Mosoura
Lamien crossing Jan 22..62
Dear wife and children i write to you a gain i answerd your letter yesterday we left Fort Lamien yesterday we arived at Tiptton 14 milds from Lamien on the same day…
Tiptton Jan 23..62
well Ruth i suppose this is my birth day i am 39 it seams funny to be in my 40th year…Jan 24 the 6 Iowa is some the bluddy 6 so cold the 6 Mosoura was here they was afraid they could not hold the place the comander of the post told them to leave and he would get a regment that could so they tak our place and we thers this is a mill town larger than Oceola on a large prarie the rebbels are gethering to gether a few milds off and calculate to take this place but if they do they will have to fight for it and then get whipt like fury for the Iowa 6 is all reddy fixt and will send them from the happy land of cainon
eavening well i am provo gard to night the 24 this is a muddy place but a productive soil / I donot have much time to write but i will try to write to ofton we will receive pay in a day or two and then i will send some money to you i you get it i think i will resk 5 dollars at a time or if you think best i will express it but what is money it is good to use while we live hear on earth but we cannot take earthly treasures to heaven
Saturday the 25
well this is a beautiful day the sun shines forth in its beautiful grandure the snow disapears before its warming rays bright i am not verry well to day while walking my beat on provo gard here in town on the pine walks in front of the ware house by the rail road, it was cold and nasty one side of my face commenced swelling with the irrisiplas i first felt it at half past 5 in the morning my time would was 2 hours on and 4 off i saw the sargent of the gard and got permishion to go to my tent then after breakfast i shaved went to the drug store got some iadyne and put it on my cheak / it burns but i think it will cure it we will get better arms next week and our pay tomorrow maby our state pay will come and some back clothing pay and some back rations of provisions that we have not drawn we are nicely cituated thear on the railroad and rite in town but it is not like peacefful quiet home no not like farming in a peaceful and reasonable neighborhood of hole harted union citizens in a fertile climate a soldiers life is hard, yes hard ment enough to kill a wooden man but we must not complain we are for freedom and union
1 Have you forgotton the blissful days
By suny slope and stream
When carless of all other joys
We dreamed our loves young dreams
Have
2 Have you forgot—i would forget
Those days of darker hew
intruding doubt and jealous fear
And hopes grow faint and few
3 then let us turn whare hope still gides
nor linger with the past
in present work to future look
Our home is nearing fast J G Scoville /
if i live i will see you just as soon as i can get permishion eather on a furlo, or with my honorable discharge in my pocket (so help me god)
kiss the dear children for me Ruth and teach them the way to crist yes pleas try to instill and beken there young minds in the heavenly graces that they may grow up in usefulness on earth and peace in heaven