Henry L. Mills to Richard Yates

Benton Barracks

St Louis Mo Sept 15

1862

Respected Sir

Your General Character for humanity towards the Distressed has alone [moved?] me to make this application nor should I have had the Presumption to do so now did I not know your goodness of heart PS I have had the misfortune to be Taken Prisoner by rebels the first of last May Paroled on the 16 same month and arrived at Benton Barracks the 1st day of August /62 and would your honor be

so kind if it is consistant with your honor duty to inform me what the governor intend to do with us Paroled Prisoners a considerable Portion are from the Garden State of the west Ills and they humbly Pray that your honor will interest your Self in our behalf ether affect an exchange and allow us to prospered back to our regt. and if an exchange cannot be affected we ask to be mustered out of the Service or be allowed to go home till Call for here we are an expense to the Goverment and if we were muster out Two Thirds of what is here in These Barracks would renlist again

in Some other branch of the Service if we cant be mustered out we Then ask to be allowed to Proceed home till called for we can save the Goverment the Expense of feeding us or clothing us besides we can benefit the Country by going to the fileds as laborers laborers being scarse consequent of the Drain for military Purposes and I leave it for your honor to judge whether we could not benefit the Country more if we were allowed to go home than we can do here idling our time away here in the Barracks an Expense to the Goverment and The Country at Large

and now your honor as I close my long Epistle we all Pray, pray that you will interest yourself in our behalf, we Prefer any Thing most to this inactive lifeif we are all mustered Two Thirds will enlist again now as I am about to take my leave of you I Trust you will Pardon the Liberty I have thus [unwarranably?] taken and which nothing but your well known Philanthropy could excuse

I am Sir,

with the highest respect your verry humble Servant

Henry Q Mills

Henry Q. Mills

Benton Barraks

St Louis Mo. Sept 15-62

Writes in behalf of himself & other paroled prisoners in Benton Barracks who ask either to be exchanged, released or assigned to some service.