April the 2^ond 1862

Camp Vanburon Tennessee

 

            Dear brother with pleasure I take my seat to write you a few lines to inform you that I am well at present and hope this may find you the same I recd your letter and was glad to hear from you once more but I was a little dissatisfied about that money I sent you but likely it will be all safe enough I dont know when Akers will go home now and maybe not at all. The health of our Company is not very good at the present. I dont exactly know how many there is on the sick list now but there is about one half of the Company unfit for duty. among th sick is W^m Jones; he went to the Hospital afew days ago (at Murfeesboro) very sick, and an another of our boys that went the same time died afew days ago from the bleeding at the nose the docter said it was caused by from exertion /

 

There has been six died out of our Company since we left Indianapolis. We are in Camp two miles south of Nashville Since we came here we went on a vary big scout to a little place calld Talllahoma about fifty miles distant with an the 4^th O V. Cavalry; went as cavalry together with two other Batteries of artillery I participated in this scouting party and had very exciting times too for when we got within ten miles of town we got word that the rebels were a short ways ahead of us and from this intelligence we started our horses as fast as they we could go till we reached the town and by this time some our horses had nearly gone up and the Artillery riders. But as bad luck would have it we were just in time to be to late they had evacuated the town about half an hour before we got there and left the Citizens scared half to death for fear the / Lincolnites would kill them or do them some great Misdemeanor but our approch soon cured them of their pain. Sech Doctrane that. we stopped that night and next morning we started back to our camp we the scout lasted three days from the 25^th to the 28^th we taken 5 prisoners in our travels other particulars I will omit for the present I am inclined to think that the war will soon come to a halt, (thats my way thinking.) and I will again take my stand in old Whitley tell the boys to look out for old Doc will soon be on hand. O I liked to forgot about stamps I recd to day from you they were very welcome. About that money affair; for for fear you never got the letter I sent you, I will here tell you that Sam Keefer has before now got it by express directed to him for you and without a doubt you have got it before this time. The is now three months pay due to us now but I guess we will have a final settlement with uncle Sam before long in Indianapolis Go / Tell our folks not to be uneasy if they should not get letters from me regular for it is not all the time now here in Dixie that we can get one off. but I will write as often as I can con conveniently. the best news I have to tell you at all is about my health and that is as good as it ever was in all my life but there I musent brag for there is no telling how soon it will come my turn too. The weather is very warm down here now as hot as it is in the middle of the summer with the fruit trees are all out in bloom and has been for over a week. Cotton fields are very numerous here. the Ten. is a very beautiful state what I have seen yet enough nicer than Ind or Ky but not quite so thickly settled. the black population is very great here three to one of the whites. No more at present but write soon and let me hear from the times at home

                                                                                                Yours Truly   N. Keen

 

Direction         Nashvill, Ten.

                                    Simonsons Battery

                                                Mitchells Division

                                    to be forwarded

            Camp Vanburon Tennessee

                        April the 2^ond 1862

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