I sent a scan of this letter to my cousin Arnold Thompson and he transcribed it. This
letter was written by my G Grandfather William Curtis Morgan who was a Volunteer in the
Indiana 53rd. to his Father- in- Law Seymour Guernsey Townsend who is also my GG
Grandfather. It describes the tragic death of Monroe Townsend a son of Seymore Guernsey
Townsend. Monroe Townsend and Thomas Morgan a brother of William Curtis Morgan were both
Volunteers in the Indiana 23rd. These families lived in Scott, Washington, Boone, and
Clark counties in Indiana. Don Coatney
Camp near Vicksburg
June the 27th 1863
Dear Father,
I undertake the painful duty of informing you of the death of Monroe. He was killed in a
charge on a fort on the 25th of this month. They had dug under the fort and placed several
barrels of powder under it to blow it up and the colonel ordered the captains to detail 10
of the bravest men out of each company to charge on the fort. As soon as it was blown up
and Monroe and brother Tom was both detailed and they made a brave charge on the fort and
by the time the smoke had cleared away they was at the fort. But the rebels met them and
fought them face to face not more than 10 feet apart. They touched a bombshell off and
threw it by hand. It struck Monroe in the face and exploded killing him instantly. He was
all the one that was killed but several others wounded. Thomas Morgan wasn't hurt. The
brave boys finally succeeded in driving the rebels back and got to the fort, spiked the
cannons and fell back. The man that informed me about it was Guiler Standiford. He said he
was at !
the side of Monroe when he fell. He said that Monroe and Tom was as brave boys as was in
that regiment. It looks hard to detail the bravest boys to make a charge and get them
killed but there is no use to try to make a charge with cowards in the ranks, for a few
cowards will spoil the whole thing. They slaughtered a great many rebels in the charge and
then spiked their cannons with rattail files drive them in the inch hole so tight they
can't get them out so the rebs won't have them to shoot at us.
We made a charge on them night before last and got possession of their rifle pits and only
lost 9 men wounded in our regiment and none killed. We keep crawling up on them most every
day but I think our position is good enough and we ought to just hold our position and
drive them out as we commenced to do or make a general charge and go in the Burg at once.
I don't like their little charges of one regiment at a time. We still feel perfectly
confident of success. Here I think we will gain the greatest victory ever gained. I am
well and hope you may all be enjoying the same.
Blessing
William Morgan
To SG Townsend