Augusta: Amelia [Unknown family name] to Eddie
[Unknown family name], December 11, 1869
Summary:
Amelia writes to her brother Eddie, telling him about school. She discusses her
African-American students and mentions their future projects.
Dec 11. /69
Staunton
Dear Brother Eddie
I am sorry to know you have been so sick and suffered so much. However I hope you
are better now and able to [deleted: see]
[added: read] this letter. Do not wonder if I put in
many things wrong as the girls seem to be possessed with a talking mania to-night. We have been so quiet before that it makes
more difference with me than I thought possible. I have my scholars all to
myself now and like it first rate. I have not whipped any yet and dont think I shall as Amelia has
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given me
permission to send all unruly ones to her to deal with. They are going to have
compositions next Wednesday. Some of them have never written any before and I
expect they will be funny enough. I will send you in this; a specimen of some
poetry one of my young boys tried to write. The other day an Indian visited our
school. He was seven feet high and just as straight and erect as could be. He
was eighty years old. His hair was white as snow as stood up all over his head.
He had a fur [deleted: cap]
[added: bag] slung across his shoulder. We did not
know who he was and felt rather frightened when we saw him walking in. He
introduced himself as the father of some of our best scholars. He is a kind of
doctor among the colored people. He was formerly a slave
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from
Florida: but travelled with his master nearly all
over the Union. He is very entertaining telling hunting stories as well as
stories of the war I wish[deleted: ed] you could go with me some day
to the cabin they live in out by the great fire place filled with blazing logs
and hear him tell stories. One of his boys is very smart only nine years old and
reading nicely in the fourth reader. I am quite proud of my scholars I can tell
you, they are getting [added: on] so well. The night
school is just as amusing as ever, and I cannot help laughing. The colored
people here are going to have an exhibition next week. They have got it all up
themselves. They are going to have some tableaux too. I expect it will be as
good as going to the minastrel
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and better too as that is all sham and this will be the real
article. I have picked out three pieces for some of my boys to speak and that is
all I have had to do with it. I wrote a letter to Roland to-day and am going to try and write him oftener in the future as I
shall have more time now. Mr Cristy wote me a nice long letter the other day telling me all about Alberts conversion. They must be very glad and I hope
he will make a true earnest christian. Here is the poetry James Tynell had in
his composition. The "title" of the composition was this, where he got it from I
am sure I do not know, "Who ought to have the credit Columbus or Washington?
Columbus for [deleted: settling] discovering it or Washington for
settling it." He took the side of Columbus, I copied the whole thing and will
bring it home with me, it is a great curiousity. Here is the poetry I will write
it on the top of the first page. Try and get well and write me a nice long
letter,
Love to all From
Amelia.
"When floating me the mile deep
Not a tree was to be
seen
And when the men all grumble
It would make any mans heart [added: humble]
But just think of this great carnage
That
was on that long voyage
Who was that great man? C. [deleted: Columbus"]
Columbus"
Beat that if you can, you
Academites
