Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute Site
Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive
Issue 0943
Presents
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Memories from the Danton Burroughs Family Archive www.erbzine.com/danton |
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Major Burroughs' Civil War exploits truly come to life through the memoirs of his wife,
Mary Evaline Burroughs: Memoirs of a War Bride.
http://www.erbzine.com/mag9/0920.html
and through his own words as evidence in the following letter from the Danton Burroughs Archive.
NOTE: The letter is very old and hard to read (see excerpt below).
Indecipherable words are replaced by blank underlines.
Words of questionable translation are put into italics.
Headquarters 71st Regt. NYSM
Navy Yard, Washington D.C. June 27 1861Dear Friends
Your very beautiful & highly appreciated favor of the 17th was duly recd & read with increasing interest, as each succeding page revealed more & more clearly the sentiments of true, uncompromising loyalty. I trust you will pardon me for allowing others, my friends, to read your letter. We are soldiers together & a letter like yours is read with a common interest, not for flattery, but as a simple act of justice, I cannot refrain from telling you that all who read it passed the highest _____ upon it. My neighbor, an old New York School teacher said "That is first rate, such a letter is worth receiving." My 2nd Lieut. - a handsome talented New Yorker told me, that I ought to get it published &c. I think you need no further evidence that kind & sympathysing words in war are welcome in the Soldier's Camp & need no appology.
The waits the past few months have tended __ to gather more firmly the hearts of patriots, whereon they may be formed. None are strangers now in the true and loyal North. Nobly did old Massachusetts respond to the call of the nation in her hour of danger & tho' her sister states of the North were not slow in following her example. As one of her most loyal sons I feel a just pride that she was first, giving good evidence that tho' slumbering, the old Revolutionary Spirit of the Fathers is not dead in their sons, tho occasionally was needed to call out their dormant images. I am not prepared to say that the Ladies have not manifested as much spirit & enthusiasm in the matter as the men. Most generously have they come forward & contributed by their labor in the manufacture of clothing & other articles necessary for the comfort & health of the Soldiers. Mothers gave up their sons, wives their husbands, sisters their brothers, that the old world-honored flag might not loose any of its glory or be torn from its high eminence by the hand of traitors.
I almost feel like thanking God for this very war. I know not but that the earlier impressions of some of you may have been not beneath the shadow of the "Peculiar Institution" of the "Sunny South," the land of the Ralmittan & the Palm, I would not give offence, but freely as I would tell my sisters, I must say that I feel thankful for this war because I believe that this Institution of human Slavery will now receive its death blow. Morally I believe slavery to be wrong. God made all the nations of the earth of one blood & he did not intend that the stronger should tyrannize over the weaker, the White over the Black -- for the last thirty five years it has been the prime cause of all the National troubles. Socially its tendency is to exalt one man over another, it makes its perpetrator haughty, arrogant, lazy. Not by his own honest toil does he obtain his support but through the wrongs of a made oppressed race. It curses all with whom it comes in contact, while in __ __ __. I could but notice the deplorable ignorance of the poor white people, they are absolutely more to be pittied than the slaves. One man told me that he had never been in Washington in his life (a distance of fifteen miles) that he "reckoned" _____ would be better off if she was free, that his boys had never had any schooling worth mentioning, they did not know enough to learn a trade & therefore all mechanical labor done in his section of the country was done by men who came from the North. That the rich man's sons were educated for it & so received an office as soon as they were old enough. Do not these facts speak volumes?
I trust I may live to see this land free in reality, as in now in name. The oppressed of all nations have looked towards America as the asylum from all these wrongs and oppressions. Great as this Nation has already become, let her rid herself of this blighting evil & her possiblities are unlimited. Owing to the peculiarities of our Constitution, which permits slavery in States, I would not meddle with it then, but on that soil where the fool of a slave man yet trade, consecrated by God to freedom for ever I would gladly give my life to save it -- from the blighting effects of slavery. Allow me to thank you for so kindly mentioning the 71st. They have ever been willing to do their duty, at all times, since they came here. While a few like Napoleon believe that "God is on the side of the heaviest -- artillery" we have many good praying Christians here who if called into battle would trustingly commend themselves to God's care & keeping & I truly think such men make the best fighters. Real courage is steel which prompts a man who knows & realizes the danger, boldly to face it --who can do it better than the man who feels that his peace is made with his Maker & to live or die is gain? If he lives, he wins a Crown Immortal.
There is no more news to write, everything is quiet here & will doubtless remain thus until after the meeting of the extra Congress next month when the powers will probably be given the President to prosecute this plan vigorously. I think he will do it. Thanking you for your kind wishes expressed in your letter, I would commend you since who controls the destinies of man and nations. That -- He may keep you & bless is the prayer of your "Stranger" friend.
Geo T. BurroughsTo Ulyses
India Cutter. Clara Conart. Mary Parkhurst. Ada Lanworthy
After the stock-market collapse of May 1901, Ed helped his father salvage the American Battery Company by going around to all the city's fire stations and selling them storage batteries for their new electric equipment. Ed left his father's employ in the spring of 1903 to join his brothers in Idaho and to start on a series of unsuccessful career moves until he earned success as a writer in 1911.The Major's brother, Harry Rice Burroughs, died at his home down the street at 480 Washington Blvd. on March 18, 1904. He was 67 years old.
Upon his partial retirement around 1904, George and Mary Evaline moved to 493 (1418) Jackson Boulevard. George, Jr. took over the presidency of American Battery Co. About this time Harry fell ill and he, wife Ella, daughter Evelyn and son Studley lived for awhile on the third floor of this home. Major Burroughs helped them financially during this time. In the final years of his life much of his time was spent enjoying the company of his loving wife, dutiful sons and many grandchildren.
Major George Tyler Burroughs, age seventy-nine, died on February 15, 1913. He once was very doubtful that his son Ed would amount to anything but had lived to witness and revel in the launching of his spectacular writing career. Ed's third child, John Coleman, was born 13 days later... and on the same day the author made the decision to devote himself full time to writing.
Concerning her grandfather's death, Harry's daughter, Evelyn, commented: "I will always believe that he died of a broken heart. He was nearly eighty -- had seen one fortune go after many years of prosperity, but pulled himself out of that failure and was doing well with the American Battery Company. There, at the last he found that one of the distillery company partners had been over a number of years bilking him out of what should have been his, if he hadn't been so trusting. He went to bed, refused to eat, and just died."
An excerpt from the Memoriam presented in his honour by the Loyal Legion of the United States: Commandery of the State of Illinois reads:
"His life was that of a strong, vigorous, forceful nature, compelling rather than courting success. He loved truth and justice and abhorred all semblance of sham, subterfuge, or deceit. His personal friends were bound to him by lasting ties of respect and affection and among them he made no distinction of race, creed or social position. He is survived by his widow, Mary Evaline, and their four sons, George T. Jr., Henry S., F. Coleman, and Edgar Rice and by eight grandchildren."
This is the last letter written
by Major Burroughs
~ a letter sent to son George
on January 14th, only one month before his death on February 15th
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AMERICAN BATTERY COMPANY MANUFACTURERS OF STORAGE BATTERIES FOR ALL APPLICATIONS STORAGE BATTERY ACCESSORIES ELECTROLYTIC RECTIFIERS COMPLETE ELECTRIC LIGHTING EQUIPMENTS TELEPHONE MONROE 3796 1132-1134 FULTON STREET CHICAGO Januaray 14th 1913 |
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ERB BIO
TIMELINE
Compiled by Bill
Hillman
