Great content war-date letter of Hillsboro Military Academy cadet Meriwether Lewis to his sister 'Fannie', 2pp. 4to., Hillsboro, NC, Mar. 3 [n.y., late 1864]. Lewis describes being pressed into service to guard Yankee prisoners in Raleigh (40 miles from Hillsboro), long marches of prisoners between camps, and the hardships he has faced. In small part: '...You will see in the papers that we have been in the service. We were gone ten days...If Sherman comes into this State we will have to face himpromptly at a moment's warning, and I will have to go, or desert & be expelled...In actual service we would suffer more than the soldiers of the army...unprovided with knapsacks...we were guarding yanks...I stood guard 11 hours out of the 24, & would have nearly starved...The next day I was so weak that I was unable to support my musket...At Camp Mangum I walked guard five hours through the rain, mud, & pitchy darkness...we carried the Yankees from Camp Mangum to Goldsboro & thence to Camp Anders [over 50 miles] as a night & day of horror & suffering. I was cold, drenched to the skin, hungry & weak...I had to fast 25 hours...all the food I had was 2 raw sweet potatoes and a small piece of cold cornbread...Our officers are inexperienced...' Age toned with some light but fully legible text.