Letter from Robert Emmet Gribbin to his mother and sister Mary, February 21, 1903

Letter from Robert Emmet Gribbin to his mother and sister Mary, February 21, 1903

Robert Emmet Gribbin, 1887-1976, graduated from The Citadel in 1906. His collection in The Citadel Archives includes letters written to his mother and two sisters in Blackville, South Carolina during his first two years as a cadet. A selection of these letters have been digitized and transcribed for this website. The full collection can be viewed at The Citadel Archives in Charleston, South Carolina.

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Robert Emmet Gribbin Cadet Letters

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https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/855

Charleston (S.C.)

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S.C.M.A.

Charleston, S.C.

Feb. 21, 1903

Dear Mamma and Mary,

I received your letters one from the Mary at Thursday dinner & one from Mamma this morning “with a check from home”. In using Mary’s words I will say it will fill up some cracks and a hungry boy. I got some tooth powder with part of it & as I have no money on my account I will get a Geometry and a Physics. So you see I make the best use of my money. I am certainly much obliged to both of you for it and also for your

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good wishes. I think we will have holiday and a dress parade Monday.

I could not get all of the pictures at one store so I went to another as you will notice a difference in Washington’s & Lincoln’s and in the rest. I could not get Jefferson Davis picture as both places had sold out of them.

I certainly never got a valentine and I believe the girls were just bluffing Mary. I enclose a list of Perry Pictures that I got from one of the Professors (Maj. Masyck).

As for the game “Flinch” I see Backville is keeping up with times in social circles for the game has not been advertised here long. How are you getting along with the nut grass? One of the boys sitting near me at the mess cut open a sweet potato and found a nut grass nut. That made me think of 

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the garden home. Do you think anything is injured by the recent cold spell?

Mr. Beckwith who held meetings at the Y.M.C.A here closed Wednesday night. Tuesday night he brought Mr. Lucas up with him and it seemed so much like home to hear Mr. Lucas praying on a Tuesday night. He asked about you all. Mr. Beckwith told a good story on Mr. Lucas several days before which I will tell you all sometime.

No I do not correspond with Joe or with anybody except you all. I do not even write to “her”.

I came very near not getting out today as I was on guard and thrown out to drill for orderly. On Saturday the worst

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dressed member of the guard is given orderly. The adjutant could decide between three of us so he threw us three out to drill for it.

In the first command one of the other two made a mistake so I came out on top or at least out drilled the other fellow. Did that storm blow down any of your fences? I thought I put up one stationery  strong enough to hold.

Now I want both of you to write me at at your earliest convenience and it there is anything you want me to get tell me and I will be glad to able to oblige you. Tell Annie to write soon too.

I will close now

Your loving son and brother,

“Sweet Sixteen”

much oblige [sic] for check received.