Helena Arkansas August 1^the 1862

Mrs M E Keller

 

                                                                                                My dear wife I seate my selfe

to write you a few liens the last I received from you was dated July I beleive the 26 of the monthe you say I do not write often enough I write at least two letters to your one you state you are going to get that lump cut off your eylid I hope you have done so and that it did not cause you mutch pain and that you will not be troubaled with it again I wrote to you in my last that we expected to start for Little Rock the capital of this state in a few days but we are not agoing at present we are going to stay at this place for some time, how long I do not know it is a good place for to camp for this country it is very warm here at this time we never see sutch warm weather in Indiana Oh for a drink of good water out some of the Bluffton wells. the water is very poor all over this country but the health of the soldiers is very good at present yesterday we crossed over the River in to the State of Missisipi after some Rebels but we did not get in to a fight as we did not finde the Rebels but seen plenty of Negroes our Boys brought over several of them with them to cook for the difrent messes one of them baked some buiscuit for us and as we was eating dinner I / says to Jim Gorden Jim these are good buiscuit for that niger sweats so that they are salty Jim throwed away the buiscuit and saide in his scotch brouge damn the nager and quit eating dinner at super he bought a pocket full of crackers he says damn the nagars no person can tell when there hends are cleane I wish I coulde be home for a while to see you all and get some aples & peaches to eate we have the poorest fare here we have had while in the service we cannot get any fruite here without paying an enormous price vegetables are very scarce owing to there being so maney soldiers at this place it is harde we cannot be at home this yeare as a fruit yeare seldom comes in Indiana. we soldiers are truly rejoiced to heare that Indianas sons are flocking to the standard of theire country to assist in putting down this wicked Rebelion any man who will not turn out know in our countrys neede is not worthy to be called an American. the only hope for our deare country is in the paitroism of her sons if these infernal Rebels sucseede free goverments is a failure women can do a greate deale by urging there husbands brothers & sons to volunteer in the army if I was a woman and had a husband who was too cowardly to turn out I woulde leave him and never raise a childe for to call him father no never woulde I live with a man who had to be drafted / to serve his country in sutch a war as this. often have I wished that Sam & Will was olde enough to come here and carry a gun and fight those devils and I know they woulde do so. shame on the man who will not turn out God have mercy on him for I cannot if men or those who call them selves men would turn out this war woulde soon ende and we coulde all go home to our familys I presume you have ere this reaches you received that letter stating I had Bargained for that 50 acres of land of E Hathaway whitch I ame to pay him five hundred dollars for let me know how mutch money you will have left after paying for the land when Hathaway sends the deede get Mr M^cfadden to pay out the Money for you and see that the Deede is all right I have just Received a letter from Ed Wilson he saide he seen you a few days ago and that you was well I also Received one from John Passon he is geting ready to go to war this fall my healthe is good and this warm weather I stick close to my tent the Boys are all about Dick is as slovenly as ever and I have frequently to scolde him for being so dirty but he is a good hearted soule. do write as soon as you get this

 

yours most truly

                                                                                                                        S J Keller

SOURCES