Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 11, 1864
xml:
Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 11, 1864
transcriberTranscriber:spp:keh
student editorTranscriber:spp:ahf
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1864-12-11
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Letter from William Henry Seward, Jr. to Janet Watson Seward, December 11, 1864
action: sent
sender:
William Seward
Person
Name: William Seward
Birth: 1839-06-18
Death: 1920-04-29
Person
location:
Martinsburg WV
Place
Name: City: Martinsburg
County: Berkeley
State: WV
Country: US
Place
receiver:
Janet Seward
Person
Name: Janet Seward
Birth: 1839-11-18
Death: 1913-11-09
Person
location:
UnknownUnknown
transcription: keh
revision: crb 2016-09-07
<>
Page 1
Martinsburgh Va
Sunday Dec 10/
My dearest Jenny
I am so far
improved as to be able to sit
up to day & hope to be able
to attend to my duties by Tuesday
or Wednesday. Gen Lightburgh
Name: Joseph Lightburn
Birth: 1824-09-21
Death: 1901-05-17
left
yesterday and Col Rust
Name: Henry Rust
Birth: 1833-12-02
Death: 1881-07-22
is now
temporarily in command under my
directions. I was taken quite
sick in the night after my arrival
here on Wednesday and for some time
it seemed quite probably that I would
have a regular fever & disentary. Dr
Page 2
Bates
however gave me all the old
shool medice he could think of
and by Friday I commenced
to improve and have now got up
a good appetite which I cannot
indulge much yet, I have had
any quantity of presents of eatiable
which I could not eat & other
little kindnesses from both loyal
& disloyal inhabitant which I
could not accept, one old lady
Mrs Campbell
kind & has sent me a jar of
very nice homemade currant jelly
which I have mixed with water
for a drink & found excellent
I have now got on to my
Page 3
old diet "milk" and find it
quite as agreeable as more fancy
dishes, Mrs Falkner
sent in a very handsome silver
dish in the centre of which
is a pineap ^p^ le of some pink
composition probably
by floating island, very pretty but
I dont propose to take it.
Now then I wish you to give me
a long credit mark for letting you
know so promptly of my sickness,
I might have waited until to day and
then written you that I was about well
again. We have had quite a
fall of snow here and every article
that can be made available for a
sleigh has been put in requisition I
believe that all my staff were out
sleigh riding yesterday, George
Name: George Seward
Birth: 1808-08-26
Death: 1888-12-07
is quite
Page 4
well and seems to be enjoying himself
The "base of supplies has now been
moved to Harpers Ferry
Name: City: Harper's Ferry
County: Jefferson
State: WV
Country: US
and Martinsburgh
in comparatively dull now and the
duties will hereafter be much lighter.
I recd a telegram from Col Taft
Name: Edward Taft
Birth: 1832-09-10
Death: 1867-01-20
last
night saying that he would come
up here, we are expecting him
Monday, the 9th with the rest of
the 3 Div of the 6th Corps have gone
to Petersburgh
Name: City: Petersburg
County:
State: VA
Country: US
I wish I could drop in and see
my little family
Name: Cornelia Allen
Birth: 1862-09-11
Death: 1921-10-05
to day, I have
not heard from you yet since
I left home a week ago but
shall look for a letter by tomorrow.
I have written Mr Day
Name: Fayette Day
Birth: 1817-02-23
Death: 1878-02-28
that he
must make some arrangement to get
possession of the McC
Name: Hugh McClallen
Birth: 1791-09-07
Death: 1860-11-16
House in May as I
gave him no authority to rent it beyond that time
Your
Will
Page 5
Martinsburgh Va
Sunday Dec 10/
My dearest Jenny
I am so far
improved as to be able to sit
up to day & hope to be able
to attend to my duties by Tuesday
or Wednesday. Gen Lightburgh
Person
yesterday and Col Rust
Person
temporarily in command under my
directions. I was taken quite
sick in the night after my arrival
here on Wednesday and for some time
it seemed quite probably that I would
have a regular fever & disentary. Dr
Bates
Unknown
my Medical Directorhowever gave me all the old
shool medice he could think of
and by Friday I commenced
to improve and have now got up
a good appetite which I cannot
indulge much yet, I have had
any quantity of presents of eatiable
which I could not eat & other
little kindnesses from both loyal
& disloyal inhabitant which I
could not accept, one old lady
Mrs Campbell
Unknown
has been particularlykind & has sent me a jar of
very nice homemade currant jelly
which I have mixed with water
for a drink & found excellent
I have now got on to my
old diet "milk" and find it
quite as agreeable as more fancy
dishes, Mrs Falkner
Unknown
has justsent in a very handsome silver
dish in the centre of which
is a pineap ^p^ le of some pink
composition probably
by floating island, very pretty but
I dont propose to take it.
Now then I wish you to give me
a long credit mark for letting you
know so promptly of my sickness,
I might have waited until to day and
then written you that I was about well
again. We have had quite a
fall of snow here and every article
that can be made available for a
sleigh has been put in requisition I
believe that all my staff were out
sleigh riding yesterday, George
Person
well and seems to be enjoying himself
The "base of supplies has now been
moved to Harpers Ferry
Place
in comparatively dull now and the
duties will hereafter be much lighter.
I recd a telegram from Col Taft
Person
night saying that he would come
up here, we are expecting him
Monday, the 9th with the rest of
the 3 Div of the 6th Corps have gone
to Petersburgh
Place
I wish I could drop in and see
my little family
Person
not heard from you yet since
I left home a week ago but
shall look for a letter by tomorrow.
I have written Mr Day
Person
must make some arrangement to get
possession of the McC
Person
gave him no authority to rent it beyond that time
Your
Will
date:
Sunday, December 11, 1864
receiver:
sender:
year: