My Dear Wife
I take the first opportunity of writing to you after our arrival in Washington, We left New York this Wednesday morning about 10 A.M. for Elizabethport N.J. From there we took the cars for Harrisburg, PA by the New Jersey Central R. R. We arrived at Harrisburg Thursday morning about 6 o’clock in the morning, Left Harrisburg for Baltimore about 8 o’clock. Arrived in Baltimore about dark. Thursday morning staid in the Baltimore and Washington R. R. depot all night. Started for Washington last evening about 5:00, We arrived in Washington about 11 o’clock last evening, tired sleepy and hungry, Ate supper in a building created for that purpose, slept in the Barracks on East Capitol Hill where we are at present awaiting orders. We have gad a hard journey. We expect to leave here today for somewhere and I don’t care how quick for it is the most miserable town I was ever in.I expected to see you down at the cars before we left. George was there and I sent him to look you up but he said he couldn’t find you. I looked on every side all the way coming down. Why didn’t you come down there? You don’t know how bad it made me feel to come away and not bid you good bye, but perhaps it is all for the best. I want you to write home as soon as you receive this for I have no time to write them until we get settled down somewhere. I want you to let Mother¹ have some money when I send it home. We expect to have it in a day or two. If I had time I would like to write all the incidents on our journey here, but it must wait until another opportunity. It seems to me an eternity before I shall be home again, but I hope I shall be able to go through with it. It will be of no use for you to write to me until you hear from me again as we expect marching orders every minute. The next time I write to you I will write a long letter, but I must close for I don’t know how soon we shall have to leave. I don’t know as you can read this for it is written in a hurry. I am well, but tired and sleepy. We have had a hard time in coming out here owing to the numerous delays on our journey, but I must say good-bye.
From Your loving Husband,
Ezra B, Rounds
Footnotes
¹Clarissa Baker (1799-1880)
The author is about 28 years old when he wrote this to his wife Elizabeth. This letter has specific locations and dates. We don’t know who Mother and George are. Mother might be Clarissa Baker (1799-1880). Elizabeth’s parentage is not known. The Rounds family can be traced back to Roger Williams (1603-1683) in Providence and then London before that. There are no known siblings or contemporary relatives named George.