Two pages of personal content with only a couple of references to the waning days of the war.  A couple of small holes at the folds. The letter is difficult to read due to phonetic spelling etc. "was glad to hear that ? had got his discharge."  "I have answered every letter that ever got from you even so they must have been lost even it seem like you had forgot me  but still we will make it all wright if i live to get home" "The papers says that all the one years men is to report to there on State Capitol and be mustered out and if this is the case I think we will be home in 6 weeks and then I learned it say that every man could go home and libel to be called in between this then our time is ?" More but I give up.

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Organization of the Confederate Post Office at Montgomery

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   Mention is made of a Col Geddes and a Col. Ferguson who were both with the 8th Iowa Regiment. Here is some of the more interesting content. "We have been detailed to go some place we suppose up the Missouri River where Guerrillas have been doing some mischief..we are ordered to take only 4 days rations so suppose we will not be long gone..."Today we were visited by William Converse and Will Harvey, they came down as guard for prisoners from Springfield." Finally, another exchange of interest. "I don't know how to destroy those letters have clung to them all carrying them in my jackets but now must destroy them, they have been a source of great pleasure, -but must destroy them for fear they may fall into other hands. Have got three photographs one of Col Geddes, one Col. Ferguson and one John Reece..." There is no yellow stain on the letter as appears in the scan. The handwriting is quite legible. During the Civil War, Benton Barracks was an encampment for Union troops and was located in north St. Louis County, 4-5 miles from the City of St. Louis. . "The facility, located on the outskirts of St. Louis, could accommodate 30,000 soldiers and contained a mile of barracks, warehouses, cavalry stables, parade grounds, and a large military hospital. The hospital itself could...serve 2,000 to 3,000 patients." Benton Barracks was situated on land once owned by John O'Fallon who rented the acreage to U.S. Army, and on the grounds of the old State fairgrounds. This area is now part of the City of St. Louis, in the location of Fairgrounds Park (at Grand Ave. and Natural Bridge Rd.) . Camp Benton, which began operations in 1861 had numerous functions: a troop cantonment (replacing Jefferson Barracks after it was converted to a hospital); a parole encampment; a military hospital; and a camp for contraband or refugee slaves. Refugee Unionist (whites) also found sanctuary here. There is also some evidence that a few Confederate guerilla POWs were housed here for a short duration, perhaps awaiting the sentence of execution, in the camp guardhouse.