On board Steamer S. R. Spaulding
off Roanoke Island
February 9, 1862
Dear Lilla:
The Burnside Expedition is successful in its first attack. Roanoke Island is ours with three thousand prisoners and a large quantity of artillery, small arms, ammunition, provisions and stores of every kind.
I will give you an account of the engagement, as detailed as I have time. We arrived here Friday morning, February 7th. Roanoke Island, as you probably know, is situated in Pamilco Sound, some forty miles from Hatters Inlet. The channels on each side of the island are very narrow and completely commanded by the batteries on the island.
The island was occupied by some five thousand men. The gunboats commenced firing on the batteries at 11 o'clock and 40 minutes, A.M. it was replied to by the Rebels and continued till dark. About four o'clock in the afternoon, our troops began to land and before the next morning they were all ashore except the 29th Massachusetts, which got aground. In the morning they took up their line of march for the rear of the shore batteries - the 25th ahead. After marching some two miles the encountered a battery which commanded the road. It was in a formidable position. The road, some ten feet wide, ran through and almost impassible swamp in a straight line in front of the battery for a space of some five hundred yards. The cannon of the battery were placed so as to sweep the road. The swamp as full of stumps of trees, briars, and etc., and the water and mud was two or three feet deep.
Our regiment stood waist deep in this swamp some three or four hours till others came up, when Hawkins' Zouaves and the 21st Massachusetts made a charge and carried the Battery. Our troops then followed the enemy to the shore battery when the unconditionally surrendered the Island and everything on it.
There are several batteries on the Island mounting twenty-eight large funs. The troops taken were mostly North Carolina and Virginia troops, but there were some Mississippi and Louisiana troops.
Perhaps you would like to know what I did all this time. I was stationed on this steamer and obliged to stay here during the action much against my wishes. Hope next time to take a more active part in the contest.
I have been ashore since and seen the place where the battle was fought. The dead and wounded were removed, but I saw a great many in hospitals. We lost about fifty killed and one hundred fifty wounded. Among the prisoners was O. Jennings Wise, who has since died.
Where we will strike next, I don't know, probably at Newbern. There is a report here that Norfolk is taken. Hope it is true. I got some Secesh money from a prisoner to-day, a note of which I will enclose. I have just been called to to receive a message and the purport of it is that Elizabeth City is taken, and all the Rebel Fleet either taken or destroyed. This expedition seems to be successful at every point.
I would give you a more detailed account of the fighting and etc., but my time is limited and you will read full accounts of everything in the New York papers. Our prisoners that we have taken are very poorly clothed - almost no two alike. A large proportion of the men are of the class known as poor whites, and are as bad as they are represented to be. Many of the officers are educated men.
The Island itself, although it is and important strategic point, is a very undesirable place to inhabit. It is low, wet, swampy and muddy, and covered almost entirely by a pine forest. The roads or rather cartpaths are knee deep in mud, and the sun never shines here, or at least only at long intervals. The chief productions of the Island next to pine trees are hogs, hundreds of which have been killed by our soldiers since they have been on the Island. We shall leave a garrison here and then move on.
But I forget that I have given you no account of myself as yet. Soon after I wrote to you last, I received quite a number of letters, among which were three from you, which were welcome I assure you. Soon after writing you, I was detailed with three others to accompany General Burnside as Signal Officer. So that accounts for the change in my position. I was not sorry to leave the Satterly. There is one thing that has troubled me very much since I wrote last, and that is the report of the loss of the Colonel Satterly. Watching the papers as you were, you could not help seeing that report and even if you did not credit it, it must have caused you great uneasiness. Then my report of that vessel certainly would favor the idea that we were lost. But it is better to be reported lost than to be lost, and probably before this time you know that I am safe.
To-night I received the letter you sent me in care of General Foster. Although it was a long time on the road, it was none the less welcome. We here are cut off from the rest of the world, and a letter or even a paper is worth its weight in gold.
I am very well situated on the Spaulding; have good board and accommodations. I expect to leave it soon, however, as she is to be used in carrying prisoners to the North. Ere you hear from me again, I shall have passed through more stirring scenes without doubt. Every day life here is full of incidents that seem commonplace to us, although a year or two ago we should have thought them exceedingly remarkable. For instance, I will give you my yesterday's experience which was no more eventful than the average of days. At midnight and some time after the night before I was writing to you. Retired at one to a seat on the upper deck. I was on the watch that night for signals but was not disturbed. I rose at six and after breakfast went to the shore on business.
On the tug on which I went were quite a number of the victims of the battle. The first thing that met my eyes was two of my regiment dead - laid out on the open deck exposed to a hard hail storm. In the cabin where I rode were some twenty wounded men. One of them with a wound in the head from which the brain protruded slightly over the bandage was up walking around, his mind wandering on all sorts of things.
After arriving on shore I found I had some ten miles to walk. I examined the shore batteries and then proceeded on my way.
A little way on I overtook some of my regiment escorting four rebel prisoners to the grave of young Wise. On the way we stopped at a hospital for wounded Rebels, several of whom I conversed with. The traveling was very unromantic - a foot deep in mud. We met squads of soldiers, some with prisoners and some foraging, and occasionally the hissing of a bullet near us told us that they found something to fire at. We soon came to the battlefield and after looking around some little time proceeded on my way. Next I came to where they were burying the dead. The Rebels were thrown in one hole together - our men each had a grave with a board on which was written their name and regiment. Some of them were horribly mangled. One of them had both feet and one arm shot away, and when the battery was carried he swung his hat with the other hand and gave three cheers.
Having dined off half a row of sweet potatoes, I proceeded to the landing, executed my orders and started for the shore,. Found a rowboat going near our vessel and waited from three till eight o'clock in the mud and rain for a chance to get there. However, I succeeded and after doing so wrote a part of this letter and laid down to be called in half an hour to receive the news that Elizabeth City was taken.
To-night I have left my writing four times to send or receive messages. A flag of truce is now here from Norfolk. You must excuse the disconnectedness of my letters now for I write a few lines, am called away, then write a few more and am again called away, so that I can not concentrate my mind at all. With a world of love,
I subscribe myself
William F. Draper
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