Otterville Monday Jan 20^th 62

 

Dear Brother & Sister

                        I have just got through with my weeks washing and now I will try and answer your letter it came to hand last Thursday since then we have had no mail owing to the river at St Louis being blocked up with ice so that they can not get the mail across My health is still improveing and I am in hopes now that I will get along better I do not think it would be advisible for me to ask for a furlough at present as our Physician thinks I will get along. the weather is not near as cold as it was when I wrote to you / last we have got ourselves fixed up rather more comfortable than we had there was a load of sheet-iron stoves come up from St Louis last week we bought one for our tent paid six dollars for it with about two dollars, but I do not begrudge my money as it makes our tent very comfortable, and dont you think our Officers has left us have an arm-full of straw for each tent for us to lay on dont you think they were liberal. Our troops up at Sedalia made quite another haul of Secesh a few days ago they captured about one hundred prisoners and a large amt of stores We have sent over three thousand prisoners to St Louis within the past 6 weeks we are educating them in M^cDowells College. I think by the time the / war is over they will have a purty good education and I am sure they are getting it cheap enough Price the Invincible has left us and is makeing tracks for Arkansas I judge he does not like Halleck's policy of treating rebels. I think the fighting is about done in this state unless Price gets more troops from the South. But I guess I have written enough about war matters I am sorry that Nattie is so sick hope he has recovered ere this. Now the boys are going out to drill and as I want to go along I must bring my letter to a close Edwin I will be obliged to you if you will send me some papers as reading matter is rather scarce in camp Write soon

                                                           

As Ever your Brother

George

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