Autographed Letter Signed with the addition of a quote

New Haven, CT, 1851. unbound. 1 page, 8.25 x 6 inches, removed from an 1851 Yale yearbook, the year he graduated. Written to fellow classmate Marcus Lyon, a staunch unionist and future judge, in small part: "...It has been said that in college we live a life in miniature - the figure is beautiful and in many respects, true. To us who have now nearly finished, the idea of college does begin to take upon itself the air of the unreal. Its many incidents begin to blend and fade. Thus far does it correspond to the great poets' picture of real life - But let the similitude here end - God grant that your life may be active, happy and prosperous. Let's hope that you are satisfied with the past and resigned and prepared for the future..." Note: Riddell graduated Yale University in 1851 and received his medial degree from the University of Louisiana in New Orleans in 1856. He moved to Texas, serving as State Geologist during the last gubernatorial administration of General Sam Houston. All that's left of his surviving papers (1851 - 1857) are housed in Tulane University. Very good(+) condition.<br/> <br/> Confederate Surgeon who was placed in charge of the prestigious general hospital in Houston, Texas, deemed to have been the best administered medical facility in the entire Confederacy. His theory of operation centered on hygiene, proper sanitary conditions, and after-care, all of which contributed toward a very small mortality rate. Dr. Riddell was assassinated at the age of 44 on the streets of Houston, suspected by his assailant of "undue intimacy with a relative."<br/> <br/>