Sessoms, Preston Harrell, b. 1843
When I left there on tuesday before I left for school, you told me
to write you and I said that I would. I have been here a good while before
writing to you, but I will make my word a true one. I have not hardly had time
before, being confined very closely to my studies,
The Next monday night after I left you I took the steamboat at
Coleraine
2
about 11
o'clock in the night. I traveled all night long on
the steamboat a good ways a up the
Choan
river, and next morning about six
o'clock I got off
the boat at
Franklin. We went up to
Franklin to wait until the cars come along, but
in the morning just before they got to
Franklin, they ran off the railroad and was three or four
hours in getting them on again, and we had to wait at
Franklin
until eleven o'clock in the day, then we took the cars and traveled until that
evening when we arrived at
Weldon
3,
When we got at
Weldon
the other cars had left because we were behind time by the train running off
the track, We got to
Weldon
that evening about 3 o'clock and we had to wait until next morning at 11
o'clock before we could take the cars for
Raleigh. That evening I stayed about
Weldon
and looked at the diferent curiosities that were there, and went down to the
soldier's camps and saw the regiment of soldiers drill, there was about one
thousand in the
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regiment. It looked like war
itself to see one thousand soldiers walk out in the field, formed in battle
array seeing the southern flag waving over our new country against the northing
armies, and the drums
are were beating
that warlike march which braved them on to battle, There were five or six
hundred camps joining one-another over about four acres of land, I saw many
cavalry companies, horses halled about in the cars. But now I will go on with
my journey. The next morning at 11
oclock we took the cars
for
Raleigh
and we travel over about 100 miles in the time from 11
o'clock until that evening at 4
oclock,
That evening we arrived at
Raleigh. As soon as we got at
Raleigh
the other train of cars had just come, we got off from the cars we came to
Raleigh
on, and took the other train as
soon
quick as possible for
Chapel
Hill, We came from
Raleigh
to
Chapel
Hill as fast as forty miles an hour, and that evining at seven or eight
o'clock we got in
Chapel
Hill, Next morning I went up to see the Professors to be examined to
enter college. I stood my examination and entered the 2
nd
class which is little high for one just entered,
Abner
Askew
,
J. O.
Askews son enter the class below mine. That day I got my boarding house
and room, I got my room and board at a widow woman's house, she is very good
and nice, I like her very well, my room is up the stairs of her house. That day
I got all things fixed and that night brother
John
left for home again. At every morning sunrise the college bell rings for you to
get up and dress, the bell is a large one about 1 1/2 foot through hung in the
top of
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one of the college buildings [
South
Building], it is rung by a long rope and when it rings you can hear it
about a mile off. The first time it rings in the morning is for to get up and
dress and about 1/4 of an hour afterwards it rings again for to go to prayers,
there is prayers up the college every morning and
night evening and preaching every sunday the professors preach in
returns, and the students are bound to go to church every sunday and every
sunday evening bound to say a
bible
lesson, each class, We go to prayers in the morning before breakfast and soon
after prayers we have to recite a lesson all the whole college recites the
same, time, but they recite in diferent rooms and there are four diferent
classes, before breakfast recite one hour, the bell rings then we go from
recitation right on to breakfast, after breakfast the bell rings for to go
studding, study 3 hours then the bell rings at eleven o'clock to recite again,
the whole college recite until twelve, being one hour at recitation, then at
eleven one is dinner, the college bell rings for dinner, after dinner
we study again 3 hours, then the bell rings to recite again at four o'clock,
recite 1 hour, soon after recitation is prayers in the evening, after prayers
is supper. There are 3 recitations during a day. There are seven large
buildings,
4
which are the college, they are builed out of rock and brick, each one five or
six stories high, there are about 50 rooms in each building they are for the
students, but I have got a room by myself out in the town at
Mrs
Yancey's. There are eight or nine professors, each one hears the
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recitation which he is professor of. The
Professor of latin hears nothing except latin lessons, The Professor of Greek
hears nothing except greek lessons, and so on, There are here now only ninety
students, last year there was about four hundred, there is about 300 gone to
war, When I was coming on the boat up to school, I saw some
yankees who were taken priseners, they had handcuffs on them to keep
them from getting away, I saw six of the
yankees and one German. There
are four diferent churches in
Chapel
Hill. A
Baptist
church, a
Methodist, and
Episcopalian and a
Presbyterian church, there are meetings in every one on
sunday and once or twice during the week, In every sunday morning, I cant hear
nothing but bells ringing all over town for church.
Chapel
Hill is very hilly, hills about here as thick as they can be, 2 or 3
hundred yards high, and it is very rocky about here, There
are nothing but rock fences in town, fences
about 3 feet thick made of rock, they last forever. It is very
5
healthy about here. I have been well since I have been here, and like the place
very well. This session ends at the last of november, then there is vacation
six weeks I shall come home about the first of december and stay until about 2
weeks after
christmas. I suppose that I must close, Is
Mr.
White well, is
Henderson well, have they been well ever since I have been
away. Write me soon in return and tell me how things are going on there. Please
write me,