_July 11._ About ten o'clock came Juno's daughter Fanny from "Pope's"
to spend Sunday, bringing us the apparently reliable intelligence that
"Town taken." It seemed too much to believe, but her story was this:
her aunt, Juno's sister, and one of Dr. Whitredge's servants, is
washing at Hilton Head and was there yesterday, when a vessel came
from Charleston with the news and many people (prisoners, we infer),
and the first who came ashore were Mass' Alonso and Mass' John,
Whitredge, who said to her, "How d' ye!" She says that five boat-loads
put off to the Yankees and gave themselves up. "Mass' John know too
much to fight 'gainst de Yankee--him get college at de Nort'--him say
him got no nigger--him no gwine fight." It is preposterous to write
you all this. You will know everything with certainty before this
reaches you.
_July 12._ The good news was most welcome from Vicksburg and
Pennsylvania, and our attack on Morris Island was successful, if Town
was not taken; but Colonel Higginson's attempt to reach the railroad
was a failure,[134] and he was wounded, thought not, it is said,
badly.
The successful attack on Morris Island on July 10 had
resulted in the occupation of all the ground south of Fort
Wagner. On July 18 was made the famous assault on the fort
itself,--an assault hopeless from the start,--in which the
attacking column was led by the Massachusetts negro
regiment, its colonel at its head.
_July 20._ C. came back with the terrible accounts of the Charleston
fight and the almost total destruction of the Fifty-Fourth.
Beaufort[135] is in amaze at the spirit of "that little fellow,
Colonel Shaw." Certainly it is one of the most splendid things ever
known in the annals of warfare. I long to be doing, and not living so
at our ease here. C. offered everything, and Mr. Eustis has been with
Hallowell and James[136] all day. The greatest want is of
physicians--there is no proper medical staff for the Department, and
surgeons are scarce. Drs. Bundy and Wakefield were sent for yesterday.
The officers are in the Fripp house, where the Forbeses were.
There has been very heavy firing again to-day. You see we hear it all,
though sometimes very faintly.
_July 24._ William took farewell of his schools and came home, having
received six dozen eggs as tokens of regret--an ovation at his
departure.[137] He left them to go up to the sick and wounded
to-morrow with contributions from the people. All vegetables, etc.,
are seized by the Provost and paid for, for the use of the sick, and
there is some one on this side the ferry to receive the gifts. We send
all we can, but it is unsatisfactory not to be on the spot.
_July 25._ William is just off for Beaufort. He will stay to watch
to-night, if needed. But "no ladies" is the cry.
[Later.] William went to the hospital for the officers, of which Dr.
Bundy has charge, where he was set to watch and administer to a very
badly wounded captain of the Forty-Eighth New York, Paxton by name. He
cannot live, and knows it, but bears his terrible wounds with the
utmost fortitude. William was with him Saturday and Sunday, parts of
the day, and G. and Wells divided the night between them. Everything
seems to be well conducted, and the hospitals in good order. I suppose
the _Fulton_, which is expected daily, will bring supplies and
surgeons. Captain Hooper is invaluable--busy as possible, as he always
is--I don't know what the Department would be without him. Yet he
found time to write me a long note to tell me about the wounded, and
that there was no doubt of Colonel Shaw's death.