Hiltonhead Dec 23 1861

 

Brother Charles Being at leasure for a wile i take opportunity to adres you again i am wel in health and mind on the morning of Nov 5 we struck tents slung napsacks for the for march to the steam ship illinoise which we boarded about sundown next morning friday we started for port royel with 13 hundred soldiers beside the crew we had a very pleasent passage with the exception of short rashions which we could not cook but i made out i put some cheese in my haversack until 6 oclock on sunday nite when some fellow undertook to pilot us in and ran us on a sand bar he had a steam tug and said follow him he broke 3 [?] as thick as my they trying to get us off finely he / succedid or the conciguence must have ben auful our captain told him he had got him in a D—m nice scrape and if he did not get of soon it would nock a hole in the bottom he sent up signal rockets a pilot came we anchoerd in 4½ fathom water till next morning and went safe into port royal where we lay till next day at 3 oclock we went on shore in small boats put up our tents temporary a new york company brought us some hot tea next morning after breakfast i started out to reconiter the cuntary i found a sweat potato patch cotten field and and paam fans an many curiositees to me sand burn among the rest i suppose you heard of the taking of this island by our fleet they took it in 6 hours the negroes say thear masters could not stand the rotton bals meaning the shels they left a large quantity / of cannon horses carts and all they had they must left in haist thear is 2 of them in the hospital here wounded they dont say much thear is hear now about 16 thousand troups here a large quantity of heavy a light cannon they are bilding a very extensive brest works there is several thousand men employ at it the bar ware we stuck was about 12 miles from here we have had but one mail since we been here i got ledgers as late as the 15 we sent after them for 1 month we are about 30 miles from Charlestown we hear it is burnt but i do not beleave it the negroes here is strang looking specimens of humanity i have only heard of one funeral out of our Ridgment that was at fort monroe it was solemn we intered him on a lonely island this is the sandiest place i ever saw we feel as safe here as we would in philadelphia / there is several ships of war laying here there was a few days past a rebel officer found part buried with a gold watch we hear many different rumers but i put little confidence in them there is plenty oysters here but we cant get a chance to get them the first day that we ware here it was that warm that after a long walk i sat down and faned myself with a fan that i cut i do not know how long we wil stay here we may stay a good wile i hope we may it is pleasent i thought i would send you a sample of how the cotten grows in rows like tomato it grows about as high 1 bunch wil have 12 or more pods like this plenty of [?] grow here. it is very on handy landing cattle and horses i want you to write to me soon i want to se the cotten goes safe or not we have not been paid yet but we expect it i could say more but i have no room. direct yours to port royel Hilten head S.C. Co D 76 Rigment PV

Cor Powers  

                                                              

William Shivers

 

Four Brother

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