HEAD-QUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES

City Point, Va.,
Sept. 5th, 1864.

DEAR FATHER: 

Your last letter is just received.  Before you receive this it is probable Beverly Simpson will be in service if he comes in at all.  If he does enlist, however, after you receive this tell him to ask to be assigned to a regiment now with the Army of the Potomac.  If he is already in service have him write to me and I will assign him to some duty either with me or where it will be equally pleasant for him.

Your theory about delays, either with Sherman or myself, was not correct.  Our movements were co-operative but after starting each one has done all that he felt himself able to do.  The country has been deceived about the size of our armies and also as to the number of the enemy.  We have been contending against forces nearly equal to our own, moreover always on the defensive and strongly intrenched.—­Richmond will fall as Atlanta has done and the rebellion will be suppressed in spite of rebel resistance and Northern countenance and support.

Julia and children are in Philadelphia.  If I can get a house there, I will make that my home.  Julia is very desirous that Jennie should make her home with us if she will, and if she will not do that, at least spend the fall and winter with us.

ULYSSES.

[Clara was the oldest sister.

The prophecy as to the end of the war proved true.  Petersburg and Richmond were both captured April 3d.  Lee surrendered April 9th.  By the end of May all the rebel armies had surrendered and the Civil War was over.]

HEAD-QUARTERS ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES

City Point, Va.,
March 19th, 1865.

DEAR FATHER: 

I received your two letters announcing the death of Clara.  Although I had known for some time that she was in a decline, yet I was not expecting to bear of her death at this time.—­I have had no heart to write earlier.  Your last letter made me feel very bad.  I will not state the reason and hope I may be wrong in my judgment of its meaning.

We are now having fine weather and I think will be able to wind up matters about Richmond soon.  I am anxious to have Lee hold on where he is a short time longer so that I can get him in a position where he must lose a great portion of his army.  The rebellion has lost its vitality and if I am not much mistaken there will be no rebel army of any great dimensions in a few weeks hence.  Any great catastrophe to any one of our armies would of course revive the enemy for a short time.  But I expect no such thing to happen.

I do not know what I can do either for Will.  Griffith’s son or for Belville Simpson.  I sent orders last fall for John Simpson to come to these Head-Quarters to run between here and Washington as a mail messenger, but he has not come.  I hope this service to end now soon.