Camp Crook Look Out Valley, Ala.
Sept. 7th, 1863
Dear and Beloved Wife:
I now take my pen in hand to inform you that I still enjoy good health and am in tolerable good spirits and hope this letter may reach you all well.
I rec'd. your letter of the 27th Aug yesterday with much satisfaction, but am sorry that you are sick or are suffering from that fall that you got. I wish I could have been there to wait on you when you had that fever. I am glad that you had a good girl to wait on you. You say that you have money that you do not know what to do with. You can let it out in Government Bonds at six percent interest payable every six months. I think you can find an agent in Norwalk. Do not expose yourself to make yourself sick again by wading the Branch after the cow. Rather let her go unmilked, for I want to see you in good health if it be God's will to spare my life to see you and our loved ones.
Now I will tell you that on the 2nd we started to cross the Tenn. River and by ten o'clock we were all successfully across and we marched about ten miles and went into camp for the night. The next morning we went up Sand Mountain (but I almost forgot, at one o'clock that morning our company and Co. K were called up to go in search of some 25 bushwhackers. We saw where they had fed their horses, but they had gone) and that day we crossed Sand Mountain and day before yesterday we went on a reconnaissance on Lookout Mountain and saw the Rebs. on the other side. That evening we came back and yesterday we came to this camp and since I have been writing we got orders to march tomorrow morning with three days rations. The report is that the Rebs are evacuating Chattanooga and I think we are to cut them off. We were in the corner of the state of Georgia the other day.
You ask why I do not get a furlough and come home. The reason is this. They do not give furloughs in this army. They say that they will give us four months at the end of our three years and if that is the case we will not have to stay more than eight months more and they will soon slip around. It would be impossible for me to send Mary Ann Kryder my likeness because I could not get it taken. I have not seen Sam for some time. The prospects bid fair for a speedy termination of the war and I yet believe that we will be at home by Christmas.
We still have plenty of peaches and apples and plenty of sweet potatoes but we only draw half rations of meat and sugar and coffee and crackers, but there is plenty of green corn. The boys are all in fine spirits and are confident of victory. I must close this short letter in hopes of hearing from you soon. No more this time. I am ever your true and affectionate husband until death
George Kryder
To E. S. Kryder
I most forgot to write to Lillie and hardly know what to say. Tell her she must be good girl to Mary and her ma and we will all be together sometime. Good Bye for this time
Write soon and direct to Steveson, Ala.
