Dear wife and Children:
I received your kind letter dated 6th on the 15th. Was truly glad to hear that you are all well. My health is still improving. I have been out on picket one day and two nights. Just returned to camp. Johnson is well. He received a letter from home a few days back. Washington and Hosea all well. The health in camp is good. The weather is more mild than it was last week. There has been no rain for several days. The news from all parts of our Army is good. You have undoubtedly heard it all. Morgan is making quite a raid in Indiana and Ohio, but I think his success will be like Lee's or worse. His principal aim seems to be to destroy Government property as will weaken it the most. The report here in the Nashville Daily is that he is within six miles of Hillsboro.

We are still in Murfreesboro and from all appearances will remain here for sometime. All is quiet so far. There has been no appearance of Rebels. The report is that Rosecrans has taken a large number of prisoners and still driving them on. It is likely that Bragg has made his last stand unless heavily reinforced. 

Try and be composed. Do not have any anxious thoughts about this world for experience has taught me that it is useless. Put your trust in the Lord and call upon him daily. Make all your wants and wishes known. Put your whole trust in him and all will be well. Be assured that I do not forget you at a throne of grace. If the Lord be for us, who shall be against us? The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

Enclosed you will find one dollar which I got on my way down here. It will not pass here because it is so badly torn.

Perhaps it will pass at DeMossville. We have received pay again. I have just sent a check to Washington for $23. The next payment I intend to send to you which will be about six weeks. If you had to sell your milk and butter as it sells here you could soon make a fortune. Milk is worth 20 cents per quart and butter 40 cents per pound. Onions 2 cents apiece. Tomatoes 4 to 6 dollars per bushel. Cabbage 25 cents per head and small at that. Blackberries are plentiful. Johnson and I have been gathering some and getting them baked into pies for the half. Pies sell at 30 to 40 cents apiece. The trouble is we cannot often get through without a written pass from the General. Give my love to the children. Your affectionate husband, George Beighle.

Civil War Letter

Generously submitted by Billy Newman, Thanks Billy!

This letter was written by Mr. Newman's great-great-grandfather James Kells, December 13, 1862, from Camp Dennison, Ohio., at the start of his enlistment in the Union army.
To Thomas Kells:

Dear Mother, brother and sisters This leaves me in good health. Thanks be to God for his mercies. Hoping that these few lines may find you enjoying the same blessings.
I purchased a piece of land in Boone County, Ky., 7 years ago. I was living on it. I had as good a time as I could expect-this War had blasted some of my hopes. The rebels claimed Kentucky. I thought I had better join the regular army as Union men were not safe in a mixed multitude. I joined the army on the 21st of October last. I would have joined the army at the commencement of the struggle, only I have a woman and four children to take care of. The first is named Thomas, the second is named Jane, the third named Robert, the fourth named Nancy, and some appearance of more. The war would be little trouble to me only for the children.
You need not believe the half of the English reports of this war; their wishes and interests, and their monarchs depend on the citizens of this country eating one another up.
The first army, one half of it was composed of trifling characters. This army of the Government is composed of iron minds of Europe and the talent of America. The Government had six hundred and forty thousand in the field this year. On the first of March last the killed, wounded and missing reduced them down to 450 thousand. This army call that I am in is six hundred thousand, more besides the filling up of old regiments. If England and France were to interfere there could be five hundred thousand more raised in one month. The English aristocrats can't see where the men from all Europe has a flocking here for the last 20 years. There is four million, five hundred thousand from the age of 18 to 45 years of age in loyal states, besides the one quarter of the rebellious portion is in favor of the Union. My wages as a soldier is two pounds, twelve shillings, per year for clothing. At the lowest value, I get as bounty 27 pounds in hand, and 15 at the end of the war, or the expiration of three years. There is no man listed on the account of this rebellion longer than three years. If wounded I get 19 pounds a year pension; if killed my wife gets so long as she remains a widow.
I have 91 acres of land, 2 horses, cows and other stock. I have not masoned much the last few years. A woman is in a man's way if he wants to be rich in pocket in this country. My children are like jewels; they are a treasure in my sight and more so when I am absent. My brother-in-law is most of his time at my house. There is not much ____?___about him. My wife insisted on him to list to keep me at home. I will be more useful to the army than he. I rented out my land this year, all but a little - the pasture and garden that I kept for the use of my family comforts, except my presence. My mind is absorbed about my own business.
Mother, if you hear no more from your first born son, you may expect he died fighting for the rights of man.

James Kells

Give my respects to all my inquiring friends, John Allen, John Baley, write soon as this comes to hand. Direct your letter to James Kells, 109 Regiment, Ohio or elsewhere, United States of America.

The following letter was written by Elva May Marksberry, daughter of Hiram Marksberry and Amanda Elizabeth Hearn. Elva "Elvie" was born May 18,1888 Owen Co.,Ky., married Unknown Rogers. She was 10 yrs old at the time she wrote this to her grandparents Emily "Courtney" Wilson Marksberry, and John Andrew Conn in Bryan Co., Ok.

Generously submitted by Beverly Williams Wallace, Thanks Bev!

March 19,1899
Jonesville, Kentucky

Dear Grandma,
I thought as I had not written for a long time I would try to write to you and if you would answer my letter. Grand and Papa was up 2-weeks ago and brought me a beautiful Green Jacket and gave me a half a dollar besides. I was ever so glad to see him, he said he had wrote for you to come to his house and if you do, be sure to come to see us. Poor old Grand-Pa is dead. He has been dead very near ten months. He suffered for 6 yrs. and was blind 3 months before he died. Grand-ma had to feed him and Grandma had a bad sick spell. She taken sick in Oct. and wasen't out of her room for four months until the first day of March. Tell aunt Mary and children to write to me and uncle John and uncle Willie. I would love to see them. Tell them to write to me. Tell uncle Alfred and aunt Ellie and children to write to me. I would love to see all of you. Tell aunt Ellie mama was up at her Pa's yesterday morning and her ma was fixing to go to see Ivy Y. We got snow on the ground today. It is awful cold. It rained yesterday. We haven't seen Uncle Sam and Aunt Bet. for some time. I know Courtney is married. She married last fall. Hiram has been married nearly 3 yrs and had 2 children. One of them is dead. Tell Grandpa I would love to see him. We haven't seen aunt Lydia for going on 2 yrs. Uncle Ike Hearn is here with us from Kansas. I hope when they return, they will find one and all well. I have a bad cold now. I ain't very well. Mama send much love to one and all keeping a portion for yourselves. P.S. I forgot to tell you I have got the dress you gave me.

Love,
Elva

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