Letters from the Front - Henry Abbott

Tuesday, August 26, 1862

Lieutenant Henry Abbott received a letter from his mother concerning the death of Henry's brother, Ned. Although she was grieving deeply, she remained strong in spirit. She wrote, "I have great strength given me to bear this blow. I feel that the dear child is happy -- perfectly happy, & that he will be a guardian angel to us all." She consoled Henry by writing, "He loved you more than I can tell. I think he will always pray for you & hover around you. He thought more of your good that his own, & would willingly have laid down his life to make you happy."¹

References:
¹Robert Garth Scott, editor, Fallen Leaves: The Civil War Letters of Major Henry Livermore Abbott (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 1991), 138.