Letters of Francis William Kimble
14th Iowa Infantry, Company 'B'

Presented by the Iowa Civil War Site

Letter number one

Dear Mother it is with great pleasure that I set down to let you know that I
am well at present and hope these few lines may find you the same blessing.
Well Mother we started from Agency City on Tues at 3 o'clock in the
afternoon. We got down to Burlington at 7 o'clock at night. We marched up
through town and back.Tthen we went to a hotel and got our suppers. After
supper we took the soft side of the flour for our bed and had a very good
sleep. We had to stay in Burlington til 2 o'clock in the afternoon when we
got aboard of the Jennie Whipple for Muscatine which I reached about 12
o'clock at night. We had our suppers on thesteamboat about 7 o'clock. Well
Mother you ought to seen us when the suppper bell rung, such a crowding you
never seen. Well Mother the night I was in Burlington where was 2 soldiers
drowned. There was a steamboat lagying at Burlington and there was alot of
boys on board when a steamboat came up the river, struck the side of the boat
which knocked 7 of the boys off board and they got 5 of them out and the
other 2 drowned. Well Mother we marched in camp Thurs. morning. We have a
very nice barracks to stay in. Well Mother there is about 18 hundred soldiers
here and more a coming in all the time. There was a company came in this
morning and Ben Waldon was with. Well Mother I am very well satisfied so far.
There is about 25 men a writin home. We have plenty to eat so no more at
present.Direct your letter to Camp Strong, Muscatine, IA., 37th Regt, Iowa
Volunteers. From your son to his Mother Dottie [email protected]

Dottie [email protected]

Transcribed and submitted by great great niece