Ruebn writes to daughter and son-in-law about day-to-day life in camp. He explains that he is a drummer in his regiment. He believes that his regiment will soon be sent west to face Indians while his son, George, and his regiment will soon be engaged with the Confederate army.

Ruebn speaks of his frail health which has become worse since he experienced a debilitating fall. Because of his health, he has asked for a discharge, but he expects to be at the fort another four or five weeks. He informs them that Amelia is hear keeping house for me. He expresses concern for his son, whose regiment is just miles from the Confederates. He expects a fight for George's regiment any day.

Ruebn states that he received a thirty day furlough to return to Rich Valley with Amelia. He also notes that all of the families will be forced out before the season of campaigning begins in the spring. In addition he sends pictures.

Written during the Battle of Shiloh, while serving in General Pope's division, Ruebn ruminates that he may not get the military discharge that he applied for.

Still suffering from ill health, Ruebn has not been with his regiment for two months. He writes that he is still waiting for a discharge.

Still waiting for word on his discharge, Ruebn expresses that his primary concern is for his family in Minnesota.

Ruebn states that he is now very afraid for his son, especially after hearing of a battle near Corinth. It would kill me if George was killed, he writes. He expresses his dismay that his other son, Nelson, has enlisted, and he remarks that the family is now spread throughout the nation.

Enjoying better health, Lanphear is now camped near Washington. He writes mainly of his old friends who are with him at Camp Casey.

Ruebn writes generally of his camp, which is on a large swell of land, just east of the city. He speaks again of his friends and of sharing guard duty at the camp on the east side of Capital Hill.

Ruebn writes that he cannot leave his one-acre farm. He tells Eliza that if she and her husband come and live with him for four years, he will deed half of it to her. He stresses that the land's value is expected to increase, and he speaks of his plans to grow wheat on it for the time being.

George informs his sister that he is now married and his wife is living with him in Glencor. He states that he joined the army because he felt it his patriotic duty to preserve the Union and save it from the rebels. He also gives a description of his meals and dietary habits.

Four miles outside the city of Nashville, which is now in the hands of Union troops, George complains that rebels have destroyed bridges on the Cumberland as well as steamboats, solely to keep them out of Union hands. He explains that he is writing of what he does and sees because he wants them back home to know what a soldier goes through.

George writes of a forced march in order to fight at Shiloh. Although his regiment missed the battle, he speaks of what he understood to happen at the Battle of Shiloh. Writing of the dead left on the battlefield George says, I saw hundreds and hundreds of them.

George writes of clearing the campground by cleaning the ground. He complains that this has to be done to the grounds nearly every morning to keep them from filth. He also writes a great deal about the food that his regiment has been eating, such as blackberries, huckleberries, and oven-baked bread.

George writes his mother about his father, whom he has not heard from since he was in camp at Corinth. He expresses outage at the killing of General McCook, who he says was kilt by a gang of merciless rebels and cutthroats. George states that these men murdered the general while he rode in an ambulance.

Fearing that rebels were on all sides of them, the regiment is currently marching. George has no idea whether they will end up in Knoxville or Chattanooga. He expresses concern that he has not heard from his father and frustration over his failure to secure a discharge. He tells his family that he expects that McClellan to end the war very soon.

Not far from Nashville, George expresses concern for his brother Nelson, who is fighting somewhere, and his father Ruebn, who is now at home.

George responds to the death of his mother and contemplates the possibility that his brother Nelson may also be dead. He calls these events a harsh blow to our little family.The circle is broken, he adds. Additionally, he laments Burnside's loss at Fredericksburg, and complains that the head men in this war were working more for sake of money than they are trying to save the union.

George corrects the misconception that had been engaged in a battle at Gallatin, as newspapers had reported. Instead he says that Perryville had been the latest battle in which he had witnessed action. He discusses his brother Nelson's death and informs his family of rumors that more Indian wars are expected in Minnesota.

George complains about the erratic weather patterns in the South. He is amazed at the tenacity of his Southern opponents, writing that, if the Union army had experienced as many disasters and defeats as they have that it would become totally demoralized and broken up before this time, but they stick to it like grim death.