Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, July 17, 1864
xml:
Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, July 17, 1864
transcriber
Transcriber:spp:meb
student editorTranscriber:spp:mhb
Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive
Institution:University of Rochester
Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections
Date:1864-07-17
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Letter from Frances Miller Seward to Frederick William Seward, July 17, 1864
action: sent
sender: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24
Death: 1865-06-21
location: Unknown
receiver: Frederick Seward
Birth: 1830-07-08
Death: 1915-04-25
location: UnknownUnknown
transcription: meb
revision: tap 2017-11-22
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Page
1
telegram [ came w ]
Reason: ith
Gen.Wallace'
the same we got through
the press report the
night before — About
the same time came
a telegram from Qr-
master Knowles
Will was safe at Ellicott's
Mills — Tuesday yours
came bringing the joyful
news that he was at
Washington — You can
judge what a relief
that was — and how
fortunate that it came through
before the wires were cut.
We were two days after that
without any news from Washington
Thursday morg we heard
again– that the enemy had
left– Thursday afternoon
we had Will; telegram about
Page
3
coming home and now he is
here with us — 'God
be praised for all his mercies'—
I promised some days ago to write
you about the surgeon in charge
of the hospital at Elmira —
I do not see that you can correct
his abuse of power — but I write
by request — A young man, a
minor, the ^only^ son of a widowed
mother has died there within
the week — His friends applied
for his discharge that they might
take him home and nurse him–
it was refused, and the young
man given some duty to perform
altogether exceeding his strength —
His mother went to find him
dying — Her name is Martha
a respectable nurse of this
town. Other persons who have
been there testify to the bar-
barity of this surgeon, and
Page
4
there is one similar case where
a young soldier is lying
very low, whose friends wish
to remove him, but the
surgeon will not consent
although he refuses to furnish
either comfortable attendance
or proper food — This is a ca[ se ]
Reason:
in which Dennis Alward
Reason:
ested —he has been there and
asked me to write to you —
Can any thing be done?
The Surgeons name is W. C.
Wey
are more frequent than is
known — The drought
continues — our streets are
intolerably dusty — the folia[ ge ]
Reason:
is covered, the grass is
withering, and the beauty
of the garden is departing
but Will is not a
wounded prisoner — and
we are thankful Love to [ All ]
Reason:
God bless you all
Mother
Page
5
Sunday afternoon
July 17th
My dear Son
Your letters of Monday
and Wednesday came
together yesterday morning —
The telegrams which preceded
them have been our only
information through the
anxious week, but they
gave us much comfort —
I wrote you a few lines
a week to day enclosing
a letter to Will
whom we had just heard
on his way north — I think
it probable those letters
with one I sent your
Father the next day
never reached their des-
tination — Monday your
Page
2July 17th
My dear Son
Your letters of Monday
and Wednesday came
together yesterday morning —
The telegrams which preceded
them have been our only
information through the
anxious week, but they
gave us much comfort —
I wrote you a few lines
a week to day enclosing
a letter to Will
Birth: 1839-06-18 Death: 1920-04-29
fromwhom we had just heard
on his way north — I think
it probable those letters
with one I sent your
Father the next day
never reached their des-
tination — Monday your
telegram [ came w ]
Supplied
Gen.Wallace'
Birth: 1827-04-10 Death: 1905-02-15
reportthe same we got through
the press report the
night before — About
the same time came
a telegram from Qr-
master Knowles
Birth: 1842-01-03 Death: 1866-12-05
sayingWill was safe at Ellicott's
Mills — Tuesday yours
came bringing the joyful
news that he was at
Washington — You can
judge what a relief
that was — and how
fortunate that it came through
before the wires were cut.
We were two days after that
without any news from Washington
Thursday morg we heard
again– that the enemy had
left– Thursday afternoon
we had Will; telegram about
coming home and now he is
here with us — 'God
be praised for all his mercies'—
I promised some days ago to write
you about the surgeon in charge
of the hospital at Elmira —
I do not see that you can correct
his abuse of power — but I write
by request — A young man, a
minor, the ^only^ son of a widowed
mother has died there within
the week — His friends applied
for his discharge that they might
take him home and nurse him–
it was refused, and the young
man given some duty to perform
altogether exceeding his strength —
His mother went to find him
dying — Her name is Martha
Unknown
a respectable nurse of this
town. Other persons who have
been there testify to the bar-
barity of this surgeon, and
there is one similar case where
a young soldier is lying
very low, whose friends wish
to remove him, but the
surgeon will not consent
although he refuses to furnish
either comfortable attendance
or proper food — This is a ca[ se ]
Supplied
in which Dennis Alward
Birth: 1830-12-18 Death: 1892-09-03
is in[ ter- ] Supplied
ested —he has been there and
asked me to write to you —
Can any thing be done?
The Surgeons name is W. C.
Wey
Birth: 1829 Death: 1897-06-30
— I fear such abusesare more frequent than is
known — The drought
continues — our streets are
intolerably dusty — the folia[ ge ]
Supplied
is covered, the grass is
withering, and the beauty
of the garden is departing
but Will is not a
wounded prisoner — and
we are thankful Love to [ All ]
Supplied
God bless you all
Mother