Headquarters Army of the Potomac April 18, 1864
My soft necked Dove-bird:
Don't you think I call you
very pretty names? I am sure
I think I call you real nice
names, though no names are as
nice as you are because you are
a great lot more delicious than
preserved peaches and cream-cakes.
You be handsome looking and
handsome acting; and it is a fine
pleasure only to be looking at
you. I wish I could -:- Yester-
day I got your nice billet of
ltrs & the other, I
guess, was
late, because I got two letters on
two successive days. I would like
bunch of such flowers as I sent
you. They grow near sort of
wet places, and I should have
to help you over puddles - a
good many; and if the puddles
were very deep, I could, in my
big boots, just neatly carry you
over, and soon you would have
a great bunch of yellow posies
to put in a glass of water. I have
seen some high-bush blackberries
that already had wee leaves, just
beginning to open; and the buds
of the trees are swelling; and hun-
dreds of little toads sing and whis-
tle all night to please other hun-
dreds of Misses toad. The sap is
rising so in the oak trees that the wood won't burn without some
trouble. It really looks like
a beginning of Spring; and every-
thing is so quiet that it is quite
amazing; whether it is that old
soldiers get lazy and sleep a
good deal in the day, I don't know;
but really just a short way from
a camp, it is as still as if not
a human being were near; and
here at Headquarters, the only
sounds are the distant car
whistles and the drums and
trumpets sounding the calls; ex-
cept indeed, the music of the
band, which is hardly a noise
and is very acceptable. I sup-
pose that we may call this the
lull before the hurricane, which little short of a miracle can
avert. Here is Grant, with his
utterly immovable face, going
about from Culpepper to Washing-
ton & back, and sending no end
of cipher messages, all big with
strategy. He evidently means to
do something pretty serious be-
fore he gives it up. Today was
a great day for him; he reviewed
the entire 6th Corps, which, as
you know, has been strengthened
by a division of the late 3rd corps.
The day has been fine, very. At
11 ocl. we started and rode tow-
ards Culpepper to meet Gen. Grant
who encountered us beyond Brandy
Station. He is very fond, you must
know, of horses, and was mounted on one of the handsomest I
have seen in the army. He was
neatly dressed in the regulation
uniform, with a handsome sash
and sword, & the three stars
of a Lieutenant General on his
shoulder. He is man of a
natural, severe, simplicity, in
all things:- the very way he
wears his high-crowned felt
hat shows this:- he neither
puts it on behind his ears,
nor draws over his eye; much
less does he cock it on one side,
but sits straigh and very hard
on his head. His riding is the
same; without the slightest
"air," and, per contra, without affectation of homeliness; he
sits firmly in the saddle and
looks straight ahead, as if
only intent on getting to some
particular point. General Meade
says he is a very amiable man,
though his eye is stern and
almost fierce looking. - Well,
we encountered him, as afore-
said, followed by three or four
aids; one of whom, Lt Col.
Rowley, was oblivious of straps,
and presented an expanse
of rather ill-blacked, calfskin
boot that took away from
his military ensemble a good
deal. When a man can ride
without straps, he may do so,
if he chooses; but, when he possesseth not the happy facul-
ty of keeping down his trow-
sers, he should make straps
a part of his religion! We took
our station on a swell of ground,
when we could see a large
part of the corps in line, but
there was so much of it, that,
though drawn up by battalions,
[that is, ten men deep] there
could be found in the neigh-
borhood, no ground sufficiently
extensive, without hollows. At
once they began to march past:-
there seemed no end of them:-
in each direction there was
nothing but a wide, moving
hedge of bright muskets, a very fine sight. When all the in-
fantry had got by, the artil-
lery of the corps came, which
was in a most excellent con-
dition, and passed with a
battery front, that is, 6 guns
in one line, followed each by
its caisson. All the cannoniers
were mounted on the carriages,
making a fine show. After this
we rode over to the Reserve Ar-
tillery and reviewed that, in-
cluding two regiments of heavy
artillery, one of them a German
one, which marched remarka-
bly well. You would have laughed
to see the stiff Prussian serjeants
cropping out here and there.
Gen. Grant is much pleased and [The following lines appear as cross-writing on page 1 (see the page image).] says there is nothing of the sort out west, in the
way of discipline and organization. Adams' squad-
ron has relieved the regulars of these Headqr's
but neither Adams nor Flint have yet come, which
is very pretty, considering I electioneered for them
If you see Adams, just tell him to hurry up! Coal!
my darling - parlor coal! I don't know nuphing
about it When it is gone buy more, and don't
bother your lovely soul. By the way, how are
friends? - I don't want any - only curiosity.
Your Lover,
T.L.
[Address on
envelope not transcribed, see page image.]