Posted on 07/14/2005 8:10:34 AM PDT by wallcrawlr
Bob Reid of Wausau, Wis., said the stationery box full of letters had been handed down to his father, the general's great-nephew. Following his father's death, Reid received the box from his sister, whose husband had suggested they were boring and not worth keeping. The letters spent years in Reid's former home until surfacing as he packed to move.
"We're glad someone can use them,'' Reid said. "I wouldn't describe them as boring.''
Nor do the folks at the museum, who are forming a committee to decipher the tricky penmanship and catalogue the work. Museum officials believe there are about 75 letters written mostly to Upton's dozen brothers and sisters from around 1858 until his death.
Excerpts of the letters were published in an 1885 book, "The Life and Letters of Emory Upton,'' by Peter S. Michie. They detail not only the war but Upton's travels abroad as he studied and taught military tactics.
Upton was wounded at Bull Run early in the war, but recovered and led his troops through several other major battles. A July 4, 1863, letter from Gettysburg describes that famous battle the day after it ended.
"I think yesterday the decisive battle of the war,'' Upton wrote.
"It was written at Gettysburg July 4,'' said Patrick Weissend, Holland Land Office Museum's director. "He's not thinking about it years later.''
Another letter is dated March 13, 1881, two days before Upton killed himself with his Colt .45 pistol. It would prove foreboding.
"I don't feel like writing any more. Only let me feel that I have your love and sympathy,'' Upton wrote to his sister Sara.
"It has seemed to me that I must give up my system and lose my military reputation,'' he continued, apparently distressed over the government's doubts about some of his tactics.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
"whose husband had suggested they were boring and not worth keeping."
You must be kidding? This 'husband' must be nuts. LOL.
Another excuse to play the Ashokan Farewell - thanks.
"Yeah, we've had this original signed copy of the constitution sitting around our attic for awhile. It's kinda old and musty. Do you want it? I don't think it's worth keeping."
lol
"Hey honey, here's some letters from someguy named Paul. They're addressed to someone named Corinthians."
"Looks boring, get rid of them."
ha ha...you guys are good.
An interesting side note to this item is that the very successful historian of World War II, Stephen Ambrose, wrote his PhD dissertation on Upton. It is quite interesting and still available at Amazon. Upton's own work is out of print but still available in libraries. These books would be of interest primarily to specialists.
I can't believe the family giving up these letters. I think they would be fascinating. One of my greatest treasures is a transcription of a diary my great grandfather kept in the Oregon frontier and the Idaho gold fields in 1863, as well as several letters written to him from one of his brothers between 1865-1880 about the Civil War and what had happened to the folks my great grandfather left behind in Missouri when he trekked to Oregon in 1861.
The letters and diary provide fascinating glimpses into a time long past and put life in the 1860s into a context that no history book has ever provided. I hope the Upton family kept transcriptions to be passed down to their descendants. I know my cousin has another diary that has not yet seen the light of day. I would love to get my hands on that! Boring indeed!
One of the things I learned about life on the frontier in 1861 is that my grandfather loved to dance and made it to a dance nearly every Sat. night. He'd spend the night at the farmer's home and drive the family to church on Sunday. If you think about it, giving a dance was a huge undertaking. First you had to have music and a place and then you had to invite the neighbors and provide food (and sometimes beds, or a hay loft). Yet the folks managed to do this quite regularly and my grandfather (who was single) really looked forward to those occasions.
Of course, I never knew him at all. My 92 year old mother never imagined him as a dashing young swain because she only knew him when he was a gruff old man.
I particularly found one entry poingent (sp?). That was when he was off seeking his fortune in the gold fields of Idaho and he received word that one young lady whom he'd courted had married someone else. He recorded that he went out and bought himself TWO glasses of whiskey and referred to her as "the idol of my heart!"
I also learned a great deal about the Border Wars in Missouri/Kansas from the letters and how they touched my family in particular. This was a subject never taught in my history courses.
I can't believe the family giving up these letters. I think they would be fascinating. One of my greatest treasures is a transcription of a diary my great grandfather kept in the Oregon frontier and the Idaho gold fields in 1863, as well as several letters written to him from one of his brothers between 1865-1880 about the Civil War and what had happened to the folks my great grandfather left behind in Missouri when he trekked to Oregon in 1861.
The letters and diary provide fascinating glimpses into a time long past and put life in the 1860s into a context that no history book has ever provided. I hope the Upton family kept transcriptions to be passed down to their descendants. I know my cousin has another diary that has not yet seen the light of day. I would love to get my hands on that! Boring indeed!
One of the things I learned about life on the frontier in 1861 is that my grandfather loved to dance and made it to a dance nearly every Sat. night. He'd spend the night at the farmer's home and drive the family to church on Sunday. If you think about it, giving a dance was a huge undertaking. First you had to have music and a place and then you had to invite the neighbors and provide food (and sometimes beds, or a hay loft). Yet the folks managed to do this quite regularly and my grandfather (who was single) really looked forward to those occasions.
Of course, I never knew him at all. My 92 year old mother never imagined him as a dashing young swain because she only knew him when he was a gruff old man.
I particularly found one entry poingent (sp?). That was when he was off seeking his fortune in the gold fields of Idaho and he received word that one young lady whom he'd courted had married someone else. He recorded that he went out and bought himself TWO glasses of whiskey and referred to her as "the idol of my heart!"
I also learned a great deal about the Border Wars in Missouri/Kansas from the letters and how they touched my family in particular. This was a subject never taught in my history courses.
Sorry for the double post. Don't know how that happened.
Interesting history.
Thanks for that. (even x2)
"I also learned a great deal about the Border Wars in Missouri/Kansas from the letters and how they touched my family in particular. This was a subject never taught in my history courses."
Isn't it great when you find that your relatives were involved in something historically significant.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.