Dionysius Oliver Hill to cousin Mary Scott Hill - January 31, 1862

Camp Moreing at Bell Tavern
Jan 31st 1862

Miss Scott Hill

Dear Cousin

As I have not stuck to my promise and wrote to you before this time i will now do so and try to be more faithfull in the future and all that I can do is to ask your forgiveness and to forget the past this [leaves] John bud Mc & myself in good health at present except bad coles. Dr & Dick Royston have both got discharges and going home I believe that Dick has gon down into Mississippi to his sisters but Dr is at home by this time I guess [you] must excuse the dirt that is on this letter for since I have got into camp you must know that I can not keep as clean as we can at home. but you say that Miss Maggie John26 has taken my ambrotype from you. you say that you want me to send you another you must tell her to wait until I get home and I will give her the original. Ask her how she would like it. [If she does] tell her to wait until I get there and she can have it. Tell her if she lets a certain young lady see her with my ambrotype she will have a fight on her hands in little of no time Tell all of the girls that we boys had a fine christmass of it scouting in the rain in an enemies country. I thought on last Wednesday morning that we were in for a fight we rod up in sight of a body of cavalry but they turned out to be friends they joined us and we then went up to horse Cave but found nothing we then started down to a mill and received a dispach from Col Whorton [Wharton] to come home and then Capt Ferrill and some seven or eight others went up in a mile or two from green River and were shot and had to turn around and come in to camp they found out all that they wanted to and came back. General Gallicoffers remains are to pass here to night Scott if you remember it has been five monthes since I grasped your hand in mine All of the boys of your acquaintance are in good health John27 is feeling weak butt is reading the last Texas papers Give my love to all of the friends and neighbors and tell me all of the news in your next letter.

I remain as ever your Cousin

D. O. Hill

Scott you will have to pay postage on my letters for we never see a dime in silver and they wont take paper for postage

Your Cousin as ever

D O Hill

Footnotes:
26. Miss Maggie Johns was a niece of The Reverend I. G. Johns. He was a Methodist minister who lived in Hill's Prairie.
27. John was John Hill.

Goldman, Pauline S., ed., Letters from three Members of Terry's Texas Rangers, 1861-1865, Unpublished MA Thesis, University of Texas, 1930.