[LexBaird]

Your average 17th century gentleman or lady had a command of the language that isn't even aspired to in these latter and degenerate days.

Just look at the average example of Civil War correspondence from common soldiers of the 1860's, or the newspapers they read.

[AnAmericanMother]

My gg grandfather Long couldn't spell, but other than that his letters were splendid. He was a "common soldier", I guess, because he never got beyond private and he used to say in his old age that he met so many colonels and captains and majors that he concluded that he was the only private who had survived the War!

But he did have an engineering degree from the University of Georgia (class of 1843).