"The great question of the day is, have we a National Government? I have always thought we had, I think we have still."

"Tuesday I was coming down Broadway just before 3 P.M., and the gathering crowd along that popular thoroughfare reminded me that the Prest Elect was to arrive in the city at 3 and triumverate through Broadway to the Astor, I therefore turned into the Musuem when I reached that curiosity shop and got a window commanding the Astor from which I could notice the progress of the Nations Hope from Chamber Street to the Astor. At that distance I saw Mr. Lincoln alight from his carriage and enter his hotel, from which he soon after immerged through a window on the second story…and made a short speech to 25 acres of mottled humanity below. I could not hear a word that he uttered, but the convulsive jerks of his head, and bobing of his body indicated an earnestness of speech, and called forth the wildest shouts of applause from the solid mass of admirers below. As Mr. Lincoln has not called on me I have seen nothing more of him. Mr. L held receptions at the Astor at the city hall, but I regarded it as undignified for a New York farmer to mingle with the bulls, bears, & dead rabbits of this metropolis, I therefore must excuse myself from any description of the scene."

"Your predictions, concerning our state, I am ashamed to confess, are…to be realized for the disunionist have or are about to…our good old state into this unholy war against our wishes & better judgment, it is hard for us to fight against the star spangled banner, that which our fathers suffered, bled, dide and won for our enjoyments. The negrows are volunteering there servises all over the state to fight against the north, thay are not made to do so, for thay say the abolissionist doo dem moor harm than they do good…"

"The death of Douglass which we have just heard will be regretted by the Nation at this critical juncture. If he had poped off before hatching his Squatter Soverign herricy his death would have been a National blessing."

"I write to ask forgiveness for one or two rather quick speeches in my last letter and to ask you to write to me at least if nothing more for I have done nothing as yet that I deserve to be thus treated by you, to be sure I married very young but Dear Parents Louise is more than twice worthy of me she is good and she is pure and all you can say is she is poor."

"Father…wished me to write down what he knew in regard to the impresment of American Seamen he says in 1804 he sailed with Timothy Barnard when on the South side of Long Island (in sight of it) the Brittish Frigate Combarine boarded them and took their mate whose name was Cunningham…"

"I will receive you and your wife as members of the family and trust to the future to determine the wisdom of my decision. I advise you to prepare to move out to the Danby farm which I have possession of on the 1st of Apl next."

"I am sorry to hear that Frank maintains ill feelings towards Perry. I want to see this feeling dispated, and see you treat each other like brothers."

"Grandfather died at five this evening. Funeral day after tomorrow at one."

"Our appropriations are all right yet, and I think will remain so, but it is something like a band of robbers dividing spoils to get any thing. To see the way new or yearling members are kicked & cuffed about in those scrambles extants vows from many that they will never be caught at Albany again as a Member."

"Well, you may say the Confederate troops were at my door for they were encamped in my front lot for more than a month fifteen hundred or two thousand, just because I was known to be an unconditional union man they tormented me nearly out of my life…"

"There has been a great deal of trouble about our getting our mails since we left Jackson Tenn, Nov, and in fact about the amount of what do get that we can depend upon is mouldy bread, musty bacon body lice and curses from drunken officers…"

"If I lived at Ithaca & could find one man without fear of his own shadow, to join me, I would undertake to make all that valley properly valuable -- I know it can be done and I know that you comprehend the ways -- & have the means, to do it…"

"You may rest assured Brother that I will never turn my back to the enemies of our country. I enlisted as a private and sought no higher position but our Lt. Col….appointed me colour bearer. I felt proud of the confidence he placed in me but would rather he had not appointed me to that position yet inasmuch as it his pleasure

I would not express the least wish or word to the contrary, and I know that I will never disgrace that proud emblem of liberty…

"…we are here inactive and are as the saying is spoiling for a fight, we are anxious to be doing something that will tell towards crushing out this rebelion, we have never yet as a regiment had the privelege of facing the foe…

"I shall feel more reconciled to the fate that may await me as a soldier, since I have the assureance that in case I fall you will attend to the wants of my family - yet I cannot think otherwise than that I shall return to them - I only fear that the 95th regt. will never have an opportunity to prove their superiority to their number of rebles…"

"Received of E. Cornell seventy three dollars for support of families of Colored Volunteers of Albany County."

"We are watching with great anxiety to hear of Charleston being taken by our forces and are preparing for a big jollification on receipt of the news. We have a big national flag ready to raise that cost us $36 in NY city."

