Jan 4^th 1862. In the morning the boys & I set out some peach trees. In the afternoon Mother & I took a ride, came by Tina’s & stopped a little while.

[Rebecca] Jan 4^th 1862. A drizzling rain Tivie planted peach trees in the morng. After dinner Tivie, Rosa & I took a ride in the buggy.

 [Winston Stephens to Octavia Stephens]

                                                                                                Fernandina Jan 4, 1862

My Dear Wife

                I received your long & very interesting letter this morning & was glad to hear you & all the family were well.  I have an opportunity of sending this by Steamer St Marys & you can get it with the one sent by the Cars yesterday.  We had news by Telegraph that a fight commenced near Charleston on Yesterday & the Yankees were driven back, but had gotten reinforcements & had commenced the fight over.  We are looking constantly for news but as yet nothing has arrived ‑ Also we have news of the fight at Pensacola & hear we losed one man by the bursting of one of our own shell ‑ but dont know the damage done on their side.

                When I wrote you my first lesson, which it appears you have not received, I mentioned that Capt Mosely's negroes had threated to set themselves free on the 20th of this month if Lincoln did not do it for them.  I asked you to name it to Clark that he might have patrole & prepare against such an event.  Tell Henry to keep the guns in order & keep them out of the way of the negroes & ready to use in the event they should try to do such a thing ‑ dont talk of it where they can possibley get hold of it ‑ I do not think my negroes would Join in such a thing but Gardners might.

                I rec'd a letter from Willie with yours giving a description of some part of his visit &c.  I wish I could have been there as his time perhaps would have been spent more to his satisfaction, partly in the woods and ducking.  I cant tell how long we will be here but Capt H thinks we will return to our horses in the first of February ‑ if so I will see you then if not before ‑ If it was not for the boys that came in on my account & the horses I am responsable for I would resign My Commission & come home ‑ but my Dear I was the cause of several men coming in the service & it would not be treating them right to leave them, by remaining I am not afraid of losing any thing in the horse business.  I have purchased a barrel of syrup & it will be landed at the wharf by the first barge down the river.  My wife I have & do appreciate your worth & have ever done so & you may rest assured this will have me the same as ever & hope we may ever be to each other as we have been.  You say you cant see how I am to come out of debt this year.  This I can say, If I am spared my life & my family I shal feel thankful & be satisfied.  If I am left any poorer than now I hope my Wife will not love me the less & with health & your love I can support you & my dear Rosa any where ‑ This difficulty if it lasts will be the means of the sacrifice of much property & I may be one of the sufferers, if so we must learn to bear it.  I can bear any thing, but it will be hard to see you any worse off than you are ‑ We must hope & trust for the better times.  You cant say more of Rosa than I like to hear & you must give me in each of your letters the particulars of our home & those so dear to me!  You can bed the potatoes now but put them deep & the first of next month have some of the dirt taken off.  We had Dr Verdier to dine with us yesterday & a young Dr Andrews who was in the battle of Manassas.  Dr. V was in the Port Royal engagement & they gave us many interesting incidents of the two engagements – Mr Burges is here also -The Mr Haliday I spoke of in my last is the man that raised Tina.

                Keep the shirts ‑ love to all & many kisses to you & Rosa.  I wish so much I could give them.

                                                                                                Your ever affectionate husband

PS I wish old simmons had to dig in that branch for the next year then he would know what work is worth I cant tell yet what to do about the cotton but keep it locked up til you have other instructions from me. I will not gin it this spring unless I can sell it – Mr Greely returned from Palatka this morning or last night & sayed the horses were doing well and he brought a box full of good figs.

                                                                                                Your Cross old Man

PS 2^nd make burrel move the cypress sticks that were got out for the mill & left in the swamp & put them out of the weather. get Clarks advise about any thing you may not understand.

Jan 5, 1862.  Rain.  In the afternoon had the negroes all up in the house and Mother read a chapter in the Bible & had some singing.

