A Civil War-era letter from 1864 was recently put up for auction and the subject of the memo is all about a Confederate Lieutenant bemoaning his brother’s addiction to masturbation.
In the letter, Lt. William Dandridge Pitts wrote to the superintendent of the “Western Lunatic Asylum” which housed his brother, Charles, as an inmate after he was discharged from the Confederate Army for an ambiguous malady, Military Times Observation Post reported. Lt. Pitts inquired about the well-being of his brother but also noted his penchant for self-pleasure both in military camp as well as at the asylum.
To this day, desperate cries of “It’s Johnny Reb, not Johnny Rub!” echo throughout the South
1864 letter recounts Confederate soldier’s masturbation addiction
STORY: https://t.co/RB6l2raNx0 pic.twitter.com/NgujXXWjAZ
— Observation Post (@MilitaryTimesOP) July 11, 2023
“I have had some conversation with the physician who attended my brother previous to his going to the asylum,” Lt. Pitts wrote to the asylum’s superintendent, “and he advises me to inform you of the fact, that he had learned from some of my brother’s associates, who were in [military] camp with him, that he was addicted to masturbation, while in camp. He (the physician) is also persuaded of this fact from the conversations he has had with my brother.”
In so many words, the Lt. conveyed to the asylum administrator that he had recently met with Charles’ family doctor, who made it clear that his brother would obsessively practice onanism. (RELATED: Taxpayer-Funded Planned Parenthood LGBTQ Youth Club Promotes ‘National Masturbation Month’)
The letter is currently up for bidding at liveaucinteers.com. The letter is titled “Soldier Addicted to Masturbation:”
I missed this scene in Gettysburg pic.twitter.com/ubfNGEjdaG
— James Taub (@TaubHistory) July 10, 2023
During his time as a Rebel soldier, Charles Pitts’ fellow soldiers were subjected to the sight of the estranged soldier engaging in his addiction. (REPORT: Rapper Charged After Masturbating On An Airplane)
As for his higher-ranking sibling, Lt. Pitts fought in the 40th Virginia Infantry until he resigned from his post in 1862.