Letter to sister

Scope and content:

Written from the Alms House in Richmond, Virginia, where VMI was headquartered from December 1864 until Richmond was evacuated in April 1865. Letter regards life at the Alms House.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Richmond
Jany 12, 1865

My Darling Sister
Your sweet little letter was received this evening. I was truly glad to hear from home and you. I have now been from home over two weeks, and not a line until I received your letter this evening. I did not know but some evil genii had enchanted you all with some magic spell and changed you all into beast or birds, so you cannot imagine how much relieved I was when I read your letter and found you all still retain your original forms. I arrived safely here several days after I left home. Uncle Will arrived several days ago. I got the things he brought. I am exceedingly obliged to mother for them, they were very nice indeed.

We are very poorly fixed here for study, twenty in a room, one small table, no chairs or stools, but one gas burner, and attached to the side of the wall instead of the center of the room where it ought to be. There is but one little stove in the room and the meanest coal that you can imagine. We have but two meals a day which is quite often enough of the kind, bread and beef for breakfast and beef and bread for dinner. However I am living and well. I have been but to two meals in the mess hall in the last four days. I intend to leave here as soon as possible. I will have to cut my letter short as the gentleman who is going to carry it is in a hurry.

I was on guard last night and sat up until midnight reading Hiawatha which will probably account for the following lines. 2 I was just thinking what I should write you about my stay in Staunton when these lines occurred to me. I expect they will cause some amusement for you. It is my first attempt at writing poetry and I am not certain that I succeed very well, but it was written on the spur of the moment and under great difficulties. You must excuse all mistakes as I am writing in the dark nearly. To all good night.

From your affectionate
Brother Porter

PS Write soon and give me all of the items of news and what you all think of my leaving here. Uncle [Porter] thinks I had as well leave.
Goodbye
Porter

Subjects:

Virginia Military Institute—Cadet life—1860-1869
Correspondence

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