Camp Benton company F 6 regt

Iowa vol St Louis Mo Sept 18, 61

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Dear companion and children i write a few lines this beautiful morning informing you that i am well hopeing these lines will find you all the same well we left the Park yesterday we thought we was going some distance but we only moved about three milds this is a god place it loks as though we will winter hear we have a one story bilding with bunks to sleep in and a nice shed to cook and eat under the house that we sleep in is one mild long 14 ft high 20 ft wide there is about forty thousand soldiers here well i will make a kind of a journal letter of this so I will close for this time. well i will write a little more the talk now is that we are going to Washington City in a few days for my part i do not much care whare we are taken i would like to see Washington city let them take us whare they may my trust is in the Lord well knowing he doeth all things well. O Ruth I daily see more and more the all importance of a religious life it gives us peace on earth and sites us to joys and hapiness in a better World than this this world is but a world of sorrow at the best but thanks to the redeamer / thare is a place whare our troubles will be over whare delightful joys fills the immortal soul with hapiness while endless ages roll whare the wife and husband will grete each other whare the mother meets her child O what happiness there mus be in that happy land may we all be prepared to die the death of the righteous that we may forever rest in that eden of love

 

Onward for the glorous prise

Strate and clear before thine eyes

See thy homeward pathway lies

Rest is not beneath the skies

 

Onward till the dawn of day

Tarry not on thy way

Danger lurks o fere to stay

then dear christian wach and pray

 

Stay not for the flours of earth

What are hours of idle mirth

What are fadeing treasures worth

To a sole of heavenly birth

 

Rest not here but onward hast

Till each danger shal be past

Till each foe is neath the cast

Till thou gain thy home at last            JGS /

 

Tis not for man to trifle, life is brief

                                    and sin is here

Our age is but the faling of a leaf

                                    a droping tear

We have no time to sport away the hours

All must be ernss in a world like this

Not many lives but one only one have we

                                    a dreary life

How sacred should that one life ever be

                                    that narrow span

Day after day filled up with blessed toil

                                    while on earth we stay

Hour after hour still bringing in new spoil

                                                John G Scoville

 

Laura i send some flourseeds to you they are a new kind and verry handsom ther is the greatest variety of flours in the Park I ever saw but the sead is not much of it ripe yet well i must send some to Prinny and Sibby and big toty and little toty

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            Jefferson Citty company F 6 reg

                        Iowa vol Mo Sept 21..61

Dear companion and children I write again informing you that i am well hopeing these lines will find you all injoying the same blessing. well we left St Louis day before yesterday went on a steam boat stayed / on it untill ten at night Then we had orders to go another direction so we left the boat took the cars started at 12 oclock that night for this place arived here last eavening. this place is 1,60 milds north west from St Louis we are only 1,50 milds from Oceola. well we expect to have a fight soon. there is an army of rebbels with in 40 milds of us marching towards this citty we are now campt on the same ground whare Jackson a cesession general was campt with his men a short time ago some of there tents are here now. well our trus is in god our cause is just and we must prevale. our banner must wave ore the land of the free and the home of the brave

 

well if I should fall on the battle field i think i should go to a better world than this whare all our trouble will be ore, but i hope that my lif may be spard that i may see my wife and little dear children again O Ruth put your trust in the lord he will be with you if you put your trust in him. I know that you have a hard time and have more than your share of trouble may god bless you all. i may see you this fall if i can get a furlow O how I would like to see you but I cannot well we have just been to head quarters to get our guns but our capt would not have them he sayed we would wate an hour or two and get better ones John Scoville

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