Fort Clarck

                                                                                                            Hataras Inlet

                                                                                                            Jan 22^d 1862

Dear Mother

                        We are now at anchor in Palmico Sound in sight of Forts Clarck & Hataras the first place that Gen Butler took; in the Naval Exped & a hard looking place it is too it is nothing but a mud fort & right on a sand beach & there is no houses in sight any where

 

            Now when you get this letter if you will look at the map I can tell you right where we are a going & where we are but probaly/ you will hear from us in the papers before this letter reaches you

 

            But if you will loock on the map for North Carolina & you will finde the Palmico Sound & you will several inlets & the Hataras Inlet is the one we came in to & there is where the Forts are we are in the sound about three miles from the inlet

 

            Now we are going of strait up the sound to Roanoke Island (direct north from Hataras Inlet) where there is 4 or 5 of these mud forts & they they have got gun boats up there & if if they have they will be pretty apt to give us a warm recepttion It is 30 or 40 miles up there Now I suppose you will want to know why we did not go in to some of the inlets above this well it is becaus it is so shallow there that we could not & when we got off the coast here it blew a regular gale & the Schooner that we was in/ would wride up on one wave & pitch down in to the sea again then again a wave would would come along & strike her on the side & go clean over her deck we crused around a long while & finely made out to get in through the inlet in (which is very narrow) in to the sound where we were perfectly safe But the large Steamer City of New York did not succeede so well they tryed to come in but they run on to the brakers the first thing; There was a steam tug went out to get it off but could not so they had to stay there all night with the waves runing clear over her deck In the morning Lieut Wiley & some of the boys went out to the steamer & tryed to get to her to get her men off but they could not but they was som whale boats went out there & took them off The next time day the Steamer was a total reck broke right in two in the middl/ & portions of her wreck were a floating all around & I picked up something for a relic I will send you a paper that came off the wreck There is 4 or 5 steamers got aground in the sound & two Schooners sunk & it looks as if the whole expadition was a going to be wrecked One Schooner has been pushed ahead along with the gun boats & probaly in less than a week we shall be in action The first Bugade is a going to be put on to the Island under cover of the fire from the gun boats & we shall be apt to see pretty lively times & if I come out of the engagement all right I will write again & give you an account of it We left Fort Monroe at one Oclock Sunday morning & reached Hataras Inlet on Monday forenoon We had a pleasant time of it untill Monday morning then there came up a regular gale came up & made it rather unpleasant untill we got in to the sound We have been aboard of this Schooner two weeks now & a rough time we have had of it too all of the water we can get too drink is than which is made out of salt water by evaparation & it is hard water too drink But I have been perfectly well since I have been aboard & have not felt sea sick a bit thoug some of them have Capt Chris for one I can not write any more

So good by

 

                        Give my love to all

                                                From afect Son

PS Direct as before                             Willie

 

[front margin]

PS Feb 1^st We make a strike to morrow or next day probaly at it will be at Roanoke Iland where ther is a large rebel force these wordes are our motto [see letterhead]

We are all ancious to for the day to come for we want to get on land once more we have been on here 3 weeks I received your letter yesterday The reason why I have not wrote before is becaus they would not let any mail go through untill we had landed but the mail goes to morrow But you will not get so many letters from me as you did when I was at Annapolis for the mail will not go out often If we are successful we shall see an end to the war in a few months         Yours &c            Willie

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