Pierre G. T. Beauregard to William T. Sherman, October 27, 1860

 NEW ORLEANS, October 27, 1860.

DEAR COLONEL: I send you according to promise my two sons René and Henry, the latter being a state cadet from the Parish of St. Bernard.

René, I think, is now prepared to enter your third class, but should he not be so in mathematics I hope he will be permitted to enter that class in all his other studies for he is very well prepared in them. Should he be appointed assistant teacher of French I hope he will be excused from his own French recitations, so that he may devote as much time as practicable to his other branches of studies. I do not desire that he should study Greek, as I wish him to receive, more especially a commercial education. I hope he will be considered worthy of the appointment of sargeant major, which he is anxious to obtain.

With regard to Master Henry, I desire having him thoroughly prepared for West Point, especially in mathematics and drawing, he is to enter there in June, 1862, and I wish him to do honor to your institution and to his name; hence I have particularly to request that he should not learn Latin and Greek but devote that time to the study of mathematics, drawing, English, French and Spanish, which I know from experience will be as much as he can accomplish in eighteen months' application to his studies.

I hope he may be able to room with his brother, but should he not be able to do so, I hope he will be put with well-behaved and studious room-mates. I have to make the same request for his two cousins, young James Proctor and Charles Reggio—the latter is from the parish of Plaquemines—and I recommend them both also to your especial care as well as Master Clement Labarre of this city.

As I feel very solicitous about the health of my sons, I hope you will do me the favor to apprize me of the fact should they become seriously unwell, that I may come up or send for them and I sincerely hope that Mr. J. will do better with his department [the mess hall] than he has done heretofore as otherwise it may become a serious drawback to the success of your institution, for parents generally attach more importance to the health of children than to their intellectual developments.

SOURCE: Walter L. Fleming, General W.T. Sherman as College President, p. 298-9