Mo Dec 28 1862 General Hospital New house of Refuge Ward H, St Louis Dear parents I resume my pen once more for the purpose of writeing you a few lines my health is improveing very fast I think considering I am entirely over the measles coug & I think about over the measles I havent gained my strength yet but my apotite is very good & I think I will be strong in a few days I havent been out of the ward since the 11 of this month but as the weather is very fine I guess I will go out a little while this afternoon I havent heard from Wilson since the reg left here but am looking for a letter every day I havent heard from home since the 8 of this month the letters you have writen have gon on to the reg Wilson will send them back so that I will get them I supose after while I dout that I shal go to the reg until after we are payed off here that may be some time yet & it may be in side of a week there are several of our reg here but there is but one of my co that is John Gaul but there are several of my co in the hospitals in town. I have commenced to read the new Testiment through I have got as far as Ephesians it was about 2 weeks after I came here before I could procure a testiment to read except it were a catholic testiment & it not being exactly like ours I dident care about reading it when you write again let me know whether you have sold the hogs yet or not & if you what you got for them & I would like to know whether you have heard from John Bromley since I left or not I cant hear a word from him I begin to fear that he is dead this is a very good place to stay I have had the very best of care I am very anxious to get a letter from you write soon & all the particulars pray for me that I may continue strong in the faith in reading the testiment I can hardly find a chapter but what I can recolect of heareing one of you read which brings fond recolectings to my mind be careful in the direction of you letters so I will get them with out fail yours the enclosed bosom pin give to Wilie Allan Genl. Hospt H of refuge St Louis Mo Jan. 15/63 Dear Father This is now the 15 of Jan & no letters from you yet I look anxiously from day to day but as often am disapointed one month ago to day I wrote mother a letter & have no ans yet neither have I from the various letters writen to the rest of you I have wrote often as twice a week since that time & will continue to write as long as God give me health & strength sufficient & the wherewith to write
I blame you not for I know most that you write but your letters fail to reach me & it may be that my letters do not reach you Doc Hall gets letters some times from there in 3 days after they are writen Doc is geting a long fine he seems to enjoy himself well here my health I think is improving some. yet I have been sweeping some this morning so it makes me nervous so that I can hardly write not being used to exercise we are looking every day for a committee here to examine us & send us all to their regiments that are able to go I am not very particular whether they send me or not I like to stay here very well & would like very well to see the boys in the co I havent heard from Wilson since the last of last month that is direct I had a letter from Capt Dillon on the 7 they were then at Colombus but I guess from what I can learn that they have gone down the river there has been some excitement here about volunteering on board of a fleet they got about 50 out of this hospt the Idea is to give those that have been sick an easer position they are to go on transports which they wil never leave except in time of an engagement they are never to have a knapsack to carry or cooking to do good bunks to sleep in & everything handy it is undoubtedly (next three words illegible) the recruits are mustered out of service then are sworn in for 2 years I have no notion of going into it1 John Lane is geting better as I can think of nothing more to write at present I wil bring my letter to a close write often I have the rest to write your son my love to all Allen remember me at the thron of grace that I may be brought into the ful covanent of grace as it is in Jesus Christ is my prayer General Hospital N H of refuge St Louis Mo Jan 27 163 Dear Father & Mother I am all anxiety to get a letter from you I havent had a letter from you since the 26 of last month it must be that your letters go to the reg as I have told you to put on the co & regt that is the correct way to direct but at the office they probably on seeing the co & reg on the back of the letter look no further but send it to the reg hear after you will leave of both the co & reg just put on Genl Hospital New House of refuge St Louis Mo ward B all the good the letter of the co & reg does if I leave hear before the letter comes to hand it would be forwarded to me butyou wil omit it & if when I leave I wil get some one to atent to it for me my health is not as good as I wish it was but I thank God that I am as wel as I am I feal pretty wel most of the time but am not as strong as I
