I know this is a little off track and I hope I am not breaking the rules but I thought since most folks here are retreiving civil war items more people would see this here. I found this letter in a box of family papers from the Long Beach Penninsula in Washington state. I found it at a garage sale in Albany Oregon. It is a letter from the ship captain of the Island Belle a steamer in the Potomic River in 1861 The Captain was Arnold Harris I researched it on the internet and found a picture of the ship and found out he did not go down with the ship he was captured. This was all done in pen and I copied it best I could word for word then sold the letter to a collector. I hope you enjoy it and do not find it offensive that I posted it here.
U.S.S. Island Belle Nov 3rd 1861
Off Matthias Point
Dear Brother
I have given up all hope of receiving a letter from You
but not withstanding. I will drop you a few lines to let you know I am still in the land of the living but stand a very excellent chance of not being so long. For these confounded rebels have got me completely hemmed in. That is as far as water is concerned. I can leave any time by leaving the steamer and taking the Maryland shore for it. But that I shall never do even if I have to make her my coffin before one of their batteries. I have got three months provisions for forty men and 700 rounds of ammunition for the large guns so I can stand a pretty good siege and by the time that is out there will be an opening some where for us to get out. I made a glorious drive last week on a party of Pickeli in Virginia they have been threatening me for some time by riding down to the beach in partys of 25 and 30 at a time and shaking their dish cloth of a flag at us and as soon as we made a move to train a gun for them away they would go across the country as fast as their horses could carry them so I got tired of such humbugging and went to work and found out where they quartered . Well I have got a large launch that pulls twenty oars with a rifle 12 pounder in her so I manned her with part white men and the rest negros and started for the Brink House of my friends the Pickeli as we neared them I gave them a salute from the bow chaser not forgetting to put a second shell in her. Rip she goes right bang through the house. Hello What is that three men running for the stable. Stand clear boys while I bring my rifle to bear on him, never mind it
U.S.S. Island Belle Nov 3rd 1861
Off Matthias Point
Dear Brother
I have given up all hope of receiving a letter from You
but not withstanding. I will drop you a few lines to let you know I am still in the land of the living but stand a very excellent chance of not being so long. For these confounded rebels have got me completely hemmed in. That is as far as water is concerned. I can leave any time by leaving the steamer and taking the Maryland shore for it. But that I shall never do even if I have to make her my coffin before one of their batteries. I have got three months provisions for forty men and 700 rounds of ammunition for the large guns so I can stand a pretty good siege and by the time that is out there will be an opening some where for us to get out. I made a glorious drive last week on a party of Pickeli in Virginia they have been threatening me for some time by riding down to the beach in partys of 25 and 30 at a time and shaking their dish cloth of a flag at us and as soon as we made a move to train a gun for them away they would go across the country as fast as their horses could carry them so I got tired of such humbugging and went to work and found out where they quartered . Well I have got a large launch that pulls twenty oars with a rifle 12 pounder in her so I manned her with part white men and the rest negros and started for the Brink House of my friends the Pickeli as we neared them I gave them a salute from the bow chaser not forgetting to put a second shell in her. Rip she goes right bang through the house. Hello What is that three men running for the stable. Stand clear boys while I bring my rifle to bear on him, never mind it
