Letter from Ned Cushman to Susan Muspratt, n.d. [before June, 1854]

Letter from Ned Cushman to Susan Muspratt, n.d. [before June, 1854]

Family

Relationships

Cushman, Edwin "Ned" Charles, 1838-1909

Muspratt, Susan Cushman, 1822-1859

Cushman, Charlotte Saunders, 1816-1876

The letter describes Ned Cushman's experience in the Naval Academy, Annapolis. It also mentions Charlotte, his aunt, who should have arrived in England at the time.

Credit

Library of Congress, Charlotte Cushman Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 

Cushman, Edwin "Ned" Charles, 1838-1909

LoC, CCP, 10:3143-3144

Reference

[3143] My dear Mother
I hope you will not be angry with me for not writing to you before this and I am sorry to say that I have no excuse to give you, but I will be more regular in writing to you in future for I now settled down for life, at least until I fail in one of my semiannual examinations, and I am not quite sure that I will not in February, however I will try not to. I received your last letter a few days since & a paper to day which I am very much obliged to you for I suppose aunty had arrrived in England by this time and has been to see Rose Hill. I hope she likes it as well as I should if I was there, I hope and also that you like the squirrel I sent out to Rose & Ida, you must not let them handle it, for although he will not bite, when he runs over them his claws are so sharp that he would scratch pretty hard, he has been a great comfort to me all winter  for  he has been quite a companion to me for he would come and sit on my shoulder and look on when I was reading or climb up into my pocket and be up to all kinds of tricks, Henry will take care of him for me I dare say and feed him on nuts such as shell +++ or pea nuts or +++, and give him a little water every day. If Henry could make him a larger

[reverse] cage for him when he has got time out of wood he would not need to come out of his cage very often for he could run in the wheel, you may think it silly in me to tell so much about such a thing as a squirrel but I liked him so much that I would be +++ sorry to he was had dead. Will you please send me out my paint and all my things that I had when I was at home and I also should like to have some preserves very much such as currant jam or plum preserves but I do not want them unless you have got them to spare, and if you happen to be making any pound cake will you send me a little one, if you send any thing direct to me, care [?] Chade Lilly & Co - Baltimore and I will get it. (I am just going to bed so I will put up my letter until morning to turn in) The gun has just fired and the drum is now beating) - I suppose you ["are" crossed out] would like to know a little about what I have to do every day so I will try to make it as short as possible. The +++ drum beats at half past three every morning and a gun fires to make us think about waking up, but we do not have to get up until 6 o'clock and then we have half an hour to dress ourselves, make our beds, and sweep out our room  (you must think I look pretty +++ the last two jobs that I have mentioned.) We then have to go to +++ and afterwards to breakfast or mess as the call it here. At 8 o'clock we have to go to the battery exercise and fire big 32 pounders, you may believe it makes my ears ring running round not more than three feet from the gun, at half past nine it is study hours until half

[3144] past ten when we have a recess for half an hour at 10 o'clock we then go in for study hours until dinner time after dinner we go to recite, we come out at four and have from four to half past to ourselves, at half past we either drill at with muskets or go out fleet sailing or boat exercise. When we get back we go to supper nd after supper we have dress parade and then study hours and at half past nine we go to bed. (I am just going to battery exercise - I have just come from my battery exercise and of course feel pretty warm, from working and there being a very hot sun out to day, I have got a lesson in arithmetic to learn, so as to be able to recite at twelve o'clock, it being Saturday but as I know it, I will continue my letter. I wish grandmother had my measure so that she could have a pair or two of white pants, for the ones we het here are as coarse as sailcloth, you asked me to tell you what kind of a person Mr Marey [?] was, I cannot very well discribe [sic] his looks but he is a very fine officer and a very strict one when on duty bute when off duty he is very kind to everybody, I like him very much. he helps me along very much here and if it had not been for him I do not think I should have passed my examination quite so easily as I did, for the board of examiners asked me to do a sum in Federal money and Mr Marey seeing that there was some chance of my not understanding ot, he asked them to change it to English currency which they did and I passed

[reverse] of course and I hope ["I hope" crossed out] I shall be able to stay here until I go through with the whole of it. I do not think I can write any more now so with love to grandmother and tell her I have not forgotten her although I have not written to her. [some words crossed out] and with +++ to the doctor hoping the college is thriving and  +++ me to Henry & Ellen and with love to Rose & +++ and not omitting yourself I remain your affectionate son
C. E. Cushman +++

Cushman, Edwin "Ned" Charles, 1838-1909

Muspratt, Susan Cushman, 1822-1859

United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland

38.9814264

-76.4860451