[Rebecca] Jan 5^th 1862. A heavy rain about noon. Reading all day. Held a short service with the negroes in P.M.

Jan 3^rd 1862. Tina & Minnie spent the day with us. Rain at last.

[Rebecca] Jan 3^rd 1862. Mrs. Stephens spent the day with us, rain the eveg, - quite warm

[Winston Stephens to Octavia Stephens] 

                                                                                                Fernandina January 2nd 1862

My Dear Wife

                I received your short, but interesting letter by Cars in due time with a long PS by Davis, which made the letter all together a long one.  I was glad to hear that you all had been so agreeably surprised by Davis & Willies visit & glad to hear you had such a good time generally.  I am in fine health with the exception of a cold which is very common in camps, my cold is much better than it was yesterday.  Some few of the men have fever with their colds & some of the Regiment have pneumonia, Mumps, Measels & a variety of other Contagious diseases too tedious to mention ‑ one death occured in Capt Martins company last night, a man by the name of Morrison from near Ocala. ‑ We try to keep our men seperated as much as possible from other Companies to avoid the various diseases ‑ We have itch in camps but I shal hold myself aloof from the men as much as possible to avoid catching it if possible.  The general  health has improved in the last few days. Dr. Mathews told me just before dinner that he had less than half as many on his sick list than he had three days ago, & no serious cases - We have only two men on our sick list, Perdum & Glisson & they walk about Camps.  This has the appearance of a healthy place.  We have to drill about four hours every day which gives us exercise enough to keep us from getting lazy & the Company has very much improved since our arrival here. The cars did not arrive last night & the supposition is that some accident has befallen it & if so I fear our Capt has had his share as he was expected. A train went out this morning & we will not know the particulars until the return of that Train. 

                A small craft came in by the blockade on Sunday from Nassau loaded with salt & ask twelve dollars pr sack, but I think they will have to curtail the price before they sell.

                On Sunday I went down to the Fort & sand batteries below the Fort & I feel more convinced than ever the Yankees will have their hands full if our guns are used well. I saw Judge Brain & he looked worse than I ever saw him, I also found Mr Halliday there & they went around & showed me all the guns & the position of the channel &c all of which I found interesting & satisfactory, as I think they (I mean the Yankees) will have to land on the Island somewhere else & not at Fernandina, & if they should effect a landing on some other point we could whip them as we have several advantages from the position of the country, but I am at ease on that subject as I feel sure that they will not come here.

                If this letter is disconnected you must not blame me as it is impossible to write a letter in came without having interuptions every few minutes - I think I told you not to transplant the peach trees unless you had good seasons, but I want you to have it done at once & have them well watered about sunset every evening until you are sure they will live, also the Plum.  the three large trees by the old place you can let stay, but transplant all the rest, & if this dry weather continues until you receive this tell Burrel to examine the new ground & if the bushes are dead he had better set fire to it & burn it off & let Tom haul the rails before the woods are burnt, tell him to try & get a windy day as it will burn better & be careful & not let the fire burn him out when the woods gets afire. I enclose a ration table & if you will overlook my letters you will find this is the third time since I left, & I give it to you this time so you can keep it in your journal.

                It seems a long time to wait for a letter, from one Saturday to the next, but I suppose I should feel thankful to have one that often.  Does my Darling Rosa stil lisp her Pa name or can she talk plainer.  I would give any thing to see you both & have the pleasure of your society if only for a short time, but I cant tell you when that will be as Lt Peterman has the promise of the next furlough.  I think we will be removed before very long & perhaps to Smyrna, if so I will come home, I will perhaps be able to tell you more about the change in my next ‑ Kill the black hog as soon as he will do to kill as Gardners negroes will kill him if he gets out. Tell Clark I will try & write to him next mail. Give them love &c. We have to go to drill & I must close, I will add a PS to night. love to Mother & boys, & kiss Rosa & tell her to kiss Mother for PaPa – Good bye & bless you

                                                                                                Your loving husband

                                                                                                Winston Stephens

PS Capt H has arrived & no money but we will get in a few days by one of us going after it.