once was I am taking no medicine now I tak pleasure in waiting on the sick we have some very sick here now there was about 40 came here to the hospital last night & about 60 last sabath our ward is ful & some very sick there was also a lot of wounded came up here last week but none came into this ward there was one poor fellow of the 5th Iowa died in here the other day his father arrived here just about 10 minutes before he died he was so far gone that he did not know his father it was a hard scene to witness the old man had come to take him home the last letter he had of son he was about wel he was wounded in the knee & his wound was wel but the ball was in his leg yet but did not hurt him only in bad weather but the Dr thought it ought to come out so he went to work to take it out & cut an arter he then gave up the bal & bond up his leg & done every thing he could to save him but could not he only lived 4 days after the operation I set up with him a part of 2 nights & took care of him he was a resident of Martial co Iowa his father left here this morning he staid & saw him buried I talked with the old gentleman a considerable about his son he blamed the Dr for his death it was not our ward Dr that performed the op but the post surgeon the reason that I spoke about having Mr. Morgan come to see me (if he comes down here) & try to have me discharged was that I think if it was looked in to right when a man is in a general hospital 60 days he is entitled to a discharge I do not know this to be a fact but think it likely I dont think I wil ever be able to stand field service altho I can stand hospital service if Morgan but came down I will sugest another plan there is an Iowa man here by the name of Doug apointed by the Govener of Iowa to look after the Iowa sick solder he was here to not long ago & took a list of our names now you can write to him & give him the particulars tel him how I have been & c if I can be discharged here at all he wil have it done if you write him about the right kind of a letter or you can write to capt Dillon & Dr Parkets & they can discharge me I wrote to capt Dillon about it he wrote to me that Parks would not give a certificate of disability as he had not examined me close enoug but it might be that you could induce him to you can do as you think best about it write to me as soon as you get this John Lain got a letter from Mrs Scovil the other day she wrote that S A Morgan was comeing down here after her husbands corps that died at the sisters hospt in town now if he hasent started yet I wish you would see him & have him come & see John & (next two words unreadable) perhaps he could get us discharged John in particular I dont want you to think of comeing down here for any sutch purpose for it is not likely it would do any good I only spoke of it as he was comeing any how & another thing is they are haveing the small pox her in St Louis very bad there has been several cases of it here in this hospital I have been exposed several times in the last 5 weeks but thanks be to almity God I
have escaped so far I was vacinated yesterday I also had a tooth puld this morning which I sent you in a newspaper just for curiosity you need have no fears as to my health for I shal tel you every time I write just how I am write often & direct as follows Allan Genl Hospt New House of Refuge Ward B St Louis Mo
Photo is of William Allen McNeal, Allan's father
New house of refuge March 15/63 Dear Mother & sister Louisa this being sunday & as I have not writen to you for some time I thought I would write you a few lines my health is quite good I am geting to be as fat as a pig I have quit nursing in the ward as I did not like to be confined to a sick room so mutch of my time I am now waiting on a table where the teamsters bakers& wash house men board it takes me about one hour each meal the rest of the time I have to my self I wil tel you what I get to eat, for breakfast coffe beef stake & butter & as good lite bread as you ever saw for dinner baked beens roast beef sour crout letus potatoes & rice & beef soup for supper biscuit butter apple sauce & tea so you see we live pretty well we have splendid cooks, the convalescents of this hospital do not get very good grub they wil some times come around my table & pick up what is left & eat it as though they were most starved if there is any of the officers around they dare not come in to the dining room it makes my heart ache to see them sent out when they come in to get some thing to eat, they get as mutch to eat I supose as they ought to eat but it dont satisfie them & then they dont get quite as good, they get for brek hash & coffe for dinner beef & beens & soup for sup tea & molases. There is about 100 now that eat in the convalescent kitchen I was down to town yesterday & (next word is unclear, could be "drawed") me a couple of shirts I went up on the dome of the court house it is quite a curiosity there is just 236 steps to go up to the top I have not heard from Wilson for near 2 months I had a letter from father writen the 13 of Feb which came by the reg that had wilsons handwriteing on the back as he remailed it to me so I supose he is well or was at that time I think he mailed it on the first of March as near as I can tel by the envelope I havent had a letter from home for one month as it wil be one month tomorrow since the last one I got was wrote I am quite anxious to hear from there I do not know how long I shal stay here yet probely until after the spring rains are over in the south we have recd no pay yet old Robenson is here yet I had thought that he would of been discharged before now but he has not it is now very doubtful about him geting a discharge at al I want you to be sure & write often as I get no letters from any of the rest of the folks the weather is very warm & pleasant here we have had letus here to use for about a week I supose you have not sowed yours yet when I was in town yesterday I saw them marketing all kinds of early vegetables give my love to aunt Polly & all the rest
of the folks & tel them to write to me I wil close for this time by subscribing myself your son & brother Allan P.S. I never enjoyed myself better in my life than I do now for I never was of a contented dispostition but I think when I get home I wil know how to enjoy it & apreaciate your company, Allan