"Camp Van Dorn"

Near Savannah Ga.

August 31^st 1862

 

My highly esteemed friend

                                                I received your very interesting and welcome letter a few days previous to our departure from the "Isle of Hope" and should have answered it long since but our conveniences for writing whilst traveling around or engaged in active service are so limited that really I have not found an opertunity of writing to you until now. I hope my excuse will be sufficient to justify you in overlooking my seeming negligence, and I promise you, if possible, to be more punctual in future

 

            I assure you it gives me much pleasure to write to you and I only fear that my letters will fail to prove interesting for camp life is a dull monotonous life at best and I can find but little of interest to communicate to any-one. I find it particularly dull away down here upon the coast where we are far away from any other troops except our own little battalion. We however have a beautiful and very pleasant situation for our encampment. Our tents lie scattered around beneath a grove of tall moss covered spreading oaks which affords us a fine protection from the heated rays of a southern sun. we are situated about a mile from Savannah the queen city of the South, this beautiful city that so richly deserves the name it bears is the most delightful place I have ever visited. its wide and regular streets with large grass / covered parks at almost every square throughout the city seems to invite the weary stranger into its beautiful walks and shady groves to seek quietude and rest from the cares and troubles of every-day life. These lovely parks are filled with magnificent shade trees of almost every description, and throughout them are placed comfortable seats of iron or wood for the accommodation of those who may wish to while away an hour or two in these delightful places of resort. In many of these parks are to be seen monuments of splendid structure erected to the memory of some distinguished statesman, warrior or citizen. Among the most noted of these is that of Pulaski a Polish General who fell at the siege of Savannah, whilst fighting for American independence Oct. 9^th 1779. you will also see many handsome marble fountains whose sparkling waters play among the leafy branches of the weeping willows that over-hang them A stranger might walk through this lovely forest city as it is sometimes called by travelers, from morn 'til eve and find something to interest him at almost every step. Charleston the sister city of Savannah is not as beautiful but what she lacks in splendour she makes up in the hospitality and true patriotism of her citizens for a more liberal and kind hearted people does not exist upon the American Continent. honest, high-minded and brave they stand among the first of the patriots of our country. the noble sons of South Carolina who have taken up arms in defense of honour, liberty and independence have shown upon every field to which they have been called that they value their lives less than their liberty. But I fear I will tire you out with my subject so I will endeavour to change it and tell you something of what I have been / doing with myself since you last heard from me. You have doubtless ere this heard all about the battle of Secessionville in which the 4^th La figured so extensively. We were ordered from our very comfortable quarters at "Camp Mercer" near this place to Charleston on the morning of the 1^st of June and from there we were ordered to James Island where the Yankees had already landed a heavy force. we remained there on picket duty until the tenth, when we had a brisk skirmish with the enemy and drove them to within two hundred yards of their gun boats when we retired to our former position except that we advanced our pickets to a post that had been ocupied by the enemy. All went on as usual until the morning of the sixteenth when we were aroused from our slumbers and ordered to Secessionville distant about two miles where we arrived a little after day-break and found our battery almost in possession of the enemy their sharp-shooters had succeeded in shooting [paper tear] nearly every one of our gunners and many of them had actually succeeded in gaining our ramparts and were slain almost in our midst. the first troops we met and engaged was the 28^th Mass. Regiment after fighting them for some time their lines began to waver when Col. M^cEnry said boys remember Butler and New Orleans. Our Battalion gave one shout and charged them and such skedaddling and throwing away of arms, canteens haversacks &c I never before saw. they were two fast for us we could not catch up with them, but they left the field covered with their dead and wounded. it was an awful sight I can assure you. they lay in all manner of positions with their heads torn off and their brains and limbs scattered all around. our Batt. alone buryed over two hundred of them and took many wounded prisoners / We found their haversacks well filled and that morning we made our breakfast upon yankee victuals drank yankee coffee and smoked yankee tobacco. I have a splendid rifle taken from a member of the 28^th Mass. I also have quite a number of other little mementoes of the battle field. Soon after the battle the news of M^cClellans defeat came and the Yanks evacuated the island and have not been seen since in these quarters. How glorious the result of the late battles before Richmond. Generals Lee and Johnston by their unparallelled strategy have gained a crown of unfading glory for themselves and their invincible army of brave and noble spirits. Richmond has been recued from the hordes of northern vandals who so lately hung around her eager to seize and devour the prize. her fair citizens have been saved from a fate worse than death. The little Napoleon and his grand army have been cut to pieces [paper fold, torn] into the swamp of the Chickahominy and James rivers and the whole north has been filled with fear for the safety of their cause. I have not yet been able to hear from my friends at Winchester since last April. I feel very uneasy about them and have tried every way in my power to communicate with them but not one word can I hear from them. What has become of Taphus? I have not heard from him for a long time tell him to write to me Remember me very kindly to the young ladies and also to Mr. Kibbe. I shall be most happy to hear from you at any time and will consider it my greatest pleasure to answer your letters. I will send this letter by Johny Stockman who will start for Natchez tomorrow morning on furlough, in company with six others from our Company. I have the honour to subscribe myself with great respect your friend R. W. C. Wells

 

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I hope you will excuse the many mistakes I have made and also my miserable composition, for I have written it in a great hurry and in regular soldier style. Address me Company E. 4^th La. Battalion Savannah Ga.

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