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Eastern Lunatic Assylum
Williamsburg Virginia August 23d 1862
Your letters of the 12th 13th
& 15th just came to hand last evening. After I had
become installed in my new duties, and when
I was becomeing very lonely on account of the strange
ness of my position. I fear the letter I wrote you
day before yesterday will give you causless alarm
but at that time the situation confered upon me
was one of such a strange character, and had
come upon me so suddenly that I had hardly time
to form any definite conclusion of what was to become
of me. I will now relate some of the circum-
stances connected with the institution that has caused
my being assigned to the position I now hold. In the
first place the institution is one (of the largest
(if not the largest) charitable Institution in the
state, and is one of the most important. It has about
three hundred and ten inmates two hundred and
eighty of whom are under treatment for various
forms of Lunacy. The building and grounds are very
beautiful and the latter includes some 21 acres
of ground. The carrying on of the institution has
cost the state some forty thousand Dollars
anually.
At the time of the occupation of the town by our
forces the Management of the institution passed
into the hands of the federal Authorities, on
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account of the death of the Superintendent Dr
Galt and shortly afterwards the Governor of Western
Virginia (Pierpont) appointed a new superintendent
and took control of the institution by Authority of the
Legislature of Western Virginia. Our government in
the Mean time has been supplying the
necessary subsistence & Medical stores.
On the falling back of our Forces from Har-
issons Landing Dr Watson the Superintendent felt him-
self unsafe in his position on Account of his
having taken an active part in the Politics
of Western Virginia and fearing the Rebels would
proceed to extreme Measures if they suceeded
in capturing him, he abandoned the insti-
tution. General McClellan knowing that the
institution must be left in the hands of some
Federal officer for the purpose of manageing
its affairs and drawing supplies untill the
time the government of the State of Virginia should
resume its control, directed General Averell
to select some one for that purpose and leave
them here on the Abandonment of the town by
our forces under a flag of Truce. That selec-
tion fell upon Me, and although I rather
regretted it at first on your Account, I
now think when you come to understand
my position here you will be satisfied
as it is one in which every feeling of Philan-
thropy Cannot but be engaged, and it will
tend very Materially to the Advancement of my
interests.
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It may be the Rebel Government may not resume
its control of the institution, for I do not think they
will ever come down the Peninsula in any force
and I may be retained here for some time, if
such happens to be the case I shall send for
you. I am extremely nicely situated, I have a
magnificent room nicely furnished, have plenty
of company, eat at the table of the Matron, who
by the way has a very sweet daughter who
would make a nice companion for you if you
were here. The grounds are very lovely around
the institution with plenty of nice fruit and
flowers. The poor simple minded inmates
become very much attached to any one who
is kind to them, and they are continually
bringing me some evidences of their good
will in the shape of fruits and flowers.
I shall have a good deal of practice in the
town I expect, as they are allreaddy calling upon
me for medicines there being only one Physician
in town.
Oh! Darling you have no idea how I have
been longing for a letter from you, and how in-
expressibly happy I was to receive the letters from
you notwithstanding the novelty of my sit-
uation. Three deear little missives and I have
read each of them now three times although I
only received them late last evening. Oh! if I only
had you here I think I should be perfectly content
it matters not what might occur, any way I think
my stay here will terminate favourably for us for if our
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Regiment leaves here before the Rebels come, and get
off of the Peninsular before I am able to join it, as
soon as I leave this institution I shall come home
to you, and spend a little while. The only inconvenience
we shall experience is that I shall not be able to
hear from you for some time as the Mail fa-
cilities will be interupted as soon as our
forces leave here, but I will try and get
a letter to you as often as possible. I dont
know how soon our forces will leave here, per-
haps not for a week yet, but the may leave
allmost any time, as soon perhaps as all the forces
are shpped from Yorktown.
You mention in the letter written from Williamsport
that you had mailed me your Photograph the even-
ing previously, it is strange that that should be the
only letter of the series that I did not receive I hope
however ^I shall receive it this evening. One of our Officers has just arrived to see
me, and I shall have to stop for awhile. My Friend
Lieutenant Ford has just brought me my baggage which had
been sent to Yorktown, and which I was compelled to send
for, as I had not a change of clothing to put on.
I have just returned from visiting the various wards
of the institution, and find the inmates are doing
extremely well. You would be astonished to find how
many varieties of lunacy there are nearly every one is
afflicted differently.
Darling you alarm me about your health and I
fear you grieve too much on account of my absence.
You must cheer up, I hope we shall be very soon together
again. The pain your side was owing to your having
taken cold in some manner that caused a little Pleurisy
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You must take care of yourself, I do not
care how much you romp if you will only
be careful to do yourself No injury. Do not
give yourself any alarm concerning my
health as I know how to take care of myself
and am as robust as there is any need
of being.
I received a letter from Mother yesterday
evening and a paper announcing our Mar-
riage, I have cut out a complimentary notice
from the paper which I send you. I am
sorry to learn in my letter from Mother of
the Death of William Allered. What a terrible
blow it will be to his wife, who by the way
is in a delicate situation. Oh! how I pity her
so shortly married and as soon sepparated
I suppose you have heard of his death.
I wrote to dear pa & ma a few days
ago encloseing a letter to you. I also sent
the letter announcing my change of position
to them to be read and forwarded to you
I want to get another opportunity to write
before our forces leave if I have time. I want
to go to camp however this afternoon to see
Colonel Averell and report to him the condition
of the institution, and procure any letters
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that may be there for me for I expect that
dear immage of your darling self this
afternoon, & Oh! won't I be disappointed
if I do not get it. My darling, darling
wife shall I endeavour to express one half
of my love for you, or how much I want
to see you, I feel it would be impossible, and
I shall not make the effort. I do not doubt
dear one that you want to see me, but indeed
you must not let it worry you. Now darling
try and not do this will you, for my sake, I know
this is the strongest appeal I can make. Oh! how
I feel that God has blessed me in giveing me
such a dear, good, loveing wife, and I so
extremely unworthy too. But I hope I shall
be more worthy some day, as I shall labour to
be,
I regret very much that I was unable
to see Aunt Willie's boys, but really darling my
time was so much occupied for the last few
days I spent at Harrison's Landing that
I was unable to go anywhere. I did meet a
portion of Rush's Lancers and inquired for
Will but found that the Company he was with
were with General Porter.
Darling you must direct your letters still
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to my Regiment as our General will in all probability
take some means to send them to me, and I can-
not tell yet how long I shall remain here
untill our forces leave and communication
is opened with Richmond, as soon as this
is known I will make every effort to in-
form you. It is useless for you to address
your letters here at present as there is no
knowing how ling I shall remain, and
I may be away before this reaches you, as
long however as our forces remain I shall
keep up a daily communication with
you, and remember always that it is
necessity compells when I do not write
for I shall never let an opportunity slip.
Remember me kindly to sister Annie and tell
her I would like to see her. You had better
if you have time write Pa & Ma ere the
reception of this and give them an [illegible]
of my reasons for being left here. The govern-
ment has supplied the institution with
thirty days rations for the inmates and
I think we shall get along very well, if the
Rebels do not take possession in that time I
shall draw upon General Dix at Fortress
Monroe for another supply
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I must stop now darling, as I have given
you perhaps enough to cogitate over for a lit-
tle while, at least untill tomorow.
Remember me kindly to all and dont ne-
glect to write as often as usual to your
loveing and devoted husband
Thom
A kiss for you here