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File: 30APL65.doc
Fort
Scott April 30th 1865 My Dear Wife,
It is Sunday
night and I propose to as far as I can to obey the injunction "remember the Sabbath
day & to keep it holy" While away
from you, by sitting apart and dedicating the Sabbath to writing and thinking of my dear
wife. The Sabbath is always quite a gala day
in the Army. In the morning we have a general
inspection. That is all the arms &
accoutrements, clothing, cleanliness and quarters of the men are examined and a general
cleaning up is had. Then in the afternoon we
have dress parade. So you see I cannot give you all the day
but I always have part of the day and all of Sunday night that I dedicate to you. And you know Sis that I always Sunday night to you
for a long time before we were married. And
we used to enjoy them to didn't we. How I
used to wait week after week for Sunday night to come around and then - well Sis you know
the rest as well as I. Those were precious
Sunday nights weren't they. I love to think
of them don't you? I don't want you to think
that I am only going to think of you Sunday nights but only that I am going to give to you
that night as I used to. So you may expect at
least a letter from me every Sunday night. I
could write to you oftener and write short common place letters such as I see some of the
officers write to their wives; just merely telling them that they are well and hoping they
are the same, and maybe a few inquires about friends and neighbors and closing by
subscribing themselves "A fortunate husband" and it is no pleasure for me to
write so to you. When I write to you I want
to be alone and set down and talk to you as near as I can as though you were sitting by my
side. I always see you when I am writing to
you just as plainly as though you were present. Your
firm features and eyes, your hands and feet, your face, everything is distinct to me as
though I ?? kisses for your lips and was looking straight into your eyes and that is the
way I love to write to my own dear Sis.
I have just
managed to get some ink and will finish my letter with a pen instead of a pencil. The last letter I received from you was dated
April 9th. I have been looking every night
for a letter but none have come. I shall be
so glad to get another letter from you. Have
you received the letter I wrote you at Warrensburg and the one I wrote you at Paola and
the one I wrote you since I have been here, three in all since I left St. Louis. You wrote me you had received my photograph. How did you like it. Did I look natural.
How did I look in Military uniform. You
wrote I looked cross. I want to know if you
thought I was good looking. In my three
last letters I have written you to send your photograph.
Now do send it Sis. I shall be
so pleased to have it. Send Lill's to if you
can. Our
Colonel arrived this last week with the last two companies of the Regiment. The eight companies that came when we did were
commanded by Lt. Col. Shea. We all like the
Colonel. He makes us all stand around when on
duty but off duty he is a social genial gentleman. I
like soldiering pretty well as well as I expected. The
greatest drawback is being separated from you and Lill.
If I could have you here I should be perfectly happy. Mr. Allen is here.
I think the boys will like him pretty well.
I don't think he will find a very heavy work of grace going in the 48th Regt
and but a small chance to get up one. Religion is at a very low ebb in the army
out here and in fact among the people generally as far as ny observation has extended. I do not know much about the society here. I understand there are a few old residents here
together with some of the officers and their wives who reside here that make up the
respectable part of society. the balance is
rather mixed particularly the female portion of it. There
are a great many refugee women here that have come here from the south who rely mostly on
their personal charms for a living. Army
officers tell that this is the case in all places along the border occupied by our troops. And all officers are unanimous in their opinion
that northern women are a thousand times more chaste than southern women. What a condition the south will be in when
the war is over. Their property and home
destroyed, their niggers free, thousands upon thousands of their people killed and worse
than all the terrible prostitution among their wives and daughters. Well they deserve it all and more too for getting
up this rebellion. The bogus confederacy is
about played out at last. How proud we shall
all be of our Government and our country and our flag when the last rebel is whipped and
we know and feel that the jurisdiction and authority of the United States Government
extends over all - every foot of the territory of the United States. It has cost an immense sacrifice of life and
treasure to put down this rebellion but it is worth all it has cost. Don't you think so Sis? I wonder what such old copperheads as Cleaves and
Pete Schafer think now about putting down the rebellion.
What a terrible thing the assassination of President Lincoln was. You know he never was a great favorite with me yet
I always regarded [him] as one of the most honest and kind hearted of men whose greatest
fault in administering the government during the war was his too kind treatment of rebels. How terribly his poor wife must feel for although
he was the President yet to her he was a husband. The
husband of her girlhood. I hope President
Johnson will stretch plenty of secesh necks to pay for it.
What is the news in Omro. Do things seem about as they used to. How does William get along and Sauger how is his
health. Give my respects to him. What is Alf doing and how is Hattie. I suppose Hattie hasn't got a baby yet. How are William's folks & Murphy's. And finally darling how do you get along and how
is your health. Have you got entirely well. Tell me all about yourself and Lill. What your are doing and what you read &
whether you play the guitar any. Have you got
your black silk dress made up yet. Do you get
the Sentinel regularly. Are goods any cheaper
than they used to be. Everything is very high
here. Please Darling write me as often as you
can. I prize your letters more than
everything else and I should be so happy to get a letter from you every week. My own health is pretty good now although since I
wrote you I have had an attack of Chill fever. But
I took quinine and have not felt it for several days.
Cady and the boys are all well. Henry's
health is good and now my dear wife I must close and bid you good night. Next Sunday night I will write you another letter
and in the mean time I do hope to get one from you. Good
Bye darling I put twenty kisses for your forehead ten for each eye ten for each cheek and
forty for each lip and if they get out of this letter before it reaches you I will give
them myself when I get home. Kiss Lill for
Papa and kiss me darling when you get this letter from Direct as before to "Fort Scott Kansas" |