The Digital Edition of the Heinrich Simon Papers : Letter from Herrmann Simon to his brother Heinrich Simon the Elder

Simon, Friedrich Herrmann (Heymann), 1781-1851

The Digital Edition of the Heinrich Simon Papers

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Herrmann Simon provides a vivid account of life during the siege of Breslau, which saw his extended family of twelve sheltering in the kontor of his business. He writes that three cannon balls hit his house in the Carlsgasse, but caused relatively little damage. Herrmann assures his brother that their younger brother Otto was left unharmed by the subsequent siege and occupation of Brieg, where he attended the grammar school – the same school later attended by his son Heinrich. Herrmann Simon describes some losses sustained by the family business, including twelve barrels of coffee confiscated on the River Oder, but regards the losses as manageable, given his strong financial position overall. He notes the quartering of a French lieutenant as a forthcoming cost but his account of the French occupation remains relatively sanguine.</p>