Robert E. Lee to Charles Carter Lee

Your letter of 24th Nov - reached me last night. I had begun to fear, that surrounded by so much that is wild & magnificent, you had forgotten us in this lame & flat country. However from the tone of your letter I find you have had much to occupy you & I cannot discover that you lose anything in spirit. I shall be very willing to come up, as you term it, any time next year, if I Can. (Mark that Master Carter, If I Can) to assist in the Survey, or any thing else. In the mean time you had better look over your calculations, perhaps it is there, that those Thousand acres have disappeared. I am perfectly sensible of the necessity of a division, that each of us may act. Wrote to our Rose on the subject & spoke to him when down here, & told him to have a Power Of Attorney with some one. I am not aware that he has done so. But in conversation <about> his District matters, he told me that Cousin Anna would attend to them for him, & it is only possible that she may have one. At any rate now that the Survey is made we had better have a division. You can take the middle portion & Smith & myself the Extremes - You did not speak of coming in this winter, but I presume you will do so & we will then arrange it -

About your plan of the Mill, I should be very happy to advance it, though as you say Money is a scarce article with your 2nd Lt. but I deny the extravagance. Yet if the $200, will be of any service in furthering its construction take it. I only wish I could put another 200 to it. But the end of every month licks up my Pay Accts, as clean as David Crockett's plate - I can tell you however Master Carter, that your Tub where you have a plenty of water (You must have a great abundance) is the Best, Because it is so cheap - Though I do not know how it will answer for grinding wheat, but for corn when well constructed it answers admirably - I am glad to hear that your household is in a state to administer comfort to you & I hope next year, (It is not a delusive hope.) will improve your condition in every respect - Your Hound puppies by that time will afford great amusement & to say nothing of your Heifer & Tom, & then the Mill & the clearing & etc etc, will begin as The Major says to Tell - I cannot say that my home has many charms for me now. Mary & her little limb, accomp - d by the renowned among sleepers & escorted by the good Bishop Meade, left me about 18 days since for Arling - n where they are all as happy to have them as I am sad to lose them. You may well ask if that little fellow has grown & improved. Wait & See My Child, for like Nym "I say nothing" - My last letter informed me, that they were all about to spend a week at Ravensworth, after which Cousin & Anna & Mildred would let out for Baltimore, Mildred there to remain & Cousin A. to crop over to the E. S. I heard from Uncle Wms lately, Uncle Bernard was there, little Wms & my beautiful Susan, Cousins Hill & Mary at Shirley, Shirley still in Richmond Studying Law, Cloverland advertised for Sale, Uncle Fitz Still at the Stack, & Sir Bob & his Cara Sposa, gone to Winchester to return with another pledge of Affection - Smith dined with the King & Queen - I hope to get away from here by New Year's day, but as I have Some arrangements to make in N. Kent & King Wm about changing Manager, overseers etc I am afraid I shall not get to Arlington till about the 20th of Jan - & expect to return here in Febr - The mail is just going out & I am yours truly &

as ever

R. E. Lee