Sept the 24 1862
Dear Wife itake this opertunity to right
to you to let you know how I am at this
present time I am well at this
present time i have felt beter than
i have for a few days and i hope that
this leter may find you
the same
state of health the Boys is out at the time
but William lookd as he
is a bit sick
this morning but he is not vary good
Wee arer shuta up in a bull pen here
Wee cant git out unless we gow for Water
and it is but fur a short time We cant
have mutch privlieg her her When I
set down to Wright that other leter
I did not know What to Wright to you
you must Write to me and let me
know all the news When I set down to
rite this leter thair was cry out fire and
thair was Eaight hunder solgers turn out
To stop the fire
but it burnt three hours
page
1
before the fire ingin cood git to it I
Worked on the ingine untill i
like to
fainted they supposed that it got
a fire By a solger
shooting a gun of
or a pistle it was in
grocery and
Worst of al it burnted a Wider Woman
house thare Was too people
Thaire We hav the best oficer to our
ridmant rest that is the fact
We expect to
come back to Parkersburgh
the curnel says so and
he noes al
about it so if We do come back
thaire i Will come home
soon
and if we don’t I shant
come
unless i can git furlow to stay
Week or ten days
So you Wright
to me soon as you git
this the drum
is beeting so must
bring leter to a
close you may direct your leter
Camp Willey Whilling Va
in ceare
of Capt Shah [Capt Shah is crossed out] this is rong
page
2
Whiling Va Camp Willia the fifteen
Va ridgmant in ceare
of Capt SPShah
i will say to you i Want you to tell
me What the folks says a bout you
Staying thair nothing more at
but remain your true friend
With respect unt deth parts us
yours David Riel
to Sarah
E. C. Riel
tell Hurvy and Willia
to remember me
and i will
them
page
3
[Transcribed by Adrian L. Headley from original
letter written by David Riel.]
March
the 18 1863
Dear Wife I reseieved a letter
from
you this morning and I was glad
to hear from you and Was pleas to
hear
that you was well your letter found
me as Well as common We left grafton
and came to Sir Johns run Where our
cournel
is and I like it as Well as aney
place I ever have bin yet thay is plenty of
turkey and deers
here and all of other
kinds of game I went out the other
day and i
found a bout fifty turkey
and i
founder them a bout a mile
and i as
well stayed at home for all the
good it don We had a Dispatch from
General Milroy and he sad that thay
Was net no foresees in the valley now
but a bout eaigh
hunder of embowden
cavalry in the valley and thay air leave
Richmon and gonit
the South
to help them in the last dying
Strugle for i
think the thing Will be
Setle by harvest So We can all
come
home to stay With our fameleys Who
are more dear than this holde World
our Couneral
had us to com out in a line
of battle and he said how do you do
he
Said boys if you do stand fast i
think
the back bon of the rebelion is brock
and he said if We do our duty as
Well as We have he sad that he
thought we wood
be the first regiment discharge in
the
fielde We
air campt on the petomice
river bank and the Cars Runs
between
us and the bank We come threw maney a
tunel and
over the wirst places that ever
aney body
seen the hies hills the hills
is pilde
on top of one and another this
is a hardly as good a place as
but i
thin this is as good a place as ever
I seen fo
to be no town here thay is a
pace where thay
Call the beackes springs
thay call
it the bath house thay is
a room in it a bout twenty feet
wide
and a bout fifty feet long and it
is linde With
marvel stone as White as snow the
Water is as Warm
as milk all the time the Boys go up
thair
Wash of ever oncell-?- While thay Say that
the rebels is all gon from this county
and the rail rode is safe Without
aney bad
or garden it now but our
officers is not a go into fite if can help
it now We got the news that our men
had took twenty six of the rebels
gunshots
and burnte
18 of them and the number
is not now in What thay kill and capter
thay Will
be hard fite at vissburg
and
the rebls
is leaven richmon and
thay have
all left fredseburg I donte
think We Will have aney fit for twelve
month to Come unless it is With the
bush
Whackers and thay Will ondley comin
The night and stay a litley While
Sarah E C Riel The boys that fears no man
[Transcribed
by Adrian L. Headley and Nanci Headley Kotowski from original letter written by David Riel.]
Dec the 25
1863
Dear Wife it i
Wife I reseieved your leter and was
glad to hear from you I am Well and
I hope if ever this does to hand it will find
you the same I was surprise to hear
that
you Was a goin
to Stay a Way up thair Wher
thay is
no body lives and the is no body
to git aney thing for you and
and you Worte
to me that you had that
house from Steaphen
and i was glad and
Wood a helph you but as it is I dont
know until i
com home and see
how the thing is a goin an I Can tell
When I can com home and it
maby it
will be in the cours of too or
thre monts and it will be in the a
Weeke or to I will com on you
When you aint a lookin for me
The same as the rest all
Write Soon as this
Goes to hand
Page
1
Dear sun I Want you to obay your mother
So she Will say to me When I come
home
that you have bin a good boy and I
will
bring Some thing nise to you and Wille*
Hervey Dail Riel**
Page
2
you must rember
What I told you and her I
Will do What told you
Harvey Dail Riel**
Page
3
*son of David Riel and his
wife, Sarah Elizabeth Catharine Van Lear Riel.
** son
of Sarah Elizabeth Catharine Van Lear Riel, stepson of David Riel
[Transcribed
by Adrian L. Headley and Nanci Headley Kotowski from an original letter written by David Riel.]