letter No 6

                                                                                    Helena Arkansas Sept 26^the 1862

 

            Dear Malvina

                                                Probaly ere this reaches you we will be on the march from this place to Little Rock the Capital of this State whitch is I beleive distant from this place about one hundred and thirty or forty miles I feare it is going to be a harde tramp for us water is reported to be very scarce on the route we will have to leave at least halfe of our Regiment at this place sick the halfe of my company are not able to travel and will have to be left behinde poore fellows it greives me to leave them behinde but as the Boys frequently Say sutch is war. our Bluffton boys all well except Calvin Karnes he is troubaled with the Rhumatism. I hope I will get a letter from you before we leave and that it will contain five dollars as I ame out of money as you will have been informed that I had all my money stolen from me and also a new pair pants it is no use freting about things that cannot be helped. Malvina you must not be uneasy about me if you do not get letters from me regular for there is no telling when we will get mails to or from the country we are going to as it is very mutch out of the way place at present we feel as if we was going almost out of the worlde I hope you will all keepe well my dearest one take good care of our little ons and be contented / and show your selfe to be a woman of some fortitude for this war cannot last longer than the coming winter at all events and then I can return home and say I have done my duty to my Country and also that my wife has met her portion of the sacrifice like a woman Malvina it is no use for me to atempt to describe to you the pleasure it woulde be for me to see you and our little ons. the longer I ame away from home the more I think about you you say you wish me to inform you wher to or who to get to repair the pump I think it woulde be well for you to get a new wooden pump put in by Joseph Hurt or some other pump Maker and also get some one at the same time to go down and clean out the well and get John Buckles to make a platforme after the pump is in Speake to him and he will engage the pump for you and see that it is properly put in and you will pay him for so doing (it may be we will get paide off before we leave if not there is no telling when we will get paide) I hope you have engaged that wood as I advised you to do. as regards that deede holde on untill I heare from Hathaway I ame going to write once more to you before we leave / this place the maile comes to us to morrow and I hope then I will heare from you tell Samuel & Willi to be good boys and that I have not for gotten them. kiss my two little girls for me Ella & Catharine

 

            forever yours

                                    Samuel J Keller

to Mrs M E Keller

 

            NB direct your letters to me, Helena Arkansas as you have been doing

                                    SJK

 

                        inclosed are those seeds I mentioned in my former letter

SOURCES