Recd June 2^nd

 

Botany Bay Island S.C. May 23. 1863.

 

I rec^d your letter of the 12^th inst. and 2 papers by mail yesterday, they having been only 10 days in getting here, which is not so quick as I have known mails to come, but I suppose it makes no difference as we are only soldiers, which we have not always been and which we shall not I hope always be.

 

We still remain on the same camp ground on which which we pitched our tents on the 28^th of April, but it is a far different looking place from what it was then, it looks rough enough now, but we have cut down trees and bushes, burnt the brush and leveled the sand hills so you see we have had enough to do. we generally do, as we move just about often enough to spend a good part of our time in fixing up new camps.

 

And now we have got nearly fixed up an / order has been given to drill 5 hours a day for 5 days in the week and to take down our tents every Saturday; so we shall be kept moving a good part of the time.

 

We have not as you seem to think made an attack on Charleston yet, and it seems to be the general opinion here that we shall not till some time next fall. I think the next time it is attacked it will have to come, as probably it will be attacked by land and water, and by a sufficient land force to do some good. The most of the troops in this Department are in this vicinity. There are 6 Regiments and a battery on this and Seabrook's Island and some more on Folly Island and near there; the 4^th N.H. is one of those on Folly Island. they are doing picket duty within a stones throw of the Rebel pickets, so a brother of one of our Company writes. I dont know whether Hooker is defeated or not but as near as I can learn he is not so badly beaten as he might / be. it seems that Lee was in no condition to follow him up, which don't seem to show a very great Confederate victory. There is a rumor that Gen. Keyes has taken Richmond but nobody believes it as yet, the "Arago" is expected in tomorrow or next day and we shall probably hear some later news then.

 

Probably some time before you get this you will see one or two of our Company, as Sergeant Watson, Daniel Dudley and three others who do not belong to Exeter have gone home on furloughs. they started from the Head last Monday afternoon and are probably as far as New York if not at home by this time. They will tell you all the news from this part of the world and I suppose they will not need any urging to make them write to some of us especially as two of them have brothers in our Company. I like this place on some accounts and on others I had rather be at the / Head; we can go to any part of this island, (which is about 6 miles long by half a mile wide) without a pass, and there are no fleas, but we can't get a mail so quick nor buy things so cheap as we can at the Head, but we can get a few blackberries, but not quite as many as we could on Edisto last summer.

 

Head, Giddings and Marston are still at Fort Pulaski. Lamprey is here, Colbath and Donovan are at the General Hospital, Capt. Wilbur is here and Lieut Fogg has resigned and gone home on account of ill health. I have seen no names of N.H. soldiers killed in Virginia or elsewhere.

 

All the rest of the Exeter boys are in good health. I think I did well to stop my allotment as I did, if they are going to cheat me out of the interest.

 

J. W. Clement

To Mr John Clement  Exeter N.H.                                         

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