Oh..I understand that. I'm not saying he was or wasn't. Just saying that he seem to have an unusually close relationship with this one individual and reading his letters one got the sense there may have been more. And this was not anything I was looking for just happen to be a recurring thought as I read the letters and the book. I have never thought about it again until this thread.
What does it matter really. He's been dead 139 years I doubt many will believe it.
Try reading the whole thread - there's a lot of information on it.
A few generations ago, educated people wrote and often spoke in flowery sentimetal language whose import is often hard for us to undertand. Girls and women would profess undying love, call each other stuff like "Dearest Bosom Friend" and the like - all without any sexual motive or action. LIfelong friendships were valued, and people expressed themselves very differently. Did you see "Gods and Generals"? One of the criticisms of the movie was the ornate, flowery dialogue.
It was taken from contemporary letters.