Helena Arkansas Sept 30^the 1862

 

Deare wife

                        yours of the 22 inst came duly to hand this morning whitch brought the good news that you are all well and doing well and also contained five dollars whitch is very exceptable to me as I ame out of money we are looking for the paymaster evry day as three months pay are due us at this time as soon as I get paide I will sende it home in care of Mr J Mcadden I think then you had better buy that land at least holde on untill you heare from me again I ame very sorry to heare you have not had that lump taken off your Eye before this time you state that you are going to have the weeds cleaned out of the garden and the well cleaned out that is a good idea and I hope you are geting that wood hauled up also you have got the money to pay see that you get good wood and that it is corded up nicely Malvina be carefull of your money what you pay out put it out to a good advantage those pants you do not put your selfe to any troubale for I can get them here probaly not so cheap as with you have good care taken of our trees & schrubery for you know what interest I take in them probaly you can hire of some one room in a cellar to put potatoes and vegetables in for the winter I presume I have sent you knives / sufficient to last you this winter if you have received all that I have sent home to you. see that my olde gun is level full of Tallow so that it will not rust at the muzle or ende in my last letter I wrote to you in regard to our well & pump whitch has probaly come to hand at this date and I wrote to you that we expected to march to little Rock but it apeares as if our orders have been countermanded and that we are not going there at present wher we will go I cannot say it is supposed by some that we will probaly go up the River in to Kentucky or Tennessee. the sicke are all being sent up the River nine Boats loade have been sent up and more are going I have already sent up sixteen and probaly will sende up more I think they will be sent to St Louis Missouri one of my men diede last sunday by the name of Milo Hoag that makes foure of our Company have diede while in the service and I hope will be the last our Company have lost the fewest men of any Company in the Regiment some have lost 18 or 20 men our Bluffton Boys are all up and about as for my selfe my healthe was never better I have reason to be thankfull as our men have all been more or less sick while my healthe has been good some of our Boys are anxious to go up in to Kentucky as for my selfe I woulde rather stay down here as long as I stay in the army / we have passed the summers heat and the winters are milde and warme while in Kentucky they are very disagreable and sickly at least we found it so last winter. you wish me to say what I think about the war I finde it at this time very difficult to come to any conclusion but I have not the least Idea but what the war will close betwen this and next May coming my commission as Captain was dated by the Governor of Indiana October the 10^th 1861 consequently in ten days more I will have served one of my three years out my commission was dated from the time I commenced recruiting but I only got pay from the 15 day of December, last. do write more often and larger letters I can reade your writing very well but I supose no one else coulde I cannot think of anthing more to write about at present yours most truly

                                                            Samuel J Keller

 

Mrs M E Keller

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