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ASHAEL SUMNER DEAN

 CIVIL WAR LETTERS TO HIS FAMILY

 

 

 

Tybee Roads May 15, 1864

 

Dear Virginia,

    My own darling wife.  You are looking for a long letter from your Sumner.  Tonight I saw a Steamer bearing down from Port Royal and I very hastily sent you a partly finished letter.   I will enclose it with this as we did not send by it after all.  But dear did we not learn glorious news!  If it will only prove true; Richmond ours; Lee a prisoner can it really be so? And also we were assured that Dahlgren has his fleet inside of Sumpter.  I do hope all this may be, even so far then I shall soon be able to be with those I love and long so much to see.  We wait very anxiously for further news.  You see, all we obtain we get from chance steamers.  You can not know how quiet it is here. In the morning at 4 o'clock we go to our day station and do only the work on shipboard and while we are at anchor it is only to keep the ship and ourselves clean.  We look on the bay and it is as smooth as glass.  You will see a herd of Porpoise feeding lazily, maybe twenty.  They can always be seen for they come up for air.  You can always see the sturgeon for they come up with a leap and strike on their backs.  I am told for this reason they have worms in their backs and they do this to keep them from biting.  A funny way of scratching.  You have no idea of the amount of heat.  The uniformity, rather, it is just the same all the time.  We have no feeling of chilliness any time and on the beach it is extremely hot.  I remember of seeing warm weather at home, but it was not like this.  On the shore we seldom go on account of the heat.  I have been but twice.  We, Pay., Sargent and Jenney and I went for an hour and picked ten quarts of very large sweet black berries.  I never saw them so large and nice before.  The air was loaded with perfume and the flowers were found in profusion.  But I prefer to be on the cool deck to being burned up in a blackberry thicket.  We saw many birds.  Indeed the Martins sing about our ship continually and make it almost like home.  I came across soldier's graves in the fen.  Strangers to us, most of them had a neat fence about them with their names painted rudely on a board and planted at their head.  We also found shot.  You will remember this has been a furious battleground.  We took the Island with the shipping and then put batteries on it to command the Fort.  We can see from our deck the ragged walls where Gen. Gilmore's shot have penetrated.  In fact the barbette is nearly gone on this side of the Fort.

SHARKS

A shark twelve feet in length was caught by the men on the Schooner today.  I am certain I shall use my bathtub and not the beach!  I think it is safer.

 

 LARGE PORTION CAREFULLY CUT OUT ON PAGE 3/4

 

... the above to write for we are on a small bit of surface all we can see is our two consorts the sand and the bay.  Did I tell you of getting wet coming from the Str. MASSACHUSETTS?  I believe I did.  I think I never saw the rain fall faster

  I am sorry to say that the sailors do not seem to read from the library.  They can get cheap novels and they most prefer to read them.  I can get a few of the boys to take them out.  There is not much Sunday on board.  The Capt. gave orders Sunday to have the fires drawn and the boilers cleaned when any other day would have done just as well.  As a consequence, the black gang had to work until midnight Sunday.  They did not like it much.  I have not heard from you for so long a time.

 

-PAGE ENDS, CUT AWAY-

 

...anxiously for your letter.  I want to know if Nellie cares for my little letters to her?  I put them in to please her.  I wont if they do not.  Virginia, I trust you are well and happy and are enjoying your self these fine spring mornings.  You may know your Sumner is well and as happy as he can be away from his home.  I love you dearly and look at you many times every day.  I must kiss you & the babies and say a good night

                                                                                                Ever your own

                                                                                                  Husband

                                                                                                A.S. Deane

 

 

 

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March 2006

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