Digital images taken by Judkin Browning

Randolph County NC

January the 25/63

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          Dear Sir I take the opportunity of addressing yo with a few lines stating the condition of our country. on the 17th night some of the conscrips fired my Barn and Burned it up and All my food A 35 dollar fan and evry thing about my Barn. my loss was betwine eight and nine hundred dollars. our country is ruined unless thare is something done within a short time. thay ar recking houses and Burning Bildings and steeling evry few nights. the deserters and parolled prisners ar joined to gether so the officers cant do any thing with them. A few nights since the conscrips fired about 60 guns in our officers camp and shot one deserter thay had caught and one negro one mule and shot in the wagons verry strong. it is getting wors time here than it is in the army.

          Governer Vance, I would /be/ very glad yo would send fifty or a hundred well armed men in the upper part of Moor joining Randolph & chatham[1], to help take up those vilions. they people about here is so frade of Private injury thay ar all most affrad to draw a long Breath. the time thay cut up my Bellouses[2] A certain /man/ sed thay was not half don with me yet and since that thay Burned my Barn I would like to /no how to/ proroseed with such men. I hav tride to discharge my duty as an officer when I was able. I hav obeye the officers over me. Governer I rote yo a Few lines About sum corn. I havent received Any answer yet. please send me some One hundred bushels of corn to greensboro and <right> right if yo will do it and what price as I hav met with so much bad luck I am compelled to hav it. I must close by saying right imediately. direct your letter to Brush creek P.o. Randolph Co. NC

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B B. Marley[2] Capt Co. A 64 Redgt Nc

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[1] Moore, Randolph, and Chatham counties adjoin each other in the central piedmont of North Carolina.

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[2] Blouses

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[3] Benjamin Branson Marley (1823-1891), a farmer in eastern Randolph County, served as captain of Company A, 64th North Carolina Militia. Matthew Brown and Michael Coffer, comps., North Carolina Troops, 21:15; 1860 U.S. Census.