Lieut Rob^t S. Edwards
48 Reg^t N. Y. Volunteers

My dear Rob

     At last we are again settled in this delightful spot. We moved out a week ago & now have most of our belongings sufficiently arranged to give the house a home like aspect.
     The change from town life can but be beneficial to Nellie & wee Kate. By the bye we made you Godfather to the little puss — Did you accept the charge? Ned stood as your proxy. Mary & Nellie are the Godmothers.
     I have now to thank you for your good letter of the 23 Aug from Pulaski — I am very sorry that we lost the letters

you wrote in June. This Aug letter gives me the first positive news of your promotion. I am very glad of it for your sake & hope soon to greet you as Capt Edwards —
     I see you have had a new general sent you Mitchell, the third I think since you went to Port Royal —
     I notice your remarks as to the Peninsular campaign I do not quite agree with you for I feel that McClellan did not have fair scope — Certainly the energy & promptness he showed in Maryland would indicate anything but a slow general —
     Pope made a grand fiasco I am heartily glad that Pres. Lincoln has at last come out with his emancipation

proclamation — It is the right thing. Slavery and the Union are incompatible — It is idle to talk of the Constitution as it is & the Union as it was Great revolutions change the face of affairs it would not be desirable, ever were it possible (which thank God it is not) to go back to the days of Doughface compromises. Compromises on the base of head I win & tails you lose — No more can the foot of the slave hunter pollute our free land — Men will not in future be allowed to sell their own children into shame and bondage —
     Now I think that we may hope for the blessing of God on our cause — However ere this sheet reaches you the result will in great measure have been worked out, and my speculations be out of date.

Your account of your way of life and all the details of regimental matters are very interesting to me — I hope you may be able to carry out your wishes and secure a captaincy in the US service — I should judge that in some form or other the army must be largely increased after the war. That is that before the Volunteers are all disbanded the Regular troops must be largely augmented.
     I see you were feeling rather despondent at your want of a brilliant success in life. My dear Rob, not one man out of a thousand escapes just such feelings if he thinks at all about the matter. We all begin intending to fly but life soon sobers our ideas and we find that our Father has other plans for us — To do our duty in the post which for the time being we occupy

not be dearer to each other were I to turn out a small Rothschild or you a brilliant general. All the common enjoyments of life are as open to us as to any other of the sons of Adam — You have far more than the average chances for happiness in the taste you have cultivated for the beautiful in nature, in your love for good books and in your own Kindly genial disposition — So let us thank God & take courage
     You will be pleased to Know that Katy flourishes, we have great games together, and the little thing will almost jump out of Nellie's arms to greet me as I come up the steps on my return from the office — She is a very well behaved little lady and hardly ever cries — She has never I think

had a regular fit of crying — Nellie would have written you this mail but she has been so busy getting ready for housekeeping, moving and all that she can only send her love & promise to try to write in my next epistle
     We have our house very tastefully furnished and the location is unsurpassed by anything near Manila, on every side we get beautiful views —
     I wish it were a possible thing for you to look in on us I think we could induce you stay our guest room is in readiness — I am writing in the caida (hall) as I look up my eye glances on two large engravings which Annie will recollect as whilholm adornments of her room at San Gabriel "Just caught" by R Ansdell & "Not caught yet" by E Landseer — I have a desk

and copying-press out here so that I can do some work if I like & avoid the necessity of going into town on feast days —
     We have a Chinese gardner and our dinner-table is graced every day with a boquet as a center piece — Our cook (also a celestial) is the envy of all my acquaintances — So I find at least when I go out — I have had three applications to procure "a cook like yours" "an artist" "a chap who knows how to make such soup"
     Well dear boy I have spun a long yarn & now must wind up with a loving good bye from Nellie, Katy, & myself. I ought to write several more letters but I have written such an amount during the past three days that I feel lazy —

Very affectionately yours
Ogden E. Edwards