Camp Beaufort South Carolina Mar th 14 /.63
Miss Saluma W Gilmer
Dear sister I take the plessure
to sit down this fine satterday after noon to inform
you that I received yours and Lavina letters last night
with much plessure stating that Lavina received her
ring and it was broke I am sory to here that it was
broke for they hant so easy maid as to break them
It makes me feel broken harted that most evry
Letter I receive I here the soryful story of deth or
beauriel of one of my cousant or aunt although
we all must come to the Jugment seat some time
and so aunt charity wagner is dead and berried
Mr Reed Heeler received A letter of Miss Eurania Hilpot
stating that aunt charity was very low that was some
time A go I must state to you that we stil remain
at the beutiful city of beaufort the yards ar ornam=
=mented with beutiful evergreen and the orrange and
lemon trees and Large fig and A porthion of others
trees two neumorous to menshion I must state to
you that thay ar Just fitting out A nother fleet and by
all accounts thay will attack Charlestown and savanna
at one time but I think we wil be all right to
remain at this place for ninty days and in this time
our time will nearly be out I must tel you that our
regment is quite small for we have fifty some odd
men in the city for provert gards [1] and we have
[page 2]
Something like A hundred and twenty five men ar
out on picket duty that ar out About ten miles on
Ladys island for the lenth of ten days thay will
be in the last of the week and A nother lot sent
out in thare plase by all accounts thay can see the
rebel pickets A walking thare beat and see thare
fire after night I must also tel you that we have
our camp ornamented with pine trees it looks
like A pine forrest and we have the streets
throughing up and leveled of[f] like the streets
in some great city and we have
our tents rise up of[f] the ground and made bunks
in them so as not to lay on the ground for this
is the beauty of playing suldier so as not to get
the rumatism or some hard fever our regment
is in good health and we will try to keep so on
the exception of A few Mr Luis Hilpot is one that
grunting now that is all in our company exsept
John Reefe he is in the hospittle and golden and
A few others but thay had been in some time ago
I must tel you that it is wery warm here now
and I dont know how it will be in the Month
of June and July but I think I can stand
it as well as anny of the rest and with these
few lines I will close my letter. from your
Brother my best respect to all
Elias. W. Gilmer
Direct beaufort South Carolina
Col” John Nice Commanding rite soon and oftin
tel Lavina that wished she would get A nother valentine worse
then that one she got
[page 3]
O I must tel you that I was prommoted
from the rank of corporal to the rank
of Sargent A bout A Month Ago and
I forgot to tel you that I was well and
harty and my weat is stil one hundred and
seventy pounds in my shirt sleves and I
must tel you that we have fresh bread every
Day we havent seen anny hard tacks or
hard[?]eas sence we have been here and that
is the reson I hant getting anny fatter
I must write my name
Sargt E. W. gilmer
but you must not
brag this or alse the
news will come in the
regment and I will be
blaggarded