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 soldierlike. He got into the guard-house for raising Ned at Gallipolis.[1]
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.
[1] 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”
