The Civil War Letters Chesapeake Hospital, Fortress Monroe, Virginia July 21, 1864

Chesapeake Hospital
July 21st 1864

My Dear Wife

I received your kind letter of the 17th July.  i was very glad to hear from you and to Know that you was well as this leaves me in good health at present.

Dear Maggie  i am not so sure of coming home in August or Sept as i was a week ago  the War Department Seems Determined to hold all the officers as long in the Service as they Possably can and there is new orders out every day.  the Style of the Government now is to fill up all the old Regts with Recruits and keep all of the old officers three years from the date of there last muster in.  this last order of the Governement is both wrong and tyrannical like a great many that have been issued of late  but i am not the only officer that is held by this order.  there is thousands of them  for every officer that is Promoted no matter from what rank according to this last order is held 3 years from the date of his last Promotion.  so this is the Reward of being a good Soilder.

to look at it in this light we will say a man enlists in a Regt as a private for 3 years and through being a good Soilder and doing his duty manfuly and fathfuly is Promoted to corporal from corp to Sergeant and from that to Lieut.  just by being a good Soilder and being Promoted to a commissioned officer he is doomed to the Government for six years instead of 3 while all the worthless Vagabonds are discharged and Sent to their homes

Dear Wife  you must not be disapointed if i do not come home in Sept but i can assure you that if there any honerable means at all for getting out of the Service i shall come home  if i cannot i will have to stand it.  when i wrote and told you that i should come home for sure in August or Sept i honestly belived i should.  but since i have seen the last order i am again in doubt.  but another two months will tell.  i think it would not be advisable for you to go to the truble of fixing up a house for it might be truble for nothing when i find out that i have got to stay in the Service.  you must quite working in the mill for you have hurt yourself enough by hard work  i think my wages is large enough to Keep you both and i know it is very hard to work in the Mill from morning to night and then have a Child to attend to when you come home.  i am now 1st Lieut  My wages is $112 dollars per month  it costs about seven dollars per week for my Board and i Pay 8 dollars per month to my colord Sergeant and i think i can buy my cloths and Keep my wife and Child out of rest  so there is no more necessity for you to work in the mill for your husband is able to maintain you

Dear Maggie  if i am in the Service next winter when we build winter quarters i shall build a nice little log house and then i shall have you and Lizzie to live with me all winter.  so if i cannot get home to live with you you should come to live with me during the long winter.  a great many of our officers that are married have there wifes with them evry winter and when the Regt takes the field they send them home north  So if this Plan Suits you i will have you down here next winter if i dont get out of the Service  i must now close

My Best Love to you
i am as Ever
Your Affectionate Husband
Wm Lancaster

Back to Group          Next Letter in Group