September 22^nd 1861

Carlina City N.C. Bogue Island

 

Dear Father I take my seat this time to answer your kind and welcom letter that came to hand to day it finds me in good health and the company are all in tolerable good only one of our company is in the hospital and that with measels there are a few that there health is not fully restord from the measels for them to drill but I think that if no other gets sick that it will not be long before they will all be able to do service I trust that this may find you and all the rest of the family enjoying a reasonable portion of health.

 

            I have writen two letters before this home since I came to this place. I have recived three letters from home two since I came here one last week the other to day

 

            I am glad to hear that you had a tolerable good crop this season. the comissary gives us a plenty of flour and some corn meal plenty of bacon & coffee & sugar we can get a plenty of fish when we want them just as they are caught out of sea /

 

            As I have before wrote we are stationed on Bogue Island between Bogue sound and the Atlantic Ocean this Island is about 500 yds wide here our camp is is about 200 yds from the ocean where we can see the ships every day this part of the island is without a single tree upon it nothing but grass is growing on it the island is composed of shells and sand we have our wood to toat about ¼ of a mile from the thickest place of bushes I ever saw it is impossible to go through but few places without cutting your your way out there are several kinds of growth there but only very little of it any but cedar that is large nough for fire wood and a small dwarfish kind of oak to look at the woods it looks like a mat of cedar boughs and apears to be a little higher than ones head and nothing only cedar can be seen at a distance only the surrounding rushes in the marshes

 

            there are two ships in view this evening we have been expecting a battle ever since we came here and it may be that we will have a fight before we leave here / there is between 1700 & 2000 men here and I think if we will trust in God and keep our powder dry that we nead not fear the yankees

there is some of us meets together almost every day to ask the favours and mercies of our maker wile others will not show respect enough towards God to go ten steps hear preaching I just took up pen to finish my letter after hearing good sermon which was from the words because God does not execute judement spedily for sin the heart of man is prone to do evil

 

May God hear our petitions and grant us such thing as he seeith we need pardn our many sins and give praying hearts that we may die dily unto sin and live unto righteousness and when he has finished his portion the he hath aloted to us here may he save us in Heaven where we will praise him more perfect in a world without end Amen I must come to a close Yours truely Noah Deaton

 

            please answer this soon as you can /

P.S.

            N........

            Carolina City N.C.

            26 Regt N.C. volunteers

            Col. Vance com.

                        in care capt Martin co. H

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