October 20, 1862
Davis House
Berlin Heights
October 20, 1862.
Dear Brother
I rec'd your letter this morning which was very welcome, I assure you.
The day that I left home I had to wait at home[illegible] Bed till about noon for the Bonnie and consequently we reached Sandusky too late for the two o'clock train. There being no other way I had to stay in the City all night. The next morning at 7 o'clock we started (the train and I) left for the city of Free love at which, after a short and pleasant ride, I soon found myself. The station is about 3 miles from the city, and I took passage with the mail carrier, and reached here before nine o'clock.
The land along the road is very level until just before you reach the city is reached when a quite high hill has to be ascended.
This is a very pretty place. The town dwellings are all neat and have very tasty surroundings of trees and flowers. There are no poor looking houses here, and some that are realy splendid.
The only manufacturing that is going on here is that of molasses from sugar cane. There is a large steam mill in full blast, making about 200 gallons daily.
I am boarding at the Davis House a country town hotel 4 stories high. Three ladies and four other gents are boarding here and I assure you we have good times and a good place.
We have an upstairs parlor for our study room, well furnished and just the place to pass our evenings pleasantly and profitably.
We form ourselves--ladies and all--around the table and do our study in a sort of public way. Our parsing lessons we study all together, ask general questions on geography and discuss about the lectures we rec'd through the day. Mr. Fish is a splendid scholar and teacher, and this session is going to be of great value to me.
There are 6 gentlemen and about 15 ladies present. Saturday afternoon the class was excused, and we all went to visit a place called the "Pinnacle" which is about 1 ½ minutes northeast of here. It is a place about 200 ft. high, which overlooks a vast extent of beautiful scenery. From there the lake Erie can be seen from for miles. The city of Sandusky can be seen, it is said in a clear day. It is a new thing for me to see over the tops of trees and have a large extent of country spread out before me. Kelly's Island can be seen from here. From my window I can see, at night, the light on Marble Head, and in the day, when clear, the trees of the peninsula. There has been a great deal of talking around me, while I have been writing this; which, with my haste will help excuse my mistakes.
If I stay to the examination on Saturday I can not get home that day. I don't know yet as I will stay, but if I do not go you will know the reason. There are lots of chestnuts here.
Yours Truly,
G. W. Miller
