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ASHAEL SUMNER DEAN
CIVIL WAR LETTERS TO
HIS FAMILY
Miss Louise Annie Dean
Foxboro Mass Box 41
USS HARVEST MOON "At Sea" Oct. 11, 1864
(This letter contained a cotton
boll-ed.)
Dear Sister Annie,
I wish you were here to see this
beautiful sea and bright moon. You never saw a more lovely night. We are
just started for Port Royal. It is 8 1/2 p.m. By 3 a.m we shall probably
have anchored there. I said in Virginia's letter we have been up with the
White Flag flying. We did not accomplish anything as they would not do
anything until day after tomorrow. They would not take coffee to our
prisoners because it was a luxury. The Reb Lieutenant is with us. I gave him
his supper in the pantry. Better than he has had for a long time I
apprehend. I thank you for your interesting letter, for it was that to me.
It gave me very much pleasure to learn that you write letters on a different
principle from Louise (His natural sister - Annie is a 1/2 sister-ed) I
think yours the better. I will not write to you when I don't want to. You
need not answer this for two months unless you want to.
I expect you are glad to see Virginia
and her brood back again. I tell you Annie you must not teach my Nellie to be
saucy. She is getting pert. You must exert your influence to make her more
like Fred (his son-ed.) whom I expect takes after his father and has a
much finer nature than Nellie who seems to be more like her mother. Now Annie
I do not expect you to run and tell Virginia this!!!
I have two large green oranges in my
drawer that I would send to you if I could. I will put in a piece of a boll
of cotton which I got in a field the other day. I will pick out the black
seed.
You must not give up your Latin nor
anything else but mathematics if you do not intend to teach. I would not look
in an arithmetic or algebra (book-ed) for five years, but instead I
would study history and descriptive geography as found in Lippincott. Read
solace literature and fewer stories and then you will become a sensible and
well informed woman. You must begin now, you can do if you choose in your odd
minutes.
I must not write much more to you now,
but say a word to someone else. You will try and take pains with your
penmanship and sentences when you write. You should never correspond with a
gentleman without your mothers permit, but as I am your brother there will be
no objections in my case. Goodnight Annie, Be a good girl
Ever yours with love
Ashael S. Deane
USN
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