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ASHAEL SUMNER DEAN
CIVIL WAR LETTERS TO
HIS FAMILY
U.S.S. PAWNEE Winyaw Bay March 15, 1865
Dear Dear Wife -
Yesterday I wrote you a letter and sent by mail. I am writing
this to go in the box which I hope to get onto the MASS. As I am away up the
river I am afraid I shall miss her again. I have put many things in the box,
many of the things are for you, a few of the things are ___________. You need
not do up the shirts yet for I dont know as I shall have them sent to me but
they are dirty and I have no chance to have them washed and I get along with
colored shirts. The flannel, I will give you directions in regard to it
sometime.
The sheeting you can use as you choose. It is not very good It will make
good dress linings. I put in for Nellie some shells. I picked them up as I
walked along the beach hoping to find the mail washed ashore which was lost.
The boat had in it 14 men It got onto the breakers, was capsized and all but
one was lost In looking for the mail we found three hats and two bottles,
partly filled with whiskey! The shells are worthless but they may please
Nellie because papa sent them The conch shells I picked up at Edisto.
Today I have been up to town Went into St. Georges Church, an
aristocratical aged edifice, with the box for the Preacher and desk for the
clerk It had tablets in the walls and square box pews, then I went into the
jail in the rear!! Where the men prisoners have been hung [??????] and the
Negroes have been busy [???] ! I went out into their cemetaries they take
but little care of them You would be surprized at the laziness of these
people.
Their trains look so rickety you would not dare to ride in them. They carry
only a barrow load at a time. If they were unloading they would only take a
barrel at a time for one horse to draw. They have hardly ambition to eat in
the enervating atmosphere They live poor and wretched
The Negroes look enough sight more sleak and fat than these poor whites
This is shad time and they manage to catch a few
I saw peach trees in full bloom, the grass is green and people are planting.
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HARVEST
MOON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
March 2006
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