“I wrote Mother about my trip, but I don’t think I told her that most of our marches could be called forced marches, as we were on light rations half the time. I stood the Campaign “bully,” but felt as if I would never get enough to eat when I got back. Champe [sister’s nickname] tell Mother I have come to the conclusion that I had better get me an overcoat at once for every thing is going up daily. Saylor is going to write for the cloth for me and it will cost $10 or $12 per yard and it will take 8 yards then the lining will cost right much. Then I borrowed $20 to pay for a pair of shoes. So I want her to send me $150. I am out of money now, and would not object to having a little to buy pies, Cakes, Cider, &ct. occasionally. I also want to have a pair of gloves made….”[i]
The collection of letters by Cadet Jaqueline Beverly Stanard offer a glimpse into boyhood, cadet life at Virginia Military Institute, and homefront life during the Civil War. Published in 1961 by the University of North Carolina Press under the title Letters of a New Market Cadet, the bound and annotated version includes his letters to his mother and sisters, along with several class essays. Continue reading
