Hilton Head, S. C. Sept. 2. 1862

 

Yours of the 17^th ult I rec^d on the 27^th, the mail got in on the 25^th and I got the Traveller then, but for some reason the letter was not delivered to me till two days afterward, and this is the first chance I have had to write since, as we are on guard every other day and when we are not we generally have enough to do.

 

The reason we have to go on guard so often is because so many of the Regiment are sick, we have quite a number sick in our Company among them are W^m Morrison James Carlisle and Gideon Carter in the Hospital and Dan^l W. Elliott, Ward Leavitt Warren Colbath Joseph Prescott and the two Dudley boys are not well enough to do duty, all from Exeter. The other day we had 23 reported sick in our Company, some of them were not very sick but not well enough to do duty. I think they will all get well as they are getting better care taken of them than they did while we were on picket / and besides the weather is getting cooler.

 

We have however lost one man, John S. Swett who died the 23^d of August, the same day we moved down here from Graham's; he was sick only about a week and we were very much surprised to hear Sunday morning that he was dead. He belonged in Kingston and was a brother of Joseph Sawyer's wife.

 

You wanted me to write all about Sam. Caban, all I know about him is that he walks a little lame and the papers for his discharge were nearly made out last Saturday, but he told me just now that he might not get them for a month, altho' he has been discharged by the Medical Board, tho' he may get them so as to go home in the next steamer.

 

This delay is owing to the Officers and surgeons through whose hands the papers have to pass, keeping drunk so much of the time. I think General Hunter could / employ his time more profitably in looking after what white soldiers he has under him than in raising Regiments of black ones; if all stories are true the doctors and nurses kill more than disease and the enemy both.

 

You seem to think it a bad thing disbanding the Negro Regiment, perhaps it would have been well enough to have kept what were organized, but I don't think they would ever make good soldiers, for the reason that they have been used to obeying white men so long that if they should happen to get taken prisoners the Rebs could make them turn right round and fight as hard against us as they ever would for us. To prove that I am correct in my opinion, one of the Provost Guard told me a few days ago that they had a dozen or more in the guard house, most of them for desertion. I saw two of them carried there myself; they were running back and forth carrying information till they were caught at it. / I suppose you have heard about Company H. or rather between 30 and 40 of them getting captured on Pinckney Island about a fortnight ago? I have no doubt but what the negroes on Pinckney Island gave the Rebs information enough so they knew where to land so as to trap a majority of the men, as they landed at a place where the guard had been taken of within a week before.

 

I was glad to hear from my watch tho' I had no doubt that you would get it, after I heard that Sergeant Dunn had got home all safe. I hope it will go well as I think it is a good watch if it is kept clean.

 

My health has been good so far, and I think it will be likely to keep so, as the hottest of the weather is over, though of course we shall have hot days but the nights will be cooler. Give my respects to what few folks there are left in Exeter. tell them I should like to be there about a week to see how it would seem

J. W. Clement

 

To Mr John Clement                                                  

Exeter NH

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