A transcription of the letter is below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transcription by Nadia Shahab Diaz, class of 2017

Fort Heckman
Morehead Citty NC. Oct. 25, 1863

Mr. Warren,

Dear friend,
I received your kind letter with
a dollar’s worth of postage stamps
sometime since ago, and ought
to have answered it before but
I have kept doing one thing
or another untill now.
I am in good health yet and
I have not been excuse from
duty a day or an hour on acount
of illness since I enlisted.
My Company has been
changed around considerably
since we have been here but we
have not failed in receiving all our
letters and if the people at
home could see the disapointed [[end page]]

[[start page]] of those who do not receive
the expected letter, or the happy
one of those who do, they
would not fail to answer
imediately all the letters they
receive, as far as I am concern,
I can find no fault with
any of my corespondents.
Fort Heckman, the place
where [[?]] “C” are now is
about 5 miles from For
Heacon and a far more
healthier place. I like it
better, there is more excitement,
once in here, the rumor that
the “Rebs” are within one are
two miles, if nothing more
than are are not so confined at
Macon as soon as the evening
gun was fired were just as [[end page]]

[[start page]] much prisoners as if we were
inmates of that large Stone
building in Charlestown, Mass set apart from those
who are acquiring to much
notority for the public good.
but here we have nearly as
much freedom as at home,
the Fortio [[good guess?]] not quite finished
and only mounts three guns
at present but will mount two more
within a month, it is a pretty
little fort too. pretty for such
a place like this.
There are not so many
negroes here as at Newbern,
but are a better class as far
as intelligence is concerned,
although none of them are so
intelligent as our northern blacks,
as for that matter, the whites
themselves are not bright [[end page]]

[[start page]] as the people up in Old M[[?]],
the all classes here indulge
in the disgusting habbit of
chewing snuff, (poor whites
(and they are nearly all as poor
as job’s turkey if not a little
more so), Ng Negroes, and the
better class of whites. one of
our soldiers was up at Newbern
a few days ago and he saw
and remarked what to a
companion, a very fine looking
young lady, he hardly got the
words out of his mouth before
she spit out an amount of
snuf sufficient for a good
handfull, and from what I
have seen myself, I don’t think
he stretch it a great deal, it’s
effect on the person that use [[end page]]

[[start page]] it, especialy the women, you will
see them not more than thirty five
or forty years old looking like old
ladies of seventy or eighty with
the exception of not having grey
hair. Education here is
almost unknown excep by the
wealthier class. I have seen as
intelligent looking men as you
see any where, but when you
go to talk with they will
betray their ignorance of the most
trifling things and by handing
them a papper paper they
will tell you they cannot read.
I am told by old soliders
that they are not so ignorent
here in Viriginia but I do
not wish to see a state any more
so than this. [[end page]]
[[start page]] There have been rumors
that we are going to be removed
from this Department but I
do not think there is anything
in it, they are taking away
a good many troops from here.
Gen. Heckman’s brigade has
left, and within a few days
there has have been several regiments
been come down here and are
now awaiting for transports
to take them away.
The first Masf Reg’t of Ifantry
I believe is in Newbern and
I, some other reg’t, came with it
but what the name of the others,
I have been unable to find out.
If you know anything where
Mr. Hayward is, I wish you would
let me know for I should like [[end page]]

[[start page]] to write to him. I wrote to his
wife a few days ago but it is
not time yet to g et an answer.
I have not yet had any
cause to regret enlisting for
three years but tell Charley
I wouldn’t advise him to come
any way, I have notice it the
that those that are sick nearly
all are of his build which there
is but one or two in the whole
Battalion that are sick that are
of my style of form.
We have no Chaplain consequently
in [[good guess?]] sunday except so far as
idleness constitute one and we
want you to remember us on that
day in the house of prayer, it
strengthens us in the cause in
which we are engaged men that [[end page]]

[[top of page]] Direct to Co “C” 2nd Maf Hev’y [?] Artillery
Fort Heckman Morhead citty N.C.
[[start of page]] have grown old in wickedness,
drop silent tears when they hear
from, some kind friend perhaps,
a pious mother that they were women
bored at home; I am afraid,
however, that I am wearying you
with this long letter but I do
like to when to get it down to
talk a long while with you.
If you have not sent my box
yet, you [[?]]ay me a army cap and some
woolen stockings my size for a
cap is 6 ¾ but if you have it is
no matter, for I can get along with out
if you have not sent it, you need not
for two or three weeks. But I will
close now. Please give my regards
to Mrs. Warren and remember me
to the rest of inquiring friends.

Yours truly, E. C. Houghton

Oliver Wendell Holmes Library || Phillips Academy