Galt, Francis L. (1831-1915) to John McIntosh Kell
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00684.20 Author/Creator: Galt, Francis L. (1831-1915) Place Written: Loudon County, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 20 October 1899 Pagination: 2 p. ; 25 x 20 cm. Order a Copy
Writes to congratulate Kell on his daughter's marriage and to request help in finding his own son a job in business. Mentions "the Charleston Reunion last spring" and a circular he has received from one of the men who attended, who intends to compile a history of Confederate naval narratives. Writes that "living here on the frontier of the National Capital we have been regaled with the excitement of the Dewey celebrations lately" and comments on the "decay of republican institutions." Mentions the Transvaal War and his memories of "our stay among the Boers...and our famous ostrich hunt." A postscript in the left-hand corner of the first page informs Kell, "I have been looking for that promised book of yours -- of recollections of your naval life."
Galt was a surgeon and served with Kell and Semmes aboard the C.S.S. Alabama. The Transvaal War was the second war of independence fought by the Boer republics against the British and began in October of 1899. Admiral Dewey was made Admiral of the United States Navy by Congress in 1899. The book Galt mentions is Kell's "Recollections of a Naval Life; Including the Cruises of the Confederate Steamers Sumter and Alabama." It was published in 1900.
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