Letter from Luther Bruen, New York to Bruen children, 1861
My Dear Sella, Frank & Robert:
Papa was very sorry to go away and leave you and dear mother and he hopes you will all be good children so as not to giver her any trouble. You must all try to keep out of mischief & do whatever mother tells you to do. Papa will be very sorry when he comes home if mother can not tell him that you have all been kind to each other and obedient to her.
Papa lives in what is called a fort. It is not much like our house at home. Our yard is right in the middle of the house; and on the top there about twenty great big black cannons. On the Fourth of July we fired them all off, and they made a great noise. They are ever so many times bigger than Frank's cannon-so much bigger that grand mama's horse could not pull one.
Yesterday papa got on a steamboat and went over to New York. Just as the boat got to the wharf we saw a great crowd of people standing by the edge of the water & we thought some fellow had fallen into the water and was in danger of getting drowned. But it turned out that it was a pig that had fallen in, & two men were swimming around trying to catch it. The hog could swim pretty well and it was pretty hard work for the men to catch it, but after a while they got it into a corner and of the men caught. Then the people all laughed and papa came away.
Papa has not time to write any more this time, so he must stop.
Now, all of you go and kiss mother two or three times for papa's sake.
Good bye my dear little children
Your dear Papa
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1861
Bruen, Luther Barnett
New York
2 pages
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
Bruen, Luther Barnett -- Correspondence
Catharine Mitchill '31 Collection of Family Letters, Wellesley College Library, Special Collections
MSS.6.130
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http://repository.wellesley.edu/mitchill/130
