(written in very dim pencil)
Camped near Blakely, Ala April 10th 1865
Dear Sister: I received a letter from you last night dated March 28th with a fifty cent shinplaster inclosed. I was much pleased to hear from you. and very much obliged for the money untill you are better paid.. I beleave I was near Spanish fort when I last wrote you. we remained there fortifying and planting our siege guns and morters untill the 8th when the Rebs undertook to evacuate the Fort. our generals found what they were trying to do and chased them & took five hundred of them before they got away. there were quite a number of large Guns left in the fort most of which were disabled or spiked.. on the afternoon of the 9th we were ordered to march to Blakely 7 miles distant where gen Steel with a force of about 10 thousand negros and part of two divisions of our Corps were contending with several Rebel Forts.. when we got up to within about 1 1/2 miles of where Steels force were they made a charge which lasted about half an hour which resulted in the capture of all their works, and about four thousand prisoners.. I do not yet know our loss in the charge but there was quite a number killed with Torpedoes which the Rebs had fixed in the ground around the Forts after our troops got posesion of the forts they turned some of the guns of the fort on the Rebel Gunboats and fired a few shots and their Gun boats and two transports surrendered. the rebs say that what few Rebs there are at Mobile will be apt to skedadle for we have taken their Gunboats and their strongest works to defend Mobile.. we are ordered to be ready to move at any time which way we will go I cannot tell. this morning I tried to get some Ink to write with but I could not find any so I had to scribble with a pencil. there are no suttlers alowed within this expedition. tis reported that Richmond is evacuated but how it is we dont know. tis only a rumor.. the Boys are in good spirits. the Boys from Berlin send their respects. John Rader Melve Flagg, Will Flagg, Ell Finley and Philander Kelsey are with us and all well. I will stop for this time and maby the next time I write I will have some Ink. Write soon, from
Lu Carhart