Fort Jefferson May 13 1862

My Dear Wife and Children

It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the rect of yours of the 29th [     ] & 2d inst in connection with the glorious news from Yorktown Ft Macon New Orleans & C.  I continue in good health for this climate, a northern man has little energy here at the best It is cooler than last week.  We gave 3 times 3 over the occupation of Yorktown we think it is the hardest blow of the war we have not got the full particulars.  I am very happy to hear that you are all well & pray that you may continue so.  The time drags on in the usual monotonous manner as garrison life always does all there is to interest one here is the occasional arrival or departure of a vessel let Harris Esq go to the Dvil; dont ask him for the pay for that ladder again if he is so infernal mean as that.  He gave me an order for a ladder the length of his Roof & he knows it as well as I do Capt George went home in the Schooner Messenger he was wrecked on the No Carolina Shore the vessel lost passengers & crew saved he was rather cooly recd at home so we have heard; the citizens talk of presenting him with a woodden Sword for his gallantry in the war for the [     ]  Such a set of shiftless Peeps as we have got for officers in this regt is awfull to contemplate & I respect Williams more and more for he knows and owns that he is not fitted for the place & says that is one great or the greatest reason of his resignation.  I think it is very doubtfull if he gets home before the regt does; & it is hard to tell when that will be.  We i.e. a few of us are spoiling for a Fight which we never shall see we shall have no exploits or hair breadth escapes to relate when we get home there is no chance to Flesh my Maiden Sword (or anything else).  Watts and the other boys that are discharged are waiting for their final papers & transportation to go home.  We had boiled Mutton & Broth with Hard-Bread for dinner the best dinner we have had for 2 weeks notwithstanding worms & inch long that came out of the Bread were crawling on the table yesterday there was one full an inch long on my plate I poked him off, and continued my dinner; nothing is supposed to turn a Soldiers stomarch.  Orderly Lane is very mad at me we were drilling on the big Guns he commanded the Battery I was Chief of one of the Peices he ordered me to give certain orders to the men.  I replyed, that it was the Generals duty; he replyed with some temper, that it was not so & he would leave it to Smith (one of the Regulars that is detailed to Drill us)  I said very well; in a minute or two, Smith came along; he asked him, I said nothing, Smith said I was right.  Mr Orderly dropped his tail pretty quick that is the way he has come out every time that he has tried to teach his Uncle Dudley.  the men see these things & know what is what Sam is well & sits by me when I write, it is evening Gile is writing on the other side of the table 4 of my Boys are playing cards at the other end of the casemate the others are out, our candle is stuck in a junk Bottle we have to burn sperm candles in this climate.  I wore the first hole in my stockings last week as large as a dime which I shall have to mend  May 14th  I am on guard today & the mail leaves at 6pm, tell Ada that I thank her for her nice letter she writes better than many older ones do.  It is possible that we may go to Pickens or So Carolina there are any quantity of rumors, if this letter proves more than you can bear let me know & I will not write so much it is hard work to fill a sheet out of nothing or next to it love to all 

C Shedd