Culpeper county Virginia
May the 27th 1863
Dear Father I will Send
you a few lines By Polk
Which will Learn you that I
am well I hope these lines
will find you all well I
have received a letter from
you Dated the 16th of this inst
which I was glad to get it
is the only letter I have received
since I left home we have no
news of any importance to write
at this time
I want you to se george Baly
me and tell him if he wants
to come to our company that
I will have him a good horse
of his own and money enough
to Bare his expenses to the
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Regiment and he will get
24 dollars per munth and
if he will come he will have
nothing to do only say so and if he
wants to come in the wars now
is the time for I dont think
the war will last more than
6 months and tell him that
I will stand By him and
se him out in any thing he wants
me to do and he will get very
good fair and good wages &
a good horse of his own
I want him to go in staps [Jackson Stepp]
plase and that will be better
than to come in his own
place and I expect he will
get 1 or 2 hundred dollars
more I tell him I want
hime to be sure and come
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polk shipman will se to
geting the horse and he can
come on as he does to the
Regt and will get here safe
with out costing him any
thing and you must keep
this a secret from the old man
Baley untill he gets away
for he will be against him
coming Be sure to not
let his Father no it
one monts in the service
is worth 5 years scooling
to him and he can get
his scooling after he gets
Back and then he will
be a smart man I want
you to se if you can get me
a good harty horse if you can
on a credit till fall I can
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make a good Porse clear I
can get Between 600 1000
dollors for the one I have got
I think if you was to go down
about spring creek you could get a
good horse on a credit I expect
poke will go down there to get
him one you need not to put
your self to any trouble without
you think you can get one that
will pay if polk dont get
that one for george if you
get me any he can ride mine
to the Regt and I can fix for
him here I cant send you no
money now but if george comes I can
send you $150 dollars By Jack stepp
and if you send me the horse I can
send you enough to pay for both horses
I will close J A Shipman