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Regiment: 8th Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
November the 15 1861
Head Quarters 8th Regiment
Michigan
Infantry
Camp at hilton head
Dear Uncle and Aunt
I take the present opportunity to write a
few lines to you to let yall know I
am in good health and hope that these
few lines will find you the same When I
was down to the Rapids, I did not think
that I should ever see South Carolina, but I am
in that state now where I enlisted I was on
gal prairie at work I expected to have a chance
to go home but I did not we went to the
Rapids on Saturday and Monday we started
for Fort Wane where we went in the camp
I could not get a chance to go up to town but
once while was there and those there was
an offcer with us and I did not have a
chance to come and see you if I could have
found you I inquired to the post office
If they could tell me where and they said
that they did not know of any such A
person. well we staide stayed at the fort about
two weeks and then started for Washington we got
on board of the ocean steamer and crossed the
lake the lake pretty ruf and there was
quite a number of the boys sick but it did
not make me the least bit sick we landed
at Cleveland about daylight and we
were hussled into the cars and off we started
on the
[ ? ] galop for Washington we rode
all night that night and the next day.
when we reached pitsburg they had a table
all set and pilled with
[ ? ] and we took
A god harty super when we got
[ ? ]
done we give them three good harty cheers
that made the old house tremble well we got
done there we started for the cars again at
all most every
[ ? ] place there was something
good to eat all ready and we could eat it to
as fast as they could bring it on well we
went on in that way till we reached
baltimore when we reached there it was
about twelve 12 oclock at night the streets
wer all lighted up and the Stars and Stripes
wer flying from almost every window in
the sity by the way it but there was some
miserable mean Rebel who snapped a pistol
at our Colonel but it missed fire and
and the watchmen caught him and took
him to the watch house we had to march
about a mile when we changed cars but they
did not start out till morning about five
oclock about noon we reached Washington We stayed
in the sity till about night and then we went to
our campground about 2 miles from the
sity to a place called Meridian Hill Camp
Williams, we stayed there eight days and
then we wer ordered to pull up our tents
for another start we got on the cars just
before dark and lay there till ten oclock
when the engine come we march out to
[ ? ]
they would run about to or three miles and
stop and so on till we reached anapolis
we got off of the cars there and had a good
time for ten or fifteen days well you see
they would not let us stay in one place
long at a time so after we had dug oysters
awhile out of the Chesapeake bay which was about
ten rods from the place where we wer staying they
put us on board the steamer Vanderbuilt,
the largest united states steamer there is and
put into the Atlantic Ocean to join the fleet
there was about fifty vessels there was four or five
men of war and several gunboats we stoped at
fort monroe a day or to but we did not go
ashore the next day after we left there
the wind began to blow the swells ran
cler clear
over the decks and many a sick one there was
the waves tost the old boat about as if
it was nothing but a mere play thing I
was not sick at all I felt tip top all
of the while. well we wer fifteen days
on the watter when we came in cite of
land it was hilton head but the fort was full
of armed rebels and a good many on the
Island besides but our men of war and gun
boats engaged the fort and after about four
hours hard fiting the rebels retreated taking
all of their wound away with them the way
the shot and shell flew about their ears I
guess they thought it was time to leave
as it was getting pretty hot for them it
was about five oclock that the men on
board the Vanderbuilt, which lay about a
half mile off said that the Stars and
Stripes was waving upon the fort there was
a rush to the sides of the boat and as soon
as they was sure of it, such a shout as went
up from that boat was enough to deafen
a man there was to regiments on
the Vanderbuilt, and every man tried to see
which could make the most noyse we went
to work
landings landing the troops
I pulled an ore part of the night and the
next morning I I landed with my captain
the fort was all strewn with blood and limbs
of men from one end to the other the
ground was all torn up in different parts
of the fort with the shells big enough
to bury a horse the whole side of a mans
face laid on the ground and one of the
boys from the men of war took it on board
with him it was a hard looking sight I
tell you there was forty six pieces of cannon
one of them is the bigest rifle cannon in
the united states they say that the whole
of the property amounts to about three and
a half millions of dollars there is about
fifty or sixty slaves here with us they
seemed quite glad to see us come for
their masters could not take them along
there is plenty of orranges and lemons here
and all kinds of stuff that they raise in the
southern states, well I have scribled over most
all of my paper and if you can reat it you
will do pretty well for I dont know
whether I can or not, well I have written enough
uncle dan and all just please to kiss the children
for me and tell aunt Jane to as the same.
direct to Washington 8 Regt Michigan Infantry
Co F monroe at present this from your
affectionate nephew Clark W Haight
