Mrs. Bixby



Mrs. Bixby was a woman briefly mentioned in the film Saving Private Ryan, famous for tragically losing five sons during the American civil war. She recieved a letter from president Abraham Lincoln saying how sincerely sorry he was about the loss of her five sons.

General George C. Marshall read the letter to his aide, a major and a captain with one arm in order to convince them that the search to find Private James Francis Ryan should be done so as it was similar to what happened to Mrs. Bixby which, right at that moment, Mrs. Margaret Ryan would be going through.

She was not seen, merely mentioned through out the whole film.

Extract of the letter
Executive Mansion,

Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

''I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.''

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Note- all content of this letter has been copied from Wikipedia's page