Folly Island SC May 22nd [1863]
Dear Cousin Roxie,
Your very welcome letter of May 3rd came to hand day before yesterday. It was the second letter I have received in two months so you can imagine whether it was welcome or not. I have changed my home again since I wrote you last. in fact we have travelled around considerable in the last two months. We had just got settled don in Jacksonville and were getting ready to live comfortable when we got orders to evacuate the place and return to Beaufort. I was sorry to leave there but there was no alternative. We embarked o the Steamer Boston. About fifty of the inhabitants mostly females came with us. After we got on board a fire broke out in the part of the town occupied by the 8th Maine Regt. And nearly all of the houses were burned, but I am happy to say that not a building occupied by our Regt. was destroyed. Just as we turned the bend in the river, as we left, the flames burst out of the steeple of the church and it must have been burned with the two churches adjoining. There were two splendid organs in them and I felt real sorry to leave them. We arrived at Mayport Mills at sunset and three Co's of us went onboard the Geo C. Collins but the wind blew so that we hadn't dare go outside. We lay there till the afternoon of the 31st when we ran out to sea. It was very rough and we got tumbled around pretty bad, several of the boys were seasick and I had lots of fun over them. I got a piece of Pork and a string and every one I saw that was real sick I would bother them all I could. I was perfectly happy as long as I could torment someone. (wasn't I wicked) We arrived at Hilton Head April 1st about 10 O'Clock and ran up to Beaufort and landed. Our Lieut Col met us on the wharf and I assure you he met with a warm reception. We encamped on a large plain which we used for a Brigade drill ground. It was very unpleasant there, the slightest breeze would stir up the sand so that we couldn't see across the street. We didn't like the location at all, and were very well pleased when we received orders on the 3rd to embark again and join the Charleston expedition. I found a box from home at the Express Office containing lots of good things which I managed to dispose of in a very desirable manner. We embarked on the Belvidere and joined the expedition at Stono Inlet. I presume you have seen an account of the expedition in the papers so I will not enter into the details. We lay in Stono Inlet nine days and then went back to Hilton Head and landed and went into camp outside the fortification. We had a worse campground than our last one in Beaufort. it was nothing but sand. Sand in Tea and Coffee, sand in Soup, sand in Beans, sand in Meat, Sand in our eyes, ears, nose, and hair and in fact sand in everything and nothing but sand. We stayed there six days and then embarked again. Six companies went on board the Steamer Saxon, two on the Steamer Boston and two on the Schooner Clara. We ran up to North Edisto River and lay there ten days. I went ashore nearly every day. The 10th Conn. Regt were on Scabrooks Island and I had several good visits there. I found many of my old friends in the Regt. I will give you my journal for April 22nd so you can see where I was and what I was doing. A cloudy day. I came off guard at 8 O'Clock, had Coffee, Pork, Potatoes, Bread and cheese for breakfast. It was so crowded on the saxon that our Co went onboard the Clara. I went over to the 10th Regt [,] got some papers and sent to Lizzie and wrote a letter to her. We hoisted anchor and ran over and anchored near the monitors. I went on board one of them that was in the action at Charleston. She was struck forty-seven times and was not damaged at all, there were two dents in her turret about as large as my fist. Her smoke stack was completely riddled[;] nine shots went through it and one shell burst inside of it. The captain said he could breach Fort Sumter in one hour with his Monitor alone, so that they could not stay in it. We had a good sing in the evening and went to bed about 9 O'Clock.
We lay in Edisto ten days and then started for Stono again, but when we got to the bar there was not water enough on it to carry us over, so we had to lay outside till the next day. it was very rough and quite a number of boys made quick passages to Enrope. We crossed the bar about 5 O'Clock P.M. on the 30th of April and anchored near the Pawnee, and the next morning we landed and pitched our camp on the beach. It was very nice till the tide came in and then we had to go to work and throw up a bank to keep the water out of Camp. May day was a very cold sour unpleasant day. May 2nd We struck camp and came up the island about two miles to our present encampment. We are now very pleasantly situated but the water is very bad. There are two Ohio Regts here, the 62nd and 67th. I don't know whether either of them are from your part of the state. Our pickets on the upper end of the island are not over one hundred yards from the rebels. They talk with each other and exchange Tobacco for Coffee, and send across the latest papers on small rafts manufactured for the occasion, they agree not to fire if we don't, and are quite sociable. From our lookout we can see Fort Sumter and the church spires in Charleston. We can see the batteries on James and Morris Islands and if there are as many as there look to be, I don't care about going to Charleston that way. I don't think we are going to make another attack on Charleston. I think we are here to drew troops from Richmond and other important points. Our Col returned about a month ago and is now in command at Hilton Head. We expect to go back there in a few days. We are receiving very encouraging news from Gen Hookers army now. The rebels tell us that Gens Stonewall Jackson and AP Hill are dead and Lee is taken prisoner and our forces are in Richmond. The rebel flags on Fort Sumter and Moultire and all their flags that we can see have been at half mast four days of the past week, so they must have had some very bad luck. If the news we have received lately is true, and I hope it is, I think the rebels will have to give up before long. They are granting furloughs to one man from each Co for thirty days the first lot have gone and the second start in ten days. When we get back to Hilton Head they are going to let three men from a Co go at a time. I don't care about going home before August or Sept. if I wait till then it will be cool when I get back here, but if I should go now, I should get back just in the heat of the summer. I havn't heard a word from Father or Lizzie in two months and have received only one letter besides yours in that time, that one was from a young lady friend, not the particular friend you spoke of once, I havn't found her yet. I can not imagine what is the reason that I do not hear from home; the last letter I had they were all well and the Col saw Lizzie a day or two before he left Connecticut. My tentmate wants to know if you can find a Buckeye girl for him when the war is over and while you are looking up one for him you can pick out one for me too.
Our blockades off Charleston harbor are having pretty lively times now[.] they have taken seven prizes since we have been in here and two Steamers have run in. We hear firing nearly every night and today there has been some very heavy firing in that direction. I should like very much to visit your home about the time those Peaches get ripe, but I rather guess I will wait till next year. Give my love to your "Friend Sallie" and tell her to let someone kiss her in the dark and think it is me or if that will not do, and she will wait, I will come out and give her a smack in propria persona when the war is over. I am glad to hear that the Buckeye girls are so patriotic and think the soldiers are worthy of their love, for I think there may be some chance for an old bach like me in some future year. I believe I shall have to come out that way and try my luck when I get through with a little job I have on hand. I guess I have written about all the news and you have read it so I will close. Give my love to all and accept the same for yourself and don't forget to write soon to
Your Cousin Gus
P.S. I sent you a "Free South" yesterday.
