Letter to James Henry Reid, Sr.

Scope and content:

Written from VMI, Lexington, Virginia. Letter regards cadet life.

Language:

English .

Other descriptive data:

V.M.I. Aug 18 1862

Dear Pa
The desk & was recd safely Saturday morning. I walked down to the landing & got it myself, had to pay 50cts on it. All the things were in good order. Your letter & Ma's were safely recd., stamps, $2, buttons, shirts &. Very much obliged for the apples & sugar, do not know what to do with the sugar unless I eat it so, No I will not do that, I will take it down to Mess Hall tonight & sweeten my milk with it and have a sort of Ice Cream.

One of my roommates Read S has gone to Lynchburg (you have probably seen him before this) on furlough. Please send by him some undershirts for it is very cold up here. I was on guard about 2'oclock last night & had nothing but my white clothes on, I very near froze. I would write for my thick winter coat but Gen. Smith recd a letter yesterday from Charleston saying the cloth had run the blockade & arrived safely. It will be here in a few days, so I will try & stand it as my order for Jacket, pants & overcoat is 3rd in the list & Mr. Vanderslice will soon make it. Gen. Smith says he has $30,000 worth of cloth about 15,000 yards or more because it did not cost $2 per yard in Europe.

Don't forget my buttons, send them by Read. Also $10 for mattress, chair &. Send my other blanket as soon as you can, but do not pay a big price for me. I would rather wait a while.

My left little finger has been broke, but I am in hopes it will soon be well. My eye is well but some of the old cadets who have been on furlough & returned are very hard on Rats & I heard a cadet say this morning "I pity the Rats now."

I will answer Ma's letter before long. I have now written four letters in a week so you must make them last for sometime. Write often,
Your affectionate son
J. Henry Reid

Remember me to all my friends & write me about Mr. Brown's boarders &. My pillow is a great deal of use.

Subjects:

Virginia Military Institute—Cadet life—1860-1869
Virginia Military Institute—Slang
Correspondence

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