Autograph letter signed by Mary "Henrietta" Miller (1839-1912) to her cousin Peter Henry Hulst (1841-1926). Claverack, Columbia County, New York, 17 September 1863. 3 pages, 8vo, with original cover.

Henrietta Miller, the daughter of William Albertson (1813-1872) and Mary Hulst Miller (1816-1883) was an alumna of the Hudson Valley River School in Claverack, New York. Miller worked as a teacher, as did her correspondent, Peter Hulst, who lived in Saratoga County. He later attended the Albany Medical College and practiced medicine upon his graduation in 1866, first in Schuylerville, then Greenwich by 1869.

Composed during the middle of the Civil War, Miller's letter to her cousin expresses her thoughts on politics, a subject rarely broached by women at this time except in private conversations. Miller not only shares her opinions, but also digs in acerbically, offering criticism of President Abraham Lincoln and the Conscription Act of 1863. She writes to Hulst that she is glad he escaped the draft, adding, "Indeed, I must congratulate you upon being within the charmed circle of the Republican Party just now as recent development have proven fully, the potent as well as 'honest' measures pursued by the 'Republican Autocrat' for shielding those who will have a voice at the polls next fall and turning the conscription upon the worthless democracy." Many Northern democrats, particularly those in New York, shared this view of a despotic or autocratic Lincoln, stemming from his suspension of habeas corpus. 

After making a few more cutting remarks, Miller worries her cousin perhaps does "not like to hear a lady talk politics" and shares updates of family news, health, and the weather. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs] [Abraham Lincoln, Politics, Mary Todd Lincoln, 1860 Election, Election of 1860, 1864 Election, Election of 1864,  Lincoln Assassination, John Wilkes Booth]