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ASHAEL SUMNER DEAN

 CIVIL WAR LETTERS TO HIS FAMILY

 

 

 

U.S.S. Harvest Moon  Charleston Roads   27 Sept. 1864

 

 Dear Virginia:

 

  Did I tell you in my last of coming here?  We started Sat. morning and are to leave tonight.  It has been unusually quiet this week and we have been quite happy as large numbers of officers came with us.

  Most of the time I have been very busy in making up my returns for the 3rd quarter and beside I have, when with the "Flag", to look out for the sick on the tugs who hang about us as tenders.  We have two or three always and we are a headquarters for all the refugees,  prisoners and contrabands.  So usually more than half my practise is outside the Ship's Company.  No one has died since I have been on the vessel and I have been very successful with bowel complaints.  You ought to be disabused of the notion that Negroes stand the climate and exposure better than our men.  Nothing is farther from the truth.  The mortality among them both in the Army and Navy is three times greater than with the Whites.  Negroes can't go where white men can , can't do so much hard work.  Half of them are either consumptive or scrofulous, out of 24 plantation Negroes I found only 7 who would be able to do service as Lands Men in the Navy and they were quite an average lot.  More Negroes die than white sailors and they have the same food and clothing.  The rice poison is indeed a poison but it is a myth that no white man can stay on a rice plantation overnight and live.  Our picket boats lie among the rice marshes continually and do not suffer more than the Negroes.  All these things do very well for travellers to publish in "Harpers" but they write for effect and from hasty observations.

  I enclose a sketch of Morris Island.  You can take its length to be four miles with a front on the Roads.  I was ashore yesterday and through the courtesy of the Doct. of Sanitary Commission was provided with a pair of horses and driver and in company with a brother medico  went up to the "front".  We were cautioned not to go too far as sharp shooters on Sumpter fired on every thing which came in view.  Over this we went rapidly and left it at Wagner to go by the inside corner of the "stockade fort", which fort is about 10 rods sqr & made of poles driven into the ground secured and pointed.  A plank' sentry walk is fastened to it near the top.  In this are six hundred Rebel prisoners guarded by a regiment of Negro troops!  They are in range of Moultrie and Johnson but nary a shot have they fired since they have been put there.  At "Chatfield" we left  the carriage and went on foot to the Naval Battery.  The open space gives a good chance to the sharp shooters on S.(Sumpter?-ed.) which they improve.  I could hear the reports of their guns distinctly and the whistling of the balls as far as Wagner.  I did stoop   my head involuntarily as I passed.  Greg is our extreme front and the nearest point to the city.  It and all the other forts are strongholds, all the men live in bombproofs and in no case remain outside, but eat and sleep underground .These forts are exceedingly circuitous.  It made me wish for the time when I played "I Spy", such a sterling opportunity never came to me in my boyhood days.  The enormous guns point on every side.  I could not leave until I fired one gun into Rebeldom, so an officer kindly permitted me to fire a large 100pd Parrott.  The gun was given an angle of 36degrees and the word was given "cover".  The guns are given such elevation that very many burst and the men keep out of the way, hence the watchword "cover", and I pulled the trigger  and away went the shot.  I had time to leap upon the rampart and see it fulfill  it's mission.  We can generally see them strike.  The firing is not so rapid as a while ago.  Sumter never fires Artillery.  All  the island side is a pile of bricks.  It could be taken and would be, could it be held, but it is in range of Moultries.  Women are sometimes seen in it.  We do not fire on it just now, but shall soon for we are building a Naval Battery to fire on it with the 11 inch Dahlgren gun.  On the furthest corner they fly a daily Secesh flag.  I stopped at Wagner on my return and walked the double parallels, ditches, etc. worked by Gen. Gilmore and thought of the thousands of loyal men who fell near me and reluctantly returned to the beach.  One man was hit by the sharpshooters near where I stood.  The ball went across the back of his neck and just cut through the skin.  On the beach all was life, the review for evening was going on.  We met Gen Saxton and wife taking their evening drive.  They returned our salute.  I found our boys waiting for us and we got into the boat and came off through the surf.  I was thoroughly wetted but had a memorable visit for a day.   Now let me leave you.  Kiss the little ones and dream and sleep.  Maybe I will come to you!  Your letter maybe will come in the MASSACHUSETTS tomorrow.  Now we are going to Port Royal.  The  MASSACHUSETTS has come, the mails are being brought on board and tomorrow we shall have them.  She brings glorious news, you see you will pay less for your things in a few days.  Good night dear V.

 

Sumner

 

 (you can buy your coat less than 1.22 before you use % (undecipherable-ed.)

 

 

 

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HARVEST MOON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

March 2006

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