Arthur Stone
34 Massachusetts Infantry
“There is a school in camp that we have got orders from General Hentzlemen to be in readiness to march at any moment for the front or Newbern…” Arthur Stone, Virginia 1863
Fort Lyon, February 20, 1863–
My Dear Mother —
After looking for a day or two for a letter from you, for I thought you would write Sunday as usual. I was at last gladdened by the sight of one this afternoon. I don’t want you to think that I was very badly disappointed because I did not get a letter from you yesterday or the day before for I was not; only I though that I would be along Wednesday or Thursday, but it was just as good when it came. Since I wrote you before there has not much of anything happened worth of note except that last Tuesday we had a very hard snow storm for Virginia; it snowed so there was about three or four inches of snow on the ground, but it turned into rain before it cleared off and it has been very muddy every since.
I had a fine walk through the mud last night. Capt. Bacon was Officer of the Day yesterday and one of the Germans up in the Fort took a fellow that tried to kill a woman that lives about two miles from our camp and the woman wrote a short letter and sent it to our Regiment.
She is an Irish woman and the Captain could not make out much about it, and he sent me over there to see the woman and [to] find out about it; it was nearly dark when I started and I had a pretty dark muddy walk of it before I got back. And to top off with when I got there, she had gone to Alexandria so I had the pleasure of walking back again through the mud all alone and went over again this morning and saw her.
The fellow that tried to kill her is a soldier that deserted from Sickles Brigade when they were encamped near here. He came to her house night before last about 10 o’clock and pushed in the door and struck her with a hatchet and hit her on the thigh and then struck her with a chair. She screamed and there was a man came to see what the matter was and took charge of the man. He is now in the dungeon in the fort. So much I found out—I think it will go hard with him. I should think that Mrs. Brigham must been very agreeably surprised when her husband came home. I had heard before that E. Townsend had been promoted to Corporal and that Joshua Prouty had been reduced to the ranks from Corporal–some little trouble he got into with the Captain. Our Colonel [George D. Wells]—says, ‘These stripes are ticklish things to wear.’ But I must close for tonight as it is time for roll call. Good night…
Saturday Morning, February 21st–
I will try and finish the letter this morning. It was one of the most beautiful mornings that we have had. The wind blew quite hard yesterday afternoon and it dried up the mud a good deal—so that it is very good walking now! There is a school in camp that we have got orders from General Hentzlemen [Heintzelman] to be in readiness to march at any moment for the front or Newbern. I don’t know how true it is.
I should like your picture now much indeed and Harry’s too. I wish you would have them taken; have them taken separate. I think you must have forgotten to put the piece of Harry’s overcoat in, as I did not find any. But I must close for this time as I have not much more room.
Your loving son…Arthur M. Stone
The Stone Collection: Bio | 30 Dec. 1862 | 20 Feb. 1863 | 13 May 1863