One of the favorite relics to send home from the front used to be shot and shell picked up on battle fields. Carry seemed to feel less grateful than we expected for those forwarded to 8 Brevoort Place, from the immediate front of the Sanitary Commission.
Caroline Woolsey to Charles Woolsey
Friday Morning
Dear Charley: We live in mortal fear of the projectiles going off, the grape shot exploding, and the cannon balls doing something else equally unpleasant. There is no reason why we should not set up an armory, we have such a variety of arms. But really the grape has never been used and I see nothing to prevent its suddenly igniting; at all events, I don’t mean to hammer on the nail at the top, which I ?rmly believe to be a fuse. The day it came Mr. W. was calling and, though I was deeply interested of course in what he was saying, I could not help hearing the conversation that went on in the entry between mother and the city expressman, whom mother took to be a soldier from the Daniel Webster and treated accordingly, gave him half a dollar (12½ cents being the price) and, not exactly invited him in to dinner, but offered him some there!… We have a quantity of things to send to the girls on the return hospital transport. Uncle Edward sent here yesterday 100 shirts, some to go to Eliza, and 1,000 pocket handkerchiefs… Mother and I went to the Park Barracks yesterday in Jane’s place. There is a system of passes now, and no lady can get in without one, except myself, who go and come freely and no questions asked,—I don’t know why, unless there is a natural dignity and committee expression in my face that no one is discerning enough, except the admitting policeman, to see… Write when you can and tell us all you do. We still direct Cheeseman’s Creek.