Courtney's(John+Smithson)+letter

Dear Christian,  Why Christian, look what the brutalities of war have done to us! Forced to conserve food and clothing and other luxuries that we had before considered our God given right! Forced to live in fear and desperation wondering if our house will be the next to be pillaged by ruthless soldiers! Forced to worry about the safety of our families and ourselves … I had a bad feeling about this British-American conflict from the beginning… However, I am very relieved to hear that you and your family are safe. I’m afraid that my family is not doing as well… My eldest son, Samuel, has volunteered for the Continental Army… He had joined to fight in the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the very first battle between the Americans and the British. The thought of my son out there in the battle field, in danger and hardship makes my blood boil and chill all at once… I can’t help but blame the British now… Simply listening to and agreeing to our terms and rights would have spared us all from the grip of this blood bath! Now thanks to that ignoramus of a king, George III, Samuel is enduring hardships not knowing whether he will live to see the next day or not…  By the grace of God, Samuel is still alive though he has participated in many of the major battles. He writes to us from time to time usually about the battles and his life in the army. He wrote to us once about the Battle of Bunker Hill, and how though the British had taken Breed’s Hill and claimed victory, The Continental Army had inflicted a great amount of casualties among the redcoats. Of course, this is a miracle considering that the American forces, our army, were severely outnumbered. He did seem very down when he sent us a letter dated a few weeks after the nearly humiliating defeat at the Battle of Long Island. He said that the army’s morale was very low and hurt. However, he seemed very excited in his last letter when he described in minute detail the victories at the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton. He told us that the army was very confident now about their abilities and achievements as an army. Who would have known that the Continental Army would attack on Christmas? I think that the Hessians were shocked to find themselves under attack on a holiday!  Cousin, I am so very glad to hear from you… There have been myriads of losses not just in fortune and goods, but in the heart as we all have lost someone dear and close to us. I feel faint and paranoid every time that there is a battle wondering what should become of my son. I am waiting for my son’s letter to come home… I hear that there have been many battles going on these days… Bennington and Saratoga (which we won and enabled us to get the alliance of the French) and Brandywine Creek, Paoli, Germantown… I hear that those were absolute failures… I’m sure that Samuel will write back soon… Take care dear cousin. Sincerely,  John, your cousin. P.S. I am attaching a picture of the war that I have found in the papers.



This one is of the Battle of Long Island.  This is General George Washington crossing the Delaware right before the Battle of Trenton.  This is what the winter at Valley Forge supposedly looks like.