{"id":3651,"date":"2015-02-14T23:00:14","date_gmt":"2015-02-14T23:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/culver\/?p=3238"},"modified":"2015-02-14T23:00:14","modified_gmt":"2015-02-14T23:00:14","slug":"the-mails-must-be-much-delayed-by-the-deep-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/2015\/02\/14\/the-mails-must-be-much-delayed-by-the-deep-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"The mails must be much delayed by the deep snow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Joseph<\/a><\/p>\n

Sweeny Hotel, New York Febr. 14th 1865
\nMy Dear Wife<\/p>\n

I arrived here at 4 P.M. & recd. your letter of the 8th. The one sent to Carlisle I did not get. The mails must be much delayed by the deep snow. I am sorry to hear of your own and Howard’s ill health, but hope you have both recovered ere this.<\/span><\/p>\n

I went to the Q. M. Dept. and secured transportation on the “Constitution” which is to leave at noon to-morrow if not prevented by the ice on the Bay.1<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0I shall probably go aboard at any rate, and this is probably the last letter I shall write before I reach Savannah, so that it will probably be two or three weeks before you hear from me again.<\/p>\n

I hope Maggie Chappell has done well, yet I was not at all favorably impressed with the reputation I heard of him.2<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0I wish them much happiness.<\/p>\n

There is but little snow here though the streets are quite slushy.<\/p>\n

If I thought you would do much of your writing from the “preacher’s,” I should certainly “donate a new pew,” however, I was too glad to hear from you to find fault with the penmanship. You may direct your letters hereafter to the Regt., though I have no idea when I shall reach it.<\/p>\n

I wrote to you from Carlisle yesterday morning concerning the disposition of the money coming from Father’s estate in April.3<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0If it does not reach you, let me know.<\/p>\n

I feel uneasy about Howard’s arm; I did not expect him to get so sick.4<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0I learned in Carlisle by letters received from Bloomington, Ills., that the Small-pox had become epidemic there, so much so, that the schools are suspended. I hope it will not reach Pontiac.<\/p>\n

Your letter does not mention the progress of the [revival] meetings, yet I hope they are still improving in interest.<\/p>\n

Rumor says Sherman has possession of Branchville.5<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0I hope it is true, as it will compel the evacuation of Charleston.6<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In that event, I may land there instead of Savannah. I anticipate a few days sea-sickness; I hope not severe. My health is good.<\/p>\n

You do not mention in your letter the money I sent you from Chicago, either for yourself or for Goodwin & Smith. I presume, however, it reached you; there was $25.00 for you & $10.00 for the others. The first (yours) was enclosed in a letter with the S.S. books, the other I sent by mail.<\/p>\n

I thought I should write to the S. School or church from this place but do not feel like it to-night. There are very many things I should like to talk with you about to-night if I were with you, as it seems such a long time before I can reasonably expect to hear from you again. Keep in Good heart, let us trust in God to control all things for our good. I know you will be very lonely, but make use of every means in your power to keep cheerful. Be assured that whatever contributes to your happiness will meet my approbation.<\/p>\n

We can hope for the future trusting in God. I feel that He will bless and keep you both. Kiss Howard for me & Sister Maggie [Utley] & the children. I ought to have written to Bros. John and Sammy again but have neglected it. Remember me to them when you write. Jennie & Hannah complain that you do not write to them often enough.<\/p>\n

Remember me kindly to all our friends, especially those who have recently espoused Christ. I shall remember them at a Throne of Grace. I have committed both Howard and you to the care of “Our Father in Heaven,” and I feel content though it is hard to be so far from you. May He abundantly bless you with health, happiness, and a sufficiency of Grace. With much love and a lasting remembrance of your pure and holy affection, I must say Good Bye.<\/p>\n

Your affectionate Husband
\nJ. F. Culver<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Constitution was a 944-ton screw-propelled steamboat, built at Mystic, Connecticut, in 1863. She was wrecked off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, on December 12, 1865, with the loss of 40 lives. The Quartermaster Department had the responsibility of providing transportation for soldiers traveling on orders and en route to rejoin their units. Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States, 1807-1868, “The Lytle List” (Mystic, 1952), pp. 40, 264.<\/li>\n
  2. Maggie Chappell was born in Indiana in 1836, and in 1860 she was living in Pontiac at the home of Joshua and Harriet Whitman. She had apparently married or was engaged to marry someone of whom J.F.C. disapproved. Eighth Census, Livingston County, State of Illinois, NA.<\/li>\n
  3. The subject letter is missing from the Culver Collection.<\/li>\n
  4. Before leaving Pontiac, J.F.C. had had Howard vaccinated for smallpox.<\/li>\n
  5. Sherman’s line of march passed west of Branchville. On February 7 soldiers of General Howard’s wing reached the South Carolina Railroad at Midway, eleven miles west of Branchville. From there, they advanced on and captured Orangeburg.<\/li>\n
  6. With Sherman’s columns astride the South Carolina Railroad, the defenders of Charleston found themselves in an increasingly precarious position. If Sherman turned his army toward the coast, they would be encircled by an overwhelming force and destroyed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sweeny Hotel, New York Febr. 14th 1865 My Dear Wife I arrived here at 4 P.M. & recd. your letter of the 8th. The one sent to Carlisle I did not get. The mails must be much delayed by the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3651"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/115"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3651"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3652,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3651\/revisions\/3652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/combo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}