Bristoe Station Va.
April 27, 1864
Dear Father & Mother,
Your letter of the 23rd written in Phila. was received yesterday. I also got your letter mailed at Franklin, as you were leaving home which I immediately answered, and directed to N.Y., care of “Proprietor of Astor House”. I presume you have not yet received it. On the supposition that you get it I will not repeat what I wrote in it. As you see, we have not yet moved—we expected to have been gone by this time but we are yet here. I wrote you that Burnside was at Alexandria last Sunday with his Corps—nobody knew how he was going to move, or to what point. It is said tonight, that he has started to march in this direction—if so he will either come directly to this army or will move on Fredericksburg by land. We will soon know. Everything is now in readiness for a move. You may look for stirring news from us very soon. If Burnside joins [us] we will have a larger Army than ever before, and our Chieftains, Grant, Meade, Burnside, Sedgwick, Warren and Hancock are the very best Generals of which our Country can boast. Will we not gain a great victory? Unless Lee declines an engagement, there will be the battle of the war. May Heaven aid the right.
It seems to be a settled fact that the Government intends to keep us till July 21st. I am afraid this Division will not add new lustre to its good name if it is put in a hot place. The whole Division is now here excepting two Regiments which are said to be on the way.
What do you mean by saying that your business “has gone up high and dry”? A week or so ago you said you had your bargain made—the contract drawn exactly to your own liking—and $10,000 hand money in your pocket. Now you say, “I had something coming but all fell through.” If you are my own dear father, I must say that you are incomprehensible sometimes. If the bargain has “fallen through” I presume there would be no harm in telling me what it was—how many lots, acres, where situate, and how much “consideration bonus” you were to receive. I shall expect you to tell me something that I can understand—and that will not be so indefinite.
If I understand what a Harmonium is, I would as lief invest $165 in a hand-organ and a monkey at once.[i] For the same amount of money you could get a tolerable parlor Organ or Melodeon or even a piano. Either one of these three instruments would be an ornament to a house—besides they are no[t] confined to a “few tunes” like a music-box or Harmonium. Then there is some science about learning to play them, which when attained, is an accomplishment, a pleasure. The music of an accordion, dulcimer, hand-organ, harmonium and other instruments of that class, to a cultivated ear is about as melodius as that man’s fiddling, which was compared to—well Ma can tell—it was something about a “shingle” and a “sheep”. As Ma asks my ”advice” about it—I give it—expend no more money for such kind of musical instruments.
It seems almost impossible that D. F. J. should have been so indiscreet as to make such remarks as you say he did in the presence of Davis and others. Has nobody heard from the guilty pair yet? Poor Jo. does not know anything about it yet. He has received no letters from home for four weeks. I have not the heart to tell him though I see him every day. I was at Manassas today and saw Jess Pryer and Tommy Ross—they had heard of it. Jess says Johnson borrowed $50 from E. M. Tom feels very bad about it and swears he will kill Johnson if he ever comes across him.
As I wrote you a long letter a day or so since, which you may get I will close for tonight.
Write often and believe me dear parents.
Your affectionate son
J. D. Chadwick
P.s. In my last I told you to be sure to have your card photographs taken and send me one of each. If? you can afford it have a half dozen larged sized ones taken in addition to the others. Have them as large as that one I had taken off Pa’s daguerreotype—for framing—have this done at a good artists and have him color them in oil which makes them look more lifelike and they do not fade. Don’t forget it—please.
J. D. C.
Is Frank going to Pittsburg to school this spring?
Jo. Ross received a letter from Jno. Jolly in which he complained that Pa owed him a letter for 15 months and Nancy Jane one for 6 months.
He is to send me his and Aunt Gustie’s pictures soon.
He seems to be doing well and is contented and happy.
Did you know that Mr. Hull of [several words illegible] whom you boarded—is living in Philadelphia? So Harvey Clover, his brotherinlaw tells me.
Nothing more.
J. D. Chadwick
Next posting: April 28, 2014
Jonathan E. Helmreich
College Historian
Allegheny College
Meadville, PA 16335
[i] A harmonium is a small metallic reed organ.