Letters of Francis William Kimble
14th Iowa Infantry, Company 'B'
Presented by the Iowa Civil War Site
Letter number thirty-nine
Memphis, Tn Aug 15, 1864
Dear Mother, I just received you long looked for letter. It gave me great
satisfaction to hear from home once more for it seemed so long since I had
heard from you. If I had not got your letter this evening I should of written
to you tomorrow anyhow. I am very glad to hear from you, but sorrow to learn
that you are so unwell at present. I do hope that this letter may find you
enjoying yourself much better than when you wrote to me.Mother I don't want
you to borrow any trouble about Francis for I am a getting along very well
for some time past. I am quite hearty again, most to much so, for my own
good. I believe that I can eat nearly as much again as I did when I enlisted.
In other things you need not trouble yourself about me being amongst the sick
for I am not in the hospital now. I am on guard now and have been since the
3rd day of Aug. I find being on guard a great help to the improvement of my
health. I have a chance to get the fresh air now. Another thing is the duty
isn't so hard as the ward duty. I am on guard two hrs and off eight. I think
the duty very light. I would rather be with my regt if the weather wasn't so
warm. The regt is on another expedition now. I wanted to go along with them
and asked my captain what he thought about it and told me to stay where I was
til after this expedition. So after considering the matter over thoroughly I
thought so myself. Today would be a hard day for me to march for it is very
warm indeed. You say that it is so very dry in Iowa this summer. I wish that
you could have some of the nice showers up there that we are a having for
some time past for I think we could get along with every other one and then
have a plenty to get along with. Mother when you write again direct to Ward C
for the clerk in C is an Iowa soldier and he would tend to send my mail to me
if I should leave the hospital. You was so anxious that I should stay at the
hospital. That I shall stay now till I am sent off and that may be tomorrow
for all I know for soldiering is very uncertain. I wouldn't be surprised to
be sent off for my health has so improved since I have got out of the
hospital that they may take a notion to send me off. Well Mother I have got
my pay at last. The Gayoso was paid off day before yesterday. I just got even
80 dollars. I got $16 a month for the last two months. You may be looking for
me some things for I expressed a small box the 10th and I did not pay the
freight on it. I marked it Iowaville and I expect it will stop at Stumptown.
I directed it to Dad and more than that I expressed sixty five dollars to you
marked independent. I expect it will be there as soon as this letter is. If
the box goes right through it will get there first. Well I must close or you
will get tired of reading. So no more this evening. From your son, F. W.
Kimble
Transcribed and submitted by great great niece
|