Berryville VA. Sept 16th '641
My dear Mother
I made up my mind not to write you this Mail as I have not heard for 2 Mails. I wrote to Louis yesterday afternoon as he sends me an Envelope directed, Stamped & with Papers inside: he is a dear Friend to me & I write him often. I hope you will always see him when you go to the Store & tell me what you think of him.
We have had a cold & and rather hungry time of it for a few days, our Rations being insufficient for Men as well as we now are but dont think I am discontented. I wish you felt as well every way as I generally do. I weigh more than I have for 18 months and running round through these Woods getting Apples and busying myself fixing up my Tent I feel about as free as when I used to go barefoot.
We have sent to harpers Ferry for our Woolen Blankets & then we shall be quite comfortable.2 My Tent is banked up on the sides and at the back is a Frame-work of Corn Stalks which keep out the Rain pretty effectively. Then I have Straw to lie on, as good a bed as I could ask for but only a Rubber to put over me: We are jenuine Soldiers, no mistake.
I want you to send me, by Mail a good, nice woolen Shirt no matter how much it costs; I dont want the Sleeves to long but the Flap as long as possible: I was in hopes to send you some Money for yourself but tell Father that Uncle Sam is "good" I shall send home nearly all I get & when we get into Winter Quar. send for a Box & what few things I may want. A Shirt is all I want now except a few stamps. The 6th Corps are being paid now & the 2nd Rhode Island Battery have had orders to prepare for Winter Quarters. I think we shall winter here in the Valley but shall not get settled for some time or even give up watching the movements of the Rebs as they might do a great deal of damage this winter if they get into Maryland or Penn.
The Rebs are now at and around Winchester and our Cavalry are right on to them all the time: they captured a Regt. of S.C. Troops and their Officers: Our Lieut has a Colored Servant who has just escaped from Winchester: he is a regular darkey but has some intelligence.
What do you think of Shermans taking Atlanta? he is going ahead of Grant and many think him Grants superior. We shall have a chance to "see" & that soon: I believe Grant will make a big move suddenly.
I want to hear about the time they are having talking Politics over "Old Abe". I always thought that McClellan was no Peace Man. The Administration is not perfect & they may have done him a great wrong. There is to much Party spirit but it's human nature & we would be the same.
Some think there will be a winding up of the war after Abe gets fairly Elected. I think we shall have to pound them to it any way for like Yankeys, and they are about the same, they dont know when they are whipped, passed events show that.
I expect to hear from you next Mail sure. You need not stint yourself to write but I hope the rest will & not wait for me.
Give my Love to Father, John Hattie, Cad & Charlie. accepting the same from your Aff Son
George Henry C. Moulton
1 Henry's regiment is now at Berryville, VA. as part of Major General Philip H. Sheridan's 50,000-man Army of the Shenandoah. Sheridan's and Confederate Lt. General Jubal A. Early's forces had clashed in a brisk engagement at Berryville September 3-4 with Early pulling back his troops after assessing the strength of Sheridan's army and its entrenchments. It is presently relatively quiet on the front.
2 The Regimental History records: "On the 14th, a detail was sent from each company to procure the blankets belonging to the men in the regiment, which had been packed at Baton Rouge previous to the Red River campaign, and which were then supposed to be at Harper's Ferry but upon the arrival of the detail at that place, it was found that the boxes had been sent to Washington, and the blanket were not received until late in October."