First part of letter from Pvt. Kingsley
Letter from the Richard Ferry Collection.
Used with permission.
The following text and image comprise a letter from Pvt. Carroll E. Kingsley to his mother. It was written soon after the battle to let her know he was alive and in good health. Many of the soldiers did this after a major battle, to let their familes know their condition. While the battle news was quick to make the local newspapers, casualty lists were often slow to follow. Pvt. Kingsley enlisted in the 7th Connecticut on 3 September 1861, when the regiment was first being organized, and was discharged on 12 September1864, when his three-year term of enlistment expired.
Jacksonville
Febr. 24 1864
Dear Mother
I take this opportunity to write you a few lines that you may know that I am in the land of the living. We have had a severe engagement and lost many of our men, although the 7th CV did not suffer as hard as some of the regiments. We went into the fight with 300 men. Our loss killed, wounded and missing was 75 men nearly one third of our men. Ihe whole force of the expedition as near as I can learn was 8000. The rebels had about 15000. We marched 20 miles, fought five hours, and retreated 20 leaving many of our wounded upon the battle field.
The 7th Connecticut were deployed as skirmishers and we skirmished three miles with the rebel cavalry. We gave the rebels a galling fire and they opened their artillery on us and advanced their infantry to drive us back. We held our position for one hour without any support, then the advancing column came up and we retreated to the rear receiving a fresh supply of ammunition as we had used all that we had with us, seventy rounds.
We captured a quanity of cotton and turpentine, and destroyed by fire a large amount of resin and turpentine as well as some of our stores to prevent them from falling into the hands of the rebels. If they had followed up our retreat they could have taken the whole of us prisoners. I think that their loss was more than ours but I really do not know.
Our boys fought bravely and contested every inch of ground that the rebs drove us over but they were too strong for us.
We are all wrn out fron our marching and hard fighting. Most of the boys clothes bear marks of bullets. I had one bullet strike my rubber blanket that was hung over my shoulder but it did not hurt me.
Ed did not go with the expedition but stayed at the Quarter Masters. He is well. I am enjoying good health although I am worn out with the march and my feet are covered with blisters.
You must take the will for the dead for I cannot write any more this time.
Your most affectionate child
Carroll E. Kingsley
Direct to Port. Royal, SC
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