Recd                                                   

Hilton's Head, Beaufort Dist. S.C.     

Dec 29. 1861.   

                                  

Yours of the 17^th I rec^d on the 26^th and on the 27^th Lieut. Fogg brought me a bundle which on opening I found to contain a vest, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 pr socks, some yams and darning needle, with a note in the vest pocket, all of which were very acceptable. I think I can get along very comfortably for the present. I didn't think of getting but one pair of gloves and expected you would send my old ones which I believe I left in the store, but as it is you may let things remain as they were, as it is too far to be sending things back and forth very often, and I am very well satisfied with what I have.

 

You speak of some of the Company sending shinplaster and locks of cotton, I have seen but one of the former, but have picked several locks of cotton on purpose to send you but have forgotten somehow to put them in to the letters. I think I shall put one in / this letter if my memory does not fail me altogether.

 

As to taking care of myself I shall try to as well as circumstances will admit, and I think I know how as well as most of them, and the men in our Regiment or a majority of them seem to understand it better than most of the Regiments in this Division, as we have had fewer deaths and less sickness than almost any of them. we have not lost a man yet out of our Company. Comp^s G and H have lost the most. we have lost only nine I believe out of the Regiment. we have but very few sick in the Company tho' quite a number have colds and coughs.

 

I get the Ballot as regular as our mails, which do not arrive so often nor so regular as I should like, and I see other papers oftener than I used to, so that I am better posted than formerly as to what is going on as well here as elsewhere, for there is a good deal done here that we don't know anything about till we see it in the Northern papers, indeed we / don't know anything that happens unless we have a hand in it—or happen to see it.

 

I have seen a copy of "Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper", of Dec. 21. The pictures are very good, that is, of forts &c in this vicinity as I have seen all of them except Savannah The pictures of Forts Welles & Seward and the outlying battery, two miles from Fort Seward are exact representations, the guns on the last are nothing but field pieces; if you see the pictures you will see that the Sentinel on Fort Seward has plaid pants on, the 79^th (Highland) New York Regiment is stationed there and they have their old plaid pants with them.

 

This island is I believe seven by twelve miles we have plenty of sand here as there is nothing else in the shape of land except swamp I have seen but one flea and three or four snakes since I have been here. I think it couldn't have been a very large alligator that the New York boys captured, as they are generally considered tough customers /

 

We hear rumors every day that we are going to start for some point or another, but I have got so that I don't believe any of them nor shall not till we do start. the nearest we have come to it is going on board the Daniel Webster and coming back again one day.

 

I see that some of the papers have actually started our Brigade on a secret expedition. we had orders to hold ourselves in readiness to embark some time ago but we have not gone yet and I don't see any signs of going at present though we can't always tell when we are going

 

As to the Mason and Slidell affair, there don't seem to be many round here that are much scared about England declaring war against us and I have heard some say they wish they would—

 

The Exeter boys in the Regiment are all of them tolerably well tho' some of them have colds. was glad to hear that James Chase was not dead. Some of boys say that there is a report in Exeter that I was dead probably it arose from a member of Co. G. named John H Clement who died about a fortnight ago.

 

Give my respects to all who inquire for me   Yours in haste Direct as before

J W Clement

 

To Mr John Clement                                                              

            Exeter NH

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