What does Sullivan Ballou say about the men who fought in the American Revolution?
I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon the triumph of government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution, and I am willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.
What is Sullivan Ballou’s letter about?
Just a month after Major Sullivan Ballou wrote the letter, in which he tells his wife, Sarah, of his conviction that he will die in battle but be reunited with her in the next world, he was fatally wounded at First Bull Run.
What happened Edgar Ballou?
778 (Sullivan was Edgar’s father) states that “Edgar was buried in an oasis of calm and green, the cemetery adjoining the grounds of the Episcopal Church of Our Savior…” He died in 1924 at the age of 68, from “acute intestinal trouble.”
What is the purpose of Sullivan’s letter to his wife?
On July 14, 1861, Sullivan Ballou wrote a poignant letter to his wife, expressing his love for her and his patriotism toward his country. A week later he fought in the first battle of the Civil War at Bull Run.
Who wrote the Sullivan Ballou letter?
Just before he died, Union Army Maj. Sullivan Ballou sat down in Washington, D.C., to write a love letter to his wife of six years, Sarah Shumway Ballou. His regiment, the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, was about to go into battle. He did not have a good feeling about the outcome.
Did Sarah Ballou get the letter?
Although Sarah Ballou received other letters from her husband dated later, his letter of July 14, 1861 was never mailed. Ballou might have deliberately left it among his personal effects, knowing that, if he were killed in battle, Sarah would find the letter among his belongings when they were eventually shipped home.