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Moseleys Church Oct 12th
My Dear Sister
I received your much welcomed
and long looked for letter yesterday evening. you
have no idea my Dear Sister how much it revived
and cheered me up. I am on the Squad detached
for preparing and building winter quarters for the
Regt. we will be moved down here half way between
Norfolk and the Bay Shore six miles from each
place. I came down the first of this week and
have not seen any of the boys since I left But hear
from them every day and know they are all well. Ive
had a right tough time down here haven't done
much work yet on account of bad wether. we have had
some of the roughest wether for the last three days
you ever saw. So Sad the blockading fleet has been
separated and gone out to Sea. we had quite an
adventure yesterday evening. one of the Cavalry Station-
ed down on the Coast came by our camp in full
speed. going after the Virginia Artilery with the
intelligence that a merchant vessel was stranded
off the Pleasure house. I tell you it created an ex-
citement here. and every man of them. when the
artilery wagons passed. Started on foot musket in
hand for the scene of excitement, I was more for-
tunate than some. Jule Hagerty Billy Oliver and
my self. got in a fish cart and went down
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When we first got there I thought it was the
most grand and beautiful scene I ever witnessed
the breakers were rolling as high as a house and
the vessel that seemed to be only a few hundrd
yards was bout two miles off and at anchor, She
was afraid to raise her anchors, if she had she
would have been dashed to pieces on the shore. I
got there in time to see our little Battery of six
and nine pounders open on her. the scene was excit-
ing there for sometime our guns were two smal
to do her much damage at that distance, she signa-
lled one of the blockading Steamers that was lieing
off bout twelve miles and she come puffing up
to the [Senece ?] and opened her Broad Side of thirty
two pound Rifled cannons on us and we had to
retreat. I tell you we had to leave fast. the second
shot she fired at us passed immediately over my
and Hagerties heads and hit in the ground
about sixty yards beyond us, I think I will
always remember the sound of a thirty two pound-
er in motion. If we had have had a thirty two
pounder down there we could have taken the vessel
before the others came up. But the ground was so uneven
we couldn't get heavy guns down there. I wish I could
describe the place and scene round me now. to you
its an oak and pine grove of about forty acres, a
church and school house in front on the road to
Tanners x roads and the Bay road on the right. the
detachment from the Blues all quartered now in the school
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House. I am writing on an old desk in front of the
school house we use as a Table. with the fly of a
Tent streched over it for an [orning ?] tin plates cups
beef &c scattered promiscuously on the other end. Capt.
Lanford is up by the church [unhitching ?] his horse to
start back to the Camp. we are under his immediate
control now. Some of the boys gone hunting (Saturday evening
you know) Some gone back to the camp after their clothes
Gilmer and Fletcher right behind me splitting up an
old pine log to get supper with. I enjoy it finely
releived from Guard duty. a nice time at night. all
hands mind the fire smoking chatting playing cards
and joking each other. I though am often sitting off
by my-self thinking bout my Dear Mother and Sisters
at home. I have been uneasy bout Mother a week or
two and your letter hasn't relieved my anxiety at all
I wrote to her the evening before I started down here
didn't have time to write much. I pray God she may
recover. you and Dr Williamson must nurse her and
do all you can for her. I wish I could be there. I
know I couldn't alliviate her suffering but my presence
might cheer her up some and twould be a pleasure
for me to wait on her. she is a good mother Sister and
you will miss her as well as I when she is gone
she always taught me to pray and trust in God
I acknowledge I haven't done it as often as I might
but every time I do (and oftener now), its for her
recovery and that I may see her once more. John
Fitzpatrick Mitchell Williamson Papers
