To Mary Milroy From RH Milroy Sept 18 1862

              Sept 18, 1862 
 
My Dear Mary, 
                 I finished my long letter or rather 
history last night.  It is much longer than I intended 
when I commenced it, but I wish to keep you posted as to our 
movements, to some extent and I wish you to preserve all the 
letters  I write home to you about our movements as they  
will be interesting to our children when we are gone & 
may be of use in furnishing a history of these stirring  
times.  I recd a few days ago an interesting letter from  
Dav. Davis enclosing one from the Patriotic Society  
of which he is President.  The letter is a very flattering  
one to me and coming as it does from my friends and neighbors  
of my home, is truly gratifying, and coming as it did to me at  
the time of the gloom defeat of our great disaster and National  
Calamity was weighing heavily upon me it cheered and nerved  
me up and was very grateful and helped to reanimate and brace me up. 
  I will answer these kind letters as soon as I get leisure.   
Your neighbors and the Society can read my long desultory letter 
if they have patience to do so.  I have written it amid a thousand 
interruptions and turmoil of camp.  tell Cicero that I read a  
letter from J. C. Van Rensselaer the other day, complaining very