Files
Download Full Text (861 KB)
Description
A letter to Mrs. A. C. Van Raalte from her son, Ben, who said that "Some people and newspapers seem to think that we are not making rapid enough progress. They should be here for a while and they would be talking differently. Not a foot of advance is made without heavy fighting and it is not very pleasant to fight continuously. The same diet becomes monotonous. Not that the old soldiers are complaining - on the contrary, they know that perserverance is necessary. But that criticism from home isn't very pleasant to hear."
Date
8-10-1864
City
In front of Atlanta, Ga., near the Macon Railroad
Source
The original documents are held in the National Archives of the Netherlands.
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 National Archives of the Netherlands.
Recommended Citation
Van Raalte, Ben; Jalving, Clarence; and Kennedy, Nella, "A Letter to Mrs. A. C. Van Raalte from Her Son, Ben" (1864). Van Raalte Papers: 1860-1869. 253.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/vrp_1860s/253
Notes
Translated by Clarence Jalving; Transcribed and re-translated by Nella Kennedy, 2008.
Description of the document and reference to the National Archives of the Netherlands 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.