Kinston NC
Nov 23the 1863

My Dear Wife and Children,

I Received your kind & loving letter. it giv me great satisfaction and I was mad too I think it tis hard that you hav to giv that place up after sowing your Wheat. I want you to tell Bill if he hant sent you that wheat that I want him to send it 1/2 bushel & 1/2 tabe Dish fod. you Rote to me to git aferlow if I could. I went to Kinston to day to see the Colonel and he wasant at home. I dont now whether I will git it are not. if I dont I want you to do the best you can till I git home and then I will help you .I want you to tell Joseph Landis to pay you for them coffins. if he asks you what you charge you can tell him if he will let you have wheat at one Dollar per bushel that he can give you 6 bushel. if he don't, you can tell him to pay you $16 Dollars. you can tell him that you want the wheat. what did higgins giv you for them berals? I dident hav nothing for My breakfirst only Corn Bred and I went over to Kinston and I seed sum Crackers and I give [p.1] fifty cents for six about as big as a dollar. it seems like it will take all that I can make hear to git sumthing to Eat and to git paper and tobacco and invelips. I had to give thirty cents for this paper that I Rote this letter on and then I have to pay from 25 to thirty cents per garment and it takes about all that I git. your letter you Rote the 19 I got it the 22. that is the first letter that I have got in two weeks. I thought that you had for got me but I dont think you have. you Rote to me that you had got my coat and you wanted to now what I had done With my hat. I swated with higgins. I could not git nary other hat and I had to lay on it and wallow over it so I thought that I mites swell let him have it as any way. you Will think hard of me for that but I Dont want you to think hard of me. I could not take care of it. you Rote to me that Higgins said that he would send the papers By Litel. I have got out of hart that [p.2] I ever Will git home any more till this War ends. I am hear and you are there so we are many Miles A part we bee but if I live till christmast, I think if God will let me live that long that I will git closter home. I trust in God for every thing. if I had of bin at home when Bill Rented you out of house and home I think that I would of heart him and I Dont now but what I will yet but I ought to pray for him and any other man that does as he does. the Bible teaches us to pray for our inmas but it is hard to pray for any Speclator when tha doo so but I pray God to for give him. You Rote to me that higgins would Come down hear when he got his Wheat sown. I Dont think that he has any Ida of it. may God help him to think of my Wife and littel Children and Doo all he can. if I can come home I dont want him to bee always about it. we had preachen hear twist sunday But I would of been mutch glader to of bin at home to of went to [p.3] with you. I want you to Rite every week. if it takes all that I make I would rather see you than to have one bushel of gold dust. it would give me more satsfaction than all the gold that has bin dug out of Brachet town. I dont now what to doo if I was to come home and then tha catch me. then I would have to go back but I think that I will try it sumtime. if I live tell mother and sister that I am tolerable well at this time hoping that she may be well. this is the levlest contry that I ever saw. it tis as leval as your garden tha ant a hill that can be seen about hear. I had to go in Dres perade Just now and had to finish my letter after wards. it tis nearly dark and I must come to A close by saying that I Remain your loving husband prayer.

F M Poteet to his loving Wife and Children kis my litel babes for
Me my loving M. A. E. Poteet Wife [p.4]

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