Sept 2nd 1864 Cedar Point, Ala
Dear Mother Again I attempt to write you a few lines to let you know I am well. the 96th are now camped acrost the bay & 13 miles from Fort Morgan at Cedar Point. about 20 miles from Mobile. the Boys are well as usual. Mell & Will Flagg. Ell Finley & Jo Griggs are with the Co now. I beleave the last I wrote was just before the surrender at fort Morgan. the Fort surrendered on the 23rd day Aug after a bombardment of 24 hours. there were five hundred Rebs 7 hundred stand of Arms & 54 large Guns and six months supplyes.. the fort was considerably damaged by our morter shells. they caved in the bomb proof works & set on fire the wood work & distroyed most all the inside of the fort. the Rebs distroyed their ammunition & spiked most all the guns just before they surrendered.. I had a channce to go inside the fort. it was a hard looking old place. it had the appearance of being a very nice place before the bombardment.. Some of the Rebs said they had no men killed others said they had a good many killed. they did not want to let us know how many they lost. it is generaly supposed that old Gen Page will be delt with pretty severe for spiking the Guns just before the surrender. on the 25th the 96th with 5 other Regts moved acrost to Cedar Point a very nice place only there are most to many musquetoes to suit me. it is the greatest country for them I ever saw. we have to have nets to sleep under & then sometimes we can hardly sleep. it is a good place for Oysters. we have all we want. all we have to do is to geather them out of the Shells cook them or take them raw just as you please. I wish I had a channce to supply you with 5 or 6 Barrel of them
Morganza Bend, La Sept 9
Since I commenced to write this letter have moved from Cedar Point to Morganza Bend so we are once more on the “Miss” we left the Point on the 3rd and got to the Band on the 8th we laid over one day at New Orleans. while there I saw McFarland. he is in the same Hospital with John Rader he said he was getting along very well & was still nursing. I received a letter from Almeda this morning dated Aug 20 & mailed 27 stating you had not recd any letter from me for 5 weeks. I wrote 2 while at Fort Morgan but there was quite a while I did not write on account of not have a channce.
(on a scrap of paper)
there is some talk of old Hood’s going into Kentucky with his Army but how it is I dont know. I expect we will leave here in a few days we are now under marching orders but where we will go is more than I can tell.. if we can have as good luck for a year to come as we have had on our last expedition I shall not complain. we have not had a man killed or wounded & but one died with sickness.
(Other side) You spoke of Kelsy starting for the Regt. Melve Flagg got a letter Stating that he had his Furlough lengthened 30 days I have not recd any Papers from you for a long time I would like to have you send one ocasionly.. the Battery man fired a selute yesterday morning for Shermans posession of Atlanta (September 2, 1864 — Fall of Atlanta)