Smith, David V. M. (1823-1863) to Elizabeth Smith and Charles C. Smith
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04189.19 Author/Creator: Smith, David V. M. (1823-1863) Place Written: Ellicott's Mills, Maryland Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1862/11/31 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope. Order a Copy
The regiment was excused from guard duty on Thanksgiving to attend church and a dress parade. Smith urges Charles to learn to write and to study geography. "I now see the need of understanding the geography and the map and then I could tell when I Read the papers where the different branches of our army is and how far they are from one another." He also describes the whipping of a black man. "I saw a Negro whiped the other day they tied him to the flag pole and foot and gave him 20 lashes each lash made him cry (O Lord) it looked hard but I believe it was Right for he had been stealing from the soldiers and he was one of the officers cooks." Continued 12/3.
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