May the 15th 1861
My dear precious Brother,
I am not altogether fit to write just now, as my head is cloudy, but feel inclined nevertheless to send you a few lines. I came down yesterday from Wheatly, Jennie & the boys with me, they en route to Lynchburg with their company, the Old Dominion Rifles. Aunt Lucy, Ma, Leon[?], & the children came down this evening & joined us in the village to bid them good-bye; it was a sad sight, in every house someone was leaving (except this), & all either dear friends, or near kin. I never realized before what a solemn thing war was. Mothers & Fathers bending over their young sons, sisters screaming & weeping over their brothers, & all melted at seeing so many brave fellows leaving their homes perhaps forever, one thought filled my heart & made me calm. God reigns, our God cares for all, but enough of this I should be tempted to say too much if I give way to my feelings.
Wm. Mitchell got her a day or two since, he went this morning some 20 miles in the country to drill, he has an idea of joining Wm. Wingfield's Company, hope he will. Ma came home with me to see about fixing him up. Lou went back to Ellie, oh Brother she is such a dear little pet & as good as can be as the darkies say. She seemed to feel we were kin-folks. Lou got your letter this morning with one enclosed from Aunt Binckley, which letter I read, oh Brother I do wish I had a big banging house, where all good folks that love one another could live together, but especially where I could have my own darling ones and keep them in clover till these bad old times get some sense, but it is right as it is I know, let us keep stout hearts, methinks could my precious Father [Harvey Mitchell] & you be somewhere in our midst. I would be content.
God bless you both my own Brother & make it to be light & peace soon.
I dare not tell you how my heart yearns to my Father now, it is almost as much as I can bear this separation & under such peculiar circumstances oh for one hour's chat with you, there are so many things I would like to say, but I could not by writing satisfy either myself or you, I just try to be patient.
Let me hear from you soon, as I shall not see Lou for a week or ten days, the two Wms.[?] are to be fixed & my cousin Mrs. Allen will be home tomorrow, making it out of my power to come home. My humble heartfelt thanks to kind Heaven I render daily, for the fact that my Brother is just what he is, it would break my heart to find it otherwise.
your loving sister C.
Charlotte Elizabeth Mitchell (1829-1921) at Belle Vue, Virginia, to John Milton Binckley (1821-1878) at Washington, D.C., May 15, 1861. Original manuscript in the John Milton Binckley papers, 1816-1943. Library of Congress Manuscript Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. This is my rough transcription. "Ma" = Jane Wood Johnston Mitchell; "Lou" = Mary Louisa Mitchell Binckley.
Many thanks to William Myers for sending scanned copies of the documents from the Binckley papers, and also to Mary Davy and Sally Young for their assistance over the past few years.
Pictured at top: Edward Beyer (1820-1865), Bellevue, The Lewis Homestead, near Salem, Virginia, 1850s. Image can also be seen at www.paintings.org
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