Pigeon Valley Augst 5th 64
My Dear Sons I have Set down
with Rather a heavy heart from
the news I have Just heard from
petersburgh that grant had under
mind our works at that plase
& kild one Hundard of our men and
took two Lines of our works tho
our men Ralied & Retook them
& 2 Lins of grants works inthat
onslaw my fears is that one or
Both of My Dear boys May now bee
in Eturnity My prays to god is that
I may bee Mistaken for which I Shall
Continue pray untell I hear from
you I Recd your Most welcombe
letter on the se cond Inst dated 24 & 25
of July you [m???] can tell I we war
Rejoiced untill you have children
situated as you are Exposed to dan
ger & Death continually May the god
[page 2]
sperst of Lord keep you both under
the shaddow of his wings un till
the danger over past Dr Allin
was at town at the comparing
of the Votes Cast yesterday for the
for Vance 378 Holden 103 for com
Love 295 for Estes 125 for freeman 26 for Senate
Bryson 240 D R Siler 128 R M Hen
ry 108 for Sherriff for welch 20 ferga
son 175 Shelton 21 green 67 Lee 137
So you see how the Vote stand in the county
I see so fare as heard from the Ar
my has given Vance a overwelming
tryumphant Majority will Holden
know which of the Holdens he is
I will stop & finish in the morning
Aug 6th this morning wee all in good
heath Allen & Laura come over last
evening they are well Dorothy & her
Little Children are well the trory [1] Bands
are creeping about in the mountains
[page 3]
our men is searching and scouting
taking some of the tores up I heard
this H J Franklin has got back
home Andrew Crawford is in the
mountain again A tory band
went to old Benjamin [????] one
night this week I Robed him of Ev
ery thing they wanted money & all
his horses & mules John Reece & [dan?]
Reece has got back of All the sets in
the mounts there is none of Less [???]
[co???] than the Reeces Set I hope
that if they Ever git H J F again
they will fix him in way that
he will bee nomor trouble I have
nothing new worth writing or
I would write it you complain
that we dont write often Enough
it is a [???]ngement in the male
you said in your last that July the
Eleventh was the last letter you had
[page 4]
got from home Since that time
thir is the 4 letter I have wrote
I want to hear from you often
as you can posably write if it is
nomore than to say you are a live
& well I must close the mail
goes down this morning this Eve
ning I hope to hear from you
again [????]will my dear boys
May the Lord Sheild you while
you are in so much danger I
hope to hear from you soon your
Affetianate Father & Mother
NC & PA Edmonston
BB & BF Edmonston