Autographed Letter Signed

Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1843. Unbound. Near Fine. One page letter. Single sheet, measuring 14.75" x 8.75". Folded several times for mailing, with a few tiny tears at the folds, near fine. A letter of nearly 2500 words sent to West Point Cadet William Thompson Dutton, later a Civil War colonel, by his cousin Mary. The long letter is in reply to one from Dutton and has writing on nearly every conceivable space, filling all the margins, even over the date and salutation. Included amongst the typical pleasantries about life in Bridgeport, news of friends, and memories of days past, is a section describing her father's visit to West Point to see Dutton and his positive impression of Dutton's roommates, particularly Charles Seaforth Stewart: "I think from accounts he must be a prodigy." Dutton and Stewart were members of the West Point Class of 1846, famous for having within its ranks many of the Civil War's most outstanding soldiers including George McClellan, "Stonewall" Jackson, and George Pickett. Stewart finished first in the class, and later served under McClellan during the war, but did not have a particularly distinguished military career. Dutton retired from military service to be a farmer and New York state legislator before returning to serve with the 98th Infantry during the Civil War. He died on July 4, 1862 from fever contracted after a battle during the Peninsula campaign, in which he lead 5,000 recruits against Jackson, one of his closest friends from West Point.