Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Adeline Seward, November 19, 1862
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Adeline Seward, November 19, 1862
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:srr
student editorTranscriber:spp:csh
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1862-11-19
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Adeline Seward, November 19, 1862
action: sent
sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16
Death: 1872-10-10
location: Washington D.C., US
receiver: Frances Seward
Birth: 1844-12-09
Death: 1866-10-29
location: Auburn, NY
transcription: srr
revision: tap 2018-02-01
<>
Page
1
Washington Nov. 19. 1862.
My dear daughter,
It was very good of you
to write me a second letter
when I had neglected to
acknowledge your first.
Just now we are having
as dull weather here as what
you describe – But it is not
so cold. It is foggy and
wet and renders our rides
to Willie’s
than we like. It is pleasant
to see how he grows in
his new profession. He is
Page
2
now in command of a
battalion and in charge of
with I dont know
how many great guns. He
drills his men constantly
and they all are greatly
attached to him.
Uneasiness and discontents
are gathering upon us again
heralds of Congress
which is only ten days
off. It is not enough that
three or four armies and
as many fleets are moving.
There is no battle, and this
Page
3
war is therefore “a failure.”
The Presidents
issued, but it is [ to ]
Reason: take effect
not until January. The delay
is intolerable.
To the Administration and
to the Army and the Navy the
war is a real, painful,
fearful reality exciting al-
ways to activity but as certain-
ly imposing caution and
prudence. To the public who
are not directly engaged in it
is a novel, a play, an
epic. They desire at once
the Hero. When a general appears
Page
4
that character, they cry him
off the stage if he hesitates
or rests or hides his plans,
and inconstantly they call
out another. They weary and
grow restless if the action
of the war drags or loses
its intensity. They perceive
the piece a failure, and
prepare to drive the mauger
out of the theater. Who could
believe that nations could
be made or saved in
civil wars when the people
act like this. Nevertheless
Page
5
they are. And I do not doubt
that this is the most magn-
namious people that has
ever lived.
There is one little mistake
in your grammar. I have not
noticed any but that one.
It is the way of a nominative
instead of an objective pronoun
following an action verb when
it acts upon two persons,
“Aunty
er
Pardonnez moi
Your affectionate father
William H Seward
Washington Nov. 19. 1862.
My dear daughter,
It was very good of you
to write me a second letter
when I had neglected to
acknowledge your first.
Just now we are having
as dull weather here as what
you describe – But it is not
so cold. It is foggy and
wet and renders our rides
to Willie’s
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
camp less frequent than we like. It is pleasant
to see how he grows in
his new profession. He is
now in command of a
battalion and in charge of
with I dont know
how many great guns. He
drills his men constantly
and they all are greatly
attached to him.
Uneasiness and discontents
are gathering upon us again
heralds of Congress
which is only ten days
off. It is not enough that
three or four armies and
as many fleets are moving.
There is no battle, and this
war is therefore “a failure.”
The Presidents
Birth: 1809-02-12 Death: 1865-04-15
proclamation isissued, but it is [ to ]
Supplied
not until January. The delay
is intolerable.
To the Administration and
to the Army and the Navy the
war is a real, painful,
fearful reality exciting al-
ways to activity but as certain-
ly imposing caution and
prudence. To the public who
are not directly engaged in it
is a novel, a play, an
epic. They desire at once
the Hero. When a general appears
that character, they cry him
off the stage if he hesitates
or rests or hides his plans,
and inconstantly they call
out another. They weary and
grow restless if the action
of the war drags or loses
its intensity. They perceive
the piece a failure, and
prepare to drive the mauger
out of the theater. Who could
believe that nations could
be made or saved in
civil wars when the people
act like this. Nevertheless
they are. And I do not doubt
that this is the most magn-
namious people that has
ever lived.
There is one little mistake
in your grammar. I have not
noticed any but that one.
It is the way of a nominative
instead of an objective pronoun
following an action verb when
it acts upon two persons,
“Aunty
Birth: 1803-11-01 Death: 1875-10-03
is coming to join Moth-er
Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
and I (meaning me)Pardonnez moi
Your affectionate father
William H Seward