Description:

AWAITING A NAVAL ASSAULT ON FORT MACON IN 1861
War-date A.L.S. of Noah Deaton, a member of the 26th. North Carolina, 4pp. 8vo., Moorehead City, N.C., Sept. 8, 1861 to his father, writing in part: "...we are stationed on Boge Island between the sound and the Atlantic Ocean about two hundred yards from the Atlantic the Island is about 1/4 of a mile Wide we are in sight of Fort Macon we have been looking for an attack ever since yesterday evening there came 1 ship of war in view of us yesterday and about dark their [sic] was 4 lights seen but three of them soon soon disappeared and one large vessel is now near to shore and we are looking for an attack every moment either on us or on the fort we all lay last night with all our Clothes on and our cartridg[e] Boxes buckled on and our muskets in our arms so that we could be to our posts in one minutes notice we all took down our tents this morning at day break to keep them from discovering our position they all withdrew from the Bank... a large shop cannot come in three miles of us and if they land here they must land in small boats and I think that we can meet them at the shore and tear them all to pieces before they can get up the bank in the position we are we can shoot from behind the bank at them untill [sic] they get almost in bayonet reach which I don't think they ever can do we buried all our ammunition in the sand only what we put in our cartridge Boxes to keep it safe if they get to throwing shells at us While I am writing this letter I don't know what moment that I will have to drop my pen and grasp my musket. ... just this moment they say she has turned broadside and hoisted her flag. There is two English ships of trade in this port and a large British ship of war to protect them. I wish Lincolns men would get to meddling with them but they take care not to fool with them. May God protect us and deliver us from our enemies..." Deaton had a while to wait as the Union did not begin formal operations against Fort Macon until Mar. 28, 1862 with a siege that lasted until April when the fort surrendered. Usual folds, light soiling, else very good.

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October 9, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

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