Note: The Henry Evans mentioned in this letter may be Henry H. Evans of the 124th Illinois Infantry, Company H - who hailed from Aurora, Illinois - and was in the same company as Freeman Campbell, which was serving in the same vicinity in this timeframe.
Dear Mother,
Spanish Fort is ours after thirteen days seige and our Division has the honor of being the first troops into the place, and I beleive will if justice be done there set the Official honor of it, although the 13th Army Corps did and does try to claim the honor, but to show (they occupied the left of the lines.) how much honor and how near to the Reb lines they were at the time, I will give you a little occurance which took place after our boys were in the Enemy's works. We took the or part of the lines in front of our Division, and took some three hundred prisoners, and by some hard fighting drove the Enemy to the landing whare they either by small boats or gun boats left the place, and our troops made for the left of the Enemy's lines in front of the 13th A.C. and found they had left that part of the works also when the 13th Corps opened fire on our men thinking they were Rebs wounding two and killing one. Now does that look as though they should have much honor, in the capturing the place. This was on the night of the 8th the fighting began about 6 P.M. and ending about 2 A.M. By the way I wrote to you the day before yesterday and dated the letter the 9th should have been the 8th stating we were under marching orders but as soon as General Smith heard of it he swore that the 3rd Division should not leave thare until the Fort was taken, and I think that is one reason why they charged that night.- The next morning we started for this place with the intentions of reinforcing Steel who with 1 division from our Corps took the place last night with some three thousand prisoners. We are not quite through yet. (but I suppose our Gun Boats will finish the job) thare is a very large Fort on an Island about 2 miles from here which still continues firing- but is not doing much damage. This Blakley is about three miles from Spanish Fort. I think we will be on the move again tomorrow or the day after. I heard to day of "Dunning" the person I spoke of to Lydia as being captured on the first day march toward this point. One of the boys at these Hd Qrs was at Blakley to day and was asking some of the prisoners if any of them knew of him, when one of them took a peice of paper from his pocket with his name "Dunning" and Regiment upon it, and said he was the man who took him, and that he had been sent to Mobile, which place I hope we will soon be at-
Henry Evans is cooking at these Hd Qrs for the Officers. Well as I have considerable work to do I must close.
Your Affectionate Son
E. G. Stevens
Have not recd Emmas letter yet.
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