under the arbor in front of the quarters, conversing in an undertone of services rendered, hardships endured, and of brave comrades who are no more. With a thoughtful sigh for home and friends I close the book.
June 18th, 1865.-1 went to town today, arranged the business for which I went and also saw something that made my blood boil. As Sister Mart and I sat in the carriage in front of Uncle Arvah’s store, Church Croom came to speak to us. From his uniform every button had been cut and replaced by large orange thorns. Being a private soldier, there was nothing else our conquerors found objectionable. I was perilously near tears when cousin Henry came, wearing the splendid new uniform of the day before. Over the Major’s star on his collar, the thinnest of crape had been sewed; the chevrons on the sleeves were covered with the same material; the buttons, too, were wearing mourning.
Lieutenant Eppes came next. The gold lace had been ripped from collar and sleeves; the buttons were covered with black bombazine, but where the braid had been removed, the unfaded gray showed his rank as plainly as ever.
We saw many others during the day who had obeyed this order from headquarters, an order which has reflected no credit on the powers that be but has only served to make them ridiculous. This striking a man when he is down is despicable in my mind. Sister Mart is at home for a few days, she dined at Goodwood to meet General Scammon. He is the brother of our Miss Scammon whom we loved so dearly when she was our governess. He told Sister Mart that his sister would never allow a word to be said in her presence derogatory to the South.
“She is a Copper-head, regardless of the color of her hair,” he said. “It is universally admitted that red hair denotes temper, and you should see her blaze whenever the Southern people were scored, as of course, they often were.”
Aunt Sue had invited all the family to meet him but Father was not well enough to leave home and Mother positively refused to go. I am still hiding behind my youth, for the entire household looks upon me as a child, in spite of my nineteen years; in accordance with that belief I am excused from some things and, I am afraid, terribly spoiled in others. The advantages of being the youngest of nine sisters far out-weighs the disadvantages of the situation.
