Peoria July 23" 1861
     Dear Brother
		     I Supose I Should
by rights owe an apology for not
writing to You oftener but in place
of makeing one I will mearly pen You
a few lines to let You know Something
of my welfare and allso to inquire
after Your owne. months have passed
Since I have had any tidings
Directly from Yourself wich makes
me more anxious to heare from You
that I otherwise would be It always
maks me feel good to hear from
You for I very Seldom think of home
except at such times as I can
hear from Some of You. I have
been exspecting an answer to my last
wich I wrote to Father. for Some
time but I Supose You are so
buisy that You have not got time
to write or do anything else

           like
I would ^ first to be at home
with You and help You harvest
but as I cannot do that at present
allow me to wish You good luck
with Your crops and plenty of them
although I am very contented where
I am I begin to feel the neccesity
				        t
of makeing a premanent Settlemen^
in life although I am yet young
I am old enough to make some
preperations for the future for
time rolls on weather [man?] goes
or not it is now going rappidly
on five years Since I left home
wich Seems but a few months ago
Still I do not know what better
I could have done if I had Stayed
it is true I have not made much
more than an honest Living Since
I have been here but I have been
verry comfortable and have had
plenty of everything wich is necessy
to make one comfortable but I

must change my subject for I can
not Send You all my thoughts at
once. times is very hard and indeed
I Supose they are So all over the
Country I am very Sorry to see
the Country in Such a condition
as it is at the present time and
all on acountof a parcel of lowlived
Scoundrels who have sacrificed every
purticle of principle they ever had
about them to rise an insurrection
and with hopes of the overthrow
of the government but I hope they
will
^ get war to their harts content before they
			          not
get through with it and had it ^ been
for one thing wich You know as well
as I do I would have been before
now a Soldier in united States troops
but I considered it my Duty to return
           soon as
home as ^ convenient [illegible in original] was
all that kept me from going there
to companies of recruits left this city
yesterday for the Seat of war there

has been considerable exciting news
				               es
received by the latest telegraph Dispach^
and if they are true our army have
been prety badly wipt in western
Verginia I will send some of
the latest Papers so you will have
the [sonething?] nere truth. I am
Still to work on the R.R. Bridge and
get paid prety regular You can
expect me home as Soon as the
warm weather is over we hav had
a very pleasendt Summer and crops look
very well everthin is verry low now
and nobody cares about doing anything
but loaf but I must bring my letter
to a close and with it I Send my
best respects You all hopeing this
will find You all well I will
look for a speedy reply Yours
Truely                      John Campbell

Dirict to Peoria. Ill.