Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., October 9, 1848
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Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., October 9, 1848
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:smc
student editorTranscriber:spp:jjh
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1848-10-09
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Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., October 9, 1848
action: sent
sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
location: Wilmington, DE
receiver: William Seward
Birth: 1839-06-18
Death: 1920-04-29
location: Auburn, NY
transcription: smc
revision: crb 2018-07-18
<>
Page
1
Wilmington in the State of
Delaware October 9th 1848
Monday
My dear Boy
I am very much obliged
to you for your letter which gives me
much interesting information. I will try
to procure in New York a filterer
which will purify the water of the
new pump.
I have been at many places
in Pennsylvania where I wished that
you were strong enough to be with me.
When you grow strong enough I shall want
you to travel with me. I saw on the
Banks of the Schuylkill Valley Forge the
place where General Washington
his camp during one of the most severe
Page
2
winters which occurred during the
American Revolution. His camp extended
four miles long with two entrenchments
in front– and high mountains on the
one side and a deep creek on
the other– From the mountain it seems
he could see with his spy glass
the British Army in Philadelphia
seventy miles off. He was almost des-
titute of ammunition to protect himself,
the Congress was not able to supply
him with money, the army was in
deplorable want of bread and meat
clothes and shoes. They suffered exceedingly
the poor horses and dogs died of hunger
and disease and death extended to
the men, a dozen were buried in a day
and in one place, scarcely beneath the
frost in the surface of the ground. The
farmer now often turns up the bones of
these lost men when ploughing his fields–
Page
3
Mrs Washington
spent the winter in the Camp as she
nursed and consoled the sick and
dying. It was by such sacrifices that
Liberty was attained for the American
People. How good and virtuous and
just ought we to be and how thank-
ful to God that we have blessings
received by the virtue and sufferings of
our Ancestors– I hope you will get
Peter Parly’s history of the Revolution
and ask Ma
account of the Revolution, And then
I hope you will resolve to be a good
man like General Washington that all
people may love and bless you–
I saw ^Canal^ Boats on rail road cars
in Pennsylvania, loaded with freight,
and what is very strange is that as the
boats are too long for the curves of the
Rail Roads, they hall ^build^ the boats into three
pieces, and when they get into the Mountains
Page
4
they put them together with hooks and
let them down into the Canal and
float them to Lake Erie– yet they
do not take in a drop of water, Can
you guess how this is done?
Your affectionate father
William H. Seward.
William H. Seward Junior
Wilmington in the State of
Delaware October 9th 1848
Monday
My dear Boy
I am very much obliged
to you for your letter which gives me
much interesting information. I will try
to procure in New York a filterer
which will purify the water of the
new pump.
I have been at many places
in Pennsylvania where I wished that
you were strong enough to be with me.
When you grow strong enough I shall want
you to travel with me. I saw on the
Banks of the Schuylkill Valley Forge the
place where General Washington
Birth: 1732-02-22 Death: 1799-12-14
hadhis camp during one of the most severe
winters which occurred during the
American Revolution. His camp extended
four miles long with two entrenchments
in front– and high mountains on the
one side and a deep creek on
the other– From the mountain it seems
he could see with his spy glass
the British Army in Philadelphia
seventy miles off. He was almost des-
titute of ammunition to protect himself,
the Congress was not able to supply
him with money, the army was in
deplorable want of bread and meat
clothes and shoes. They suffered exceedingly
the poor horses and dogs died of hunger
and disease and death extended to
the men, a dozen were buried in a day
and in one place, scarcely beneath the
frost in the surface of the ground. The
farmer now often turns up the bones of
these lost men when ploughing his fields–
Mrs Washington
Birth: 1731-06-13 Death: 1802-05-22
was a good
man, shespent the winter in the Camp as she
nursed and consoled the sick and
dying. It was by such sacrifices that
Liberty was attained for the American
People. How good and virtuous and
just ought we to be and how thank-
ful to God that we have blessings
received by the virtue and sufferings of
our Ancestors– I hope you will get
Peter Parly’s history of the Revolution
Publisher: Carter and Hendee Place of Publication:Boston, MA Date: 1830
and ask Ma
Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
to read to you theaccount of the Revolution, And then
I hope you will resolve to be a good
man like General Washington that all
people may love and bless you–
I saw ^Canal^ Boats on rail road cars
in Pennsylvania, loaded with freight,
and what is very strange is that as the
boats are too long for the curves of the
Rail Roads, they hall ^build^ the boats into three
pieces, and when they get into the Mountains
they put them together with hooks and
let them down into the Canal and
float them to Lake Erie– yet they
do not take in a drop of water, Can
you guess how this is done?
Your affectionate father
William H. Seward.
William H. Seward Junior