September the 29th 1861
At Nichols Sound on the Sea
Dear Cosen Wm Eastis
I now take the liberty of dropping you these few lines in order to let you no that I am well at this time hoping at the same time that these few lines may find you & famly in the same state of helth. I and all of the Redgment is in camp & near the see cost not more than 2 hundred yards from the Beach. You can stay in the encampment and see all the steam boats and steam ships running all the time. It is a grand seen to see all the steamers Running up and down to and fro. You may stand on the Beach and look as far as your Eye can see and it is nothing but one world of water. We have the See Breeses which is as helthy as the are up whare you live. The water that we have is the very worst of water Such as you never Drank in your life the wigeltails is as thick as Bees in gum whear the one Bushel of Bees in the gum. That is all the falt that I can find. We have all Drawed our uniforms and tha ar as fine as hart Can wk. Tha ar a gray sack coat with a Row of the finest Brass Buttons up the Breast - the pants is pretty much the same onnly tha is a black Stripe up the ledgs. -Tha ar nice and Caps all so. Our guns is heare Ready for Distribution. The Fleete is seen every day tha come in sight and last night tha came in sight of us. We are looking for a test in very short time. I think that tha is from six to ten thousand yankees in the fleete though we do not no whether this this thing is true or not. But the yankees ar seen constantly. Our Boys went over on a little island this morning and seen them in a small Distance. I think that we will be in a fight Before any one Elce, and I hope so. We Drawd our Guns to Day and tha ar the Missisppi Rifels. We ar Ready for them now and any other time. I could wright Ten thousand things But I have Rote six or seven letters to day and you must excuse me. Wright to me as soon as you Recive this letter. Direct your letter to Wilmington 25th Rdg NC in Care of Col TL Clingman in Care of Captain TD Bryson Co B.
So nothing more But Remain Yours until Death
R.P. Crawford
[Ed: Crawford was wounded, deserted the Confederacy, and eventually joined a Union cavalry regiment operating under a Tennessee number. He died in 1872.]