Camp near Columbia, Tenn.
April 25th, 1864

Dear and beloved Wife:

I take my pen in hand to write to you that I am not very well but hope this letter may find you all well and in good health. I received your letter of the 19th just now and it makes me feel better to get a good big letter from you. I was on picket one night last week and took cold in my arm and it has been quite bad since that time. There is a large kernel swelled under my arm and I have been so stiff that I could scarcely move but am not sick. I have a good appetite all the time.

Now I am very glad that you have got the Deed for that Property, and now you can get that front fence made. Please ask Mr. Evans to let out the job and you can get such Improvements done that you think needy.

I am sorry that you have stirred up old Jonny Bull. Not that he can do you much harm but may make you considerable trouble. You should be careful what you say for if he can prove that you said that he took that money of Mets you had better give him the ten dollars than to go to law for it would cost you more than three times ten dollars to carry on a law suit and if he should get a judgement against you it would cost us more than ten times ten dollars.

You say I must excuse you if you do not write everything. You are excusable but you must not wait so long. Then you will not have quite so much to think of at a time. I was waiting a long time for this letter and thought that I would write to you again today if I did not get a letter but now I can answer it with the most heartfelt pleasure as you will see above that this is my birthday. I am thirty years old. I got a letter from Salome the day before yesterday and they were all well. She said she saw Dr. Messiam [Merriam?] and he had not sent you that deed yet.

You talk of sending Lillie to school now. If you think it the best you can do send her along but do not get discouraged for she is young yet and has a good many years to improve in. You hope this war will soon close and if it should not that I will not reenlist. You need not fear about that for I shall have seen enough of the war to stay at home. But now my Dear Wife try and take the world easy for you have a place of your own and paid for and money enough to live so what more can you ask for at this time.

I sent you some newspapers and you did not say whether you got them or not. On the 13th we started from Nashville to this place and it took us three days to march from there here about 45 miles, and we were awful lame till we got here as we had our baggage to carry and not being used to marching it sit awful hard on us. Col. Sidel is commanding at Provost Duty in town that is the 1st and 2nd battallion and ours 3rd Battalion is about two miles from town guarding a Rail Road bridge across Duck River. We have no horses yet. We come on duty every three days and that is not very hard duty.

Henry was on fatigue duty the other day and over done himself and is most sick but is not down sick. It is a pleurisy in his left side. I got my discharge all right. I sent to Columbus for my certificate to draw my local bounty and have it here and will send it to you to have someone collect it. You will see that I am credited to Hancock County. It may be some trouble to have it collected but it will come and it will be good when it does come, but I think think there is a mistake and I will not send it yet till I find out. I have not much more to write but will ask whether you got your money from Dr. McCammons and how much and did you ever find out about the pump that belongs in that well and who is going to keep your cow this summer and whether she is coming in this spring.

I most forgot to tell you that I got a note from the Postmaster at Nashville that there was a letter in that office for me and by sending the note and a stamp they would forward the letter and I did but the letter has not come yet. I cannot think from whom it may be but hope whoever it may be will pay their own postage.

Salome said she had a letter from Elisabeth Shelt and she said that Elisabeth's health was very poor and she thought I might have seen them and if it was not for her Copperhead husband I would write to the poor woman for if he would not get a hold of her letters I could write to her to do her some good.

Well I have given you about all the news so I will come to a close in hopes this will reach you all in good health. No more this time. I remain as ever your true and devoted husband,

George Kryder

Elisabeth S. Kryder, Lillie G. Kryder, Mary E. Kryder

Dear Sister Lib.

I rec'd your note with pleasure and endeavor to answer. I am not very well at present, as I am laboring under a pretty painful disease that is called the pleurisy. I suppose that George has given you the news, there being a scarcity of that precious article to letter writers and a very small part of what news there is would be interesting.

I am sorry that you expect a fuss with old Joe. You must leave the bad egg in the nest. Don't have anything to do with him. He wants me to get at him again I would put a ball through him of small recompense.

It looks to me as though we were going to have brisk times down here before long for it is busiest time I ever saw with the RR trains and they are shipping supplies through in all haste.

You need not look for us to move from here very soon as we have no horses or equipment except some carbines and sabres. We would like to be equipped and sent to the front so that we could get some news that is not worn out and exaggerated, until we don't know whether we are in Tennessee or Canada. But we are content or as much so as could be expected by men that are on half of half rations. They are giving us fits on the subject of Hardtack and sowbelly. We growl some and would growl more if we thought that it would do any good. You must not take from this that we are finding fault with "Uncle Samuel", but the little fry are pocketing it.

Well, Lib, I guess that I have run on at length about far enough and will close as I cannot think of any thing interesting. From your affectionate brother, and well wisher,

Henry.
Direct to Camp near
Columbia, Tennessee