Silas Stepp to Eleanor Stepp

             april  8 day .18.64

my dear wife and children  i rite you aline

to let you now i am well only abad cole  i

hope this will come safe and spedy to hand and find

you all well  ihave nothing strange to rite you

times is quiet along our lines  i receive your kind

letter last nite of the first of this inst  i was truly        [inst = the present month]

glad to here from you and here you was all alive

and well  i am sorry to here bille has them spels yiet

ithink hee had better wash his head 2 or 3 times aday

in cold water  you nead not bea uneasy about mee thinking

hard of you about your letters  they was along time beginning

to come but they come in every week now  it is agreat satis faction

to me to here from home  i rote one to your father  one to my

father  one to mary and lydia  one to wm Stepp  i aint

got the Scratch of apen from them yiet  ithink Some

of them mite of rote  rite to mee how the baby is

if it can croul or Stand up or if it can Say papy yiet  iaint

for got the little pet yeit  if i was there i wood soon

have it to cry after [the rest of this line and the next four lines crossed out]

                                    <it?> is my hand

[page 2]

houdy my dear wife  [picture of a hand]  when this you see

remember mee though many miles apart wee bea

you rote about the money  i will tel you what i think

of it  you now the confederacy was bound for it and

they have kild it  they say the new money will bea good

if they can make laws to kil the money  they can make

laws to kill the bonds  they say new money will bea

founded on two weeds of the confederacy  that is tobacco

and cotten  now if the confederacy cant make it good

how will them 2 weeds  <if?> it make it good you

nead not bea oneasy about mee going to richmond  i dont

expect to go there  there is aheap of this ridgement never will

go there  the report is wee will attact newbe[r]n in

afiew days  i dont think Sow  my reason for it is wee

aint got troops nor arms enough down here  when

the thing <??> all gets rite i expect to come to the blue

ridge  there is now [= no] induce ment to mee to stay

here  i aint satisfide here  nelly i tel you there is now

where with mee like home  i hope to here from yow

Soon  give mee all the news  give my respects to all

of my friends  receive aful portion to your Sef

kins[ton] NC  S. H. Stepp to Eleanor Stepp