Robeson-Cumberland-Bladen County NcArchives Military Records.....Morrisey, Surgeon Samuel Bunting August 3, 1863 Civilwar - Letters 51st North Carolina Troops ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Tim Bradshaw timbradsjr@yahoo.com November 24, 2010, 9:33 pm Letter From Colonel Keitt To Captain Nance From Battery Wagner, Morris Island HEADQUARTERS BATTERY WAGNER, August 3, 1863-11 a.m. CAPTAIN: I beg leave to correct an error in my report of last night in regard to the casualties of the day. Private G. McMillan, Company d, Fifty-first North Carolina, was wounded early in the afternoon by the same shell which crushed the left knee of Private Edge, Company D, Fifty-first North Carolina. This regiment was stationed under the shelter of the parapet on the right of the land front. Toward 4 p.m. the firing appeared to have ceased, and a feeling of false security induced a squad of men to gather in the shade of the old commissary building, when a gunboat fired twice in quick succession, and one shell, thought to be an 8-inch Parrott, struck the uprights and burst, scattering splinters, resulting in the instant death of Private C. McLean, Company K, Nineteenth Georgia, shattering the right foot of John Raney, Company K, Nineteenth Georgia, inflicting severe cuts on Private Williams, Company B, Charleston Battalion, and wounding, more or less slightly, the following: Lieutenant J. R. Elliott, Company G, Nineteenth Georgia; Lieutenant J. T. Willis, Company A, Second South Carolina Artillery; Private J. F. Knight, Company -, Twenty-first South Carolina Regiment; Private J. M. Taylor, Company K, Nineteenth Georgia; Private J. A. Nix, Company K, Nineteenth Georgia, and Privates [J. R.] Hutson, [H. D.] Lee, [John] Hart, [J. J.] Tyler, [J. R.] Roby, and [J. E.] Jowers, of Company A, Second South Carolina Artillery-say, 1 killed and 13 wounded. Of these, Privates Jowers and Hart, Second South Carolina Artillery, have been since returned to duty, and also Private Nix, of Nineteenth Georgia-3. Chief Surgeon [A. S.] Salley was about this time relieved, and Surgeon [Samuel B.] Morisey waiving rank, Surgeon [S. P.] Johnson, of Nineteenth Georgia, became chief surgeon, and has proved very efficient. Under his care, the hospital is much improved, and requisition made for many articles required. There has been a painful deficiency of almost every convenience. Last night, the Fifty-fourth Georgia left and also most of the Fifty-first North Carolina Regiment. Colonel McKethan, Fifty-first North Carolina, was instructed to leave 200 men, say 100 for front picket and 100 for fatigue duty, at Cumming's Point. The picket 101 was duly sent out, under Major McDonald, but Colonel McKethan left only 36 men at Cumming's Point for the fatigue. There was some bungling about this, which deranged my plans to that extent. The Twentieth South Carolina manned the sea face and left of land face. The Nineteenth Georgia manned right of land face. These two commands supplied the engineer, Lieutenant [R. M.] Stiles, with a detail of 150 men from dark till 2 p.m. Damages were repaired, and the traverse in parade worked upon. Lieutenant- Colonel Gaillard, commanding Charleston Battalion, kept one company at Cumming's Point, one company in the sand hills, and furnished three companies to Captain Harleston, to move the new 10-inch gun to its proper chamber and mount it. Captain Harleston got the gun mounted before 1 a.m. to-day, secured the gin and left. All seemed well with the two columbiads up, but the artillery officers found one defect after another in the ordnance, and kept at work until full daylight. This was very disheartening, as being a matter of frequent recurrence. The artillery got the old columbiad in order by daylight, but the new columbiad had truck handspikes which did not fit the axles, no pawl, and a wretched vent about half the size of a friction tube. In addition, the chassis could not be traversed. The handspikes were exchanged at Fort Sumter, a pawl taken from a disabled carriage, and the vent bored out with a gimlet. The carriage does not yet traverse, but that can probably be fixed by or before night-time. I have not been disturbed by the fire of the enemy, excepting the sharpshooters, since last evening. My columbiads are well masked. This morning the Nineteenth Georgia was stationed in the sand-hills, sending a fatigue party of 50 men to report to Captain [C. W.] Parker, First South Carolina Artillery, commanding at Cumming's Point. The Charleston Battalion has been ordered into Battery Wagner, and will furnish the picket for to-night. Our sharpshooters knocked off a mounted man of the enemy this morning. I send you, by the first opportunity, a lot of various muskets and rifles picked up lying loose in this battery. All require cleaning and some repairs. Please send plenty of fresh water and no fresh meat. Very respectfully, LAWRENCE M. KEITT, Colonel, Commanding. Captain W. F. NANCE, Assistant Adjutant-General. [P. S.]-Captain Gregg's and Lieutenant Askew's artillery detachments expect relief. Additional Comments: This letter is written from Colonel L.M. Keitt [20th South Carolina Infantry] commanding the troops at Battery Wagner on Morris Island, Charleston, SC. It is written to Captina W.F. Nance, Assistant Adjutant General. In this letter is content relating to Surgeon S.B. Morrisey of the 51st North Carolina and information concerning the wounding of two soldiers of Company D, also of the 51st Regiment. Private Simeon B. Edge would die from his wounds on September 27, 1863 and his is buried in Magnolia Cemetery (Confederate Section) Charleston, SC. His grave is marked with a Confederate Marker. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/robeson/military/civilwar/letters/morrisey668gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb