Brunt, William (fl. 1863-1865) to Martha Cook
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07006.13 Author/Creator: Brunt, William (fl. 1863-1865) Place Written: Clarkesville, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 5 August 1865 Pagination: 4 p. : envelope ; 25 x 19.5 cm. Order a Copy
Brunt has just returned from Iowa with two of his children, Dora and David. Dora, who is sixteen, has just been married to an Englishman. Writes that "while I was gone to Iowa Olive let passion instead of virtue rule her & became inconstant to me - this was indeed painful to bear & I obtained a Divorce." Brunt has custody of his children and property. He has given Olive $100 "& sent her home & henceforth we shall be two persons." Mentions that Olive also cheated on him two years earlier. Brunt's son, David, died of typhoid soon after the divorce. Hopes that Martha's marriage is happy.
William Brunt was, at the start of the correspondence, a soldier in the 83rd Regiment, Ft. Donelson, Tennessee. He was later made Captain of Company Division 16th Colored Infantry. Brunt's wife, Olive, and his two children virtually accompanied him to war, living in the nearby camps while Brunt was on the battlefield. William and Olive had lived in Kentucky prior to the war, but were disliked for their strong support of Union politics. By 1864, Olive was helping to run a contraband camp with Brunt, but by 1865 the two had divorced after Olive was unfaithful to William. Brunt retained custody of their two children and, despite the emotional strain which came from marriage of one and the death of the other, remained devoted as a soldier and anti-slavery advocate.
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