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Description
In a letter to his father, Dr. Albertus C. Van Raalte, son Ben gives another update about his camp experiences. He is very upbeat about army life. He is well and not homesick as someone reported to his parents. He has plenty of clothing. His colonel and commanding officer is very well liked. Ben seems to think that the soldiers are getting very good training and being well treated. He still has not been paid. "Unkel Sam" owes him forty dollars. He advised his father to have some stirrups made so that his boots would not get dirty when he is out riding.
Date
11-21-1862
City
Camp Jewett, [Kentucky]
Source
The original documents are held in the Holland Museum.
Rights
This digitized material is intended for personal research/study only. The original documents may not be reproduced for commercial use in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the Holland Museum.
Recommended Citation
Van Raalte, Ben; Jalving, Clarence; and Kennedy, Nella, "In a Letter to His Father, Dr. Albertus C. Van Raalte, Son Ben Gives Another Update About His Camp Experiences" (1862). Van Raalte Papers: 1860-1869. 142.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1860s/142
Notes
In Dutch; translation by Clarence Jalving. Transcription and retranslation by Nella Kennedy, January 30, 2007. Nella added that Ben's letters increasingly demonstrate more anglicisms while continuing bad spelling and lacking punctuation. These comments makes me wonder how good a student he was in the Holland Academy and whether or not he was a good student.
Description of the document and reference to the Holland Museum by Dr. Elton J. Bruins.
About the collection:
Elton J. Bruins, long-time professor in the Department of Religion at Hope College, spent years collecting documents by and about Albertus C. Van Raalte, founder of Holland, Michigan and early patron of Hope College. Documents were gathered from dozens of public and private collections, making a nearly exhaustive collection of Van Raalte's writings and reflections. It is these documents that make up the "Van Raalte Papers."
Digitizing the Van Raalte papers was supported by the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York. The project was done in partnership with Heritage Hall at Calvin University, which also digitized its Van Raalte collections.