Letter from Frank to Fanny Hall. Camp Near White Oak Church, Va.
I have dated the checks ahead for it would look bad to see them dated before there was money there to meet them, but if Van Rensselaer check should be delayed a few days it don't make any difference.
Camp Near White Oak Church
(Same Camp as before)
Dec. 29, 1862
Own Dear Wify,
Your dear letter came today & also
one from Mother, little written on Christmas as a Christmas present, Oh what
a beautiful day it is today. The major is having our tent altered, a wall
of logs built round to make it more roomy, so I am writing in Pliny Moore's
tent.
Dear One, it has been good for hubby that
you were so thoughtful as to leave $50 dollars more in so convenient a
place for me for I have been in want of money just there, or rather just
here or where I could draw it. I will tell you why as soon as I can. There
were some certain things that I could not get without it. I have been suprisingly
well all along & have enjoyed to the full, camp life, all but being away
from own dear wify. Inclosed you will find a letter to Vermulige as you
requested, & that request only shows me more & more how much my little
wify loves her husband, her own itty hubby. The check from Van Rensselaer
will doubtly be as usual made payable to your order. If so, turn it
over & across the back half way down write "Pay to the order of
Merchant's Bank, N.Y. Frances D. Hall." without the check should be written
to "Mrs. Francis B. Hall" in which case write "Mrs. Francis B. Hall" in place
of Frances D. Hall. Then date the letter to Vermulige & put
two 3 cent stamps inside & fill in, in the blank in the
letter after the sign of dollars, the amount of the check &
all will be right to seal & send off.
Own one, I inclose in this letter four
checks for $25 each, payable to your order which together with two checks
for $25 each which you have refrained so thoughtfully from drawing, which
made $150 which you can draw when you hear from Vermulige that Van Rensselaer's
check has arrived safely at the bank in N.Y. & has been past to my account.
I will not send more checks than this in this letter, but send them in different
letters & you be sure & tell me what has arrived. But also
tell me what amounts I shall send & what number of checks.
Own dear wify, oh how sweet your
letter was to me, this morning & all the time. Would you have loved to
have seen hubby reading it. Well now in a din, a row of four wall tents (no
the Col's tent down for the present) & two A tents in a line facing
toward the south & in the bright sun light about 10 o'clock in the morning
in this order, the Dr.'s, the Col.'s, the Adjutant's & c & then beyond
a parade ground sloping down toward the south, the encampment of the Regt.
& a Woods pretty near all round. Then imagine hubby standing by
a pile of baggage & blankets in front of where the Col's tent is being
framed, reading Wify's letter. Little after guard meeting was going &
a pretty lively scare all about Grindly for the point again. I am perfectly
sound like from own ever loving hubby.