"Botany Bay" Island, S.C. May 5. 1863

 

Yours of the 20^th ult. I was very glad to get to-day together with a "Traveller" of the 18^th, and that was all the mail I got this time, quite a contrast with the last one by which I got 2 letters and 5 or 6 papers. I think we have got on to another island which is not down on many of the maps, for it is almost and would be considered by some as quite a part of Edisto, being only separated from it by a small creek and a wide marsh.

 

I don't know as I told you how long we were going from Hilton Head to Folly Island, but it was only about 10 hours that it took the steamer "Mary Boardman" to tow the schooner "Rhodella Blew" from one bar to the other. The rest of the time with the exception of 24 hours that we were on Folly Island, we were on board the schooner. /

 

We were rather longer coming here, although the distance is not so great, but we depended upon the wind instead of steam, and the wind was very light the first part of the trip, the consequence was that we were about 24 hours coming here. The reason was that the propeller "Sentinel" was hardly able to propel herself much more a large schooner. The "Sentinel" is said to have been one of Burnside's gunboats, if she was the North Carolina Rebels must have been a cowardly set to be driven out of their batteries by such rotten old hulks, and whoever sold them to Government must have been one of the meanest kind of swindlers. I forgot to tell you that Folly Island lies to the south-east of Morris Island and is only separated from it by a narrow channel, any map of the vicinity of Charleston will show you Morris Island and 2 small islands near it, the nearest is Folly, the other is Cole's Island. twas the talk when we were there that we were to plant batteries / on Folly Island to shell those on Morris Island, but never did it, why we did not is more than any of us can tell.

 

The principal fault with the Zions Heralds was their great age; army letters like a great many other things ought to be new to be good, however I have no objection to your sending as many of them as you choose as reading matter is very scarce in camp. I am glad to hear that William Adams is getting along so well, I don't know what rank he holds but should think he was rather out of the line of promotion, but if promotions are managed down there as they are here I should advise any man to take the best chance he can get without any thought of promotion or anything else except how to feather his own nest for that is the game now, from the highest to the lowest both in and out of the Army. I think a little differently with from you about drafting; I think it is the only right way to raise an Army, especially / as the laws are now, if men were drafted the Army could be filled up in the shortest possible time without the farce and humbug of big bounties and all that sort of trash such as we saw last summer and which I consider more disgraceful to the country than twenty drafts could be.

 

I believe I wrote in my last that I wanted you to send me some postage stamps, but for fear that I might have forgotten it I will just state that I have just 4 left and one of them you will probably see on the envelope of this letter. Send a little capsicum too.

 

I will just state that I stopped the allotment myself without waiting to hear from you and so you will please not to say anything about it out of the family.

Jere. Weeks' body has not been sent home yet and I don't know when it will be

 

We left Lamprey, Donovan and Colbath at the Head, Lamprey wanted to come but the doctors would not let him, all the rest are in tolerably good health. Horace Hall is at the Head. well, I don't know but Charles Goodwin will have to write again as I have not yet got his letter. Tell him I will make it right with him if he will write again.

 

J. W. Clement

 

Mr John Clement                                                        

            Exeter N.H.                

 

Respects to all who may enquire for me

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