Sullivans Island S.C.
November the 8 1861
Dear Father I seat my self to Drop you
A few mor lines I have got the Momps though
I am geting about wel but i cant eat yet
Father I receved your most kinest leter yester
day whitch I was glad to get & to hear from
you once mor I was glad to hear that you was all
well & had good health your leter done me the
Most good of any thing I ever got; to hear from
you all & to hear that you was geting A long so
good Father the momps has heart me the least of any
one els yet though I am not wel of them yet but I am
geting beter all the rest of the boys is well at this time
except Elijah Dunlap he had ben sick ever since
we have bin hear I think he wil get A Discharg
Father I have bad nuse to write the yankes has landed
on our soil hear in South Carolina they have
ben fighting their thay fought their yesterday
the 7 of Nov, 7 we could hear their guns very plane
at this place the battle was fought 70 miles
from this place at A place call forte Roile
the yankes taken 80 of our guns & have tern
them on us our men had to leave in such A hery
they had not time to spike their canon our lost
as twelve wonded I supose from what I can hear
that fort Roil was the weeks point on the coast
I hear they was thirty vesels atacked forte roil
our forces sunk two tore up Another one of the vesels
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Father their is more Confederat trops A going
their than the ralrod can carry from North Calina
& Georgia I supose they are all long the rail rood
upon hundreds &thousans; General Lee has landed
their from Vergina he got their this Morning the 8
General Riply landed their last knight; on last
Sunday Morning I saw the vesels going on they
past this place I could see the top of the mast plain
At eleven o clock yesterday I could hear the enemys
guns thirty evry Minuet; Father that is all I
can tell you A bout the batle at present I saw A
litle batle hear yesterday one of our litle steam
vesels called the aide it has on board six guns
She went out & one of the fleete fired on it
& ours retern fire & they fired twelve rouns Apiec
then ours come back; Father you wrote that you
had recvd my salt whitch I was glad to hear of
Father I consider the salt A great present to
you it cant heardly be got in Charleston at no
price for it ant their; what their is you cant get it
for les than ten to twelve Dollars A sack
& also wrote that you had mad A good crop whitch
I was glad to hear of also Father I want you to
be as saven as posible for ill tell you that
you are A going to see the hardes times you
ever saw wel you havent thought of hard tims
yet if you should live five years you will see
the hardes times that ever has ben I need money as
bad as body can but what draw i agoing to send it hom