Bermuda Hundred Va. July 18 1864.

 

Yesterday I rec^d your letter of the 13^th yesterday P.M. Also the "Traveller" and "Weekly". I was very glad to get them, especially the letter as I have been waiting very impatiently for an answer to my letter of June 28^th: but it seems be no use to try to get any one to do any favors for us; some of the men talk the same way, but I think that when any one wants a favor it is not the best way to stand still and say it is no use, but pitch right in and try and get it if you can. I never knew any one to get a great many favors without trying for them. The most of the commissions in this Regiment were got by asking for them and would not have been got without, and in some instances it took considerable engineering.

 

There is not much news here the principal part of the news seems to come from the neighborhood of Washington. / The people of Maryland seem to have been pretty well scared, and I am glad the Rebs robbed them the way they did, for if a man wont fight for his own life and property he wont be very apt to fight at all, and dont deserve to have any property and is hardly fit to live.

 

I hope Mr Dudley will try and do something for us, his two brothers, and indeed all the rest of us, would be very grateful to him or anyone else who would say a word in favor of our being discharged or having a furlough before our time is out.

 

Last Friday (the 15^th) I wrote a letter to Aunt Harriet. I was not aware till I looked at her last letter that it was written in March, I was thinking it was written in May. I meant to have told her that I should like to hear from Cousin M. J. Paterson, but forgot it till after the letter was gone. I have not heard from her for some time. / As you say, I should think she was getting to be quite a clerk.

 

In looking over the names of the Officers of the "Kearsarge" I saw the name of Seth E. Hartwell as Captain's Clerk, if it is the man I think it is, I used to go to school with him at the Academy some years since. he belongs in Groton or Littleton Mass. and is some relation of Mrs. Gule of Exeter.

 

I also saw the name of Ezra Bartlett as one of the masters mates. I wonder if it is him of Stratham son of Dr Bartlett of that ilk? I shall send you the list in this letter.

 

Since I last wrote, things have been very quiet round here, occasionally a few big guns are heard in the direction of Petersburg and once in a while a few on the James River. Last night about 12 o'clock we were called out expecting an attack but it did not come, and so we lay in the trenches till about 5 o'clock. 

 

I was thinking that I wrote about the death of Capt. Ayer, soon after he was killed; he was wounded just before we started from Drury's Bluff, and Lieut. Button of Co. "I" was called to take the command of Co "H" which was Capt. Ayer's Co. He had not had command many minutes before he was killed. Capt. Ayer bled to death before the surgeon had seen him.

 

The Exeter boys are all well as usual and the only thing that troubles those of them who have not re-enlisted is about the time when they shall get discharged and go home.

 

I don't know whether I have written about C. S. Mixter paying me a visit on the 4^th or not. He was looking well, but rather thin. His Regt is camped about 2 miles from here, or was at that time. Give my respects to all who enquire for me. I wrote to George Eaton on the 10^th inst.

J W Clement

 

Mr John Clement  Exeter NH                   

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