Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 8, 1863

  • Posted on: 22 February 2018
  • By: admin
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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 8, 1863
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:tap

student editor

Transcriber:spp:lmd

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1863-06-08

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Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, June 8, 1863

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location: Washington D.C., US

receiver: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24  Death: 1865-06-21

location: Unknown
Unknown

transcription: tap 

revision: crb 2018-01-29

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Page 1

Department of State
Washington, June 8 1863
My dearest Frances,
I have just received your
letter of the 5th. William
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
has left
us with Jenny
Birth: 1839-11-18 Death: 1913-11-09
and the babe
Birth: 1862-09-11 Death: 1921-10-05

for a brief visit on his part at
home. I hope that the child
will not suffer from the journey.
I was a day at New
York
, looking after public affairs.
Coming home heated and wearied
I threw myself into a warm
bath, and put on clean clothes
in lieu of my dusty ones, and
Page 2

there being an unobserved change of
the weather I took a very
severe cold which has made
me very uncomfortable. It is
now beginning to pass away.
There is no general keen to
the authorities here for the
extravagant reports of surprises
and sieges from the Rappa-
hannock. But the season for
activity has come, and we
may expect any thing rather than
immobility.
It is certain that the Democratic
party are preparing to take advantage
of popular weariness of the war
Page 3

and to convert impatience into any
kind of scheme to recover lost
favor at the sacrifice of the
great principles which are staked
in the contest and even of the
Union itself. This can probably
be stayed only by successes
of the Armies of the Union. I look
for these with much confidence
but they cannot be forced — and
if God refuses them to us we
must bear with firmness and
patience the decline of public
virtue which is national death.
In that case all that will remain
for you and for us is to save
ourselves from responsibilities for
Page 4

results above our control.
I am glad to learn that
Fanny
Birth: 1844-12-09 Death: 1866-10-29
improves, and Sarah Hows
Birth: 1843 Death: 1863-08-10

decline saddens me intensely –
Thus far all our reports
from the Mississipi are as favorable
as could be expected.
Your own Henry.

[bottom Margin]
Hand Shiftx

Frances Seward

Birth: 1805-09-24 Death: 1865-06-21
Henry June 8t
1863