"I received my wound on the 19th of May at the first charge on the works in the rear of Vicksburg, our Brigade charged on what was called Fort Hill. …my position was colour bearer and I had to go down a small ravine which was in the hillside…I was struck directly under and about 3/4 of an inch from my left eye --I did not fall, nor did the colours go down…I then went and lay down behind a fallen tree expecting to bleed to death…the ball had apparently struck the limb of a tree and was comeing diagonaly down as it passed through my hat rim over my left temple, it passed through the roof of my mouth cutting an ugly gash on the inside of my right cheek and lodged at the angle of my jaw shattering it severely."

"The accompanying Pistol and ammunition was captured from a Rebel officer at the Storming of 'St. Mary's Hights,' Fredericksburgh…. As these mementos of the 'Slave Holders Rebellion' will be prized in after times, I take pleasure in placing them in your hands for presentation to the Farmers Club of Tompkins County for preservation."

"I have five children, it would not benefit them to give them more than $100,000 each, thus less than half is disposed of…The Library will probably absorb $60,000, but supposing it to go to $75,000. What shall I do with the balance? I hope to do much good with it, but I really don't know how to dispose of it in a will so as to do the good with it that I should desire to do."

"Your remarks with reference to a will have staggered me. Your reflections have carried you into a region where mine had not entered."

"If I were doing any thing to help crush the rebellion I would not murmer, but to have been shot in the way I was, and that too within three minutes after getting in sight of the Devils for the first time, and then not being premitted to go back to the field when I could actualy do more duty than four such men as they have been sending back who have recovered (or rather partialy recovered) from the various ills contracted in camp life, I tell you it is rather chilling."

"Perry moved last week his stock that he left to danby looks hard I don't think I ever saw a lot of calves that looked worse than his do…"

"From present appearances there will be no lack of capital to carry the thing through and I do hope you will not allow yourself to get into a position which will cause you the least uneasiness financially. You have worked hard and have secured a fortune…I really hope you will conclude to make your subn. $300,000 instead of $500,00."

"We left Annapolis at 6 A.M. the 23rd inst. we passed through Washington at noon yesterday & was reviewed by Genl. Burnside & the President as we passed, and we made a good appearance but it was very hard work after marching for two days & the night before we laid out through a drenching ravine & had marched 10 miles through the mud besides fording a stream that morning. Quite a number of men died yesterday on the road. Our corps now has 4 divisions the forth is of colored troops."

"The undersigned respectfully request a pass for Hon. Ezra Cornell to go within the lines of our Army to render assistance to the wounded."

"I am going out into the State of Missouri recruiting for the 29th Ill. Colored Regt."

"Probley you have sean the account of the capchur of the Gun Boat Signal No. 8 the one that I was on."

"My health is very good & the condition of my jaw's as such that I can eat any rations but hard tack, & I much prefer field to Hospital duty."

"He was buried on Arlington Hights on the farm formeraly owned by Gen. R. E. Lee at present commanding the Rebel Army his and all other graves are properly marked and a record kept so that if the friends wish to they can remove the body in the fall…"

"…I am gifted with what my teachers say, an uncommonly beautiful voice for singing, and being passionately fond of music, I have tried hard to get the means to purchase me an instrument, a Melodeon, is what I have always wished for. My parents have not the means to help me, and having no one else in this wide world to ask assistance of, it gave me encouragement to ask you, an entire stranger, when I read of your generosity. O! kind Sir, if you will enclose me one hundred dollars…"

"I see you have given $50,000 for a public Library to be formed in Ithica N.Y. now can you give a poor wounded invalid soldier, who is closely confined to the house, some few books or magazines to read through the coming winter? I love to read, but am to poor to buy the works I should like to read. The hours pass off slowly when I have nothing to read…the smallest favor will be thankfully received."

"The package of books you were so kind in sending me have, after some delay, arrived in safety and I hasten to acknowledge the receipt of the same and to thank you a thousand times for the books…I anticipate a great deal of profit and pleasure in the perusal of them."

"A most generous offer of endowment has recently been made by a distinguished citizen of this State, on condition that the Legislature shall make a liberal grant from the income of the public lands, and shall authorise the removal of the Institution to Ithaca Tompkins County.

"It is understood that this subject will be brought before the Legislature at its present session. Whatever has a bearing on the advancement of the art of agriculture is entitled to the best consideration of the Legislature."

"…Our Senator White will tell you how deeply I feel in regard to this matter. So let me say go in for the whole fund -- and make the best University -- teaching all useful knowledge."