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Austonville March 5th
Dear Abby
What a good woman
you are to write to me! I am
very grateful, and wish I was
deserving. Often often do I think
of you and Sally and Fredericksburg
and wish I could repeat
with you that service to the
men I adore. With that experience
to help us we might
do wonders now though I do not
think it would be possible for
human devotion to accomplish
more than did Sally Emerson
in that eventful fortnight.
God bless her and you. How kind
you both were to me when I
was so disgracefully sick on
board those infernal Sanitary
boats. I am afraid I
never really thanked you, and
I may have occurred to you
as an ungrateful brute, but
I am not, and I will prove
it when the opportunity arises.
Give my love to Sally and upon
you write to me again, as I trust
you will soon, pray tell me all
about her.
It is a great satisfaction to
me to think of the visit I made
John last summer. Dear fellow.
I enjoyed my visit much, and
built huge air [castles?] for the future in which
he was a distinguished guest. I
anticipated too, all sorts of pleasure
and profit for myself and
my children in the revival of
my old friendship. [?] earths
indeed, destined so soon to vanish.
Why, I had hardly settled myself
at home before the sad news
of his death came. A letter, [which]
must have been among the very
last he wrote, did not reach
me 'till after I knew he was
in heaven. I am truly thankful
to have known him as I
did and heave felt the blessing
of his love and kindness. Yes
and the morning remains, thank
heaven
A few weeks later, another
friend who I loved dearly, and
counted upon in the future for
much that makes life worth
living, a simple hearted brave
soldier, was devoured by the yellow
fever at [?]. He died at
his fort like the [underlined] man [/underlined] he was.
He was my next door neighbor
which would signify nothing
were he not very very near my
heart. To day we buried his
poor remains which had been
dragged out of their first [?]
to find rest in familiar soil.
There is a wife and two children
with a third child in prospective
left behind, which the most
narrow means, and a future
of care, and anxieties. My
wife is constantly saying "[underlined] poor [/underlined]
Mrs Lawson" but I demur mentally
and say to myself "rich
Mrs Lawson," for taking things at
their worst, she has this beautiful
world left to live in, sweet little
children, the precious memory
of her husband and his unsullied
reputation, and such
goods in this life, I think pay
for hard [?]. Taking a
strictly patriotic view of things
I, for my past, feel quite grand
as one ought, who makes a great
sacrifice, and am sure I could
not dare made a greater.
My Theology is of the cheerful
kind, I am certain that some
power above us orders the arrangements
of this world, and
when I see the most insignificant
things so admirably
provided for, I have no doubt
that [?] the dearest and best of
us take our turn.
"I only know that good must fall
"Or lest far off, at last to all
"And every winter change to spring."
You say truly of Mr
Neiss. He is a comfort, and
his companionship I value
far beyond his preaching.
I have no liking for churchy
and think the propriety of
attendance as much as possible.
I think to sit under
[?] the Angel Gabriel's preaching
would make me [?]
I do not mean to say that
[?] is not delightful in
the [?], he is, the women
adore him and to many of
them it does not matter what
he says. But [?] as a human
being, a [underlined] sensible [/underlined] companion is
much more my idol. I
sent you a sermon of his. I
have not read it. Perhaps
you will not, perhaps James
Gibbons will like to. I believe
the Unitarians are in a great
stem. They are to leave a convention
in New York in April
and [?] and I think of
attending. The pastor of
the church of the divine [?]
is one of the grand [?].
I suppose the Sanitary
does not afford sufficient
opportunity for [?] to before all the
kind his conceit generates
and he wants to be grand
panjandrum of the Unitarian
[underlined] sect [/underlined]. He may go his
[gos?]. If we come to the [convention?]
I shall for you. Heaven
sent that I may. Shall you
think it strange if I arrive
suddenly to camp with you?
Where? for I am reminded
I do not know your street
or number, and must of
sincerity send this to the care
of Mrs Hopper as you say
she is still in 43rd street.
You ask about my
wife and children. The children
are [good?] very interesting,
[?] the youngest aged up;
who has all the executive
[?] of the family, and
in case of the demise of both
parents tomorrow would [?]
the machine without hesitation.
My wife, as you may
have heard, is literary, writes
poetry. Otherwise she is well
enough. I have always had a
horror of literary families,
and behold, I am cast into
the very den of a she-lion. She
is very juvenile and girls like
her much. Your girls Julia and
Lucy would be delighted with her.
I hope you will see her some time.
Do come and see us. I need
not say you shall be welcomed
with all the warewith and all
the delight and all the honors
of which we are capable. It
is very pleasant here in summer
and you would find it
a nice place to rest in. Do
come.
Clarke is still in Washington.
The last I heard of him, he was
haranguing rebel deserters in front
of the [Provost?] Marshal's Office,
laying down the law and their
duty with energy and eloquence
He was received with great applause.
I think Government ought
to appoint him to do the
talking somewhere. What a useful
servant he would be.
Please give my love to
all your family, and to
Mrs. Hopper. I hope sometime
to see you all. My sincerest
commiseration to Lucy for the
loss of her fine locks. A diet of
carrots will set her all right in
a few weeks and [?] I
should think Julia would have
no difficulty in masking her
baldness with some ingenious contrivance.
The female imagination
of to day seems to men [not?] in
[?] dresses, if I may judge
from the variety of most extraordinary
super structures I
noticed at a party the other
evening.
Do write again, and write
as often as you can, little [bits?]
of notes if not long letters. I
shall always be grateful for
the least scrap.
Believe me most truly [yours]
L.L.T.
My address in [underlined] Newtonville
[Massachusetts] [/underlined]
Do not forget to send yours.
L. L. Thaxter letter to Abby Hopper Gibbons
Levi Lincoln Thaxter was the husband of writer Celia Thaxter. Thanks Abby and Abby's daughter Sally for their kindness to him when he was sick onboard a boat called the Sanita [sp]. Discusses the recent death of John, possibly Abby's brother John T. Hopper, and the death of his neighbor who died in active service during the Civil War. Praises a John Weiss, a clergyman and author, and discusses Unitarianism. Would like to visit Abby at camp, probably referring to where she is stationed as an army nurse. Discusses his family, including the writing of his wife, saying "I have always had a horror of literary families, and behold- I am cast into the very den of a she-lion." Mentions someone named Clarke in Washington, who is "haranguing rebel deserters." Sends his love to Abby and her daughters.
Thaxter, Levi
1865-03-05
8 pages
reformatted digital
Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers, SFHL-RG5-174
Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers, SFHL-RG5-174 --http://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/5174ahgi
A00181686