[WEST POINT] [BEER] Letter to Brother re: missing Beer: Wife of Civil War Brigadier General Eliakim Parker Scammon

West Point, NY, 1846. Cream paper, creased. Good. 25.5 x 19 cm. Margaret (Stebbins) Scammon writes her brother from West Point, where her husband E. Parker Scammon is an officer with the United Army Corps of Topographic Engineers. Parker would later command the 23rd Ohio Regiment during the Civil War.

Good Friday Morn. 1846

My Dearest brother,

Parker fully intended to cover this envelope to you, but as he was about doing it the Quartermaster must needs send for him to come to the Library for some important briefings: and so he begs me to write for him and apologize to the best of my ability for the non-appearance of your beer. You must have thought him very neglectful and tho' it is rather an awkward task I will tell you the whole truth. If you will have patience to wait till the end of this month, it shall then be forthcoming. He expected to order it on the 1st but our cook took it into his head to go back to the city to live, and as we had, at his own request, kept back the quarter part of his wages for 18 months, you must know our last month's pay went with a rush, and as we are so involved on every side we wont borrow, and therefore, all parties, ourselves included, must wait till after another visit from the Paymaster for our good beer. I have thus most frankly stated to you the case, and I hope you will excuse it. We remember that we are still considerably in your debt, so that it is with great pleasure that P. will attend to your order just so soon as circumstances will permit. I think the value of the empty half barrels returned, is $1.50 each and they quite well (?) have them as money. They are returned at any time and credited to sender.

We are looking forward to your visit in June or July with impatience. Do not disappoint us.

Your very aft sister

Margaret


The letter is addressed to Margaret's brother - Mr. John B. Stebbins, Care of Homer Foote & Co., Springfield, Mass. We know the merchant her brother worked for, Homer Foote, had become a very wealthy retailer in Springfield, and assume that John B. was successful as well.
Letter has some foxing and tears in areas where there is creasing. Red West Point stamp is faint along with the number 5.