The full content of this document is only available to subscribing institutions. More information can be found via www.amdigital.co.uk
If you believe you should have access to this document, click here to Login.
| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00686.15 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of the Van Valkenburgh family |
| Title | Gerrit S. van Valkenburgh to Kate Van Naven hoping that she still sees him as a brother |
| Date | 29 January 1865 |
| Author | Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S. (fl. 1860-1866) |
| Recipient | Van Naven, Kate |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Writes as a prisoner of war in Ohio to his sister Kate in Wisconsin. Seeks some sort of reconciliation with his family. Begins by asking "Can you take me by the hand, and greet me as a Brother? or will that word Rebel - Traitor, come to your lips before the [other one]?" Says he has not heard from her in a long time. Asks for an update from her. Adds that he is glad that all the husbands of his sisters have decided to stay home rather than fight. Saw a sleigh the other day for the first time in five years and mentions that it reminded him of "those good old days when I used to handle the ribbons & glide over the snow." Met a friend of Kate's in Kansas when he was first captured, a F.M.M. McDowell whose sister went to school with Kate. Says he was "Un-Yankee-like" and offered him help. Comments that he is not at liberty to write as he would like. Thinks she will take this chance to chastise him while he is down, but hopes she will believe he is honest in his beliefs. Letter was enclosed to his brother Frank as he did not know her address. Signed "G.S. Van Valkenburgh." |
| Subjects | Children and Family Prisoner of War Military History Civil War Confederate Soldier's Letter Confederate States of America Soldier's Letter Women's History |
| People | Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit |
| Place written | Johnson's Island, Ohio |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Women in American History; Children & Family |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Gerrit was the only one of the five Van Valkenburgh brothers who eventually sided with the Confederacy. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |