October 25, 1863: Alexander Biddle to Julia Williams Rush Biddle

Alexander Biddle was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family and was married to Julia Williams Rush,  the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Rush.  Biddle served with the 121st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, beginning in September 1862. Starting out as a major, he would participate in Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, among other engagements, and would leave the service as a lieutenant colonel. (He was commissioned, but never mustered, as colonel)

Transcript:

Camp near Bristow Station

October 25th 1863 Sunday

Dear Wife,

I wrote some pencil lines last to you last night telling you of our toilsome mud march from Thorofare Gap to this point. It rained most of the time and was indeed cheerless and comfortless. The rain had ceased by night time and we slept upon pine boughs with canvas laid on them, all pretty wet. This did not prevent me from sleeping very comfortably and rising this morning in the usual good health which I have to be so thankful for. We hear that we may move lower down the RR towards Catletts Station, but the day is far spent and I think we shall remain where we are for the night. We hear that Lee’s army is badly provisioned and that they have gone towards Burnside hoping to overthrow him. He is now like an able General as he is doing the next best thing he could hope to do under the circumstances of his position. I believe Meade thwarted his effort to get upon the flank of his line of Communication and supply trains by his successful withdrawal from the Rapidans which cost Lee more than it did us. He however got possession of the RR and then destroyed it all down to the Rappahannock to prevent our advance and so enable him to use the force he had before left to oppose us in operations against Burnside. If he fails in attacking Burnside, and I think he will, he will virtually have failed in all the advantages of operating upon his interior lines and have shown they are no advantage- but I think we are doing wrong in not making a greater effort to injure him. If a RR was made on the S side of the Occoquan towards Gordonsville I think we could do as well or better with it than with the one now existing and think it would be much better to fortify Centreville, Thorofare Gap, and even Manassas Gap permanently than to do as we have been doing—but we shall see what the wise ones at Washington intend. I believe if we are successful it will be owing to the decree of Providence which has deprived the Rebels of means of support rather than to any wisdom or scheme of man’s military sagacity as far as the Government is concerned. The Division in which I know am has a drinker for its Chief- the late Brigade commander and he were both under arrest for drunkenness at the same time and the corps commander is not invulnerable as regards the same weakness. Is it not a strange thing that Chapman was actually Division Commander for about a week owing to the fact that Brigade and Division Generals were both under arrest for the same reason- Yesterday I saw more intoxication among officers than I have seen among the men for a month past- two Colonels were conspicuously so- One fell off of his horse in leaping a little ditch to which he had [bantered?] the other- and yet this will all be unnoticed. The day was certainly very chilly and the usual fear of chills and fever was an alleged cause for the use of spirit but there were many who did not drink a drop. You don’t know how I wish that I could get back to you. I do trust in God’s mercy that it may soon come to pass in peace and happiness to our land- You cannot conceive how this country is wasted from where I am though near a RR station not a house fence or growing crop is to be seen and so it is for miles with but few exceptions. In many places I have seen good looking farmhouses gradually torn to pieces by the men for boards to make beds etc etc. I am now writing to you in the open air and soon night will be upon us. It is just cold enough to make a fire at all times very pleasant to have near at hand. We get to be connoisseurs of timber now that there are no fence rails to burn up. Your letter of 20th has just come in and I stop to read it. I don’t give up my intention of pressing my resignation when I see any chance—I am not an admirer of the military service as it is conducted. There seems to me to be a disposition in all commanding officers to screen their staff officers or rather shield them with their authority- this often permits ignorant young men who hold staff appointments to consult their own convenience in the prejudice of the service by delaying and not attending to the wants of the Regimental commander. I see Rosecrans was charged with screening his subordinates. I do not think this will ever be the case with Meade. It can rarely be the case when competent army officers hold staff appointments but ignorant civilians who get such posts for the sake of ease and name through political influence or personal friendship do a vast deal of mischief. Goodbye dear wife. God bless and preserve you and restore us soon to each other never again to part. Your loving husband,

Alexander

Citation: Alexander Biddle (1819-1899), autograph letter signed to Julia Williams Rush Biddle, 25 October 1863. Rush IV:30:36