Manuscript Database
Creator/Title
Hicks, John C., 1832-1863. Letter, 15 Feb. 1863. 4 pp.
Call No.
Mss. C H
Content
In a letter dated 15 Feb. 1863 from Island Number Ten, Tennessee, Pvt. John C. Hicks informs his cousin Ellen M. Sherman of his command's recent transfer to this post from Columbus, Kentucky. He decries the prior abandonment of the position by, "Our dam Cowardly Gen. Davise"(Jefferson C. Davis) and reports that they face enemy troops on both sides of the Mississippi River. He writes that Union gunboats shell the woods daily to prevent the enemy from establishing artillery positions. In addition to his detachment, he continues, the Island is defended by the 15th Wisconsin Infantry and notes, "All of them are Dutch," (i.e., Scandinavian). In addition to describing the island and its defenses, he comments on the health of the regiment.