Unsigned Letter to Clara, January 10, 1865
Dublin Core
Title
Unsigned Letter to Clara, January 10, 1865
Subject
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; United States--Virginia; Tents; Rain and rainfall; Room layout (Dwellings); Chapels
Description
Henry writes to Clara from the base hospital at Point of Rocks on United States Christian Commission stationery. He has been there for around two weeks and has been living in a dwelling called a "stockade tent" which is described as a house made of logs, plastered with mud, with a canvas roof which leaks sometimes when it rains hard. He goes on to describe the layout and says that he is living comfortably. They were building a large chapel to replace an old one.
Creator
Noyes, Henry Varnum
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1865-01-10
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Letter
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_736
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
65[Note: +c transcribed as etc]
[Note: Written sideways in the left hand corner]
Tell Em that
we are much
obliged for her letter
I guess Hattie will
answer soon
[Note: In black, non-handwritten text]
U. S. Christian Commission.
Base Hospital
Point of Rocks
Jan 10th 1865 Va
DEar Sister Clara
Hattie + I were very
much obliged to you indeed
for your good long letter. It
had Ever so much news in
it and so I am going to
write to you this morning in
order to get a letter from you.
I have been here at Point of
Rocks just two weeks and
three days. I suppose you would
like to know how we live so
I will tell you a little about
the house in which [--[u]we are[/u]--] I am now
sitting. It is is made of logs split
and then set End ways into the
ground Edge to Edge as close as
they can be placed. The cracks
between the logs are plastered
up with mud. Over the top
a piece of canvass is stretched
for a roof and this consti-
tutes what is called a
stockade tent. The mud
does'nt stick very wEll and
when it rains Keeps [illegible]
off. It is made of clay which
is nearly as red as brick. The
roof leaks some too when it
rains very hard and long.
It rained all night long
last night and is raining
yet. One of the trunks this morning
had nearly half a bucket full
of water in it on the gum
blanket which was spread over
the top of it. Under that all
was dry and nice. No one
was sleeping in it. It sprinkled
a little on the one in which I slept
but I was as dry under my
gum blanket as a pocket in
a shirt. I had a cough when
I left but it all
left me, as it did before, when
I got into Virginia. It seems
almost an impossibility for
me to take cold here. I suppose
you are having cold weather
up there [u]in America[/u] but down
here we don't get much of it. There
was one night that was pretty cold
and that is all -- no snow yet.
But I have got off the track
I was describing our room. It
is about 18 feet long and 15 wide
Here it is
[Note: Drawing of the room plan with the words clockwise being, Beacon's, Bunk, HEnry's
bunk, 2 double bunks, Table, Door, stove, 2 Bunks, 2 Bunks, 2 Bunks, Bunk]
For chairs we have two very good
ones made of boards in a style which
I presume you never saw -- An old
barrel [Note: small drawing of a chair] in that shape with a board
nailed in the notch constitutes another
- for the rest we have benches and
boxes. We live very comfortably
although we are not able to keep
our clothes very clean. Right beside
