The following letter was written by George Washington Waterman (1841-1863) of Co. K, 39th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI). George was the third of eight children born to Sophronia Skeels (1816-1900) and Luther Waterman (1812-1852) of Athens county, Ohio. While researching this letter, having already transcribed it, I discovered that George’s letters had already been published by Melaine Mahaffey in 2019. Apparently there are 119 letters of George’s published in the book. I don’t know whether this letter was included in the book or not.

In this letter, George mentions that the regiment had left St. Louis, leaving Co. K to remain on detached service as barracks guards. Nine companies of the regiment left St. Louis for Medon on 6 September 1861; four of the regiments were assigned to guarding the Northern Missouri Railroad and five other companies marched to the relief of Lexington, Missouri.

Transcription

Camp Benton
Sunday, September 15th 1861

Dear Uncle,

I expect you would like to hear from me how and where I am. I had intended to wrote to you before but somehow I never have got at it. We have just had the best kind of meeting & Sunday school this morning & the preacher said for us to go to our quarters and read our bibles or write letters to our friends so I thought I would write you a letter.

We are now about three miles back of St. Louis but how long we will be here I cannot tell. We may be here a month or two and we may have marching orders in less than an hour. It is just that uncertain. Our regiment has all left but this company. It had to stay to guard the barracks. A regiment left night before last and one artillery company left this morning and another is just going out now. There is something going to be did now before long. I have no idea how many soldiers there is in & about this camp. Go out in what direction you will & all you can see is camps for miles around. I wish that we was with our regiment wherever it is. I expect it is up in the northern part of the state somewhere.

We have the nicest place for a camp here that I ever saw. The barracks are 3/4’s of a mile long & there is three rows of them, They will hold a large family for Uncle Sam. They say that we will have to winter here. It is a nice country out here. The land is very rich and lays well. There is plenty of fruit out here.

I got a letter from Mother after she got home & she said that you would volunteer if it was so you could get in this company for this is a good company & we have good officers. We have the best kind of times & plenty to eat. Some would complain of anything but if we don’t see no harder times we have had, I will say we have had easy times. They have one of the nicest fairgrounds out that I ever saw. They are fixed up in style, you had [better] think.

I believe that this fuss will come to an end before long by the way the troops are pouring in. The North has got her Irish up now and when they once get at it, they will make the fur fly. We got the news this morning of a battle somewhere on the Potomac & the Union men took some fifty thousand prisoners. They are expecting a battle at Washington City all the time. It will be hot times there when they get at it.

Some two weeks ago a regiment came in to camp from Springfield. They got whipped out there & had everything they had taken from them & their wives and daughters’ clothes was taken from them. They came here & a madder set you never saw. I think there is where those soldiers are going to that left here.

I had no idea when I was at your house that I would go so soon although I thought of going. I hope this war won’t last long so that we all can return home again. I don’t expect there will be any chance to get to go home soon—not as long as we are here. I don’t think it will be over eight or ten months before we will all get to go home and stay there. I have wrote a letter every day for four days now & I have wrote. about all I can think of so I will close by stating that I am well at present & I hope these few lines will find you all the same & will bring an answer soon. Give my best respects to all. inquiring friends. Yours with respect, — George W. Waterman

[To] L. B. Skeels

Direct to Camp Benton, St. Louis, Mo., 39th Ohio Regiment, Care of Capt. Rhoades [Co. K]

P. S. You will see on the envelope how much different Jeff Davis looks when returning home than he did when he was going to war.