Camp Lookout, Monday, October 7, 1861.
Dearest: — The mails
are in order again. Letters will now come promptly. On the day after I wrote
you last we got all the back letters — lots of papers and dates up to October
1. One queer thing, a letter from Platt of July 31 and one from Mother
of October 1 got up the same day.
Our campaign is
closed. No more fighting in this region unless the enemy attack, which they
will not do. We are to entrench at Mountain Cove, eight miles from here, at
Gauley Bridge, twenty miles off, and [at] Summersville, about the same. These
points will secure our conquest of western Virginia from any common force, and
will let half or two-thirds of our army go elsewhere. I hope we shall be the
lucky ones to leave here.
The enemy and
ourselves left the mountains about the same time; the enemy first, and for the
same reason, viz., impossibility of getting supplies. We are now fourteen miles
from Mount Sewell and perhaps thirty miles from the enemy. Our withdrawal was
our first experience in backward movement. We all approved it. The march was a
severe one. Our business today is sending off the sick, and Dr. Joe is up to his
eyes in hard work. We have sixty to send to Ohio. This is the severest thing of
the campaign. Poor fellows! We do as well as we can with them; but road-wagons
in rain and mud are poor places.
Very glad — oh, so
glad — you and Ruddy are well again. You did not tell me you were so unwell. I
felt so badly to hear it. Do be very careful.
Don't worry about
the war. We are doing our part, and if all does not go well, it is not our
fault. I still think we are sure to get through with it safely. The South may not
be conquered, but we shall secure to the Nation the best part of it.
We hope to go to
Kentucky. If so, we shall meet before a month. Our regiment is a capital one.
But we ought to recruit. We shall be about one hundred to one hundred and fifty
short when this campaign is ended.
Tomorrow is
election day.1 We all talked about it today. We are for Tod and
victory.
Good-bye. Much love
to all.
Affectionately, yours ever,
R.
_______________
1 In Ohio.
SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and
Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 108
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