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WILLIAM ELLIOTT TODD'S
LETTER
to his brother in law Dr. George B. Todd, Acting Assistant Surgeon
on the monitor Montauk
U.S.Steamer "Harvest Moon" February 27, 1865
Dear brother,
I think I wrote you while at Philla. that I expected to
enter the service. Well I have at last realized my expectations and am
now very comfortably settled on board the "Harvest Moon", which
vessel you no doubt are familiar with, as I hear several of the officers
on board speak of you. Mr. Miller, (the chief engineer) in particular,
who seems so far to be a very nice fellow. I think Dahlgren done me a great
favor, and that was in transferring me from a monitor to this steamer.
My orders were came from Washington to report to Admiral Dalhgren for duty
on the Monitor Catskill, but when I did report to him he ordered me to
take the place of a second engineer on this steamer who had gone north
with fever. So I can tell you what, I did not grumble any at the change.
I left Philla. on Sunday the 19th inst. and little did we expect to steam
up in the harbor and anchor up in the city of Charleston but when we got
there we found the whole fleet up there, and the flagship Philadelphia
right in front of the town. We arrived there on Wednesday evening, and
I came aboard of this vessel the same day. I have excellent accommodations,
a room to myself and every other convenience. And my duty in the engine
room is not at all hard, merely to see that everything is kept in proper
order. Another advantage that this steamer has over others, she is continually
running about to different places along the coast which gives a person
a chance to see a little of the world.
We did not lay in Charleston long enough yet so I could
have a chance of going ashore, but you may bet I shall improve the first
opportunity. Saturday we got word that Georgetown was evacuated, so in
the afternoon the Admiral and "staff" came aboard and we started
for the place which we reached Sunday noon, and where we found the "Mingo"
which had come up the day before, the town lays 12 miles up the river from
the coast and when the Mingo came up and anchored in front of the town
, several of the men went on shore and raised the "Stars and Stripes"
over the market house but as they were coming back, a company of rebel
calvary attacked them and succeeded in capturing one of our men. But they
killed the rebel captain and wounded several others, then the gunboat commenced
shelling the woods which made them scatter and have not been seen since.
We were anchored up there all the afternoon so Mr. Fisher (our engineer)
and myself went ashore but all we could see was negros and a few white
women. There are 150 marines stationed up there now, and the "Mingo"
still lays there. Last night we came down the river about a mile below
the town to anchor where we still lay. It was reported that the rebs have
got an ironclad up the river so the admiral sent one of the tugs up last
night to see what could be found and we are now awaiting her return. very
likely we shall go back to Charleston tonight. Last night we saw some signal
flashes on the shore in some of the rice plantations and so we let fly
several shells over in that direction, which seemed to have the desired
effect. This is an exciting life I must say, but on those monitors it must
be awful tedious. I was sorry to find your boat not in the squadron when
got here but I suppose you are satisfied to get further south. I hear that
your monitor captured 5 or 6 posts up there at Wilmington. Is it so? There
is quite a contrast between the climate of this part of the country and
up home. I had no idea it would be so warm down here at this time of the
year. I met an old acquaintance of mine here, he is signal officer on the
flagship, but is with us now, and I also met another old friend of mine
on a tugboat up at Georgetown. I seem to meet someone I know everywhere
I go. We came down at Port Royal on last Friday and I saw several of my
old shop mates down there, so it does not seem quite as lonely as I anticipated.
Please write soon and if you are ordered back to this squadron just let
me know.
Yours truly
Wm. E. Todd
(written in pencil on back of letter:)
Wm. E. Todd Act 3d Asst. Engineer US Steamer Harvest Moon
S.A.B. Squadron
US Sloop Pawnee, Thursday March 2.
USS "Harvest Moon" was blown up yesterday at
8:00 AM two miles below Georgetown by a rebel torpedo, with the Admiral
and staff on board. All saved except the ward room steward. We sank in
10 seconds after the explosion in two and a half fathoms of water. The
Pawnee came and took us all on board where we are now. Had nearly a dozen
letters in the letter box and I found this among two others floating around
the boat. I suppose they, like most everything else, were blown to the
devil by the rebels devilish engines of destruction. Yours truly
W E Todd
Return to William Elliott Todd
This page is sponsored by the Harvest Moon Historical Society
Wilmington, DE
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