Dow's Letter

Transcription of Neal Dow's letter:

On the 24th, the ship touched at Fortress Munroe, to take on board
Gen. Butler, and on the 25th she went to sea. On the night of the 26th
a tremendous gale was encountered of Hatteras, which placed the ship in
great peril for a few hours. There are in the Regiment many Sailors
who were called up from below, and rendered very important aid in
working the ship, and saving her from impending destruction. On the
morning of the 28th with a smooth sea, a clear sky and brilliant
sunshine, Cape Fear Light on our Starboard bow ten miles dis
-tant, the ship ran hard and fast aground, on Frying Pan Shoal
In this position, she was in far greater peril, than she had been
during the storm of the 26th. The Mississippi was an iron ship
of twenty five hundred tons, crowded with men, having on board the
31st Regt. of Mass. Vols. as well as the detachment of the Maine 13th
and was fast aground, ten miles from land, exposed to the full
sweep of the ocan, at one of the most dangerous points on the Atlan
-tic coast. After incessant toil, the ship was cleared from the
shoal at half past five in the afternoon, her forward compartment
was full of water, having a hole near the keel, made by the an
-chor. When the ship got fairly afloat she was found to
be down two feet by the head, the water in her forward compartmen
-nt being at the level of the external sea. Before the ship
was got afloat, two companies of soldiers were transfered to the
U.S. Steamer Mt. Vernon, that had come to our relief. This
transfer was attended with so much difficulty and some danger,
as the wind and sea were constantly and steadily rising, and at
last it was entirely stopped by this cause.

Back to Col. Neal Dow's story.

Transcribed July 10, 2002