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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)John M. Jackson, Archivist
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
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The collection is open for research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Spencer C. Stanhope Letter, Ms2009-069, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Spencer C. Stanhope Letter was purchased by Special Collections in 1993.
The processing of the Spencer C. Stanhope Letter commenced and was completed in May 2009.
Spencer C. Stanhope was born around 1825. For many years prior to the American Civil War, he lived in the South. He enlisted in Company H of the 31st New York Infantry on May 21, 1861. Enlisting in New York City as a first sergeant, Stanhope was promoted to first lieutenant on August 2. He resigned on January 2, 1862.
This collection consists of a letter from former Union Army officer Spencer C. Stanhope to C. P. Leverich (likely Charles P. Leverich of Leverich & Company). Writing from New York, Stanhope describes his desperate circumstances and pleads for financial assistance. He notes that his grandfather, R. N. Waite, had been a banker that associated with the Leverich family. He continues by admitting that the public has become suspicious of veterans requesting assistance, regarding them "as an imposter." In a second letter, which had likely been enclosed with the first, Stanhope states that he is disabled and "out of employment." He writes of having disposed of all of his possessions and spending the past three nights on the streets and claims that without help he will soon die. Despite his condition, he writes, he will accept any type of employment.
Please note: the letters contain outdated language about people with disabilities, which the author applies to himself, that may be offensive to modern-day readers.
The guide to the Spencer C. Stanhope Letter by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).