Morris Island S.C. Dec. 21. 1863.

 

I rec^d your letter of the 6^th and 8^th inst. together with the "Ballot" of the 3^d and "Traveller" of the 5^th this morning. they did not travel quite so fast as my last did, it having been as you will see 13 days in coming.

 

There is not much going on here at present, some days there is considerable firing, but there is hardly ever anybody hurt and not much damage done anyway.

 

Since the 6^th of this month we have had some very rough weather, part of the time it has blowed, part of the time it has rained, and now to cap all it is about as cold as we commonly have it in this part of the world, ice having formed for 2 or 3 mornings lately. If we had no stove in our tent we should be very uncomfortable but we picked up an old camp kettle and a piece of sheet iron of which Thing and / Batchelder made a stove and funnel. They went over to the ruins of the light house and got some bricks, and to the swamp and got some mud and built a chimney outside the tent. they put the funnel through the canvass that is round the bottom of the tent. As the chimney was not high enough they got a piece of drain pipe and put it in the top of the chimney. A good deal of Yankee ingenuity!

 

A week ago last Sunday after having several very high tides a large lot of timber chains &c came down the harbor. it was part of the obstructions of Charleston Harbor, the sailors had cut them loose and the tide washed them out.

 

To-day 70 more recruits came into our camp very unexpectedly. it is said they are mostly volunteers.

 

I am still writing at the Adjutants Office but don't know how long it will continue. I like very well, better as I got used to the duty. I should like to hear from some of my other correspondents, which I have not done lately, / I believe I shall write to some of them soon whether I hear from them or not.

 

I am sorry that Josiah Taylor is so sick. I don't know as you know it but the chills have that effect viz. to make anyone stupid. I have seen a great many that had them, both here and in California, and while they are having them they are all just the same.

 

Dec. 22. A week ago to-day the first man in our Regiment was shot for desertion. his name was John Kendall and he belonged in St John's New-Brunswick. I was present at the execution but there were so many between me and him and he was some distance from me so that I could not see him; those that did said he was very cool. He made a short speech saying that they were going to shoot an innocent man and that England would demand satisfaction of the United States for his death. He was taken on Black Island, and his story was that he came into Charleston on a blockade runner, and that he was running away from the Rebs. he was sent to the Provost Guard on this island to be sent to Hilton Head / but before they got ready to send him off one of the conscripts recognized him, not knowing that he had deserted. Those that knew him talked with him say that he told too many stories to have any one believe any of them. And everybody that knows seems to think that he was guilty of desertion.

 

I have written this letter by installments, and begin to think it wont be much of a letter after all.

 

Give my respects to Aunt Harriet and cousins and all who enquire for me either by letter or word of mouth.                        

 

Yours truly

J. W. Clement

 

Mr John Clement                                            

            Exeter

                        N.H.

 

Today has been quite warm, the first warm day we have had since the 10^th inst.

 

Tell George Eaton I want him to write if he has not written lately

J.W.C.

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