{"id":468,"date":"2013-02-19T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2013-02-19T14:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/library.bowdoin.edu\/arch\/civil-war-blog\/?p=468"},"modified":"2025-05-19T15:58:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T15:58:35","slug":"february-19-1863","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/2013\/02\/19\/february-19-1863\/","title":{"rendered":"February 19, 1863"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2-19<\/a>Headquarters 2nd<\/sup> Divn<\/sup> near Falmouth, Va.<\/p>\n

My dear mother:<\/p>\n

After a hard rain all day yesterday and last night, we have a cessation this morning and some indication of fair weather again.<\/p>\n

I scarcely went out of my tent, at most only into the neighboring ones here at Hd. qrs.\u00a0 I have not been upon my horse since last Saturday night when I returned with Mr. Stinson, as I think I wrote you, from a visit to the left of the Army and the 5th Maine.<\/p>\n

Otis asked me this morning whether I would not like to go with him to Philadelphia as he intends to take a Leave on ten days soon.\u00a0 I told him I would be compelled to get some clothes if I did so and that perhaps I had better not go.\u00a0 He said I could go if I chose and I will consider the matter meanwhile.<\/p>\n

I heard this morning that Gen. Sumner was hoping to have a command in the West and that he said he should try and get this Corps (2nd) in such a case.\u00a0 I would prefer to go West for the sake of seeing the Country and having a change. \u2026<\/p>\n

Our army constantly feels the presence of Hooker as an energetic and shining General.\u00a0 He will\u00a0 yet, I confidently believe, strike a hard blow at the\u00a0 Rebellion.\u00a0 You know I am not inextricably attached to any General or any man; but I pray and trust that nothing whether it be moral or physical power, can send me from my love of my country or turn me from the duty I owe her under God.<\/p>\n

I have been reading some Rebel papers and I find renewed evidence of what I had believed before, that our enemies are terribly in earnest and a large portion \u2026 think as did Paul, that they are doing God[\u2018s] service.\u00a0 Now shall we be less in earnest while we expect the blessed moment, when Jesus the Lord shall strike them down and turn the hearts of such as He wills, so that they shall perceive that they have been fighting against God?\u00a0 We are pained to see that there are so many traitors at home.\u00a0 Still it is more natural than to have all united and true to the best interests of the world and the Kingdom of Christ.\u00a0 Perhaps a want of success ought not to discourse\u2014it certainly ought not to surprise us in view of the wickedness and pride of our nation.\u00a0 How can God bless us till we become more humble?\u00a0 He cannot admit an individual soul into his Kingdom till he becomes as a little child, humble, meek, trustful.\u00a0 Of a similar spirit must be the nation that receives his continued and highest favor. \u2026<\/p>\n

Charles Henry Howard to his mother [Oliver Otis Howard Papers]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Headquarters 2nd Divn near Falmouth, Va. My dear mother: After a hard rain all day yesterday and last night, we have a cessation this morning and some indication of fair weather again. I scarcely went out of my tent, at most only into the neighboring ones here at Hd. qrs.\u00a0 I have not been upon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[93,110,209,242],"class_list":{"0":"post-468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-oliver-otis-howard-papers","7":"tag-charles-henry-howard","8":"tag-class-of-1859","9":"tag-oliver-otis-howard","10":"tag-virginia","11":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sca.bowdoin.edu\/civil-war-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}