Camp Wickliffe Larue County Kentucky Jan 9^th 1862

 

Deare wife I ame pleased to say to you that I received a letter from you a few days ago while at camp Douglas it was the first and the last that I have received from you it was a welcome mesenger to me you state that the reason you did not write to me was you was afraide the letter woulde not come to me but sutch is not the case your letters will follow me up if they was directed to Indianopolis you must write more than you have been doing or I will begin to think you are rather neglectfull write your selfe I can reade your letters write all the perticulars and get some one to back your letters let me know how you are geting along for money how mutch you have on hands, and how you get a long geting wood and who cuts it and how you get along generly how your healthe is and if the gun smith cleaned out my gun if he has not get him to do it and run it full of tallow you can run the tallow in put a cap on the tube and run the gun full donte have any salte in the greese that money Horten paide to me John Vanhorne owes me sum I believe you have the acount get W R Furgason to tell him to pay you give my compliments to Furgasons family /

 

we are camped at Wickliffe 10 mile from New Haven about 70 mile from Louisvill we have seene some of the hills pine and cedar also we are camped among chesnut trees these are the first Burs I have ever seene last night we pitched our tents on the ground olde Abe Lincoln was Borne on in a little valley between two large hills a very lonely looking place this is a very poore country out here it is as poore as back of Jefferson citty in Mesouri I have never seen as mutch stone in all my life as I have seen while in Kentucky we are geting close enough to heare the sesesh cannons and I hope we will get sight of some of the devils before long as I woulde like to get them whiped again Brick making time Dick says he wants to get at Brick making again in the spring he wears his Catridge Boxes and belts night and day to keepe them from geting stole and washes his face once or twice a weeke. our Bluffton boys are all well but 17 of my company are back sick at Bardstown the sickness is Measels I ame as hearty and well as I have been for a number of years I hope my little family can say the same /

 

I never lay down at night but what I think of you and also in the day as well as night take good care of the boys and make them minde you donte let them run up in town only when they are sent tell them if they donte minde you I will not fetch them any thing nice when I come home if you have plenty money sende me your likeness on paper and also the childrens if you can conveneiently in a letter envellope let me heare from you as soon as you receive this direct to Captain K 47 Ind Vol New Haven Kentucky truly yours

                                                                                                            Sam J Keller

 

the maile has

just come in and

no letter for me

what a disapointment

to         Sam

SOURCES