24 West 31st Street,
Sunday, Jan. 4th, 1863.
My own dear Son:
I went to hear Mr. Prentiss this morning, and was deeply affected and
impressed by his New Year's sermon. Thomas and Lilly having gone to church this
afternoon, I take advantage of this quiet hour to write a few words to you. We
are anxiously awaiting the final result of the battle in Tennessee. It has
involved another fearful loss of life; another “army of martyrs” have shed
their blood, we trust Oh, God! not in vain. The Emancipation Proclamation too
has been issued, and now we wait for the events which crowd so heavily, we
trust to a final end. The Monitor has foundered off Cape Hatteras, another
calamity to mourn over. We take victories as a matter of course without much
elation, but defeats or humiliation in any form we cannot bear. I hoped to have
received a letter from you yesterday but did not. Your last letter to me was
written on the 23d. Elliott told me he heard that Col. Farnsworth had resigned.
Is it true? I hope you approve of the Proclamation. It seems to me it strikes
at the root of the evil. Dr. Grant says, although it beggars his family at the
South, he thinks it wise and just. Mr. Riley who was born in a slave country
(S. A.), says he thinks it is the first blow which has given much alarm to the
rebels. There is an idea that it is an obnoxious measure to the soldiers, and
those hostile to the Administration foster the notion and strive to spread it.
Many prayers for Abraham Lincoln have been offered up to-day, that he may be
guided aright, and having acted in the fear of God, that all other fears may be
quieted, and he may be strengthened for his great responsibilities. I heard a
young man say, at our table to-day, that democratic clubs were forming about
the city to prevent drafting. I heard another say that Gen. Dix had been
appointed Military Governor of the State of New-York. The times are indeed
turbulent and stormy, and none can prophecy as to the future, and yet a
stranger in New-York would scarcely believe that we were a nation struggling
through appalling trials. The streets are as gay as ever, public amusements as
much frequented, and our gayest shops are filled with ladies spending money
profusely. The hospitals however tell a tale different indeed.
SOURCE: William Chittenden Lusk, Editor, War Letters of William
Thompson Lusk, p. 264-5
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