Silas Stepp to Eleanor Stepp

            May 2 day  18:64

my dear wife and children  i rite to day to let

you now i am alive yiet and is well  ihope this

will come to hand in due time and find you all

well and dooing well as could bea expected  i Supose

our men has retaken washington N C and pleymouth

it is report<d?> in camps wee will move down to

new bern in aday or two  wee are ordered to

cook 3 days rations to day  all is quiet along our lins

wee had abust up yisterday in company D

there was a order for every one to take his horse to

a Stak and curry him  now body done it  that

was dis obaying orders  ther was 34 of us arrested

last nite about 11 oclock  wee got to head quarters

to day  wee was tride  wee all come clear only    [come clear = escaped punishment]

1 man  hee has to go to Jail  his name is ben

glazner  itel you com[pany] D is high up  ihope it

will all war away  i aint much to rite you

i am loo[k]ing for al[e]tter every day  the last one igot

was rote april the 16 day  i rote to you april 8  the 15  the 18

the 24  iaint got any anser from them yiet

i wood bea glad to here from you  rite how you

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are getting along with your work and how

the stock is dooing and how the grain looks  how

williams and melton is getting along  let mee

now if you have truck³ enough to doo you  give

all the news in that country  i dont now how

long wee will stay here  there is sow many reports

in camps that aint so  our rations is slim  wee

are in agreat confusion here to day  our trial is all

over  now damage done  i wood bea sow glad to see

you all and talk with you  that 1 man come clear

now  i tel you this Scrape wont bea forgot soon

itel you there is now Satisfaction here  let

mee now hoo was conscrpt there and where all       [conscrpt = conscripted]

the troops is in that country  i wood bea sow

glad to bea at home one more time  iwill rite

again before long  you must excuse my bad

riting  iaint in now fix to rite  i am n[e]rvis

to day  every one will get there rites some day

i will close by saying i hope to here from you

Soon  your affection husban tel death

                        S. H. Stepp to Eleanor Stepp

            houdy to you all   direct as before

³.  truck most often refers to garden produce, but given the time of year, in this case most likely refers to provisions in general.