Carrolton Louisiana Sept 6^th 1863

 

Mrs Malvina E Keller

                        My deare wife I again take the pleasure in writing you a few more liens hoping you are all in the enjoyment of good health yesterday I Received your letter writen just affter James Gordon left and I also Received one brought by John Spake I was very mutch pleased to heare from you it appears as if my letters of late do not reach you I wrote quite a number of letters to you while the Boys wer gone and it appears as if none of them reached you before the Boys left did you ever get 30 dollars I sent by Mr Craven I also Expressed 140 dollars to Fort Wayne to the Care of Mr Mcfadden that I sent by Gordon you got let some good Man have the Money to keep so it can be got when wanted I expect to buy more land as soon as I get Money enough to do so. I expect to be home betwen this and next Spring for this infernal Rebellion is a about played out but I may be mistaken but evry one here is of the Same opinion at present they are nearly hemed in and two or three more Months I am in hopes will do the work up. you ask my opinion about breaking up House keeping I cannot imagin what you mean by talking thus what would you gain by doing so would you go to the Hotel and Borde out or go to your friends who would soon get tiard of you and the children and if you shoulde do so I would have to get some one to live in the House and take care of things untill I could come Home and evry thing would go to distruction if any thing should happen me serious while in the Service I alwas supposed you would still keep House and keep our children together in Wells County for I never want my children to leave Wells County / while they are under age my Mother raised up foure Children and kept them together and my Father only left her three hundred dollars I was the oldest and only 9 years olde but if it should ever become necessary for you to Breake up House keeping let some Good kinde person have the children to raise and keepe what property we have got for them and your selfe I have never been trying to save any thing for my selfe it is for you and the children for I know by sad experience what it is to be a poor Fatherless childe but I hope to live to see my children grown up to maturity my only thoughts are for the good of my Famly. there you have my opinion about sutch matters and if I mistake not you have hearde my me speake more fully on that Subject while at Home. being so sickly in Bluffton has caused me a greate deale of uneasyness but I hope you and the little ons will keep well take Good care of them and do the best you can by time this comes to hand the sickly Season will be about over and next Fall if not sooner if the War does continue I will be with you if I am on top of the Earth Malvina I have been wher Bullets flew as thick as Haile and men wer falling all around me and I never had any other idea but what I would be spared to see my famly againe and I hope I may never have any reason to think otherwise but I hope we will never be in another fight I have seen enough of the Horrors of War whitch is the works of the devil the news in this mornings paper is very favorable for us Charlston will I hope soon be under the Controle of uncle Sam again and then we will get Mobile whitch will use the Rebels up do write often you need not send them Postage Stamps as I have got some but if you have already sent them all right I can sell them to the Boys /

 

we have not got a sick man in my Company at present I do not know how soon we will leave here or wher we will go. direct your letters to Carrolton and if we should go away they will follow me up Malvina Remember and read my letters your selfe the Boys say they heard in Bluffton that I had wrote that I was coming Home wher did they get sutch information all I wrote on the subject was to you day before yesterday I wrote you a letter and sent you two Photographs let me know if they come to hand and how about that wood is it Halled up yet and that Pump is it Repaired yet. do write often it cost but 3 cents I like to write to you yours most truly

                                                                        Samuel J Keller

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