Dear Parents,

I received your letter yesterday and was very glad to hear from you.  I am well and hope you are all the same by this time.

We left Hatteras the 7th.  It was a splendid sight to to see the fleet.  The gunboats started first, the First Brigade next, the Second, then the Third.  They formed in two lines.  It was a very fine day.  We sailed very slow.  We kept in sight of the southern shore.  We anchored at dark.  We were about ten miles from Roanoke Island .  We started the next morning at 7 o'clock .  It began to rain.   We went about three miles and cast anchor.  The next morning the fleet sailed up to the island and commenced bombing the fort.  The troops laid off a piece.  The bombardment lasted all day.  It was “bang bang” every minute.  We could see the shells strike.  Some would strike smack into the fort, some would fall short and some to over.  When they struck, it would raise awful dust.

We got into smaller boats; ones that would run in shallow water.  We landed out of reach of the forts.  The landing commenced about 4 o’clock .  The 25th landed first, 10th Conn., our regiment, 9th, 5th Rhode Island landed and then the others, one after another.  We had to march through a wet marsh, the water over our shoes.   We marched on to dry land and in lines.  There was a house there, a Union Flag was hoisted on it.  Immediately our regiment was placed on picket.  We marched out into the woods and threw out skirmishers.  All the other regiments stayed in the open and had good fires in about a half and hour.  Three guns were heard and one of our pickets was brought back wounded.

We retreated out of the woods into open land.   We stacked arms and laid down about an hour.  We had no blankets or knapsacks; nothing but our overcoats.  We had forty rounds of cartridges and three days rations of hardtack and salt pork.  It was a cloudy and very cold night.   Our feet was wet.  You may imagine our condition.  We had to keep walking to keep warm.  We stayed there about an hour and then went back into the woods and laid down in the brush.  It began to rain in a little while and then rained all night.  It was so dark we could not see anything.   I would lay down a few minutes and then walk up and down the road and get warm and then lay down again.  There was three twelve pound howitzers planted beside the road.  It seemed the longest night I ever passed but morning came at last.  We started some fires and ate our breakfast and got warmed all up.

About 7 o’clock the 25th passed by and the rest of the First Brigade and then we started.  We did not know where the rebels were but expected to meet them somewhere.  About the time we started, the firing commenced.   It was about a mile off.  There was incessant fire of small arms.  There seemed to be several large ones.  We marched on and soon came to the scene of the action.  We had a small stream to cross.  It was up to our haunches.  The wounded were brought back to the rear.  The road was full of them.  Just as we got there, the 25th was retiring.  They said it was pretty hot work but they were driving them.

We could not see the rebels but the balls came thick and fast.  It was “whis, whis”.  The rebels had a masked battery with three guns mounted on it and they were pouring the grape shot and canister into us as fast as they could load them.  There was men posted behind the battery land up back.  We had one of the worst places that could be found.  The battery was built in the heart of a cypress swamp.  It was hard land on the side the rebels were, and there was a good road that led by it.  The rebels thought it impossible to get to it any other way.  The 10th Conn, 9th NJ,  51st NY, 9th NY, Hawkin’s Zouaves, 51st PA and 27 Mass. were engaged, some in one place and some in another.

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Pvt. Henry Brown, Roanoke Island,
Feb. 14, 1862

We passed round at the left, right through the worst of the swamp.  As fast as our men got in line, they commenced firing.  We crawled through bushes very slow.  It was about an hour before we all got in line.  As soon as we all got in line, we were ordered to charge the battery.  We rushed through the water with all our might.  When they saw us coming, they took to their heels with all their might.  Our colonel seized the flag and was the first one the battery.  He jumped on the gun and cried, “Come on boys”.  The battery was soon covered with our men and Hawkin’s Zouaves.

There was a great lot of blankets and other clothing.  I got a very nice heavy blanket and several other things.  A large body of rebels slept in the woods the night before. They left so sudden they could not stop to take their blankets.  A few run for the boats but were followed and caught.  The rest retreated to the interior of the island.  We followed close at their heels.  We took several prisoners, by the way.  We went three or four miles and halted.  It got to be most night.   We expected to have to lay in the sand.  The general said we got about a mile and half more to march.  We expected to have another hard battle.

The next day our regiment was in advance.  About forty went ahead as scouts.  They met about 2 regiments of rebels.  They fired on us and we returned fire and killed seven.  The rest run.  They soon appeared with a flag of truce.   We soon came to an opening and there we found any quantity of barracks.  The buildings were all new.  They put the prisoners in the smaller quarters and took lodgings immediately. We found plenty of provisions.

The next day I made an excursion about the island.  I found one fort with 12 very large guns.  They were all spiked with wrought nails.  They have since been withdrawn and are ready for use.   This fort was not fired at by our fleet.   There was another with four guns of the same size spiked.  The other one mounted 8.  It was the one that was bombarded.  It was pretty well torn to pieces.  There was another battery at the right of the other.  The rebels expected we should keep on hard land and get right between the batteries and then they would blow us to pieces. It had 2 guns.  There was two regiments of North Carolinians, the 9th and the 31st.

The next day 600 of Wises’ Legion landed to reinforce the rebels and were caught.  They did not know the island was surrendered.   A regiment of Mississipians, 800 of Richman’s Blues were taken prisoner.  They are large, fine looking men.  The Carolinians were dressed in citizen clothes; the others had grey uniforms.  We had about 4000 prisoners in all.  Our regiment had 7 killed and about 40 wounded.  The 26th Mass., 10th Conn., had about the same number.  The others did not suffer much.  There is about 200 killed and wounded on our side.  As near as I can find out, the rebels was as great.

The weather has been very changeable here.  It has been very warm days.  The rest has been rainy and very cold.  We expect to leave Monday and go aboard the “Northerner”.  The fleet has taken Elizabeth City and destroyed their gunboats.  It is not known where we shall go when we leave here.  The 24th will go north with the prisoners.

There is good roads about the island.  It is about 18 miles long and three wide.  There is houses once in about a quarter of a mile.  They are all farmers. They had any quantity of hogs.  The troops killed every one they could find.  Geese, hens, and calves were picked up.  The farmers say they are ruined.   There will be a regiment left on the island.  There is a good deal more I should like to write but I am afraid you cannot read what I have wrote.

The fight lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes.   I did not feel as I expected in the fight.  I did not feel excited at all.  There would be one drop here and one there.  It would be “whis whis” all around but none touched me. 

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Pvt. Henry Brown, Roanoke Island,
Feb. 14, 1862

We had a pretty hard time aboard the Northerner.  It was cold; there was no fire we could get to.  We did not have half enough to eat and we expect to have worse before we get through.  I should like to be home very much.  Tell Freddy, I am sorry he is sick.  I hope he will be well when you get this.  It makes me feel bad to hear that any of you are sick.

Our Colonel Morse is at Annapolis command of the post. Lt. Co. Maggi is in command of the regiment.  Direct your letters as before.  He will forward them to us.  Papers will come as well as letters.  The report is that Norfolk has been taken but we cannot tell whether it is true or not.

I must stop writing or I shall never get through.  I send my love to you all and hope that this letter will find all in as good health as usual.

Goodbye from your son and brother,

Henry

This is Secesh paper.