Dear Parents & Brothers I now seat
myself on a board laid across a
tub out of doors to write you
another letter. As I wrote you
Sunday morning I am now with
the regiment and was in a
great battle last Saturday. A
week ago Monday I left the New
Brunswick and went into the ranks
again. Last Friday the gunboats
moved up and commenced bomb-
arding the island or rather the forts
on the island. About four oclock
in the afternoon the twenty fifth
was put on the steamer with Gen
[page 2]
Foster and prepared to land
on the island as we approached
the shore we could see the bay-
onets of the enemy glistening in
the sun as they came down to
resist us, but one of the gunboats
threw a few shells into the woods
and so we landed without opposi-
tion. we immediately formed and
having sent out several companies of
skirmishers into the woods we stacked
arms and laid down on the ground
to try and sleep during the night but
it commenced raining n the night
so I did not get a wink of sleep
One of the 21st boys who was
out on picket was shot slightly
by one of the rebels, but the night
passed quietly besides. Early in the
morning we were on the move and
got ready for battle. Our regiment
[page 3]
formed first and marched down
the road spreading out on each
side as they went along. The ground
was a regular swamp the same as
you have often read about in “Simms
Works” all filled with brambles and vines
so that we have been told the rebel
commander said it was impossible
to get through them. But we soon
heard the report of the muskets on the
right and were drawn up in some
sort of a line and the action com-
menced in earnest. The rebels had a
masked battery and a sod[?] intrench-
ment. The water was up above our knees
and it was all hummocks and
one of the worst places for a battle
that you ever saw. We had three or four
pieces of cannon which were taken from
one of the vessels and we peppered
them well. I expected that I would
feel somewhat scared when we first
commenced but I felt just as cool
[page 4]
as if I was firing at a mark.
I had my glasses on when we first
commenced, but they bothered me
so I stopped and took them off
and put them in my pocket.
We were engaged about three hours
and ten minutes when the General
ordered us to march in retreat. I
was much surprised as we were
steadily advancing and all were
just as cool as could be, but some
of the companies had used up the am-
munition in the top part of their
boxes so we retired to the right
and the twenty-first took our place
we lying flat down on our faces right
in the water, the bullets whistling
over our heads at a great rate
I felt the wind of one of the cannon
balls on my face once, but
their balls were mostly too high
The firing was kept up about an
hour longer. when the Zouaves
[page 5]
were ordered to charge which
they did and the rebels re-
treated. We immediately pursued
them and they were so panic-
stricken that they did not make
another stand but tried to escape
but were prevented by our vessels
so they surrendered. We immediately
took possession of all the island
containing three other forts and
31 heavy guns. They had lots of
barracks built, preparing to make
this one of the strongest places
they had. We took possession and
appropriated what there was.
I found a knapsack which
was kicking round, the picture which
I send and also several letters &c
some of which I send for specimens
We wounded O. Jennings Wise
son of old Governor Wise so that
he died in two or three days and
we have sent a nephew of his
[page 6]
forth as a prisoner. we have
taken it is said a hundred and
thirty commissioned officers and
probably over four thousand prisoners
in all. We took a thousand that
night who were coming over to
reinforce the rebels and we
have since destroyed the rebel
fleet and taken Elizabeth City
that is the expedition has. Our
regiment has been staying here
since the battle. I am well and
tough and dont know but I am
as well as I ever was. I send also
a “Secesh” bill which I got off one
of the prisoners
[this letter is a later transcript by an unidentified family member]
His reference to Simms is probably to the novelist William Gilmore Simms, 1806-1870, who wrote romantic novels about episodes in Southern history, as well as the anti-abolitionist “Sword and the distaff,” a reply to “Uncle Tom’s cabin.”
MSS 11293