In "Tophet" Mar. 29^th '63

           

My dear Brother:

                                    By the date of this you learn what kind of a country I am. am still on the island of St. Helena, only ten miles from the genuine place.—Your letter of Jan. 21^st reached me Mar. 5^th, just after I had mailed a letter to you. I was glad to learn of your continued good health and that you were enjoying life so well. If you find gold enough to pay your way the past winter I think you will be doing very well. I should not be in a hurry about leaving Cal. The tree business is not very reliable and as long as the war continues you better remain where you are. I / wish one of us could be at home and look after Father's accounts. He cannot keep them snug, "quick come quick go" is his motto, at least he practices it. I wish to see him "out of debt and out of danger". He keeps his accounts in a very loose manner. The past winter he has been doing quite well but he will be no better off a year from now. He has two hundred dollars belonging to me.

 

            The Rebels still hold Charleston and are likely to for a long time to come for all that I can see. I have about made up my mind that Hunter don't amount to a hill of rusty beans. He much rather review his troops than fight the enemy, is much given to display, wears the best of clothes. This army will never be very successful under him, he has the good will of hardly a soldier in this Dept. We from Fosters Dept. / have but little love for him. When the Mass. 24^th first landed here they had a row with the Negroes, Hunters pets, for this and because Hunter had a quarrel with Foster he must wreak out his vengeance on every soldier that came from N.C. The first two weeks that we were on this island the only food we had was very salt beef and poor hard bread. All this time within a few miles of us there was carloads of soft bread and plenty of fresh beef. If we left our narrow camp limits, we were at once arrested and put to work on a Govt. fort or confined in the guard house. These things we shall not forget in a day. The people of the North are inclined to uphold Hunter and denounce Foster. According to the rules of war Hunter would take command before Foster but F. was not so big a fool as to come / here without any orders from Washington. We have good reasons for believing that Hunter represented that he was all ready for a move, that if Fosters army would join he (F.) should have an important command and the two would at once move on Charleston. Arriving here F. found no preparations whatever for a move. And now two months from that time, I see no prospect of a move. It is rumored that Gen. Burnside is coming here and I hope it will prove true. I don't wish to go into battle under Hunter and I guess there is no danger of my having to do it. the common remark is "he wont fight.

 

Govt. is now attempting to raise a black army. I do not love fighting so well that I wish to do it all and if the blacks will fight I am willing they should. They and the white soldiers cannot agree. I cannot explain to you why it is but the whites loathe the blacks. It matters not what the politics is, it is the same. The blacks and the whites should be kept apart, they will not work together.

 

            The Conscript Act is now a law. The question is, will the people stand it? I suppose they will still had I a brother who was liable to be drafted I should write to him to keep out of the army let it cost what it would. I have seen the elephant and know just how he looks. I can go it two years and a half without much trouble but I think it my duty to warn my friends. I hate to see the old ship go down but if it is bound to go down any way the fewer people we have aboard the better. I will gladly work my time out on this desolate island if that will do any good. The people of the North should say to the President, "Give us a Secretary of War and of the Navy, dismiss from the army all traitors and thieves and then we will listen to the Conscript Act and not till then". President Lincoln is a good man but he is far too easy. We have a class at home who are attempting to affect a change but they do not go to work in the right way. The miserable Copperheads are despised by every soldier even the most homesick ones. There are plenty of them that are as homesick as you please but I have not found a single one who is in favor of making a compromise with the traitors.

 

            Things go on about the same as ever on this island, plenty of drilling and plenty of drunken officers. / Five from each Regt. are allowed to go to Hilton Head in a day. I was lucky enough to get a pass one day and visited a young man whose folks I was acquainted with in Boston. He has a store at Hilton Head. That place is not much of a one any way, nothing but a sand bar, only a few good buildings. On the boat that I went over in was Capt. formerly Lieut. Worden of the Monitor. His eye still shows the effect of the cement that was blown in it.

 

            Last Tuesday a rousing mail came from Newbern bringing a doz. letters for me, some of them were a little old but all good ones, two of them contained photographs and good looking ones too. I have some pretty good friends in Boston, the first of this month rec'd a box from a Mr. & Mrs. Kimball. they have a fine daughter with whom I am acquainted, rec'd a letter from her a few days ago. Also one from Georgia / Dagget. All well in Braintree. Georgia is a work in the shop.—Fred writes that the Tip business is quite good, were selling six and eight thousand dollars worth pr. month. Fred now receives $450. a year but is not very well satisfied at that, says that it is the meanest Co. that ever existed.

 

            Julia Chase has been spending the winter in Boston at Marys. I have rec'd two letters from her the past winter. Howard writes from Hebron that he likes his school very much. He is a worker, if he has a chance will make a good scholar. George will do better for a city boy, give him about a thousand a year and he will live high. I wish he could put his mind on something useful, the girls are about all he cares for. He writes that he wishes he was at Lewiston this spring attending school. don't think he cares much / about the school but likes the company. I shouldn't object to being there too. Hattie, Nancie & Katy, and several others are there.

 

            By the way, I hear bad reports from our late school-teacher, now Capt. Bryant of the 8^th Me. A young man at Hilton Head told me that he was under arrest for sleeping with a negro wench! What would Emma Spaulding say to that? guess I wont write it to Buckfield. That is the style after a man gets the straps on his shoulder. Men that were steady before as soon as they get a commission get drunk and make mere brutes of themselves.

 

To-day we had baked beans for breakfast and dinner, were quite good. Govt. now owes us five months pay. I am dead broke and have just sent for a V. I wont be in this country without money if I can help it. My health continues good, weigh a plump 140 lbs. the heaviest I ever was. You must write as often as possible. I shall do the same.

 

Remember me to the boys, would like to hear from them all.

                                                                                   

Your brother              

Charles

 

P.S. The drum was beating for supper when I finished this and signed my name    C.C.

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