I will have to rescan this, one of the pages was cut off and the letter is in pieces. I bought this May 6th, 1864 letter from the "Browse House" of Holly Hill, Florida. It's from W. C. Dana of Cheraw to Dr. & Mrs. Binnie of Greenville, SC.

I will slowly transcribe this. There was a W. C. Dana that served with the 42nd North Carolina, although this letter is not from the front lines, it does give us some war time information.

Cheraw, May 6th, 1864

Dr. & Mrs. Binnie---

My Dear Friends.

I have been for a long time intending to address a few lines to you, if only with a view to obtaining to myself some little xx direct intelligence from you. XXXXX I remained in town, I had the pleasure of learning from time to time, through your nephew, also this Dr. Pane & others, that your health was good + that the change of climate had proved in a high degree favorable to both in this respect. I trust that this is still the case.

A short time since, I mentioned to my wife my intention of writing you without further delay, The very next day, my will to do so was quickened by receiving news of the death of our friend Mrs. Shaw. A brief visit to town + some XXXXX from met her., have delayed mine till this time. The departure for me so long The departure by me so long + so XXXXX associated with you, was because a xxxxx
charm. It is thru that Divine Providence teaches us to feel that we are strangers + pilgrims on this earth.
But how infinite the blessing of being assured by the same Divine Revelation which is our guide and comforter in this life, that there is a nobler life above, a world of perfect and enduring happiness, untroubled by the cares and sorrows that belong to this.-- I learn through Joseph XXXXXX that your nephew James Cates passed through Columbia on his way to camp. You may (?) feel his absence much. But I trust that providence does not intend that this war should last much longer. The signs are certainly encoraging. Past disappointments have taught us to be much too sanguine; but it would seem that if a decisive victory should be granted us in the impending conflict, the day of peace cannot be far distant.

Mrs Matheson and Mrs. Dana are in about their usual health. Both are perhaps better than if they had continued two year sucessively in the less bracing air of Charleston. Mrs. Dana feels the sudden change from the cold to the warm season a little unfavorably. We are all I believe contented and cheerful as xxxx my xxxx—indeed I think more so than would have seemed possible to say, had we in past times anticipated the present. We have mind to be grateful for. Cheraw is a very pretty place and the Plantation Hotel as comfortable an abode as could abound anywhere in town. After the 2nd Sunday in January our church was closed in view of the general opinion that it was no longer a safe place for the assembling of a congregation. The correctness of this opinion was proved by a ghalling falling a few days. XXXXX just began it about the same time a ghale came just over our home in Laurens....

Where I had been sleeping since the departure from xxxx where we found a house in Sumter. So our arrival to Cheraw a day or two before seemed quite opportune. I have added a little gardening to my other services of walking, reading & writing. The results are not much to xxxx of, as the season is back....; but it pleases me in these times to be ........

I succeeded in seeing nearly all our

Relieve me with

Most sincerely yours

W. C. Dana

It appears that W. C. Dana is a well educated man, religious, prosperous, connected and cultured. He is concerned about the war and looks forward to Peace. He has evacuated Charleston, Sumter and now resides in the "Plantation Hotel" in Cheraw with his wife. It could be that he works with the medical profession as he seems concerned with health and climates, although he does not identify himself as a Doctor. He refers to houses in Charleston, Sumter and Laurens as "our house in" those cities. he likes reading, gardening and walking, so I can safely deduce that he is not a common laborer. The letter was addressed to his dear friends Dr. & Mrs. Binnie.

The letter was sealed with red wax, which accounts for the hole, some of the old red wax is still visible. he also mentions a Colonel Victor toward the bottom of the page. he mentions the Matheson Family, are large and influential family in Cheraw, one of the Matheson houses still stands today.

I will try to translate this entire work.