                                                                                                Yours ever

                                                                                                Winston

                This will give you some idea of our incampment.  The front row of tents are the officers the tents are all about 12 by 13 feet & the wall is about 3 feet & then tapers to the top ‑ which makes a very comfortable tent. Officers tents three to each company, these are the mens tents all opening on the streets & behind them they have their camp fires, each Tent holds four men. The Capt one wall tent, Myself & Lt Peterman one & Lt Gray & Mr Greely the clerk one ‑ and the Comisary tent is between the officers tents & the men ‑ & distance from the officers to the men 20 yards ‑ you must excuse me for not taking more pains in drawing the camp but remember I dont profess to be expert in such things & this will give you some idea of our situation.  We are on a high hill & nearly surrounded by branches from which we procure our water.

My Dear

                I got a letter from Mr Smith of Welaka asking if he could rent the house that Mr Gardner had last year & I have written to him & refered him to Mother ‑ I would say if she has not disposed of it that I think she had better let him have it as it is better occupied that not ‑ Gardner was to pay 9$ pr month ‑ I hope Willie got the money from G for Mr Tucker or at least the note ‑ it was 18 dollars.           

New Years Day, 1862. Willie left us just after breakfast to return to his camp at the Bar, I sent a letter to Winston and Cousin Julia.

[Rebecca] Jan 1, 1862.  at Rose Cottage, Willie left us this morng. at 8 o'clk having been with us 9 dys.  Our family now consists only of Tivie, Henry, Georgie, myself and Rosa ‑ The year has opened with bright sunshine, quite a contrast to our national affairs and domestic prospects.  Memory has been busy with the past all day and sad thoughts have intruded themselves in spite of all my efforts.

[Julia Fisher to her nephew Davis Bryant]

                                                                                                Thomasville Jany. 1^st 1862.

Dear Davis,

                My first letter in the new Year is to you, may it find you well, & as happy as we can hope to be these times!

                Mr. Edward Remington will bring you this. You will remember him as the near friend of Paris. and also an acquaintance of Willie’s and will be glad to meet him. I should have written more at length, but company all day, & many other cares prevented. Mimoe will tell you any thing you may care to know. I have Andrew & Alfred on hand yet, negroes hire low, & are very plenty this year. I hope to manage somehow, & meantime hope & work on. If I should fail in doing all I hope it will not be surprising, when men feel they can hardly get along. I hope you may find your situation profitable & permanent. I hope too Richard & Lou may get along comfortably & pleasantly. I will just put in a few lines to your Mother, which please send. All well here, love to Willie in abundance.

                                                                                                Yours with truest affection,

                                                                                                Aunt Julia.

Dec. 31, 1861. Henry & George went to town Lewis came over with a note from Tina. In the afternoon Willie & I rode to Clark’s & spent the afternoon. Tina had the toothache.

[Octavia Stephens to Winston Stephens]      

