Camp Foster Roanoke island Feb the 14th [1862]
Albemarle Sound Coast of north
Carolina
Dear wife the mail got here Last night and oh
what [????] would have done you good to See
the [??] [??] for those Letters But others get to tell
you all about the Battles i wrote the other day But
did not [have time?] to tell you now it was a Battle But
we all well Remember the Cries of the wounded and the
Roar of Cannon and musket by the 28 and 2[?] [???]
in the [?????] the gun Boats Began to Shell out the
Battery along the Shore and then the troops Began
to Land under Cover of the gun Boats we all felt
that we Should [??] meet the enemy and we [???]
Proud to do our Best it was the 7th when we Landed
and oh what a night we Passed [??] [???] [Rain?]
and no tents to go into we Sent out Pickets and [???]
all night and then we Bilt Camp fire and Sat around
then [???] the next moring at 8 [???????????]
[?] my Best and we fell in and [?] [?] [?]
[???????] the main Road through the island
[?] Some 2 miles when we drove in the
Rebel Pickets and then the Battle Began it was
still a Raining and the water was [??] [??]
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Rain and we had to go into a Swamp to get out
[???] a Place that [?????????] Reg
[??] the Battle Raged fearfully and it was hard
to tell who would gain the day the Rebel had
[remaining page too faded to read]
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ordered to advance on the Road to Cut of the
Retreat of the Rebels and Before night three
thousand Rebels Surendred to gen Burnside with
[??????] and arms and that night we slept
in a Rebels tent this is the greatest [???] they
has had to deal with yet only think of it
three thousand Rebels Prisners and we Burnt up a
Small town one hundred and took fifty Cannons
and [??] Elisabeth City is taken By the gun Boats
the Prisners will Be Sent to new york or Fort [?]
[?] in Ny P R Spaulding and admiral N
Boys have Ben [?] Pigs and have and [?]
and we had [?] [?] to eat and to [?] [?]
they and [?] of fresh Beef [?] and [?]
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