The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1862-05-02
ARMY CORRESPONDENCE
TYBEE ISLAND, Georgia, April 15, 'G2.

LII is With mucn pleasure tilat take
my pen in hand to inform you that l am well
at present and hope these few lines may find
you enjoying the same. will give little in
formation about what has been going on within
the last few days and about the taking of that
great Fort which there has been so much talk
about, and to show you that the men that are
at the head of the Army know what they are
doing if they Go be slow (but sure) in their mn
dertaking, The Fort am speaking OF is Fort
Pulaski, which commands the mouth of the
Savannah river. On April the 9th, the COM
mand in the states of South Carolina, Georgia,
and Florida changed hands. Major General
David Hunter takes command and Brig. Gen.
L. w. Sherman has left for Washington on the
Steamship Atlantic. This afternoon we were
suddenly called out for general review and in
| spcc:ioii which kept us out with our knapsacks
and evelytlin we had, from O'Clock until dark,
about four hours.-April 9th, being Sunday,
, we rested.--April 7th, the weather beingvery
nice all the boys got to work with some boards
| that we carried about q mile after review on
Saturday evening, and we raised our tents and
fixed ourselves very comfortably, with the ex-
pectation of spending the summer on Hilton
Head as nearly all the troops had left here and
we were doing all the guard duty Of the Island
and our chance of staying appeared very good,
although the duty we were doing was not of
much importance and what was of any good
| the negroes could do as we'll as lying around
and living off the government and doing nothing.
They will have to doit now. April 9th, every
thing fixed very comfortably and the 10th max
ing themselves content to stay, when about nine
o'clock we were surprised at the orders to cook
days rations and to be ready to march on the
next morning. Everything was got ready; ra-
tions cooked, issued out and we were ready to
march in the morning.
April 9th, we got up in the morning and took
our breakfast and were ready by six o'clock to
march, at o'clock we were called in line to
| leave with our overcoats, and the gum blankets
that we were made q present of by the State
of Pennsylvania. When we were forming the
Regt, the clouds came up and commenced to
pour down rain and rained till we got on the
boat which was about one hour. Such rains
you hardly ever see at home and may judge we
got wet; there was not one dry stitch on us but
still the boys were all in good spirits, with
hopes of bidding farewell to Hilton Head. AT
8 O'clock the boat started for some place un-
known to us, at about 10 o'clock it quit raining
and the clouds cleared away and the sun began
to beam down and we all got ON deck so our
clothes would dry. At 2 o'clock we came in
sight of Fort Pulaski, but there was no flag
to be seen; but when they saw us they hoisted
the rag to thetop of their flagstaff
| Wewere landed shortly after we got into the
harbor. Wewere brought part Of tho way in
surf boats and waded part of the way and at
O'clock we were on Tybee Island, Georgia,
and were marched up back of the lighthouse
| which the rebels destroyed when theywcre driv-
en- from this Island and back of Martello Tow
er, and there we stayed all night without. any
tents, as we had left them behind and ht.d 10 lie
down on 3 blankets and cover ourselves with
D, which kept us very warm
| 10th, we woke up and found ourselves all
| mixed through one another and did not know
whether we were going any farther or going to
| stay where we were. At o'clock in the MORN
ing Gen. Hunter sent flag of truce to Fort
| Pulaski asking them to surrender the fort when
the commander of the fort replied that he was
sent there to protect the fort, and, not to sur
render it; our messenger told him he would
have to surrender and he then returned to ~
bee Island TO let Gen. Hunter know the resuit.
At O'Clock and 20 minutes the first shot was
'lfea ana every minute or two we would hear
couple OF snots and we thought they were
trying their guns. At about 10 O'Clock the
rebel rag fell from the flagstaff and was not
hoistcd any more that day. There were troops
landing all day, Gorpe to help work the guns and
| some to cut Oft reiniorcements, should any at
| tempt to come from the mainland In the eve
| ning after some had made their beds on ihe
ground orders came for us to fall and the Sth
Michigan Reg't also. Our regiment marched
through the woods to the rear of the battcries,
and the Mich. reg't went in another direction,
also to support the batteries in case of an attack
on the rear of the batteries. When we got a.
bout miles from Che Tower we stopped for
the night and placed guard When about
getting asleep We were aroused by some cow
| ardly fellows in our company and company X,
but none of them were bedford co. boys They
| were couple of fellows that we got in
Camp Cameron. We had loaded cir guns and
Co. II, was sent out to reomoitre, and we lay
down again. In the morning Go. Il came back,
but had not seen anything IL, we got,
in the morning, and partooE of, some of Uncle
Sans sweet cakes which VIC do not get very
often, as we have had good fresh bread for the
last months. We then started back to the
Tower and lett Co. ID, to take care OF that
point. The firing had been kept up at inter-
walls, all night, and the rebel flag raised in the
morning which feel very soon. 1t was then
raised on short pole, on the fort, 50 that it
could not be struck very easy. A great many
OF our men and others were out on The beach,
looking at the light when the rebels fred one
shot and one shell at them, which fell short of
their mark, bnt made them scatter and the
Gen. sent guard down to keep the men back
so that they were not exposed.
The batteries were not all opened on the fort
the first day, but were this morning (thc 11th)
and were fired little stronger than the day
before and at 2 o'clock Of the I'd day the rebels
struck their colors and run up the white. But