OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - The James Perry Fyffe Letters (Civil War) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darrold Crites DCrites642@aol.com July 16, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TO: Mrs Willa Fyffe Postage is 3 cents Georgetown Ohio Columbia Jan 16 1862 My own dear Willa Altho not in a very good condition to write letters, being on the invalid list, yet the reception of your kind affectionate letter of the 12th just induces me to make the effort. I fear from the tenor of your remarks you were not much edified by the Sermon you complain of having heard the day you wrote. You say you delayed writing in the hope you would have an answer to the previous one you sent me - Willa I dont think I have ever since we two were one, said an unkind word to you. I dont recollect that I ever have, and feel I should be apt to remember it if I had and I hope I never will, and if you were to write me a letter I could not answer without saying or writing something that might wound, or hurt your feelings, I should simply not answer - You had so evidently, in your last letter the one not answered, placed a constriction on my previous letter that I never dreamed of, that I was perfectly astounded and dumbfounded, the case as I understand is simply this - I had written some three or four letters to you from Louisville, to none of which had I received any answer but you came yourself which was much better than numerous letters - Do you remember the National Hotel at Louisville? That happy time - but I have no time to dwell on such pleasant memories, then I wrote you I think three letters it maybe it was four from here befor I received an answer which was not until Adjt King came, this was one letter to six or seven, I have no recollection however of having complained of your not writing - do not complain of it now - after Mr Kings arrival I think it was three letters I sent you befor I received anything from you which was not until Lieut Jenings arrival which was the day befor New years which made two letters from the time we came down the River in November to January. On the reception of your second letter by Lieut Jenings I thought as there was a prospect of our moving, or fighting every day, and how almost, I would love to hear from you darling a little oftener, and so I appealed to your love, and affection, to afford me that happiness but told you plain as I could write it that if your affection and love for me was not sufficient to overcome what you denominated a repugnance to writing that I did not wish you to write atall, and there if I recollect rightly I alluded to what to me would be a most miserable and unhappy condition viz: to know that a wife of mine through a sense of duty, or fear of displeasing me should respond to my letters - instead of being induced to the same through reasons I described and I think I am right - Darling how would you like it yourself if you were in the receit, say daily of letters from me, if you could know that they were dictated by a sense of duty or fear of displeasing you, instead of being the free will offerings of a fond devoted heart, that found happines itself, by confering it on another? I hope you will answer me this question by your next letter - Again you complain I write to people all around you first, and upon a very stringent order on that subject to me - my ever lonesom wife how unhappy you have made yourself, and how unnecessarily - Did it never occur to you that the failure to hear from you direct , that in his anxiety to hear of your welfare might have an influence in inducing your husband to write to them about you, well knowing every letter be received would have something to say about you and as for the order I beg your pardon but I apprehend that will be disproved of in your answer tomy question above to which I will add a little in this wise - Do you desire I shall write to you according to your directions, and because you say so, or would you not a little rather your husband should do so because he loved you and was desirous of promoting your happiness by writing to you which is a means intended as a substitute for personal interview and which is the best we can do, under the circumstances, but if writing through misapprehension and misconstriction is to be a medium of unhappiness then the sooner it is abandoned the better for the peace and happiness of both - but I do most emphatically deny I ere thought - ever so wronged you as to imagine for one moment that you had written to me from a sense of duty or fear of my displeasure. The number of letters which you had written up to that time (two) would not show you had been moved very often by a sense of duty, or by a fear of my displeasure so often that I should reproach you with it at least - So you were simply mistaken, it maybe I did not express myself as clearly as I should have done and by my carelesness left a sensitive mind room to imagine I intended different - but let this suffice - Willa I love you very dearly and fondly and I maybe foolish in saying I think my affection is fully reciprocated, I say so because I believe it, because I think you love me, and am happy in that belief. The evidence you have given me of your love, and affection, has been such as to satisfy me that such is the case and I look forward to the happy moment when we shall again meet - when I shall again take you in my arms and hold you fondly, and affectionately to my heart with bright anticipations of happiness, and now I want you to put on your blue dress, go to the Daugherian office, have your Picture taken and send it to me right away - wont you honey? Its so lonesome sleeping alone. I went to the Dag Office here in town sometime ago to have him take me on my Black horse with my Feather Hat to send you but he had no Plates large enough - but when we get to Nashville I shall be able probably to get one there, I will attend to it - I wish I had received your letter one day sooner, as I got Capt Higgins to write to Uncle John yesterday and I borrowed 20$ from our Suttls and sent you, as I found it was useless waiting on the Paymaster, our Rolls went in the 1st of the month, but a KY Regt in our Brigade has not got thers ready yet, and the Paymaster will not come until all the Rolls are made out. If your letter had been a little sooner I would have sent it in your letter - You say you are glad I did not take dinner with Mr Holter, you are mistaken, we took dinner with him the next Monday after I wrote and I staid all nyht with him and the Genl said I ought not to have done it but it was a cold black evening and I was not well and he said I must stay and I done so. I was not afraid for this reason, my Camp is only three miles from him and if he had sent word and had me captured he would have caught Jesse! But aside from that he would not do such a thing as he is too honorable - I received two papers from you last night, the Argus & Commercial, thank you - I learn there was a fire in Camp last night, Snowball built up a hot fire in a little stove I have and went to sleep, the pipe set the canvass on fire - Tom MaCabee had went into Adjt Kings Tent and the guard discovered and cried fire! The tent was soon torn down and thus saved my things which were all in the tent, one whole end of the tent was pretty well burned up - I am in town, came in yesterday to stay a few days as I found my cold was getting worse. I dont intend to let Jeff Davis get hold of me if I can help it, but I have a great desire to get hold of him, and of the two, I maybe mistaken, but I think he is in the greatest danger of the two - Genl Thomas Army has been passing quietly along for the last four or five days east of town in the direction of Somerset, and our Quarter Masters are hurrying up transportation and provisions fast as possible and everything now indicates the movement of the large masses of men South, who have been pouring into KY for the last two months, and all the South as far as we can learn are fitted with alarm. They now begin to understand what Genl Scott meant by strangling Secession in the folds of a great Anaconda - All around the Seaboard, on the Potomac in Virginia, KY, Cairo, Missouri, in every direction we seem ready and begining to move, and I still believe by corn planting time in the North, Secession will be dead in the South - but I must close - I think if you were to write immediately after receiving this it might reach here befor we move but I cannot tell - I would be happy to get your picture, and hear from you befor I leave here as I shall then be very busy but will try and find time to answer all your letters, and now my blue eyed sweet heart I will in imagination fondly enfold you, kiss you lovingly, and the Pets - good by Dearest - Perry PS - Poor Capt Higgins is sick, very sick. The Sutler had dumplings for dinner and after the Capt had eat a hearty dinner he went to the Sutlers tent, was invited to eat but plead he had eat, they informed him they had all eat but that they had had Apple Dumplings for dinner but there was five left so they got the Capt to wash and he eat all five of them, or says the Sutler Mr Goodwin.