Cabarrus Civil War Soldier Muses Over Leap Year Courting On January 24, 1864, Cabarrus County Civil War soldier, John Allen Smith, wrote to his sister M. C. Smith (spelling as transcribed): "The fourth regt of N. C. cavalry will start back to N. C. tomorrow morning. We hav very fine and warm wether at presant. It makes me think a bout being at home to go a corting and squeaze some of the girls for I no that they would like to be squeazed a little... I would like to no if the girls goes corting as this is leap year and there year to go see the boys. I think if I was at home they would shorely come to see me but if the girls will go to see the boys they will hav to go some distance be fore they will find them. And so I think if they hav any boys at home they would be better to hold on to them for the boys out here are getting prety bad." John is referring to the Scots-Irish folk tradition that women may propose marriage in leap years. While it has been claimed that t