Letters of Journal of Alvin Stone Matthews
8th Iowa Infantry

The below letters were written by Alvin Stone Matthews. Alvin was born 12 Jul 1840 to Tunstal Quarles "TQ" Matthews and TQ's second wife, Harriet Stone. According to the 1880 "History of Keokuk County, Iowa" Alvin enlisted in the Eighth Infantry, Company F from Keokuk County, Iowa for the Civil War. He was captured at Shiloh and died October 15, 1862 at Petersburg, VA while a prisoner. Other family records state that he was held at Libby Prison in Richmond, Va., that he was exchanged but never made it back and that he was probably buried in the Mississippi River.

These letters were transcribed in 1995 by Shirley (Anderson) Reed from photo copies of the original letters. Shirley noted, "There are smudges and ink blots on them and they are very hard to read. Alvin Matthews was a fair penman but a very poor speller."

Dennis Nicklaus
01/28/98

Oct. ?
St. Louis, MO

Dear Mother:

I set down to right a few lines to let you know how I am getting along it raind last night and is mudy this morning we and a good prare meating last night in our quarters. I think it was as good a meting as I ever was at.

We have got our gunes but we have not got our uniforms yet but I think we will get it before long. I escspect we lill leve here frida as we have Marchin orders we will go to Jeferson City the fifth regiment is there I am willian to go eny plase for I beleave that I am in a god cose and if I diy here in the feald I hope we will meat in the feald and if am spared I escspect to meat you all at home one of these days

the water is very pore here it is not as god as we had at Devenport we have to do our one washing or pay five cents apise I do my own I wold like to have some bred and buter agin I have got tired of beaf and bakers bred we have plenty of rise but it hant cooked ver well and hant god I roat a leter to Elisha Sunday I have rote several home since I have got eny

We have a very nise camp ground here the fore ground here is the nicest base? that I ever sene as fur as ware house nuse is concerned I escspect you no as much as I do I want Pap to rite me a leter and Iwant them all to rite top me and tell me abot every body My paper is scarse you must kiss ely for me and all the rest of the We have our company ful now we have a hundred an to I sene in the paper that President sed that he woldn't draft in the west eny more till the east has furnished it fule number and was glad that there note a going to be any drafting there I must quit this ----- as my sheet is nerly ful and I dont no whether you can read this or not

Harriet Matthews
A. S. Matthews

December th ?
T. Q. Matthews

Dear Father

I thought that I wold like to rite and tell you about our mony We go our mony today we got sixtene dolers and ninty cents and I thought I wold like to Send ten dolers home as I dont have eny yuse for it here and I want to save as much of it as I cold you may do as you think best with it if you nede it you may yuse it and if you dont you may do as you think best with it but I exspect you nede it and had beter yuse it William Hardon is a going to put twenty dolers in with it and you can give it to her we exspect to send this by express to Sigourney and you had beter send or it as soon as you can I must quit for to nite I am well I will rite a gin son.

So good by

T Q Matthews
A S Matthews

T. Q. Dear One

Alvin and I will send some money home we are going to Express it through to Sigourney to Wm Jackson I expect we will put it in one envelop and direct to T. Q. Matthews and you will get the money and give 20 dollars to Mary Ann Harding and keep 10 dollars for Alvin I will send M. A. Harding seven postage stamps some more but remain you Friend until death

Wm T Harding
To T. Q. Matthews

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