197th Pennsylvania Infantry

Description

Original Civil War soldier's letter. 3 pages, written in period ink.

Rock Island
September 10th 1864

Dear Friend,

I received your kind and very welcome letter this morning and was glad to hear from you. I am well as can be expected and I hope that these few lines may find you in the same state of health. I am sorry to hear that you lost your brother. We lost one of our men in our of Company B. He died on the 5th. We have about one hundred men on the sick list. I have not been sick yet. But I don’t know how soon my turn may come yet. We have buried about 50 Rebs since I came out here. there is two or three dying ever day. You told me to write whether anyone else came with me. But there was none. There was two started with me but the backed out and I had to go alone. There was one of my old comrades from Baligo went with me. I like the place out here right well so far. I don’t have much to do here but guard the Rebs. There is no danger getting in a battle unless the Rebs make a break and get out. But I don’t think they can do that. They have tried to dig out, but they were caught at it. You say you would like the gulf better than you did a year ago. Well, I have gotten use to being away now. So, I don’t think that I would like it again, if I live to get home again. I don’t think that I will stay any longer than spring. We have 48 days to stay yet. And then I expect to get home. I would like to see you this winter again and to have some more old sport again. I have told you all that I can think of now, so I will bring this to a close by saying goodbye. In this I enclose my best wishes. Yours truly, James Wilfong You must excuse bad writing and spelling. Write soon again. When I a dead and in my grave and all my bones are rotten, Remember me when this you see gre elec ite be forgotten.

James Wilfong
Rock Island