him, and he seemed to brighten up when I came. I remember, he always
took it as a matter of course that I must be hungry (and I was for
three years), so he invariably made his mess-steward, Bryan, give me
something to eat, if I did not have time to wait for the regular meal.
His headquarters at this time, just before the battle of Fredericksburg
and after, were at a point on the road between Fredericksburg and
Hamilton's Crossing, selected on account of its accessibility.
Notwithstanding there was near-by a good house vacant, he lived in his
tents. His quarters were very unpretentious, consisting of three or
four "wall-tents" and several more common ones. They were pitched on
the edge of an old pine field, near a grove of forest trees from which
he drew his supply of fire-wood, while the pines helped to shelter
his tents and horses from the cold winds. Though from the outside
they were rather dismal, especially through the dreary winter time,
within they were cheerful, and the surroundings as neat and comfortable
as possible under the circumstances.

On November 24, 1862, in a letter to his daughter Mary, he writes:

"...General Burnside's whole army is apparently opposite Fredericksburg
and stretches from the Rappahannock to the Potomac. What his intentions
are he has not yet disclosed. I am sorry he is in position to oppress
our friends and citizens of the Northern Neck. He threatens to bombard
Fredericksburg, and the noble spirit displayed by its citizens,
particularly the women and children, has elicited my highest admiration.
They have been abandoning their homes, night and day, during all this
inclement weather, cheerfully and uncomplainingly, with only such
assistance as our wagons and ambulances could afford, women, girls,
children, trudging through the mud and bivouacking in the open fields."