Click here for this soldier’s biography:
https://micivilwar.com/authors/vanvalkenburgh-george-w/
Regiment: 23rd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Bowling Green, Ky
Tuesday February 17 1863
My dear wife I am sitting once more with pen in
hand to inform you that I am quite well now but
I have had a very bad cold and have been almost down
sick with it but I am better of my cold now and am
on duty again. I have been excused from duty for three or
four days but I am on hand now for anything this is
[illegible badly faded] company down town
this forward to give them a chance to trade and get out
of camp for the rules are very strict sence the boys got
there harp about there leaving camp the Col will not give
but one pass to a company per day for sence they got there
money they waste it then get drunk every time they
get a chance and by having a few drunken rowdies in the
regiment is makes very strick laws for thoes that would
behave. I went down town the other day and had my
likeness taken but it was such a poor one that I thought
[ ? ] I would
Some pictographs taken but it is so cloudy that they cannot
take them and I am going again tomorrow with the Lieut
He is a boy and he is a man and a whole sound man.
He is just as good as they make them as also is the captain
they will do anything for the boys that they can I was
on guard last Friday and there was a good many of the
boys in city and went to whisky shop and got into a
row and we that was on guard went and took them
and put them in the guard house and between 10 and 11
[illegible badly faded] his boys took them down
town and put them in the post prison they was drunk
and making a good deal of noise they was at a house
of ill fame and they will probley have to stay in prison
Wednesday Feb 18
For some time it rained all night and it is raining
now. we have a great deal of rain here at this time of the
year we get rain here instead of snow but still according to
all accounts we have had more snow here than you have
had there but they tel me that they have had more
snow here than usual The prospects bid
fair now for our rigament to stay here next summer
and if we can do as much by staying here as by
going to the front we may as well stay here
if we cant I am ready to move forward at any time
it has been two weeks now since I received a letter and I
begin to think that you are getting forgetful as well as the
rest of thoes that I once thought was friends but I have
no testimony of that fact now I have received no letters to assure
me that they have at least one thought of me now that
I am far away from them and in a land of strangers
I promised myself the other day that I would not rite another
leter home until I received some answers from the letters
that I have already riten but the thoughts of my family prompted me to write another leter
to my wife to let her know that I am still alive and in
the land of living I did not know but the letters
I have riten home to my wife had been miscaried and she
had not received them and I could not keep the promise
I had pledged myself to keep but if I don’t get
answer from this I will not only make a promise but I
will keep it I shall close this by biding you good by
and once more asking for the favor of a good long letter This is from your loving husband
19th I went down town today and had this picture taken
The small one taken the other Georg Van day and it
was so poor that this one taken
[ ? ] for you and
the other for mother I could not get the photograph taken
rite as soon as you get this
