- Interlude -
Near Hall's Hill, Virginia
February 15, 1862
Thomas Everett Personal Journal
I received word from Eleanor today regarding my father's passing. Though we had long expected this moment, its arrival strikes me with a force I scarcely anticipated.
The man who raised me with such steady devotion has departed this mortal realm, leaving behind a legacy of love and instruction that shall guide me through whatever days remain of my own journey.
Eleanor writes that he went peacefully at sunset, which provides some measure of comfort. She has tended to him with such dedication these many months, a debt I can never adequately repay.
Though I was not there, I am glad he had her by his side.
The funeral arrangements proceeded without my presence, another cruelty of this war that separates families even in their most desperate hours of need. Sarah managed all with Eleanor assisting as needed. I find myself picturing the scene—the church, the minister's words, little Charles asking his innocent questions about his grandfather's absence—though I know such imaginings serve only to deepen my grief.
There is both sorrow and relief in his passing, I confess. To know that his suffering has ended brings a certain peace, even as I mourn the father whose approval I sought in all things. How strange to inhabit a world where he no longer draws breath, where I can no longer seek his counsel or earn his proud smile. The finality of death strikes anew with each passing hour.
I pray that God grants him the eternal rest his earthly frame was so long denied.
End Entry
© 2025 E.M. di V. - writing as Morgan A. Drake & Joe Gillis. All rights reserved.