OLD LETTERS FOUND BY GEORGE MILLS

George S. Mills, College Street, Flat River, was going through some papers and found these letters. One is dated May, 1865 and the other June, 1876. These letters were written to Delno Portell, father-in-law of Mr. Mills.

The following is a condensation of a letter written by Portell's sister, Julia Prather, who lived in Fredericktown. It is dated June 1876:

Dear Brother, With pleasure I take the present opportunity of answering your letter which I received last Tuesday evening. Well brother, you want to know if I want to sell my interest in the land and you want to know what I will sell it at. I will take one hundred dollars for my part. I have plenty of beans and new potatoes to eat and I have a good many young chickens. Excuse bad writing and all mistakes.

This letter is from his brother David Portell and is dated May, 1865, postmarked Montgomery, Alabama:

Dear Brother, I take my seat to write you a few lines to let you know that I am not very well at this time nor have not been for sometime.

We left Mobile on the 13th of last month and was showed to this place. We got here on the 25th and we marched near 200 miles and we are now laying here waiting for transportation to go up the river. I suppose peace is made from what we learn. A good prospect of getting to come home soon. I expect to come home by the middle of July next if nothing happens. Leet Arney [Lee's Army ?] and Johnsons and Forest has all surrendered. All the soldiers east of the river has surrendered. All we can find out from the rebels is that they won't fight no more. They keep coming in here in gangs and taking the oath and going home. This was a rich town but the rebels and our men together has burned and destroyed it nearly. I don't expect we will get any pay until we get up to St. Louis. We have got 6 months pay due us and our bounty but I don't expect we will get any till we get mustered out.

I have not got a letter from home for a month and a half. The last letter I got was from Charles and I answered it but I am looking for one everyday. When you write to me, write all the news you hear. I would like to hear from all the friends. I would write a heap of times if I had the opportunity and could get paper. I believe that I have nothing more of importance to write at this time. Give my respects to all. Write soon and often.

Published by THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, St. Francois Co. MO, Wed. May 25, 1966.