Morehead City. Apl. 21. Dear All, Your letter of the 12th inst., I recd yesterday morning, only eight days from home, that seemed pretty short. As when I last wrote you, three of four days since, I stated that I was a little under the weather. I suppose you will want first to know of my health & so I will begin on that subject. well I am just about as I was when I last wrote, dont seem to get any better & certainly no worse & I dont see that I grow weaker in the least. I asked Dr Storrs this morning what was the matter with me, & he said we should call it at home a slow bilious fever. (I have not the least fever that I can perceive) butt that is partakes somewhat of the fevers of this country. The Dr. says he had hoped I should get up without running out the regular time but he said this morning that he thought I would have to remain so for perhaps a week or ten days longer & let the fever run itself out. There seems to be no exception to the rule here, whether sick little or much, you must be good for nothing for two to three weeks. I have now been off duty ten days. I am writing on my Regt books or making Reports a large part of each day & if I dont feel like working & nothing is pressing I often loafe over to Capt. ward's quarters, they are a short distance below on the opposite side of the street, talk & laugh with him. He is a first rate fellow, always well & jolly and he is a first rate Capt also. I suppose he will be major tho' the Governor may not like to make another "Norwich appointment". So you see I am not a very sick man & there is no occasion to be alarmed in the least. Probably when you get my first letter, saying I am unwell, I shall be out on the banks back of this house watching the Rebels in the fort firing. they fire away every day & one of our chief employments I hear this morning that our batteries on Bogue Bank are ready & will open on the Fort tomorrow. so you can think of me as safe from all that fighting. My Co. has also been ordered to this side & is now stationed here with co. D. Capt ward commanding the Post, so that when I report for duty that duty will probably be far out of range of the cannon in Ft. Macon. Having discharged Eastman & there being no probability of my being in the fight I hardly think you will hear that I was the first to raise the stars & stripes in on the rampart this battle. writing Eastman reminds me that I said nothing about my servant in my last I fear you will think I am bothering along without any. The morning I discharged Eastman, in fact before I really told him I could dispense with his services, I went to Capt. ward & he detailed a man from his Co. for me, so I was not alone at all. He is a man who I think has formerly worked in our garden. used to live up town. is as honest & faithful as the day. The coins man wm cooks for me, so I am well off in these respects. I have sent to Newbern to day for Farina, Corn starch, some sour Jelly, Apples, Oranges Lemons & Cider. I expect them tomorrow afternoon. we hear there are no apples or oranges in Newbern so I fear those will be wanting. I think these articles will make a much more agreeable diet than Hardbread & Meal gruel. The meal gruel I have respectfully declined lately. the last time it appeared the sight of it made me sick at my stomach. Day before yester- day I was so fortunate as to buy a little hen for forty cents & I have almost lived on the broth since. wm makes it quite nicely thickened with rice. well I believe I have entirely talked out about myself. So good bye to that subject. I suppose George would like to know a little how they go to work to take the Fort. of course I know nothing of the ultimate plans whether it is to be stormed or simply battered down kept so hot with mortar shells that they will be obliged to surrender without any fighting at close quarters. we have built three batteries the nearest is within about 1000 yards of the Fort. this is an eight, eight inch, mortar battery, the second farther back has three 30 pounder, Parrott rifled guns, the third is back further still its armament consists of ten or a dozen mortars, some very heavy. In front of the first battery & within rifle range of the fort, pits for sharp shooters have been dug & it will be the duty of those in the pits to keep the rebels away from the their guns, that is they will act as Berdan's riflemen did the first day at Yorktown. (I fear McClellan will find Yorktown a hard pill to take & I also fear the result of a battles at Corinth, Tenn. I have not seen any account of the battle near Corinth but all here think it was the desperate fighting of our soldiers that gained the victory, that no credit was due to their Genls) Then our men have had to build a magazine large enough to hold the immense quantity of shot & shell needed for the siege and all this work has to be done in the night, so you can see that there is good reason for our delay here when the deficient transportation &C is taken into the account, but I believe all is ready now. I have not been on the other side & I get the information I have written above from different sources. I have put down no Distances because each one estimates differently. I believe the main facts are correct. I am supprised that newspaper correspondents can write letters with so many misstatements, why it is perfectly ridiculous for us to read them. A correspondent in the Tribune of the 9th says Genl Reno is in command down here. I dont see how any one of common sense could make that blunder, surely if a writer does not know the location of the three Genls & their divisions he dont know anything. The Coln has just been in to tell me that Dr. Lathrop is dead. died last Friday, in Hospital at Newbern where he has been working so faithfully. I was very much shocked. April. 22. Stopped writing yesterday to eat my dinner, a cup of tea (without milk. that's an article we never see) & one hardbread. when I was in Newbern the first of the month, I called on Dr. Lathrop two or three times during the day having business with him, so I really saw a good deal of him. He talked quite freely with me & said he was working very hard & he felt that he was working himself out or should soon if he was not relieved. Perhaps this statement is not exactly correct but what he said was to the same effect. The Dr. said he was living constantly in an atmosphere of Typhoid Fever. every thing he ate tasted of it & he could smell nothing else. I think he told me that he was obliged to put up all his prescriptions after attending to his large number of patients. He was much beloved & esteemed in the Regt., particularly by the five left. Co's. when on duty with the Regt the left half was assigned him to minister unto while Dr. Storrs took the five Right Co's. I feel that I have lost a valuable friend. our duties were so different that they