Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1864-1865, 1865-01-13
FRoM TIE SENENTm CAvALRN.

FROM TIE SEVENTH CAVALRY.
OFFICERS HosrrAI, Memphis. 1sna,
Dec. 3l-i, l-of.
EDIroR JOURNAL: lis night
The old year i passing away, and Is
nearly gone. Methinks it would be
a good time to drop u hint 20 fathers
and mothers. who have sons in the
army. and in all probability some o.
them drawing As near LIES close -
the year. and alas | fear some are
going down to their graves with bit
ter thoughts and regrets. (and it may
be with rebellioUs thoughts too, J
that they are neglected by parents.
brothers and sisters. TO those at
home in peace and quiet, time glides
swiftly and smoothly on. If your
son or brother writes to you, OF
course You will orSper it. And
though You do not get letter for
one. two, three. four, or it may be
eight weeksy, yet you wait to aas,ger
letters. Away with such. conven-
tionalism. While YOU are waiting
for this precious privilege of o'as'cer-
ing, your son, or brother, may be on
a long and tiresomc march. On
such occasions, the topic of CONVEX
sation for the two or three last days
before getting to camp, is the letters
they are expecting to get. John eN-
poets one from father, and one from
cousin jim. David is looking for one
from mother and one from the ga
ne left behind him." in fact all conf
dent Y expect one or more letters, bnt
some OF them are doomed to disap-
pointment. Then if YOU could be &
spectator, YOU might hear some ono
mutter that he would write no more
until he got letter. 1t is an unpleas
ant thought, and the poor boys in the
army should never have occasion to
/ harbor such thoughts. such disap-
Dointments are bad enough to the
soldiers in good health. who have {
great many things TO draw their ut
tcDtion and cause them to forget the
disappointmcnts to some extent
But oh. 90 to the Hospital, and there
look upon the poor sick soldiers
often mere boys, stretched upon cots
wracked with pain. Pass from bed
to bed, talk with those who appear
to be sickest, and i'll the most dis
tress; ask them if you shall write
home for them, and more than ono
fourth Of them will tell you, after
vainly endeavoring to choak a rising
sigh. and conceal the great tear drop,
in their eyes, that they have writer
once, twice, thrice, and have received
no answer, and don't care abou
writing any more.
Fathers, mothers, brothers anC
sisters. see to it, that ut least on'
letter each week is sent to each mem
mer of the family in the army. anC
YOU had better far. send three o
four each week. You can hardly
know the value of good warn
hearted letter to n soldier. One tba
each sentence, lineF and word, car
ries unmistakablc evidence with it
that the heart was with the pen
Think how bitterly you would re
proach yourselves. if loved son 0
brother should die with the Impres
sion that he was neglected. ThinI
Of the bitter anguish and scaldin:
tears caused by even apparent nee
icct. although unintentioual on you
part.
Reader. YOU may think | hav'
over drawn the picture. but my onl
regret is, that | cannot do it justice
do not write in fault-iinding spin
it. | do so because | wish to Sc
our soldiers receive every attention
that will tend to make them happy
And what will do more to make
soldier contented and happy, an
keep him from vice and dissipation
than kind and aflectionatc letter
One that flows from the heart wi
surely reach the heart. But OF al
things, don't write cold. reserve
letter, one that would cause pei
son to shiver. and his fingers I
ache with cold to read it, though
be at midday in August. Many c
you will probably never see You
sons, or brothers again. The
why not open your hearts, and pou
out your richest treasures Otter
very often, the ottencr the better 10
both. 4. VI. WAY.