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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

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Wilmington, DE