B. B. Burley to Richard Yates

Fulton City Aug 23th 1862

To His Excelency Govener

R Yates

I thought I would write you a few lines and let you know how some of us Soldiers are used at home while in the service my self and son enlisted in the 52th Reg. Ill Vol Co F last fall I have a large family of small Children I had paid thirty nine hundred & sixty five dollars on a hotel in this place and a Bank firm held my notes for three hundred & sixty one more one come due for $61.00 while I was in the South he told

me he would take no advantage of it as they were secured by Deed of Trust and as soon as my Back was turned and the first 61 dollar note come due he sold on ten days notice on the Whole for bid the Tenant to pay my Family any rent and I had not Recd any pay from Goverment and I did not get the notice until after he had bid it off and it has left me Destitute of any thing & My Family on a point of starving and I lay at Corinth with the Rheumatis my son Wounded at Pittsburg Landing I got my Discharge and come

home but no pay from Goverment yet Now I want to know if there cant be some Law pased in some way so I can get my home back the next Session of the Legislature I know it is troubling you at this presant time but it is a good [lot?] to loose for a poor man all I have got and left homeless after going to Defend our homes if I had of known that they was a going to Close on me as soon as it come due I would of paid it off by borrowing it until goverment paid me but he took advantage of it

it hurt the cause verry mutch of enlisting here for I know of a number that would enlist but they was afraid of sutch hitches there was about 150 soldiers the other knight here wanted to tear down his Bank I prevailed on them not do it I believe in being a law abiding Citizen no more but remain

Fraternaly Yours

B. B. Burley

PS if you can do any thing for me &c it will be ten thousand times remembered besides Pay

yours on the Square

BBB

Ansd Sept 25 62

B. B. Burley,

Fulton City,

Aug 23

ML

While away at the war a bank firm who had a deed of trust on his hotel sold it & left him without any thing has a son wounded at Shiloh; could not get his pay from Gov't & has not yet. Wants to know if law can not be passed by Legislature so that he can get back his property.

send him a condoling letter out of my power to help him

Ask for the name of the banker.