                                                                                                Dec 31st 1861

My own dear Husband

                I was mighty glad to receive a letter from you this week for it seemed a coon's age since I had seen or heard from you.  I miss you more every time you go away; the weeks get longer, I dont get used to it one bit, why did Old Lincoln keep Mason & Slidell a little longer & let England challenge him, & let us have peace.  oh my hopes were so much raised when I heard that they were demanded & were not going to be given up, & that they would probably have a war, but as usual my hopes were blasted. I suppose you have received a letter from me by this time, you spoke of not hearing from me, you must remember that I had had no chance.  from something you said in your letter this week about “my being alarmed about what you wrote in your last.” I suppose that you wrote to me last week, and I did not get itl I am sorry you had such a dull Christmas, seems to me I have missed you more than ever since the boys have been here.  I am afraid you will be kept at Fernandina a long time & can not afford to come home often.  I suppose it will cost 12 or 15 dollars.  Willie says you might take two weeks in two months and then you would be able to stay a decent time with us, but that seems a long time between visits, but I suppose I would then be much better off than some folks, and may thank my stars if I see you that often.  oh well I will hope again that something will turn up or change the order of things.  I am sorry you are disappointed in the sum of your pay; I feared it would be so, & Willie told me of it after he came, every one must go for patriotism.  with so little I dont see how we can come out straight as you say, and I have been thinking lately of your horse business, and think worse & worse of it. the boys went to see the horses when in Pilaka & said “Pet” was a little sick I suppose you left the horse doctor with them, as I heard that eleven men were left with them.

                I suppose from your telling me to keep the darkie boys home, that you wrote me about some insurrection or some such thing, please tell me again.  I dont like this way of our letters crossing each other, and having to wait two weeks for an answer to any question.

                We have not had a very merry time but very quiet.  Willie is much more quiet than he used to be, I think him much changed.

                So you think the women worth looking at, perhaps by being in the service a good many will learn to appreciate their wives, you too of course, do you think you appreciate your good (for nothing) little wife, never mind you cant get one who would appreciate you more.  just now I heard a rustling & looked up and Rosa was sitting straight up in her crib, I went & laid her down & turned her over and she went right to sleep without moving any more.  when we tell her to call Pa Pa she generally says "Pa Pa don" she is learning to say "Ma Ma peas Ma'am" when she wants to nurse, & says "ide" for ride, Tum for Tom & pire for fire when Tom comes in the morning.  she has become quite familiar with Willie.  he and Davis take a great deal of notice of her and seem to think a great deal of her.  We rode out to the Pond the other day & Willie & Rosa amused themselves or each other by making faces, so for a day or two every time she would look at Willie she would make all kinds of faces.  today she saw me washing some of her potatoe off of the beaureau and she took her nightgown off the horse & a napkin and went to scrubbing the cricket as busily as possible.  Well I think I have strung out pretty long about her, but I guess you like to hear about her.

                I will not say anything of Mr Simmons as Clark (alias Tina) has written. I am sorry that the mill is to be a “bust” up, but Burrel says he dont care so much, for he will be put back, so much with the crop. he seems very industrious & trying hard to do his duty, but is greatly troubled about Jane. we have not heard from Mrs Bradley yet. Willie will go to the office in Pilatka again. we heard the other day that Mrs Bradley’s Amos was drowned off of a pole boat going to Jacksonville for things for a wedding for Francis.

                I am glad you had some good things for Christmas, I often thought of you & wished to send you something.  Tina had a fine dinner on Christmas.  Willie & I rode over to Clark's this afternoon, Tina had the toothache.  she sent over your note this morning.  I asked Clark before I got your letter to get me a barrel of syrup as he was going to get one & I thought you would take it, but Mr Tyner has risen again to 65 cts.  Davis says it is a dollar a gallon in Jacksonville.

                When did you tell me to bed the potatoes? the Hayties are decaying too. Our baby seems very restless to night. I hope it will prove to be only a tooth coming, she is not very fretful and has no signs of fever. I have not had any return of the chill & fever since the night before you left.

                I guess I must close, every one else is either in bed or going there.  this is a little better than the scrawl I sent last week.  I have been writing to Julie too.  Oh I hear that Mr Tydings & Lou are to be in Jacksonville this year.  Mother sends love and wishes you a "Happy New Year" & hopes the next New Years night you will be seated at your fireside, & your store houses & barns full.

                Good night my darling may the Lord grant Mother's wish.

                                                                                                Ever affectionately

                                                                                                Your Wife.

                I have not sent the shirt I thought it would cost as much as having some done up, have the calico ones washed.

