Fort Caswell N C
this August the 3rd 1863
after My best Respects
I Send you a fiew Lines and
can inform you that I am not
well but hope these fiew Lines
May come to hand and find
you and your family all well
I Send you a fiew Lines by My
wife to Let you no how Mr
G W Thompson is a dooing My
wife he Dont find [1] hir half
anuf to Eat and She complains
to me I am here a dooing govme
work and She and the children
at home a Suffering for Somthing
to Eat if you pleas govner
vance help hir So that she
will not Suffer So bad gov
vance I Done all for you
at the election that I cold
and we did not have but one
Man that was a officer that
[page 2]
Did help you for Evry
officer was a pose to you but
one and that was capt brown
of co I I My Self went
threw the Regt and Done all I
cold for you and now My
wife is on Sufferance and if
you pleas help hir So that She
and hir children can Make
out untell I can go home to
attend to them
you can ask hir about Mr
G. W. Thompson and She
can tell you he is a perish-
ing of My family becase he
is Mad with Me and he told
hir that if She went to See
Me he would not find hir any
thing Els and he dont find hir
but one half bushell of Meal a
weeke for hir and 4 children
pleas gov vance help hir
I Remain your best frend
John A Sykes Mr gov vance