Item No. 1406258

A soldier letter written from June 13 to 14, 1863, by Private Samuel H. Hastings of the 53rd Massachusetts Infantry, to his wife at home. In the letter, Hastings (signed S. H. H.) describes the aftermath of the early-morning action of June 14, when the 53rd, which had enlisted for 9 months, took part in the second Union assault against the Confederate fortifications at the Siege of Port Hudson in Louisiana. Advancing with the 3rd Division that morning, the regiment came under intense fire and helped press the attack before being forced to withdraw with heavy losses.

Beginning his letter on June 13, before the next day’s attack, Hastings remarks that the regiment “has not done anything since we came back from Clinton,” northeast of Port Hudson, where the 53rd had marched the previous week. He continues, “There is a flag of truce up now. I don’t know whether they are going to surrender, or what it is for. I hope they are.” He explains that he and three other men are 1.5 miles from the regiment preparing meals for the men, and must put down his pen, “for we are cooking rice for supper.”

By the time Hastings resumes his letter on the morning of the 14th, the attacks were already underway. He writes:

This day is to be a day of sorrow with some of us. Probably hundreds have been killed ere this. The battle commenced at 3 this morn. I went to the Reg. at one this morn. with coffee, so they might have something warm to drink. I saw J. He said he was in hopes to go through. I think he is prepared for the worst. Port Hudson must be ours before noon today. I think there are days enough in the week besides Sunday to fight, but most of ours comes on that day. Could I be where I could attend Church today, I should rather than to hear the sound of cannon, & muskets, & the whizzing of the bullets. But that is all that we can hear this morn. We have beans to cook today. Can’t tell who will be left to eat them, or when we can get them to the men.

The 53rd had attacked one of the strongest sections of the Confederate line and lost nearly one-third of their number. Hastings continues:

We did not succeed as we thought we should, but met with a great loss. Co. H did not have any killed, but one wounded of any account. A young man by the name of [Jacob S.] Raynor from Warwick lost one leg. Don’t think he will live. J. went through safe…. I wish this war was over. How many a sad heart this battle must make. Co. F, the Barre Co., suffered a good deal. You spoke about our time. I don’t expect we shall get home until the first of Aug. I shall expect to be at home then, if spared. It will take about a year to make 9 months, but never mind. I don’t think I shall go again. If we can get this place soon, I think it will be all we shall do here, but I don’t know as we shall be able to take it. It is harder than it was supposed to take, but she must come some time. It is so hot. It is worse, for the men can’t stand what they could in cold weather.

It would be three more weeks before the surrender of Port Hudson. Evidently, Hastings became ill during that time. Records indicate he died of disease at Baton Rouge on July 21, shortly before the 53rd returned to Massachusetts.

The letter was written in ink upon four pages of a bifolium letter sheet measuring about 5” x 8”. The full transcript appears below.

Cook house in the woods in rear of Port Hudson
June 13th 1863

Dear wife
Don’t you think we were a happy lot of boys last eve. The mail came to us with a large lot of letters. How many do you think I had? There was 8 from you & 6 from others, 14 in all. It took me some time to read them all. One from J. Smith, one from Fitch, 1 from E.W., one from C.H., 1 from Loring, & 1 from Hannah. I shant have time to answer them all. I hardly have time to write all I want to to you. After you get this, if you have time, you may write to Hannah. She is at Bellows Falls, Vt. If you don’t have time, let it be. She wrote that she was coming down this summer. E’s letter you can answer. The letters I rec’d from you were No. 14 (15 I rec’d before). I have all up as high as 22, dated 19th of May, so I have all up to that time. I presume there are more on the way. I hope that we shall get our mails now. Those envelopes & stamps come in play now, for I was all out of stamps & it is rather hard to get them here at this time.

We remain here yet. Our Reg. has not done anything since we came back from Clinton. The cooking is the hardest part of the work now, this hot weather. There is a flag of truce up now. I don’t know whether they are going to surrender, or what it is for. I hope they are. It is 3 weeks since we first came here. I am nearly a mile & a half from the Reg. 4 of us cook for all. We have 3 coloured men to bring our water & cut our wood. That helps a good deal. You spoke about your butter. I think you have done nicely to sell so much. I wish I had some to eat. It would be so nice. I hope I shall get home sometime to eat some of it. I think H. can cut all of the grass for 1/9 if it is as good as it has been years back. It is so handy for him. I must leave off writing now, for we are cooking rice for supper.

Sunday morn. This day is to be a day of sorrow with some of us. Probably hundreds have been killed ere this. The battle commenced at 3 this morn. I went to the Reg. at one this morn. with coffee, so they might have something warm to drink. I saw J. He said he was in hopes to go through. I think he is prepared for the worst. Port Hudson must be ours before noon today. I think there are days enough in the week besides Sunday to fight, but most of ours comes on that day. Could I be where I could attend Church today, I should rather than to hear the sound of cannon, & muskets, & the whizzing of the bullets. But that is all that we can hear this morn. We have beans to cook today. Can’t tell who will be left to eat them, or when we can get them to the men. Do you expect to go to Church today? I hope you will have a chance to go with somebody. I don’t think you are able to walk, this warm weather. We call it hot out here. I shall not finish this today, for I may have some news to write, so I will stop now.

We did not succeed as we thought we should, but met with a great loss. Co. H did not have any killed, but one wounded of any account. A young man by the name of Raynor from Warwick lost one leg. Don’t think he will live. J. went through safe. I don’t expect to have a chance to send this now. Any farther than N.O., I believe, there is no mail goes now. I wish this war was over. How many a sad heart this battle must make. Co. F, the Barre Co., suffered a good deal. You spoke about our time. I don’t expect we shall get home until the first of Aug. I shall expect to be at home then, if spared. It will take about a year to make 9 months, but never mind. I don’t think I shall go again. If we can get this place soon, I think it will be all we shall do here, but I don’t know as we shall be able to take it. It is harder than it was supposed to take, but she must come some time. It is so hot. It is worse, for the men can’t stand what they could in cold weather. My paper is most filled up, so I must close this letter. I am as well as I expect to be while I stay in this climate. J. sends love to all. I don’t know as I shall write as often as I have done, for I don’t get much time. I hardly get time to rest half as much as I need to. This from your aff. Husband, with much love to all.
S. H. H.