Civil War Letter of James C. Minnis

Special Thanks to Janet Leahy Who Submitted This Letter.

Note: The letter is written on paper embossed with a scene of a eagle sitting on a cannon with 4 american flags and the motto: "A vigorous prosecution of war and no comprimise under the guns of rebels." The handwriting is very neat, but there seems to be a lack of punctuation. I have transcribed it exactly as it appears.

Camp Gilliot
McClain Co.
Kentucky
Decbr 3rd, 1861

My Dear Wife

I take an other opportunity of writing to you hoping to find you and my dear little children in good health as this leaves me at present thanks be to god Dear Wife we left Henderson on Wedneday and reached here on Sunday evening we had very bad weather all the way it snowed and rained part of every day except the last it was very hard on some of our boys but thanks be to god we are all well now With verry few esceptions we traveled about 50 miles
There is nine regements here now and we think we will remain here until Christmas and some thinks that this war will be settled by that time as the rebels is nearly starved out at Bowling Green and our general says that we will all at home in the spring on our farms and I hope in god it may be so as camp life is a hard one but we don't complain it is all for a good cause we took 300 hogs from the rebels the other day they were taking them to theier camp when our Cavalry came up to them and the rebels ran away and left the hogs behind them we killed the hogs on yesterday
We are only 25 miles from Newbury I am cooking for the boys there is three meses and the boys from the other all wants to be with me the lord is strong and great and I hope hel preserve me and my little flock until I see them once more and relieve the broken hearted
No more at presant from your affeckonate Husband
James C Minnis

I would like to hear from you ocasionaly give my best respects to all inquiring friend and well wishers goog bye for a time

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