Silas Stepp to Eleanor Stepp

                        June 17 day .18.64

my dear wife  i rite you aline this evening to let

you now i am well  i hope this will come to hand in

due time and find you and the children all wel and

dooing well as could bea expected  i have now news to

rite you that will intrest you   all is quiet about here as

for all i now  wee have move to Kinston the other

day  acompany relieve us  wee have bin on picket a

bout six weeks tel wee come here  the swannans          [Swannanoa]

boys is all well  i got your kind note of the 11 day  i

was truly glad to getet and to here you was all well

and geting along well with your work  i dont want you

to bea oneasy about mee  i am dooing as well as could bea

expected in our situation  dont bea oneasy about mee

i wood bea sow glad to see you all and bea at home  that

cant bea now  you sed Joseph want the belt i sent home

hee may havet and the six little yellow butons to

go on ajacket  i rote in in my other note to you  i will rite

et gane for fear you dont get et  i have six for billy of

another kind  i have apresent for you  iexpect you

wood like to now what it is  i will tel you it is 2 nice

silver silver rings  i will have you and mary some

more maid  i will send them the first chance i have

[page 2]

i am afraid to send them in a note for fear you

never will get them  i wood like to fetch them and

see how they fite your fingers  i often think of you and

the time that has past with us to gether and the satisfaction

wee have had but it is all done away fore awhile  i hope wee

will meat agane on earth  ife wee dont i hope wee will meat

in heaven where wee will bea at rest to part now more

i think you had better have states⁷ hide drest and black for

upper leather⁸  you must arrange things best you can

to your own notion  i am sorry to here the grain is sow

sorry  i hope you can make out some how to not suffer

i want to see your lettle pet  tel mee if you have got

many cherrys or many apples  iam glad to here the boys is

geting along well with there work  do you ever here from Jones

melton and John  some thinks wee will go to va  i dont think

sow yiet  wee are drillen infrantry drill  that is nothing

when you get pasture plenty you had better get up your

sheep ithink but you can tel best  doo as you like with

them  i wood like to bea there to go about with you and have

some pleasure with you  i aint had anote from your fother in

about 2 month only one burnet fetch  i have rote and rote

to him  i hope there is nothing rong between us  give mee all the

news  i hope to here from you soon  yours truly tel death  S.H.S.  E.S.

when this you see remember mee though many miles apart wee bea

            houdy my sweet pink

⁷  state must be the name of a cow.

⁸  upper leather the upper parts of a shoe, everything but the sole.