Letters of Francis William Kimble
14th Iowa Infantry, Company 'B'
Presented by the Iowa Civil War Site
Letter number eleven
Cairo, Ills. May the 21st, 1863
Miss Eliza, It's now that I seat myself to answer your letter of the 14th
that I received yesterday the 20th. Well Eliza I was glad to hear from home
and that you was all well at that time. Well Eliza I am enjoying very good
health at present and also hope that I may remain so . The health of the regt
is very good at present. Our company has only about seven men unfit for duty.
Two of them is in the hospital and very sick but I think they will recover.
There was 3 of Co B started home yesterday on a 30 day furlow. Clark
Littlefield's wife came here a day or 2 before I wrote the last letter. She
is here yet. I guess she will leave in a day or two. She is going to his
folks in Ills. The days is very warm and the nights is cool enough to wear an
overcoat.Well Eliza I expect that there is a great many copperheads in and
about Iowaville. Littlefield's wife says they are most all copperheads. All
the bad luck. I wish then that they will be sent down here for us to shoot
for it would do me good to shoot a northern traitor than it would to eat my
dinner. I have a splendid heavy revolver that I would like to look over at
some of them. Well Liza there was a man shot last night. He was walking the
sidewalk and met 2 men that belonged to the gunboat.The man ran against the
soldier and the soldier shot him. When they was coming from the burying the
horses ran away and broke the widows arm. The man that was shot lives within
50 yds of our barracks. Tell Mother I have very pleasant times in the band.
We have a good teal of drumming to do but that is nothing to what it is to
stand guard every other day. Well Mother we got 2 months pay yesterday
morning. I expect I will send my dress coat home. I think that I could send
it to Mr. Baker and it would be safe. Tell the old man to see Baker about it.
Tell Dad that Co B caught a buffalo fish on a trot line that weighed 47
pounds. Tell cousin Steven that I would like to see him if there ain't any
sesesh about him. Tell Dad I want to know if there is any copperheadism about
him. Did Mother get that letter with the receipt for that money. She never
answered it. Tell me how Anna (Eudora, my gr grandmother, b 1861) is getting
along. I want to know if Jimmy is a going to school. I send my best respects
to all but copperheads. Yours truly F. W. Kimble to E.E. Kimble.
Dottie [email protected]
Transcribed and submitted by great great niece
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