Hilton Head SC Sept. 24th 1863
Dear Cousin Roxie,
I have again been obliged to play the truant by not writing at the specified time, but you must take the will for the deed and I will commit the deed as often as I can. I think I shall have to write the 15th of the month instead of the 1st for it is utterly impossible for me to write a letter to anyone within five days of the 1st of the month. (home not excepted) All of our Monthly Returns etc come in at that time and have to be made out as soon as possible and it gives me all the writing I can do for about ten days. After that I have a pretty easy time and generally improve the opportunity by writing up my correspondence Your very welcome letter was received by the last mail and I am happy to state that I have a little good news in return Fort Wagner and Gregg are ours and Fort Sumter is a shapless mass of ruins. Gen Gillmore kept advancing his works until he had his rifle pits close under Fort Wagner and our forces could march up in perfect safety to within fifty feet of the parapit of the fort. He then opened fire on the fort with all his heavy guns and the Monitors and Ironsides engaged them from the water while the wooden gunboats lay off about four miles and dealt out their terrible missles to the rebels, drop firing them fair and square into the fort everytime. We could distinctly hear the reports of the guns during the bombardment although fifty miles distant in a direct line[.] After a terrific bombardment of two days and nights it was decided to carry the works by storm, the assaulting column was marching up the beach when a deserter came in and told them that the rebels were evacuating the island[.] They immediately took possession of the fort and proceeded double quick to Cummings Point where they took about 80 prisoners who had not got into the boats and a Lieut and 22 men who had but who saw fit to return when politely requested to do so by our boys. The interior of the forts presented a horrible spectacle. The dead bodies of rebels lay where they fell, unburied, and many that had been buried on the parapit and within the fort were uncoverd by the immense shells from our monitor and batteries. Provisions, pork, beef, bacon, hard bread, etc all scattered around the place making it any thing but pleasant. The rebel rag still floats over Sumter but there is not a gun in the fort, but is dismounted and rendered useless the walls are all knocked to pieces and it is no defense to the harbor at all. The Monitor Weehawken got aground opposite Fort Moultrie and instead of trying to get off, she lay there and fired her fifteen inch shells at Moultrie as fast as she could, receiving over 100 shots per minute from the rebels, the Ironside went up to help her out and they succeeded in bursting a shell in one of the magazines of Moultrie and blowing it up and then retired. Since the taking of Wagner & Gregg everything has been quiet except Genl Gillmore gave old Beauregard another taste of his Greek Fire from "The Swamp Angel". He is mounting heavy guns in Wagner & Gregg and building new batteries within less than four miles of Charleston over a mile nearer than the "Swamp Angel" and when he gets them finished, the City of Charleston has got to surrender or be knocked down. We are expecting a new naval commander here to relieve Admiral Dahlgren, who seems to be afraid to do anything with his Ironclads. We still remain here doing fatigue duty, two Companies are stationed on picket about 8 miles from here. It has been very stormy here for the last month and with our old tents we might as well have been out in the open air, but we have got new tents now and are all right. It is quite cool here now, much cooler than it has been at his season of the year since we have been in this country it is very healthy, scarcely any fevers and most of the deaths that occur are from wounds. Tell your friend Sallie that if she lets that Captain kiss her again I will take revenge by kissing some other girl when I get home. (guess that will make her feel bad). I was very sorry to hear of the death of your friend but such is the cruel fate of War, I have lost the best friend I had in this Regiment. My tentmate, with whom I had passed many a pleasant hour, was killed in the assault on Fort Wagner, I was by the side of him till I was knocked over and since that time I have not seen him. We heard that he was wounded severely in the arm and taken prisoner, had his arm taken off and died two days after. He was a very fine young man and leaves a large circle of friends. I should like to be home when your friend Em makes her contemplated visit to Boston, but I hardly think any such good luck awaits me. I don't thikn you did wrong in telling me that Cousin Viva had red hair, for among my acquaintences I am sure the red haired stand as high in my estimation as any others. I am going to steal time to write to them if I can't get it any other way. As for falling in love with them, all I don't know about it. I am perfectly heart whole as yet and I hardly think I shall trust that precious article to the keeping of any young lady till this cruel war is over. When I get out of this scrape it will be time enough for me to get into a worse one. I think I shall settle down and keep bachelors hall, then I shall not be afraid of getting my hair pulled out or chased with a broom stick if I don't walk Spanish. I am right smart with a needle, can sew on buttons and mend my clothes so that no know would know but what some nice young lady did it (if they didn't look at them) I am very sorry to hear such an account of Mary Bull and family but it is as good as I could expect. I thank you very much for the photograph of Cousin Emily and little girl. I have been trying to get some photographs taken here but they do not take any good ones. If I can get a pass to go up to Beaufort I can get some good ones taken and will send you some. I think I must have exhausted your patience by this time so Good Night. Pleasant dreams and not a wink of sleep. Lots of love to all Coz Roxie included.
Coz Gus