the house in which we live is the
[u]dining hall[/u] of similar construction
containing 3 white men and one colored
one who does our cooking. There are
6 or 7 delegates here usually and
then a great many workmen who
are Employed putting up buildings etc
etc besides the [illegible]. The
commision ^has quite a number of large
4 horse wagons and some small ones
and carry on things on on little more
independent foot than when
I was here before. They are
building a large chapel here
of logs 70 feet by 40. There will
be a bell on it when it is finished
and it will be quite a meeting
house. We have a chapel now
65[注：+c 转录为 etc]
[注：横着写在左手角]
告诉他们
我们很多
不得不收她的信
我猜海蒂会
尽快答复
[注：黑色，非手写文字]
美国基督教委员会。
基地医院
岩石点
1865 年 1 月 10 日
亲爱的克拉拉姐妹
海蒂和我非常
非常感谢你
为了你的好长信。它
有这么多新闻
它，所以我要
今天早上给你写信
为了得到你的一封信。
我来过Point of
摇滚只有两个星期
三天。我想你会
想知道我们是怎么生活的
我会告诉你一些关于
我现在所在的房子
坐着。它是由原木拆分而成
然后将 Endways 设置为
接地边缘到边缘尽可能接近
它们可以放置。裂缝
原木之间贴满了
加上泥。越过高峰
一张画布被拉长
对于屋顶，这构成了所谓的
寨子帐篷。泥浆
不粘得很好，而且
下雨时保持[难以辨认]
离开。它是由粘土制成的
几乎和砖一样红。这
屋顶也会漏水
雨下得很大很长。
整夜都在下雨
昨晚还在下雨
然而。今天早上的其中一个树干
有将近半桶装满
口香糖上的水
铺在上面的毯子
它的顶部。在这一切之下
又干又好。没有人
睡在里面。它洒了
一点在我睡觉的那个
但我在我的
口香糖毯子作为口袋
一件衬衫。我咳嗽的时候
我离开了，但这一切
像以前一样离开我，当
我进入了弗吉尼亚。它似乎
几乎不可能
我来这里受凉。我想
你的天气很冷
在美国上面，但在下面
在这里我们得到的不多。那里
是一个很冷的夜晚
仅此而已——还没有下雪。
但我已经偏离了轨道
我在描述我们的房间。它
长约 18 英尺，宽约 15 英尺
这里是
[注：房间平面图按顺时针方向依次为 Beacon's、Bunk、Henry's
双层床, 2 双床位, 桌子, 门, 炉子, 2 床位, 2 床位, 2 床位, 双层床]
对于椅子，我们有两个非常好的
由木板制成的风格
我想你从未见过——一个老
桶[注：椅子的小图]在那个形状与板
钉在缺口上构成另一个
- 其余的我们有长凳和
盒子。我们住得很舒服
虽然我们无法保持
我们的衣服很干净。就在旁边
我们住的房子是
类似建筑的食堂
包含 3 个白人和 1 个有色人种
做我们做饭的人。有
这里通常有 6 或 7 位代表
然后有很多工人
受雇于建造建筑物等
除了[无法辨认]之外。这
佣金有相当多的大
4辆马车和一些小马车
继续做一些事情
独立脚比什么时候
我以前来过这里。他们是
在这里建造一个大礼拜堂
原木 70 英尺乘 40 英尺。
当它完成时成为它的钟声
这将是一个相当大的会议
屋。我们现在有一个小教堂
[Note: Written sideways in the left hand corner]
Tell Em that
we are much
obliged for her letter
I guess Hattie will
answer soon
[Note: In black, non-handwritten text]
U. S. Christian Commission.
Base Hospital
Point of Rocks
Jan 10th 1865 Va
DEar Sister Clara
Hattie + I were very
much obliged to you indeed
for your good long letter. It
had Ever so much news in
it and so I am going to
write to you this morning in
order to get a letter from you.
I have been here at Point of
Rocks just two weeks and
three days. I suppose you would
like to know how we live so
I will tell you a little about
the house in which [--[u]we are[/u]--] I am now
sitting. It is is made of logs split
and then set End ways into the
ground Edge to Edge as close as
they can be placed. The cracks
between the logs are plastered
up with mud. Over the top
a piece of canvass is stretched
for a roof and this consti-
tutes what is called a
stockade tent. The mud
does'nt stick very wEll and
when it rains Keeps [illegible]
off. It is made of clay which
is nearly as red as brick. The
roof leaks some too when it
rains very hard and long.
It rained all night long
last night and is raining
yet. One of the trunks this morning
had nearly half a bucket full
of water in it on the gum
blanket which was spread over
the top of it. Under that all
was dry and nice. No one
was sleeping in it. It sprinkled
a little on the one in which I slept
but I was as dry under my
gum blanket as a pocket in
a shirt. I had a cough when
I left but it all
left me, as it did before, when
I got into Virginia. It seems
almost an impossibility for
me to take cold here. I suppose
you are having cold weather
up there [u]in America[/u] but down
here we don't get much of it. There
was one night that was pretty cold
and that is all -- no snow yet.
