State of Vergina August the 7 1864
on picket near peters Burg on the Peters
burg and weldon rail road Dear wife and
childen it is with great plesur i seat my
self this beautiful sabbath morning to
let you no that i am wel hopeing when
theas lines come to you they wil find you
all wel i received your letter of the 31 of
July this morning you dont no how glad i
was to hare from you all and espesaly to
hare that you was all wel you sed that
your corn loct wel i am glad to hare that
for i was a frade i wouldent do wel you
you sed you made fifty one and a half
bshels of wheat thats better then i expectd
tel me hou thrashed it i only take good
care of it and bea as saveing as you can
til me how your corn holds out i wil
now tel you what i think you out to
do you out brake of a round the corn and
so it in wheat it wil bring good wheat
and not menny chickings and if you
could leave time to <?>in that old orchrd
it wil bring good wheat if you could get
it fenced you could take the rales a way
from a round that hil side that can
be done enny time this winter the frute
you can do as you pleas al you make
<?>at out you can have but a nuf of that
[page 2]
i wil now tel somethin about the times
here evry thing is quet here at this time
for the first time sence i have ben here
we dont hare the fireing a geun untel
i think the yanks is getting tired of it
sence they tride to blo up Peters burg
and was so badly disapointed i can tel you
neatent bea on easy a bout the yanks
taking Richmond and Peters burg for
they never can do it for our army is tow
strong here for if i would take
you a bout it i couldent do it and
the soldiers are determind to conker or die
it is belived we wil have peace this
fal we are in site of the yanks we talk
to gether they want us to trade with
them but its a ganst orders to trade
with them they are narely dead for
tobaco i could tel you a greit deal for
i have sean more then i ever thaut
was in the wourld when we went
to the old seven days battle ground
below Richmond we crost the
[page 3]
James at chafens bluff on a pantoon
bridge that would bea somethin for
you to se floteing on the water but we
are now back whare i furst found the
redgemet a nuf of that for this time
i wil now tel you somethin a bout
my self and my horse we bouth
stand it very wel thoug i am all most
some times in the dust i ant
raned but little sence i have ben here
i hant sean enny of my brothers
yet but i have herd from them they
still and wel i sean miles
wi<?>e but i told you a bout that i
dident have but little time to talk
with him for he couldent stop long
a bout my dis cription list they say
i wil get my money and as soon as i
draw money i wil send you some
[page 4]
tel uncle matty i wil rite to him soon

we are getting plenty to eat and have
little guard duty to do whare ther is so menny
guard duty is lite we have as good officers as
ever lived they never give ther men a
cros word but we cant have enny [?]red
i here senc i have ben here i wil now
close Dear family i wil now give you my
best respets though i may never sea y in
i want you to live so that you may bea an
onor to me and to your selves and live for
him who dide for all i want you to
tel me hou wates and Jo is doing
whether they are good boys or not and
whether they lern ther books or not
i want them to lern there books let
so that they can read when i sea them
so nothing more at presant but
remane your frend and companion
until death i want to har[?] Franklin Setzer
hare from you to Carline Setzer
and to my baby too