Lawrance KANSAS Apr 17^th 1862

 

                                                                                    Mr W^m Taylor sir

            I now take my pen in hand to form Correspondance with you as I got agkquainted with you on Treadway and a tent mate of your Brother Robert. Robert has been verry unwell for some time But is a getting better he would write to you to day but he is nervous yet. We are a getting ready for a martch next saturday we are a going to Fort Riley about one Hundred miles soutwest of here and it has rained for two weeks steady here on this river And the roads is verry mudy you may think that you see hard/ Times up there in Wisconsin But you was down here travaling around in the mud you would think that old [?] was a King. But for all of that the hard times that we have we have our own fun it a hard life But a merry one. But I wish that you and I could play euchor wit Lieut Balis and T Baker once more for the nuts But it take good players to Beat Robert and I. there is any amount of soldiers a running away from our Brigade there was about two hundread that left in one night out of Gennisons regiment after he resigned and took their horses with them/

 

Their has four or five of our Company got their dicharge and are a comeing home in a short time. the Boys dont think any thing of using a revolver or knife on a man down here our Boys is not half so half so bad as the Kansas Boys. There is good many men that wants to come home at the pressent time But for my part I am contented and so is Robert. But we are stationed on the Kansas river and it is verry sickly there is the most sick men in the hospitle that their ever was and more a comeing down evry day we have to drink river water all the time and it is about one half mud and that is enough to Kill the deval or give him the Ague. Robert sends his respects my Best respect to you please write soon

 

                        G D Shurman              For

            Mr William Taylor Esq

                                    Yours Truly

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