Wednesday, June 2, 2010

"I dreamt you was here"

Today at Brandy Station: June 2, 1863

A portion of a letter from Albinus Fell of the 6th Ohio Cavalry, to his wife. Fell wrote this letter from Bealeton Station. (original spelling)

"...I dreamt you was here last night. I showed you over several of the Battle fields of Va and the Bridge over Potomac Creek which our men built this spring, visited several Hospitals with you. I though you shudered and turned back the first one we went into but I persuaded you to go in. You said you never had any idea of half the horrors of war untill you had seen for yourself. Dreames are curious things yet I like to dream of home and old friends. It does me good. My dream of last night if not true onley lacked your presence to make it so..."

"...My time is half up the 9th of this month. Only 18 months more and my time will be up unless they hold me..."

Dreaming of a visit from you wife is one thing, but Albinus dreams of taking his wife on a tour of all he has seen, to include the hospitals, after his encouraging words. The bridge he is referring to is the beanpole bridge built across Potomac Creek

Near the end of the letter, Alibinus states that on June 9, he will be halfway though his enlistment. I believe he will be thinking of other things on that day. Albinus and his fellow troopers will be fighting in front of Hansbourgh Ridge and in Stevensburg, a few miles East of Culpeper.

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