WEST POINT, June 3, 1860.
MY DEAR SISTER: . . . This is the anniversary of my arrival at West Point. Four years ago today, in the pride and buoyant spirits of a young military aspirant, I took my first lessons in military life. ’Tis pleasant to look back upon the past and compare it with the present. Four years of constant confinement and regular duties have passed, and we now stand on the threshold of our first class-year. Hard times and troubles are all over, and inviting scenes lie before us.
One short year more, and the key which is to unlock the honors and emoluments of our profession will be delivered into our hands. I hope to do well, since my general standing in a great degree will depend on my examination. Chemistry, infantry, artillery, and cavalry tactics will follow the examination in ethics. Were it not for drawing, I should, without doubt, better my last year's standing. I shall probably not fall below it. The Secretary of War has decided not to grant us a leave. My only plea is a broken shoulder, got in the riding-hall, but, as I am getting “painfully smart,” my hopes, even in that direction, are diminutive. You may, therefore, regard my leave as extremely doubtful, and even dismiss it from your mind. I am very sorry to disappoint my loved ones.
SOURCE: Peter Smith Michie, The Life and Letters of Emory Upton, p. 18-9
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