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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00686.10 |
| From Archive Folder | Collection of the Van Valkenburgh family |
| Title | Gerrit S. van Valkenburgh to Mary B. Van Valkenburgh asking her to understand his situation |
| Date | 5 May 1864 |
| Author | Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit S. (fl. 1860-1866) |
| Recipient | Van Valkenburgh, Mary B. |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Written by Gerrit, a transplanted Northerner fighting for the South, to his mother Mary. Begins by asking "Can the years that have passed since I saw you last - can the position that I have taken in this Civil War, have alienated me entirely from your love[?]" Says he has only heard from her once in 4 years and that only a short note on a letter she wrote to his brother Frank. Says those words have made him suffer more than the entire war. Asks to be forgiven for not being able to think as she did. Says he did what he thought was right. |
| Subjects | Military History Confederate Soldier's Letter Confederate States of America Children and Family Union Forces Civil War Women's History |
| People | Van Valkenburgh, Gerrit |
| Place written | Pine Bluff, Arkansas |
| Theme | The American Civil War; Children & Family; Women in American History |
| 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 |