Augustus, or Gus as we called him, was my oldest brother. Gus mostly spent time with my mother in Auburn when he was young but then had the opportunity to travel with my father to Albany when father took office as Governor. This trip is what I believe opened Gus’s eyes to the rest of the world. He was able to see the chaos of New York’s capital during father’s inauguration as well as the wealth of food and company that he and father were given. Gus received his education at West Point, much to mother’s disappointment as she didn’t approve of Gus pursuing a career in the military. I feel as though we were all worried about him during the time that he decided to join. I didn’t want to see my brother injured or put in any kind of dangerous situation. Gus went on to fight in the Mexican War, did coastal studies out west, and was a paymaster in Washington during the Civil War. It was troubling to have him away from us so often, but he did write to us about his travels. We worried often but when we saw how much Gus was doing for our country and its citizens, we realized that the risk was worth it. Augustus was brave for his family and for his country, so we needed to be brave for him.