"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

15 March 2016

Letter.


Pvt. Robert N. Jabo, of the 8th New Hampshire infantry, was dying of tuberculosis in Washington’s Harewood Hospital and needed to write to his family.

The Civil War had been over for months. Most soldiers had gone home. And Jabo’s wife and six children were no doubt wondering where he was.

But he was sick and illiterate. So a cheerful, bearded man who regularly visited hospitalized soldiers offered to write a letter for him.

“My dear wife,” it began, “you must excuse me for not having written . . . have not been very well.” The letter explained that it was penned by, “a friend who is now sitting by my side.”

And in a postscript, the friend identified himself: “Walt Whitman.”

CONNECT

Thank you, Jessica.

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