Camp Turchin near Murfreesboro
June 15th 1863

Dear Wife

I take this present opportunity or writing to you in answer to yours of the 7th which came in due time I rec'd it last Friday. It came in four days and I was glad to learn that you were all well. I am well and hearty and hope these lines may reach you the same. The reason that I did not answer your letter sooner was that Afternoon we went on drill and Saturday morning I and four other men were detailed to go on picket and did not get back till yesterday afternoon and This morning we drilled an hour and a half and in about an hour we have to go and graze our horses. So you see we are kept very busy, but I will write a few in lines and write again as soon as I can.

You asked me if I was in the skirmish that 6 B was in I think I was and I think I wrote to you in my other letter or if I did not I forgot it. When we go on a scout, I generally tell the particulars. I am glad you got your money, but am sorry that there are so many thieves and burglars in your neighborhood. But I hope the conscript will take some or them in the army. You had better find out whether you can let them sheep out before you buy any, for if you would buy and then have no place to put them it would be a bad thing. But if you can let them out for a pound of wool and the same number of sheep, do so, for that will be better than money at 6 per cent. You say you are afraid to stay there. I do not blame you for it, for I suppose there are some very mean persons in your neighborhood. But I would advise you to get your gun loaded and shoot the first villain that attempts to do you wrong. If you only had one of our six shooting army revolvers I think you could defend yourself well. Try and get a boy to stay with you if you can. You must try and keep up good courage and hope for a better time to come. Be of good cheer for I hope to be with you and those loved ones again. And if circumstances will not allow us to have furloughs there is one consolation, that is our time will be out in about fifteen months more and if it is the Lords will to spare my life and health that much longer, we will see each other again. I am glad the children are well and that they are such comfort to you. Teach them well and study their temper and improve their dispositions if possible, for on them depends our future happiness.

You say you have not heard from George nor father in some time, nor I have not heard from father in about two months. He wrote me a letter that did not suit my politics and I answered it accordingly, and I suppose I affronted him, but I do not care a straw for it. If he can not write loyal letters to me, I do not want him to write at all, and I suppose he took the hint. I had a letter from Sam about a week ago and he was well all except his speech is very curious.

You must not so hard as to make yourself sick and do not trouble yourself too much for me, for I think you are well aware that it will not better the circumstances one bit. You want to know what I will say to you selling the old cow this fall. I believe she is most too good a cow to sell. The old saying is, when you have a good thing, keep it. And you want to know what I say to your raising the calf. I think it is a good plan if you can get it kept over winter. You say of Mary singing of me being in Dixie. I wish I could see them. She must be a stout, stout girl. Tell Lillie she must grow fast or Mary will soon be the biggest. Oh how I wish you and them could have some or the nice mulberries that I have here when I go out on picket, and yesterday I had some nice dewberries. They are just getting ripe. There will be lots of blackberries again this summer and there will be some apples and peaches but not as many as last year. Yesterday we had a hard thunderstorm and a nice rain, and it rained a little nearly all night but this morning it cleared off and this is a beautiful day. Henry is well at present. You did not say whether you got that box that Henry and I sent to you. I have looked over my clothing account today and it is twenty five dollars and sixty cents, and five or six dollars will be all that I will need more this year. So that the government will owe me for clothing when the year is up, that is if I will not have to draw overcoat and blankets this fall. Well, I hardly know what more to write on this page but if I could see you I could find enough to tell you to fill a hundred pages.

Well, a few lines to Lillie. I wish I could see you Lillie. I have just shaved and washed and combed my head and now I would like to have a kiss from you. I guess I will have you comb my head, I guess you are most big enough to get dinner when Ma is sick.

I believe I have given you about all the news that I can think of at present, so will come to a close in hopes of hearing from you soon. No more this time but remain your true and loving husband,

George Kryder
To Elisabeth S. Kryder
and little girls