1862 August 27

My Dear Father
The monotonous life we are living here
close by Richmond, affords nothing to write which wd.
interest you. The left section ( half) of our company
has joined the division, having procured two little
sic pound pieces. It is still uncertain when we
will get guns or horses. As we get guns of larger
caliber we have to add four ^ ‘more’ horses to each piece
That part wh. has left is probably in or about
Fredericksburg I suppose; as I hear the division
is there. Our army of course has nearly entirely left
the vicinity of Richmond, very few being left below.
Pope it seems is trying to do what I have feared
i.e. fall back upon the Potomac. I hope Lee (or Jack-
son, the latter seems to be the moving spirit) will
be able to force a fight & victory before he
reaches there. You know Lee is now in com-
mand of that army. Johnson (J. E.) is still
in Amelia. I have frequently an opportunity
of going to town & of course when I do, attend
the meetings of Congress. Miles of South Carolina [William Porcher Miles]
seem to have more attention paid him, when he
speaks or gives an opinion than any other mem-
ber. Whether it is because of superior ability or
his position as chman. of the Military Comtee [committee]. I do not know.
He is however a man of good judgment appa-
rently. Of small statue & dressed in either a gray
or blue coat: with short gray whiskers. He
speaks slowly & with some difficulty, apparently
that of a foreigener. Foot who is always
up is a short thick set man with bald head & red
face & of a vulgar appearance. Bococke presides
in the house with ease dignity & readiness.

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Lyons of Richmond is thought by some to represent
the President – a man of the greatest possible
vanity. A member from Georgia introduced
a motion of enquiry yesterday whether it was not
better to withdraw our commissioners from Europe.
As it was agst. confederate dignity longer to keep
them there & the English Queen having declared
her determination not to recognize us, while
at the same time her ministers admitted we
established a right to it &c&c. The motion to inquire
was unanimously carried. You ^ ‘will’ see probably
in the papers a statement by a member from
Louisiana of a discovery in his state of salt in
a pure state & inexhaustible quantity, but the
owner he said was not disposed to make
much use of it or appreciate its worth. You
are aware that companies from differ-
ent states are putting up works at the mines
in Washington county. Still I expect you
could purchase it cheaper now than later
when the time for salting bacon comes, if
you could purchase it at all at the works
of which there is some doubt. Our comp-
any has recruited from among the conscripts
at Camp Lee a good many as drivers, so that
our company numbers about 112 now. Until I
leave Richmond do not designate that I belong
to any company in directing your letters or
they will be sent to the Brigade – but simply
as to a citizen = W. H. Perry, Richmond, Va. I have
not heard from home since leaving save
by the enclosed note. If you have written they
have gone to the division. My Dear father
farewell. Sincerely your son
W.H. Perry Jr.

1862 August 26

Dear Mother
Upon opening your letter I found 25
dollars – I have kept it – but only for awhile if
as I anticipate I can do very well without it.
For I can not consent to take thus the proceeds
of your labor. But be assured I appreciate
your kind intention in giving it to me.
I called Friday morning at Mc Kinney &
Duprey’s but they had not heard from you. I
requested a friend to inquire again on Monday
if there was a box for me. He reported it had been
sent to me. I called myself the next day & found the
two notes had been sent to McKinney & D’s which
I indorse: The fellow drove up in a wagon
& got it. I know no such man as [--]
so you see it was a deliberate theft. The

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fellow was quick – he got it out the day
it arrived. Was your letter sent by mail? It was
handed me just as it is by Mr. D. having no
envelope. I am quite sorry to lose the contents.
But much more that you should have worked
to so little purpose, & for the benefit of so
consummate a rogue. How the fellow man-
aged to get the note of yours I don’t know.

I am extremely sorry to hear of Richard’s
[this line is in the fold and not discernible]
improve. Write soon. Affectionately yr. son,
W. H. Perry, Jr.

P. S. Tell father that Duprey told me to tell him that
he received three bls. of flourer [flour] from him. It
was injured - sour & was condemned by the
inspector. I saw the [-]. He said he had
not succeeded in selling
it. If there was any molas-
ses he said he could sell
it to make molasses cakes
but there is none.

1862 August 19

Dear Mother
I found our camp
last evening had moved about
the half of a mile north east
of the Camp Lee. There is with
us no more speedy prospect
of getting our guns – One or two
smooth bore 6 pounders we can
get, but will have to wait
until the others are made.
One of them was cast yes-
terday. I fell in last evening
with the funeral process-
sion of Gen. Winder last
evening he is son of the
R[ichmon]d. General – this is the
only opportunity I may
have to send to R[ichmon]d. to day
so Dear mother farewell.
My best love to Father, George
& all. Our camp is a very
pleasant one. We will not


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be here less than ten days
I reckon.
Affec. yr. son
W. H. Perry Jr.

[“Brig. Gen. Charles Sidney Winder was frightfully mangled by a shell at Cedar Mt. on Aug. 9, 1862, and died within a few hours.” – Generals in Gray by Warner]\

Perry's "son of Richmond general" is obscure. Winder was the nephew of U. S. Naval officer Franklin Buchanan and a cousin of Confederate General John H. Winder.