Letter from Albert Smith, 19 September 1846
540 miles from Santribe at the dimon springs
Deaar
Brother in the Gosple Covenent I received your letter dated the Aug 28
I assure you that it was satisfactory to me to hear from you and my friend &
especally from my family for it was the firs & all that I have heard from then
since I left I was glad to hear that the Church was in as good sercumstances as nt
wont it is the letters sent to the battalion was read in the different Companyes
& the way that the letter stated conserning the disposing of the means that was
sent to our families was sattisfactory to the hole battalion Br Lee ariv
ed in comp Sep 17 in the morning yest as we was starting to cross [Aposaree] 40 miles
a cross or rather to water we was two days crosing we got very dry & fateged som teams
tired out & did not com up ^til^ the 2 night. 2 [mustems] in Co B by the means we
had to go without our supper & brekfast we started the next morning which was
this morning before day & travled ^drove^ 10 miles to the place ware we are now camped
it is now half past 3:00; the wagon with our kooking utentials is not up yet our
mess [lured] some things to kook with and we have jest eat our last nites supper
the p^a^rarie that we have jest crost was lind on ether side with hards of buffoloes
& antalops & pararie woolfs the ground was vary levle though some roling the sen
ry was butiful & delightful till we became fatiuged & tired, we then past thro
as you would pass herds of cattle & with is tittle notis: thare is the best of feling in
the Battalion, & with &A vary fue exceptions I think that the Boys (& men )to) try to
do the best they can can, it has ben vary fategin on account of the drouth &
the hot wither tharre has ben A great many sick with the fever & aguer I think
that they are giting over it; the Bearier of this will give you & the rest general
infomation & ^tharefore^ nead not tharefor rite them I was glad to hear that you received
the money I sent to my family & am perficly satisfied with the desision of the
counsil with regard to the disposion they make of the money that we send
for the benifeit of our familyes, all that I want is to have my famity
have the things they meae to make them cumfortable & have them removed
