Sumner, Charles (1811-1874) to Azariah Smith
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02095.05 Author/Creator: Sumner, Charles (1811-1874) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 February 1857 Pagination: 2 p. ; 18.3 x 11.3 cm. Order a Copy
Thanks him for his letter. Plans to leave for Washington, D.C., "simply to vote" presumably in Senate. After Washington, Sumner plans to travel to Europe "in search of that complete restoration which I have not yet found at home."
Congressman Preston Brooks brutally assaulted Sumner in 1856 after Sumner's Crime Against Kansas speech, alleging that Sumner had insulted his uncle. The injuries Sumner sustained in the attack rendered him unable to participate in Senate for three years, but Massachusetts held Sumner's seat for the duration of his absence.
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