Replies

I have always been fascinated by how the early Americans, without the advantage of a structured modern education, had such a grasp of our language, and the ability to articulate their feeling in the written word. None are more poignant than the writing of our soldiers to their loved ones describing their plight and emotions between the heat of battle. This letter written by an officer to his wife that was featured on one of the finest documentaries of our Civil War, ever produced on film.

Being in the collectibles business, I've been privileged to come across many Civil War letters - some of which were badly written and others, many others, almost poetic.

I collect 19th century correspondence. What I look for is not necessarily mention of a famous event or place (although I've read quite a few like that!), but a good story being told.

The woman who wrote to her sister to share her grief at losing her infant to the croup (1850s)....the man who described seeing Edwin Booth on stage in "Hamlet," but not holding it against him that his brother murdered the president, and oh, by the way, the rents in New York City are outrageous (1866 or so)....the diary of a Civil War soldier who was on duty in Washington when the assassination conspirators were hanged, complete with a lock of hair belonging to Mary Surratt (I sold that one and see photocopies of it all over the place now)....the man who wrote to his niece describing his life over the years - being shipwrecked, joining the Texas Rangers, rescuing a girl and her brother from the Commanche and falling in love with her (my personal favorite - written in 1856).

I don't think the lack of "structured modern" education was a problem - people who didn't have television, radio, the Internet, etc., tended to care more about writing letters, as that was the main (and often only) source of communication. People cared about the language, and a good vocabulary was the sign of a cultured mind.

Many stamp collectors and dealers are only interested in the envelopes (known as "covers" in the trade). They look at the cancels and addresses, but never read the letters. I read them, and I keep the ones that may not be philatelically valuable, but have great personal worth to me.

I'm doing some research right now on a letter written from the Oklahoma Territory in 1828. I don't know if the letter is a reproduction or not - that's what I'm researching. The person who wrote it is definitely real, and the paper could be that old (the watermark led me to the manufacturer, who assured me that they have been making that particular type of paper since 1801). It takes time to authenticate some letters, but it's an enjoyable way to pass the time. ::grin::

Sigh. I'm going to look over a lot of stampless covers on Saturday - I hope I find some interesting tidbits that I can squirrel away in my collection. The ones that are worth more to a philatelist than to an amateur historian, I will sell, but the others will be kept and treasured, as they were treasured for the 160+ years since they were written.

Maven

Wow, you are a collector too? I know what you mean when you say how much you can get from the real time accounts of ordinary people that were present, and enduring the actual drama of life during what turned out to be our history. I scour the world through the internet, dusty attics, auctions and garage sales for rare books and authentic one of a kind documents. I can't explain how much excitement that I get from what the folks wrote down, that they saw and felt, and that we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to relive through their eyes so many years later..

Also, how often have you found as I have, that our current History books flat out distort the truth, about important fact in our heritage to fit their own template of their causes?