Bowling Green, Kentucky, Letters of Pvt. Sam T. Smith, 15th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment

March 6, 1862

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Mrs. Smith, Dearest and Most Precious Companion:

I am enjoying moderate health at this time. I am not as well as I was when I wrote you the last time as I have a small touch of diarrhea, but not very bad and I hope that it will not be very bad. When I wrote the last letter I was within four miles of Bowling Green, and now we are across the river about one mile beyond Bowling Green. Well Lizzie you ought to see the soldiers making mules of themselves pulling the wagons up the river bank. Since writing the above I received a letter from you and Tish and Abe which I was glad to hear from you all but sorry to hear of the sickness of Dock Wess. I wrote in my other letter for you not to send me anything to eat. I did not know when I would go nor I don’t know yet, but have an idea. I think we will go to Nashville, Tennessee, and if we go there you can send me something right straight as long as the railroad runs straight through with the exception of some of the bridges that the devils burned down. If you send me anything, send me an assortment of everything that you think will keep until I get it. If you send anything, you had better direct it to Nashville, Tennessee. If I had a stuffed hen today it would suit me fine. I have had nothing to eat of consequences for about four days. Don’t understand me that we have nothing at all, but I will tell you the provisions have been scanty which is always the case when we are on the march, and even if we have plenty all of the time I would still like to have something of your fixing up anyhow. Well Lizzie if you can send me a chicken or two and some peas and some cakes and fruits and such things, pitch-in. Leon can tell you how to direct it. If you send anything, send it as soon as you can as it is uncertain how long we will stay in one place. I understand we will get some money when we get to Nashville, and if I get any I will send some home forthwith and that will please you I know, and I know that it will please me. Lizzie I want you to send me some stamps if you can get them anyways for I am about out and when I get out writing will stop until I get some from home for there is no chance to get any here. I want you to send me a box of pills such as we use to get that is a kind that acts on the liver. Well Lizzie I will have to come to a close as I have written all that I can think of at this time and if I could think of ever so much I don’t feel like writing. Tell Tish and Abe that I don’t feel well enough to answer their letter at this time. Give them my best respects. Tell them I will write them a letter sometimes when I feel well enough. They can get the news that I have to write by reading this letter. You must excuse this letter for it is badly written. Lizzie you must do the best you can, and I will do the same. Give my respects to friends and relations. No more at present.
I remain your husband as ever,
Sam T. Smith

Bowling Green, Kentucky, Letters of Pvt.Sam Smith, 15th Indiana Volunteer Infantry

Feb. 27, 1862
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Mrs. Smith, Dear Wife,

I am happy to inform you that I am well at present hoping when these few lines come to hand they may find you well and dong well. I received your letter about a week ago, but I have not wrote to you before now as we have been on the march. I wrote to you to send me something to eat, but you need not send it as there will not be much chance to get it. I am getting further off, and it is uncertain whether it would come or not for I don’t know where we are going. You said in your letter that you would like to send some warm coffee and biscuits and corn bread and sweet mil, but that would be too nice. You had better think I could wade up to my chin if I could get something of that kind, but, however, I think Uncle Sam’s biscuits are first rate. You said that you had written a part of that letter yourself that is from the black mark and you wanted to know if how I liked it very well. I could read it straight along, but there was some bad spelling and some very bad letters, but I could make it out very well. The main part of writing is to spell every word right, and you should take particular pains to learn to spell every word right When you set down to write you should have a book that is a spelling book or dictionary to look at and when you come to a word that you don’t know how to spell look at the book and see how it is spelled. I want you to take pains and write as good as you can and spell as good as you can and write your own letters. I can read your writing now, and if you will try and take pains, I can read it better. You have no idea how much good it does me to know that you can write as well as you can. You said that you wanted me to send myself to you in a letter, but I would much better send myself on the cars and other ways of transportation until we could meet face to face, but that will not be for a while yet, and perhaps, never, but I shall live in hope as long as I do live. You said in a letter that you sent by Josh Brazelton that you wanted me to send you all the money that I could spare. I am sorry to say that I have not no money yet, and confound my buttons if I know when I will, but when I get some I will send it to you. If you have not got the money borrow it from someone I have now four months pay coming to me now, and when I get it I can square the bill, and if you send me some stamps it will suit me for I am about out. I can write some more letters and then I will be done until I get stamps. So, I will have to close my letter as this sheet is all scribbled over. Give my respects to all friends and relations and to Mr. Howe. No more at present. I am remain your husband until death.

Sam T. Smith

Camp Wickliffe, Ky., Letters of Pvt. Sam T. Smith, 15th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment

February 9, 1862

Camp Wickliffe, Kentucky

Mrs.Smith, My Dearest and Beloved Companion

I am well at this present time hoping when thse few lines come to hand they may find you and the children well and hearty. I have not recieved a letter from you for some time. When the mail comes in of an eveing I look with anxious eyes, but when the letters are called there is none for S.T. Smith it makes me very sad to think that I cannot get a letter from you nor any one else. I am certain that I have written three letters to you that I have not got answers to yet, and Leon never thinks about writing. I don't think I have got a letter from him in a long time. If you all knew how much good it did me to read a letter, you would write oftener than you do. If you have nothing to write only that you are well and your named signed to it it would do me a great deal of good. I have nothing of interest to write, but I will do the best I can. I have not recieved my boots and socks yet. Now I don't expect to get them. I am going to try to get the pay for them. I want Leon to make me another pair as quick as he can and send them to me. If he will direct them as I have told him they will come through safe. And I would like for you to send me some more socks as I did not get them that you did send. Some low retch I guess is keeping his nasty dirty feet warm with the socks and the boots that I ought to have had two weeks ago. They came to New Haven the 16th of last month and the sutter of the Regiment recieved and receipted for them and that is the last of them. I sent to the Express Agent and got a certificate showing that he did get them, and I am going to try to make him pay for them. If you would send me something to eat when Leon sends my boots it would please me very much even if it was nothing more than some dried peaches or anything in the way of something that would keep until it would get here. If you have plenty of provisions send me something, and if you have not, keep what you have got and get all you can for I have plenty such as it is, but I would like to have somethig new. We have a change of diet here Coffee and Crackers and bacon for breakfast, for dinner Bacon, coffeee and crackers and for Super we have coffee, bacon and crackers. Sometimes beef and sometimes we get two messes of potatoes per week. All these changes of grubb (are) nourishing and healthy and there's plenty of it, and I am able to partake of it when it comes around. So I have no right to complain, but if I could get something from you, it would be very pleasant. Tell Uncle Milton if he will send me two or three plugs of the best Virginia tobacco I will pay him the first opportunity as the article is very high here and none very good at that. i want you to go to Wee Shorts and get me a dose of pills and send them to me. I want a good many of them. Have them put in a tin or some other strong box. The pills tht I want is the kind we use to get there that act on the liver. I want directions on how to take them. They don't have any medicine that I will take,

Signed: Sam T. Smith