Letter from Jonathan Jasper Wright to Rev. Strieby, September 1865
At this point, the new school year has been in session for a couple of weeks, enough for a status report on the students and their achievements.
Beaufort, South Carolina, September 6th ‘65.
Brother Strieby: Dear sir. I send you a few lines to let you know what I am doing in my regiment. Our excellent school tent was finished so that I opened school August 21st with 152 privates.
71 of the number did not know the alphabet. I have held two sessions each day, commencing at eight and a half in the morning, holding till 10 and a half. And from four o'clock pm till 6.
The non-commissioned officers help teach. Now, we have only 11 in our alphabet class. The remainder of that class are reading in three (their?) letters.
I spend about fourty (sic) minutes of each day with the non. com. officers*. They are going on with their studies very rapidly.
I did not have to furnish the privates with books. The chaplain of the regiment had some little primers. But we shall not have any use for those in two weeks if we keep on. We commence our lectures again on Thursday evening.
My Sabbath school was four weeks old last Sabbath. And I had 102 children and nine teachers, all of African descent. Captain Cetcham visited our school last Sabbath and congratulated the school on having perfect order in it. He also said that he was well aware before, that schools could become directed just as well by colored as white teachers. I am going to get the teachers together two evenings each week and teach them.
The manner in which I get my Sabbath school is this. I go around from house to house, where I think no one else has been. I mean not any of the northern people. And ask the parents for their children [to attend Sabbath School]. They generally ask what they will have to pay. When I tell them nothing, they will seem very much pleased and say the children will be ready on Sunday.
Sunday comes, I go to these houses and get the children and convey them to the school. And after the exercises are over. I offer the little girls and boys a prize who will bring in the largest number the next Sabbath. Then there's a strife (?) and they always get some. Very respectfully yours J.J. Wright
Non-commissioned officers. That is, corporals and sergeants.
[AMA Letters from the Collection of the Amistad Center at Tulane University. Transcribed by John Caddell]