But I have got off the track
I was describing our room. It
is about 18 feet long and 15 wide
Here it is
[Note: Drawing of the room plan with the words clockwise being, Beacon's, Bunk, HEnry's
bunk, 2 double bunks, Table, Door, stove, 2 Bunks, 2 Bunks, 2 Bunks, Bunk]
For chairs we have two very good
ones made of boards in a style which
I presume you never saw -- An old
barrel [Note: small drawing of a chair] in that shape with a board
nailed in the notch constitutes another
- for the rest we have benches and
boxes. We live very comfortably
although we are not able to keep
our clothes very clean. Right beside
the house in which we live is the
[u]dining hall[/u] of similar construction
containing 3 white men and one colored
one who does our cooking. There are
6 or 7 delegates here usually and
then a great many workmen who
are Employed putting up buildings etc
etc besides the [illegible]. The
commision ^has quite a number of large
4 horse wagons and some small ones
and carry on things on on little more
independent foot than when
I was here before. They are
building a large chapel here
of logs 70 feet by 40. There will
be a bell on it when it is finished
and it will be quite a meeting
house. We have a chapel now
65[注：+c 转录为 etc]
[注：横着写在左手角]
告诉他们
我们很多
不得不收她的信
我猜海蒂会
尽快答复
[注：黑色，非手写文字]
美国基督教委员会。
基地医院
岩石点
1865 年 1 月 10 日
亲爱的克拉拉姐妹
海蒂和我非常
非常感谢你
为了你的好长信。它
有这么多新闻
它，所以我要
今天早上给你写信
为了得到你的一封信。
我来过Point of
摇滚只有两个星期
三天。我想你会
想知道我们是怎么生活的
我会告诉你一些关于
我现在所在的房子
坐着。它是由原木拆分而成
然后将 Endways 设置为
接地边缘到边缘尽可能接近
它们可以放置。裂缝
原木之间贴满了
加上泥。越过高峰
一张画布被拉长
对于屋顶，这构成了所谓的
寨子帐篷。泥浆
不粘得很好，而且
下雨时保持[难以辨认]
离开。它是由粘土制成的
几乎和砖一样红。这
屋顶也会漏水
雨下得很大很长。
整夜都在下雨
昨晚还在下雨
然而。今天早上的其中一个树干
有将近半桶装满
口香糖上的水
铺在上面的毯子
它的顶部。在这一切之下
又干又好。没有人
睡在里面。它洒了
一点在我睡觉的那个
但我在我的
口香糖毯子作为口袋
一件衬衫。我咳嗽的时候
我离开了，但这一切
像以前一样离开我，当
我进入了弗吉尼亚。它似乎
几乎不可能
我来这里受凉。我想
你的天气很冷
在美国上面，但在下面
在这里我们得到的不多。那里
是一个很冷的夜晚
仅此而已——还没有下雪。
但我已经偏离了轨道
我在描述我们的房间。它
长约 18 英尺，宽约 15 英尺
这里是
[注：房间平面图按顺时针方向依次为 Beacon's、Bunk、Henry's
双层床, 2 双床位, 桌子, 门, 炉子, 2 床位, 2 床位, 2 床位, 双层床]
对于椅子，我们有两个非常好的
由木板制成的风格
我想你从未见过——一个老
桶[注：椅子的小图]在那个形状与板
钉在缺口上构成另一个
- 其余的我们有长凳和
盒子。我们住得很舒服
虽然我们无法保持
我们的衣服很干净。就在旁边
我们住的房子是
类似建筑的食堂
包含 3 个白人和 1 个有色人种
做我们做饭的人。有
这里通常有 6 或 7 位代表
然后有很多工人
受雇于建造建筑物等
除了[无法辨认]之外。这
佣金有相当多的大
4辆马车和一些小马车
继续做一些事情
独立脚比什么时候
我以前来过这里。他们是
在这里建造一个大礼拜堂
原木 70 英尺乘 40 英尺。
当它完成时成为它的钟声
这将是一个相当大的会议
屋。我们现在有一个小教堂
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Henry Varnum, “Unsigned Letter to Clara, January 10, 1865,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 23, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/807.