The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1863-02-27
Army Correspondence.
FoRr MAcoxB, LOUISIANA, I
Feb. 7th 1863,

FRIEND CowAN:
Company X Of the 18th Maine Regiment
is composed Of men from Biddeford and vi.
cinity and from South Paris. II has formed
part Of the garrison Of this fort for seven
months. Fort Macomb, is casemated tri.
angular fort with three bastions, which con-
meets Lakes Borgno and Pontchartrain-it
was formerly called Fort Wood. The 18th
arrived ut Ship Island, nearly year ago.
in March, and remained there four months.
There is where we saw our hard times ind
where We lost many of our best men by va
rious diseases. Since We have been ut this
place the company has been in good health
although we have buried six of our comrades
who died Of diseases contracted on the Island.
Biddeford furnished one commissioned Off.
Ger for the company, in the person Of Amos
G. Goodwin, but his talents took him away
from us and placed him in command of Com
pany G. We lost "a gentleman and an officer
when he left us, but what we lost Others
gained-poor consolation to us, however.
must mention another Biddeford boy
who commenced his military education at
Fort McLary under Capt. Andrews-Chas.
II. Annis who is now Orderly Sergt. Of Comp.
X and Act. Ordnance Segt. for this Fort,
The fort and ordnance show that he is quail
flied for his position better than | can write 1t
out. Gen. Sherman of "Sherman's Battery"
inspected the fort short time since, and said
it was the ncatest, cleanest, and best appoin-
ted fort in the department. It is rare cir
cumstance for q man to become qualified for
an Ordnance Sergt. in one year and / dare
say that Mr.. Annis is tho only volunteer
holding the like position in the service.
We have done picket duty at various plan
tations in this vicinity. and ut Proctorsvillo.
small village thirty miles distant, and at
Tower Duprcs, and Battery Bicnvenue, two
old Notifications on Lake Borgne, and have
succeeded in taking many smugslers with
their booty. The last haul made was boat
load of boots and calf.skins, which two har-
dy looking rebels intended to run over to
Mobile, "by hook or by crook" but they
got hooked into Maconb, and were crooked
up IN one Of its dungeons, for few days in
stead. A short time since our pickets at
Proctorsvillo captured large lot of groce-
ries and provisions, and certain Provost
Marshal will have to work hard to make 1t
appear that no had no interest in the goods.
His Deputy went to GAINESVILLE on Pearl
River for market, and agreed to give two
men barrel of -four, in payment for his
return passage; but when he got back to
Proctorsyille no found the stock Of goods UNI
der guard and his supcrior's signature not
sufficient to pass them over the lake. Mr..
Marshal and his deputy are now under arrest
and the case is being cyphered out.
1t is rumorcd that the 18th will DO CONVEX
ted into a Heavy Artillery regiment; it is said
that Gen. Sherman is in favor Of It, and that
our line officers make no objcctions-so We
may DO Artillcrists in fact, Us VIC have been
in drill for a long time, the regiment having
garrisoned Forts jackson, st. Philips, Pike
and Macomb, since the LIST Of July.
Yesterday dispatch came from Headquar-
tiers, ordering the fort to be put in the best
possible state of defence, for an attack might
be expected-from what direction l don't
know; but from rumors, which aro going
tho rounds. OF some of the Mobile Iron Clads
getting out to seq, VIC might suppose that
it was feared they might try to get in the
rear of New Orleans by taking or passing
Forts Pike and Macomb.
We gcta copy of the Onion and Journal
occasionally, containing all tho news from
home-and in one case we found some ne,cs
from Louisiana. For instance, in one paper
We saw paragraph clipped from an Albany
paper, which stated "that negro soldiers Of
this state wero cleaner and noater than the
white soldiers, and that one would DO sur
prised at their aptness in learning" The
man who wrote that paragraph may DO acolor.
ed gentleman himself, If so he is not 30 much
to be blamed for trying to elevate his race
above the white; IL no is white man he
must have based his judgment on his own
cleanliness. There arc-or were before they
deserted by squads-two companies Of the
native guards at this fort, and for one must
say that conslder-wc white folks, their
equals in every respect. The X boys say they
kept themselves as neat and clean as tho gen.
cral run of negroes, before they left home,
and they request mo to state for the benef.
of friends and sweet-hearts in Maine, that
they are decent looking indiwidooais now.
From Yours truly,
81fv J.H.S.
VThe British Parliament met on the 9Th