Grimball's Plantation, James' Island S.C. June 21. 1862

 

Yours of the 10^th inst I rec^d last evening in season to read before going to bed, also a "Tribune" of June 7^th and a "Journal" of May 29^th, for all of which I am very grateful; I suppose you understand that if you buy papers of to send me you pay for them out of my money.

 

I suppose before you get this you will get a short one written on the 17^th inst. I wrote it because I knew that all sorts of foolish rumors would be in circulation around Exeter, and I didn't want you kept in suspense longer than possible.

 

At the time I wrote I sent a list of the wounded in Co. B. but for fear you would not get that and to correct one or two mistakes I will write another

Samuel Caban, Flesh would in leg below knee

 

W^m Caban, Badly wounded in breast, ball passed toward back bone

D. W. Elliott, Flesh wound in arm, above elbow

F. H. Favor (Fisherville) Slight wound in arm, buckshot.

James Gerah (Chester), wound in ankle, not bad

W^m S. Marston, Flesh wound below knee 

Jacob Smith Flesh wound in shoulder & breast, the ball glancing from one to the other, not dangerous.

W^m H. Merrill (Danville) is missing and we fear he is killed. some say they are positive of it, and as we don't hear anything of him by way of a Flag of Truce probably he is. Most of us feel worse about him than about any one else in the Company as we don't know anything positive about him.

 

You will see that I have made two alterations in the list; I thought I had it correct, but it seems at the time I wrote their wounds had not been thoroughly examined; W^m Caban's proved to be worse than was at first supposed, as the ball tho' it struck near the shoulder the went in towards the backbone. He may recover but it is somewhat doubtful, he has as good a man for nurse Mr Weymouth, as there is in the Company.

 

Mr Smith's wound on examination proves to be nothing but a severe flesh wound the ball glancing across his breast & arm.

 

As I wrote you before our Company together with Co's A, D & K were on picket the night before; about 4 o'clock in the morning Capt Wilbur came round and told us to get ready to leave, and told us that probably we were going to try to take "that Battery" meaning one of which / knew, about a mile from our pickets.

 

Our Co. fell in and marched about a quarter of a mile, where we joined the rest of the Regiment. after a short stop we started on and did not halt till we got in sight of the battery or earthworks of the Rebs, from which Gen Stevens' Brigade were just getting driven back; we were sent round to the rear of the works with orders to take them if it took every man in the Regiment. we started on again and had got within 300 or 400 yards of the place we were sent to, when all of a sudden the rebs opened on us from a gun in some bushes about 100 yards to our left; they fired 4 or 5 times while the Regiment was passing, with grapeshot, each time it seemed as if it must have killed at least a dozen, but as near as I can find out but three or four were killed and perhaps twice as many wounded at that time. When we got opposite the works we found a deep muddy creek between us and them, with no way of crossing, as a man would go over his head in mud if not in water in going a few steps; so all we could do was to get down under the bank among the trees and keep the Rebs from working a gun across the creek and keep their infantry from down in their rifle pits as much / as possible. This we did till our ammunition gave out. the Rebs at the same time receiving re-enforcements and getting range on us from a floating battery that they tow round in the small creeks where our gunboats can't get at them. As we could do no more we fell back on the reserves and soon after started for camp which we reached without farther accident.

 

The loss in our Regiment is reported 103 killed wounded and missing, and our Chaplain said at the funeral that the killed and missing were 12 how many are mortally wounded I don't know, probably not more than enough to make our loss up to about 20.

 

We had one Captain (Carleton of Co. I) killed & 7 Lieutenants wounded none of them mortally. Our whole loss is 718 in killed wounded and missing out of Gen Stevens Brigade and ours Gen Williams (formerly of the Mass 1^st Cavalry) Gen Wrights Brigade was not in the fight at all. This is considered a very heavy loss for the time we were in, which was about 3 hours. Our Regiment was under three (3) cross fires for more than 2 hours, and hardly a man flinched. All the Exeter boys stood it like old soldiers. Head and Hebberd were were at Edisto, sick and Lamprey was in camp on guard. 

 

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The wounded have all been sent off so that we don't know how they are getting along

 

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We are again living in our tents which we got and pitched yesterday

Mr John Clement Exeter N.H.

 

 

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I sent an order for my July dividends in my letter of the 13^th as I didn't know when I should have a chance to write again. My health is good as usual and hope yours is the same. Direct as before J. W. Clement

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