Hospital No.1
Columbia, Tenn.
Aug. 14th, 1864
Dear Beloved Wife:
I take my pen in hand again to communicate a few lines of my thoughts to you to let you know that I am getting along. I am getting quite stout again but sometimes I have severe pain through the flesh and cords of my legs but they are still getting better and I hope and trust these few lines may reach you all well and in good spirits, for I am afraid that you will fret and worry because I am in the hospital. But Dear wife I could not fare much better if I was at home, only with a few exceptions. But I am doing well. I have a good bed to sleep in and a house to stay in and have my victuals cooked. All I have to do at present is to eat and sleep and I can see that I am gaining strength and gaining flesh.
I will now tell you that our victuals consists of bread, coffee, and cold pickled pork boiled, but the pork I can't go as it is too fat for me. Co I mostly eat bread and coffee. For dinner we generally have potatoes, beef every day and good beef soup. The beef is either roast or boiled and generally well done and for supper we have coffee, bread, and part beef and part pork boiled. The dinner could not be better. At the extra diet table they get chicken, eggs, and applesauce and rice and milk and tea or coffee, just which they choose. This is the first time that I have been in the hospital, but with the good treatment I get I do not wish to get sick enough to go again. The Christian Commission furnishes us with paper and envelopes gratis and the Dr. will countersign the letters so that the men can write to their friends if they have no money or stamps.
We have just been to dinner. We had a nice shower and the sun has come out very pleasant. I forgot to tell you in my letter last Monday while we were eating dinner the alarm was spread that there was a fire and by looking out the window we could see a large house burning which was totally destroyed and I wished the whole town might burn down for it is the worst secesh harbor I have seen.
Well I am getting lonesome to hear from you as it will be two weeks tomorrow that I heard from you. But I wrote to Henry to send the letters here that go to the Co. But I have an excellent Dr. He seems to have some feelings for sick men and does everything he can to make the men comfortable. I believe I did not tell you that when I was in the hospital at Nashville the nurse inquired if there was any Ohio soldier in the tent. I told him that I was from Ohio and he handed a paper of pins on which was written, I am a little boy nearly 9 years Old. My P.O. is Roseville, Muskingum Co. Ohio, Pa says I am too young to be a soldier, but I think that I am old enough to do a little for our Brave Patriotic Men so I thought you would like a few pins and I have been picking all that I could find for a long time. When you use these remember that there is one boy that loves, honors and tries to pray for you, signed Robert G. Anderson. So I went at and wrote him a letter this week.
Well, with [this] I will come to a close in hopes of hearing from you soon. No more this time but remain your true and affectionate Husband
George Kryder
Elisabeth S.Kryder, Lillie G. Kryder, Mary E. Kryder
