Captain William Thompson Lusk to Elizabeth Adams Lusk, January 9, 1862

Headquarters 2d Brigade,

Beaufort, S. C. Jan. 9th, 1862.

My dear Mother:

It is with great pleasure I am able to write of my rapid recovery from a somewhat severe illness. I caught the fever prevalent in this country, and lost all those pounds of flesh of which I have boasted, but am thankful to be again restored to health, if not to full strength, and am gaining rapidly. There is little chance of obtaining a leave of absence, for, though delightful as it would be to see you all again, it is not well to look back when the hand is once put to the plough. You will ere this have received an account of our New Year's call over on the mainland of South Carolina. It was very successful, but I was unable to be present, as excessive exhaustion, the result of the fever, kept me confined in bed. The weather down here is charming now, the sun is as warm as summer. I think of you suffering from cold. I would be willing to exchange the warm sun of Beaufort though, for a couple of weeks in the chilly North where there are warm hearts ever ready to welcome me. I am going to enclose to you a copy of a Secession letter which may afford you some amusement.

I have not received either my trunk or sword yet, though they undoubtedly are at Hilton Head, but the express agency is a slow working affair, and I must abide their time patiently. Yesterday was the anniversary of the battle of New Orleans. In the evening the General had a reception, at which many patriotic speeches were made, and a general feeling of jollity prevailed. There is little news to communicate. Your letters come regularly. I have received Hunt's photograph, which is capital. I hope gradually to get the likenesses of the whole family.

There is at present as far as we can learn, a general feeling of depression among the South Carolina troops, which possibly may eventually develop into a Union sentiment. The feeling the soldiers express is: We have no negroes to fight for, while the slave-owners have all taken good care to retire to the interior of the State where they can live in safety. The question is beginning to pass among them, “Why should we stay here to be shot, when those who have caused the war have run away?” This is dangerous talk, and, we are told, officers have great difficulty in maintaining the organization of their Regiments. At least these are stories brought by the negroes who are continually escaping to our lines, and the unanimity of their reports seems to lend the appearance of truth to them. The fact is, the frightful effects of the explosions of the 11 inch shell which some of our gun-boats carry, have produced a great panic among the land forces of South Carolina. Negroes from Charleston report the city in a great fright, the inhabitants making preparation to leave at the sound of the first note of alarm. I hope we may catch old Tyler.¹ It would do me a deal of good to see the traitor sent North to be dealt with properly. There is a strong contrast between the treatment of our prisoners, and that received by the unfortunates who fall into the hands of the “chivalry.” The prisoners we have here are certainly as well treated if not better than our own soldiers. As I see them, on passing their place of confinement, with their legs hanging out of the windows, smoking their pipes, lolling about, enjoying fires when it is chilly, I cannot but think of a poor fellow named Buck, a German in my company and a capital fellow, who was captured at Bull Run and taken prisoner to Richmond. Once he ventured to put his head out of his prison window, and in an instant the guard shot him dead. I remembered too an amiable practice of the chivalrous youth of Richmond, who, when drunk, were in the habit of discharging their pieces from below, sending the bullets through the floor of the prison. This piece of pleasantry they termed “tickling the legs of the Yankees!” Well, we are not barbarians, and the other day a poor fellow whom we took prisoner at the battle of the Coosaw, as he lay grievously wounded, but receiving every kindness and attention at our hands, said: “Ah, there's a mistake somewhere. We think you come here to murder, and burn and destroy.” It will take time, but we believe by making ourselves dreaded in battle, but using kindness to all who fall into our power, even South Carolina may learn the lesson that there is a mistake somewhere.

There, I think I have written a long letter. With much love to all, I remain,

Your affec. son,

Will.

_______________

¹ John Tyler.

SOURCE: William Chittenden Lusk, Editor, War Letters of William Thompson Lusk, p. 112-5

Diary of Lieutenant-Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes: Sunday Morning, January 19, 1862

Fayetteville, Virginia. — It rained almost all night; still falling in torrents. A great freshet may be expected. . . .

Great war news expected. Burnside's expedition sailed; near Cairo, a great movement forward; Green River, ditto. What we need is greater energy, more drive, more enterprise, not unaccompanied with caution and vigilance. We must not run into ambuscades, nor rush on strongly entrenched positions. The battle of New Orleans and many others in our history teach the folly of rushing on entrenchments defended by men, raw and undisciplined it may be, but all of whom are accustomed to the use of firearms. Such positions are to be flanked or avoided.

SOURCE: Charles Richard Williams, editor, Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Volume 2, p. 191

A Terrific Bombardment

A letter from an officer in Fort Jackson, in the New Orleans Bulletin, states that the Federal Fleet, in its attack upon that fort averaged one shell ever ten seconds or six a minute, for nearly seventy hours.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, May 19, 1862, p. 2

The Blockade At An End

Proclamation by the President.

_____

The text of the President’s proclamation declaring an end of the blockade of certain ports is as follows:

By the President of the United States of America:

A PROCLAMATION.

WHEREAS.  By my proclamation of the 19th of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, it was declared that the ports of certain States, including those of Beaufort, in the State of North Carolina, Port Royal in the State of South Carolina, and New Orleans in the State of Louisiana, were for reasons therein set forth, intended to be placed under blockade; and whereas the said ports of Beaufort, Port Royal and New Orleans have been blockaded; but as the blockade of the same ports may now be safely relaxed with advantage to the interests of commerce:

Now, therefore, be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, pursuant to the authority in me vested by the fifth section of the act of Congress, approved on the 13th of June last, entitled “An act further to provide for the collection of duties of imports, and for other purposes,” do hereby declare that the blockade of the said ports of Beaufort, Port Royal and New Orleans, shall so far cease and determine, from and after the first day of June next, that commercial intercourse with these ports, except as to persons and things and information contraband of war, may, from that time be carried on, subject to the laws of the United States, and to the limitations and in pursuance of the regulations which are prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury in his order of this date, which is appended to this proclamation.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-sixth.

{L. S.}

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

By the President:

WM. H. SEWARD, Sec’y of State.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, May 17, 1862, p. 1

Killed And Wounded In The War Of 1812

From an article in the New York Historical Collections, prepared by Wm. Joey, Esq., mostly from official sources, it appears the whole number of Americans killed and wounded during the war of 1812, extending from June 1812 to March 1815, was 7,738; of these 2,816 were the number killed; this includes both the naval and land forces.  The largest number in the naval forces was at the engagement between the Chesapeake and Shannon, where the number of Americans killed and wounded was 145, and the British 85. – At the battle of New Orleans there were 52 Americans and 2,074 British killed and wounded.  The Americans seem to have suffered the most at the battle of Bridgewater where they had 742 killed and wounded, and the British 643.  In the various skirmishes among the Indians the Americans had over 1,100 killed and wounded.  In the engagement between the Constitution and Java, the Americans had 34, and the British 161 killed and wounded.  During the whole war the total number of British killed and wounded is put down at 8,774, of which 2,560 were among the killed.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 29, 1862, p. 3