Two letters written by John Greenwood Meadows (1839-1928), who served in the 9th Wisconsin Light Artillery during the Civil War. John, a farmer, entered into a romantic relationship with Ellen (“Nellie”) Hand prior to the war, and during that time sent her these letters. 
 Meadows and his regiment had a unique service history. They spent significant time manning remote forts in Colorado Territory, New Mexico Territory and Kansas, and also guarded trains and mail coaches during long journeys through the frontier. Later during the war the regiment moved east to participate in the Curtis Campaign against CSA General Sterling Price in Missouri and Arkansas, including the Battles of Westport and Marmiton (or Charlot). John remained with the Battery until mustering out on January 26,1865.
 John wrote both of these letters to Nellie from Fort Lyon in southeastern Colorado Territory in 1863. The letters are long and legible and primarily detail the isolation associated with manning a post in what was at the time essentially the distant Wild West. He writes of his crippling boredom and the consequences of that boredom - including fights and petty squabbles among officers and enlisted men. He also apologizes profusely for neglecting to answer Nellie’s earlier letters. It is quite likely that he was often gone on long trips west following stagecoaches and trains, and therefore not in a position to send and receive letters regularly. Regardless of his somewhat despondent tone, he and Nellie had a happy ending: they married in 1866 and lived out life on his Wisconsin farm. 
 Both letters are legible and in very good condition, and include envelopes. They serve as a rare primary source for learning about a Union soldier’s experience while assigned to some of the most remote duty of the entire Civil War. 
 [Civil War, Union, Confederate]