The following letter was written by Pvt. Samuel Frank of Co. B, 18th Missouri Infantry—a regiment formed early in the war and one that took part in most of the important engagements in the western theatre. It lost heavily at Shiloh. During the first two months of 1864m it was mounted and employed in scouting the country about Florence, Alabama. It then joined Gen. Sherman’s army and was assigned to the 17th Corps during the Atlanta Campaign and the March to the Sea. They then marched with Sherman to Raleigh, North Carolina, where this letter was written in April 1865 on the evening before Gen. Sherman reviewed his army in the streets of Raleigh

Samuel wrote the letter to 15 year-old Ruth A. Morgan (1849-1926) of St. John, Putnam county, Missouri. Ruth was married to Sidney Daniel Shattuck (1836-1918) in 1868 and lived her entire life in Putnam county, Missouri.

Transcription

Camp near Raleigh, North Carolina
April 23rd 1865

Miss Ruth A. Morgan,

Dear friend, it is with pleasure that I take my pen in hand to answer your kind letter that came to hand a few days ago and was glad to hear from you and to learn you was well and to know that you haven’t forgot me. I am in good health and I truly hope when this comes to hand it will find you well and enjoying yourself.

Well, I haven’t much of importance to write, only I would like to see you once more and have the pleasure of talking to you. We have good news down here. Old General Lee has surrendered to General Grant and General Johnson has surrendered to General Sherman and lots of news about [the] place. It is the talk that we sill start in a few weeks on our way home and then all of the boys can come home and see the girls and have a good time with them. And then we can talk instead of writing and that will be much more pleasure to us.

Thomas Good[e] has come and fetched the letter safe to me. It has been a long time since I heard from you. It done me lots of good to get a letter from you. All of the boys is well as far as I know. Only Chris—he is not here at this time. He has not been with the regiment since we left Beaufort, South Carolina.

We are to have a General Review tomorrow. General Sherman is to be there. It is to be in town. I will have to close for it is getting late and I have to clean my gun. I send my love and best respects to you. Write soon as you can. I still remain as ever your true friend. Yours sincerely [with] love, — Mr. Samuel Frank

to Miss Ruth A. Morgan

So goodbye