brought us in contact very rarely but our intercourse when we have met has always been most pleasant. I shall never forget his kindness when I was sick at Roanoke, how regularly he visited me although I was living a long walk from the camp. Dr. Storrs was always much the abler man of the two & yet Dr. L. has always been considered by the majority of the Regt the best physician I suppose because he nursed the sick more & from his kind manner. one word about Dr Storrs - He is certainly a very able surgeon & physician. He has a very clear, logical mind, has received the best of education and is continually adding to his knowledge by study. He is selfish & looks out sharp for his own comfort & has got the dislike of many thereby. Dr Storrs & Dr Lathrop have been at swords points for a long time, dont know how it originated but Dr. L. was very easily provoked & very passionate & Dr. S. very probably imposed upon him. Dr Storrs has a great talent for making other men work and of course exercises it very frequently. I have always got along with him, Anever had the least difficulty. -5th page- April. 23. I will add a few lines to this letter & then send it off but when to send it I dont know. we have usually sent to Genl Parke's Hd. Qts. but those are now on the banks & it seems a very awkward place to send letters that we wish to go to Newbern. I shall mean to write now every few days & if you dont get letters by each mail you may know the trouble is in the starting them from here. Yesterday afternoon major Appelman was brought over from the Banks on a litter & now occupies the room opposite mine. He was struck night before last while out on duty with the Regt, by a spent grape-shot, on the back side of the leg about half way up from the knee. The ball did not enter the flesh & he kept round on duty all night thinking the wound was very slight but by morning it grew quite painful & he sent for Dr. Storrs to come over & examine it. The Dr. ordered him brought over this side & attended the moving. Dr. S. says the wound is a bad one, not dangerous if properly treated, but that he must be confined from two to three months or perhaps I should say off duty for that length of time. If the wound does not open soon itself, it must be lanced so as to disch arge. All the bruised flesh will die & come off, the arteries must be tied up & the new flesh grow over. Genl Parker writes col. H. that the major will be greatly missed there as he has been very active & proved most efficient help. Capt. ward is ordered to the Banks to take command of the seven Co's there stationed. Col. H. tho' not entirely recovered is acting as military Governor of Morehead & vic. Dr Storrs says I am decidedly better to day (this morning) says my face looks better & my tongue is improved & I think he is right. one thing would make my face brighter I am sure if I could get it & that is something to eat. I am not hungry but I have to eat something & I am rather tired tea & hard tack. I get nothing else. This is a great country & Geo Moore is a great sutler. I sent day before yesterday to Newbern for just such things as Moore should have here. when i get my things from Newbern I shall be all right. expected them last night & was much disappointed that the car did not arrive. I think you wrote you had sent in the Hospital box a paper of Farina. I wish I could have recd it I like Farina & I think it can be cooked without milk & eggs. Please direct to Capt. of Co. B. hereafter & while I think of it let me speak of directions. Never direct any thing to the place where we happen to be. Direct as you direct your letters. Burnside Coast Division or Burnside's Department of No Carolina - via Ft Monroe. I think many boxes sent by Express for the Regt have been either to all intents & purposes lost or else the receipt greatly delayed by being directed to Roanoke. should not be supprised if that was the trouble with the Hospital box from Norwich, though we hear it has at last arrived at Newbern & Dr. S. expects it down on the hand-car that is to bring my things. April. 24. That hand-car does not yet arrive. Probably Lt. Moore forgot to leave a guard over it, and has therefore lost it & he may now be waiting to catch a passage with some one else. Had rice for supper last night & breakfast this morning. I had forgotten that I could eat that. I have had a supply of it all the time & shall use it freely hereafter. I found it much softer than hardbread. My tongue is about clean to day & I feel very well but rather weak as I have eaten almost nothing lately. Dr. S. this morning prescribed two more "blue pills" as he said I had better make thorough work of it this time & I agreed with him exactly. The Doctor says I am doing nicely but wishes I could bear the quinine as he thinks that would hurry matters. You know I am always terribly slow about getting up & real well when there seems to be nothing to hinder. It is terrible tedious to be just so sick as I am (ok I hope I am thankful it is no worse) walking out every day & sitting here writing I hate to call on you to pay out so much money for me. but almost all these things I really need, & if I can get any of them here I would have to pay more than double what you pay in old Norwich. salt pork & beef, hardbread, rice, sugar & what ever we get of the commissary I get cheaper than you could (their tea and coffee are not like what you send.) for we buy of him at just the prices the Government pays by the quantity. I saw an article in a Hartford paper taken from a Providence paper, it was an extract from a sermon or speech of Bishop Clark's I hope you saw it. speaking of Burnside he said, he was with him much in Washington while he was planning this campaign & said he used every night to kneel down with him & pray for its success. Isnt he a great & good man. He is down here to day to attend the siege of the Fort. Have been sending flags of truce back & forth this morning. I almost hope col. white will not surrender without a fight for I want to see warmed up pretty thoroughly & I believe we can do it with little danger. what great long letters I do write. I dont know how to send so I write on day after day. one more thing I wish you would send in the trunk is a nice Pork Ham rather small lean. You will know whether it will be best to cook it or not. I suppose not. Do let me know exactly how you stand financially & how much the $140. will help you after buying what I want. I want a little better looking trunk than my old one but would not invest much on that account. Mine has always been the cheapest & shabbyest looking in the Regt. If I can send you $200. soon after the first of may will it make you clear & out of all debt except the mortgages. Any thing good to eat that you can send in the trunk will be most acceptable. - Past 7 PM open on the Fort tomorrow sure.