Transcription for the images above:

[Page 1]

Head Quarters
South Atlantic Coast
Beaufort N. C.
July 10th 77

Willie

We are here at last We arrived here yesterday (Monday) We had quite a nice time coming down especilaly [especially] through Pamlico Sound- Wednesday night after we left Edenton we had quite a fresh Easterly wind against us down the Abemarle [Albemarle] Sound- We lay at Roanoke Marshes two days & night waiting for the weather to moderate We came the Ship Channel way through Pamlico

[Page 2]

& Core Sounds without any Pilot at all untill [until] we were half through Core Sound- I give [gave] a man $2 to take me here- Now I think I could have done just as well as he did We were about 5 hours out of sight of land in Pamlico Sound. It is a large sheet of water- We were just 43 hours under steam in all from Edenton to this place besides going down to Roanoke Island to land a passenger for Nags head [Head]- We had to use salt water in our Boiler al [all] the way & it was a bad make out- as we had to keep the Surface Blow on all the time & it was nip and tuck to keep up water in the

[Page 3]

boiler- We blowed out yesterday after getting here and today we are taking on fresh water We will try it this Evening- It is perfectly splinded [splendid] down here in this salt water Nags Head isn't ???? to this- I wish you would come down in the Bertie the storm last Sept cut out Haurbor [harbor] Island Bar and now you can get 7 feet water over it- Frank is in his glory catching crabs, clams and other individuals The Hotel is not quite ready yet although there are some few travelers now- They expect an excursion down on Wednesday on the RR should any letter come for me send them down

[Page 4]

here to me & write every week

Truly

E.S. Askew