Canandaigua Feb. 9th
My dear Augustus
I was made very happy this morn-
ing by the arrival of your letter which, in consider-
ation of its having been some ten days on the road
I will answer immediately. It seems to me
a very long time since we last met and it
would give me more pleasure than I can express
to again see you at home but if you have health
and as we all well know you are making the
best possible use of your time perhaps it is best
you are for the present separated from your friends.
The men all much gratified that you acquitted
yourself so very creditably at the examination
it was a severe test of your acquirements and
few boys of your age would have succeeded
as well. The young gentleman of whom you speak
Mr. Cole is in Canandaigua though I have not
yet seen him. I understand he speaks of the dis-
cipline at the Point as very severe and tyranic-
al. His friends from the first were quite averse
to his going there and undoubtedly encoura-
ged his leaving. I believe he intends to en-
ter some store in the place as clerk, preferring
the occupation of his father (who was a merchant)
to parades and drills and all the fatigue of a
military education. I returned on Saturday

from Auburn after a long and very pleasant
visit to your Mother and Aunt Clara. It would
be in vain to attempt to tell you how often &
how sincerely we all wished “Augustus could
be with us”, even dear little Willie would
say every time he had any new toy “don’t you
think Aunty, Gusy would like to see this?”
He is a dear little merry creature perfectly
happy in the possession of health and his
eyesight. Your Ma & Aunt C. think he is very
much like you at his age. I wish you could
see him seated in a chair reading your Grandpa
to sleep every day after dinner. Fred is deep in
chemistry. Grandpa thinks he will immortalize himself
writing some great work on the subject
We all – Fred, Fan and William took dinner with Aunt
Clara every pleasant Sunday. She always wished
Augustus could be there also.” I think and Clara
will go back to Grandpa’s to live in the spring. She is
very lonely where she is, and is a great distance
from all of her old acquaintances. I saw only
a few of the boys of your age while at Auburn. many
of them are away from there. William Muir is there a perfect
dwarf. Walter Weed is clerk in a store in the village
George Swain is on a farm in Chatauqua County &
Sandy is at sea. his mother says they have not
heard from him in a number of months. The
Compsons ten boys are at home doing nothing which
is very poor business in my estimation

Your Father went through here the day before
yesterday on his way to Rochester to attend
court. I had a letter the same day from your
Ma. She is “very anxious about you, and unhap-
py that you are so far from her. I wish on many
accounts that you could be nearer to all of us.
Mr. George Wood, your Ma writes, died on Monday
morning of a disease of the lungs. He was sick
when I left Auburn. Old Mr. Andrews was buried
on Sunday. he has been very ill a number of
months. Cousin Frances is staying home
with me this winter. her health is not sufficiently
good for her to attend school during the cold
weather. She recites one lesson in the morning to
me and reads aloud most of the evening. at
present she is reading “Bottas history of the American Revolution”. She had a very gay season while
in Auburn, but seems quite contented to remain
at home since her return. Today she has received
two invitations to sleigh rides and one to an
evening party, all of which she has refused.
She says you promised to write to her, if you
find time I hope you will do so. Do write
to your Aunty as often as you can. anything you
say of yourself will be interesting to her. I should
have written before this but I supposed my letters
coming from Canandaigua would be dull
to you. I hope if we all live until next summer
to come to the Point with your Ma to see you.
Your affectionate Aunty,
LW.

Augustus H. Seward
At the U.S. Military Academy
West Point
^no.103.
CANADAIGUA N.Y. FEB 10