[Rebecca Bryant to Davis Bryant]   

                                                                                                Rose Cottage  Dec 31, 1861

My dear Davis,

                I send you herewith a daguerreotype of your Father, which was taken in the Autumn of /45 and was then considered a good likeness ‑ Both Tivie and I have good ones, taken at a later period and I thought you would rather have this than none. The socks may do for a while to save Mrs Maxey a few stitches. I intend writing her a few words to inclose with this before Willie leaves, expressing my thanks for her kindness.

                This is the last day of 1861 ‑ where shall we all be at the close of the next?  Echo answers where!  I hope you will not be disappointed in your visit to Mulberry Grove tomorrow ‑ A Happy New year to Mrs Reed & family and also to Mrs Foster and hers.  Your visit here affords us pleasant reminiscences and was I suppose a source of more gratification to us, than to you, as your stay was so very short in comparison with the trouble and expense you had in coming.

                I hope Willie has enjoyed his and think he has in a quiet way. Tivie sends much love and hopes you have recd. a letter which Winston mentions having written to you, by Henry Hopkins, on the 26^th. He wrote Tivie the same evening, was well and apparently cheerful.

                Write me next year, and accept much love from

                                                                                                Mother

Tivie says you must go and see Loulie as soon as she arrives and tell her we must have a visit from her this Winter certain. We depend on seeing the two babies together. Give much love from both of us.

[Willie Bryant to Winston Stephens]  

                                                                                                Rose Cottage  Dec last 1861.

Dear Winston,

                I have been here now 9 days enjoying the hospitalities of yr home, & have had a good time of it, but regret very much that you have not been here, as I counted so much on it; I was greatly disappointed on my arrival at J'vlle to learn how I had missed you, & that you had been ordered to Fernandina; & I expect if you could get off one of my old fashioned "swears" it would do you good, at the arrangement; but as you have left the "old lady" so well provided for yr mind should be as easy as any husband away from a young wife.  I am glad to see you so independent of Old abe; these times especially are farmers to be envied.

                I have knocked around but little, powder & shot being so scarce, & have spent most of the time with the women & children, but havn't entirely succeeded in captivating yr lovely daughter; she is hard to win, & very coquettish, I must say, & I think I am as usual the most struck of the two; she's a great girl, certain!  I have been over to Welaka several times & it makes me sad to see the place; I find Gardner about King, or trying to be; I have tried him for money, or to get a chance to cuss him, but of course it was no go;

                I think I would like to take the contract of "cleaning out" Welaka now, & if I should commence I would not leave many.  The "old lady" will of course give you all of family matters & general news, & I think from all the thoughts & wishes she expresses concerning you, you will get a grown person's dose of a letter.

                O, yr shot gun came up by the boat yesterday & is in the house.

                An old friend of our, & one of my mess, is now in Fernandina, whom perhaps you wd like to know; he was detailed from our company as telegraphic operator, he is not yr style but is a very intelligent & clever fellow; his name is Hatch. If you remain at F- & I hear a chance to get a job to go there, I will. I dont much apprehend an attack on F’da now; they must kow it would not pay; they would have a big fight on their hands at least; as for our post, I think we are unthought of, & despair of having a chance to “spread” myself there & truly wish I was somewhere else; if it were not for an alarm once in awhile I don’t know what we would have to keep us alive.

                I don't know what to think of the effect of this Mason & Slidell affair now it has taken this turn, & don't care much; if I can only be pd off now & then I am willing to "let things riss" awhile longer, I have recd but one mo's pay yet for all my services.

                Well, good bye!  If the Yankees come attend to them; I feel whatever may happen to us that "Divine Providence & Davis" will take care of the folks.  

                                                                                                Yrs alway

                                                                                                Willie

Dec. 30, 1861. Received a letter from Winston at Fernandina. Henry went to town for the mail. Willie & Georgie went to Mrs Hopkin’s and Mr Gardner’s.