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Falmouth Virginia, February 11,1863
Dear Brother,
After a long silence on my part, & a still longer on yours I take up the pen to have a little quiet old fashioned talk with you. It has been raining all day & I've not been very well or well contented either. Spent the forenoon studying the "Tactics" and the afternoon reading the news as given by those two excentric worthies - Greeley and Bennett and have also just finished a letter to Alex. Since the days of Munchausen there was never two such professed liars as those same two New York Editors. I'd not care so much for them if they were men, but that two such old grannies should lead the good people of the North in different directions makes me conclude that most of us are apes and the rest knaves. But that is a poor way to begin a letter, to start a foundation on G & B.
Gen. Hooker has taken command of the army in person and is doing all in his power to make it effective, to restore it's former prestige, to revive it's drooping courage and to prepare it for an active spring campaign. He has formed it into corps & dropt (sic) the old organization of Grand Divisions, thus making Corps Commanders personally responsible to him. This army will not be likely to move forward en masse again & will most likely be divided and sent to different places, but I have no positive information on that subject. It is said by some that part of the army will be sent to Washington, while part is to be sent to the Carolinas & the ballance (sic) to the Army of the Mississippi. Burnside's old corps (the 9th) has been moving from here to Aquia Creek by railway for three or four days, a brigade going each day. It's quite likely that Burside will take command in North Carolina. Sumner and Franklin are laid on the shelf . We are in the Second Corps under Major Gen. Couch. The Grand Reserve Division is broken up and Sigel takes command of the 11th corps. Bennett says that the republicans are trying to get Little Mac (?) restored to the command of the army. There is nothing in the world would please the old army better. Those who have fought under Mac(?) think he is the best gen. In the U.S. Service. Still I'll fight as willingly under Hooker as anyone. I've confidence in him, Rob, you can have no idea of the utter demoralization that existed here about the time we came down here. Men were running around through the woods loose, wild & lost from their regmts. Almost everyone was cursing Burnside as the author of the defeat at Fredericksburg. At the reviews when he rode along the lines & the Cols. would call our - "three cheers for Burnside" the men would stand silent and sullen or mutter curses against him, it was a sad sight and it's not much to be wondered at if we get a little discouraged along with the rest. There is a much better feeling existing now and if the paymaster would bring us our "dust" once in a while we could still boast of the Army of the Potomac.
Rib, what are your calculations for meeting our liabilities this year? We must pay Mrs. Dunfan (?) 108.00 dollars on the first of April. John Sturgeon must be paid by the middle of July. Those two debts amount to $265.00 Then there are our taxes and some other outstanding debts that will probably amount to 200.00 dollars more. This with our current expenses will amount to near 650.00 dollars. Now, what are the prospects for paying if? How many sheep have you and what quality? What are the prospects for wool, have you sold your wheat and what did you get for it? Have you seen Christie lately and do you know whether Rob.C. has written to Ohio? I wish Rob would go out to Ohio this spring and settle with McLaughlin & Mrs. Cross and also have a settlement at Beaver. It would relieve of a good deal of anxiety if that were attended to. I have almost given up the idea of getting of any of Uncle Sam's Greenbacks. If I could get enough to buy provisions and clothing till the war was over I'd not care about anything more, but I don't like to be under the necessity of sending home for money to buy my clothing.
Rob, I heard that you have been having gay times this winter. I'd be under a great compliment to you if you'd write to me once in a while and tell me the news, I see by today's paper that the great Charleston Expedition has sailed. Alex is in it, so I don't expect any more letters from him for a month or two. Cousin Jim Vance of the 106 Penn. Vol. Was over to see me a few days ago. What do you think he began to talk about, first thing? Well Sir, it was about Grandfathers everlasting commutation (?). I vow that is a fatality among the Vance's. He had heard that Grandfather owned a large estate near Fredericksburg and another on the peninsula between Harrisons Landing & Richmond, I offered to sell out my share cheap and told him plainly that we might each of us get six feet by two here, but that was all the grant of "Sacred Soil" we should ever get within the bounds of the Old Dominion..
The next time Meg F. falls off Nelly and leaves her foot in the stirrup tell her not to show so much of her "agility" to the boys. I heard that Russell had been on a decline ever since.
My love to Mother & Sisters.
Your affectionate brother, JB Vance