Item description: Letter, dated 2 February 1864, from Major N. G. Axtell, 142nd Regiment, New York Volunteers stationed at Kiawah Island, S.C., to Henry Coppee (1821-1895), author, at that time editor of the U.S. Service Magazine, offering to submit for publication sketches of the progress in the Department of the South and also a history of the siege of Charleston he was working on.  Axtell said he was writing in response to the urging of his commanding officer General Truman Seymour (1824-1891), brevet brigadier general and brevet major general during the Civil War.

[transcription available below images]

Item transcription:

Camp 142nd Regt N. Y. Vale

Kiawah Island S.C. Feb. 2nd 1864

Henry Coppee Esq;

Sir:

In compliance with  a strongly expressed desire of Gen. Seymour I have undertaken to furnish progress of the war in this Department; My enclosed article is meager enough, but oper-ations here are not very active at present.

When active operations are resumed I shall hope to give you something more satisfactory.

I have been for sometime gathering materials for a history of the Siege of Charleston, up to the fall of Fort Wagner.

The General also desired me to furnish these papers for your Mag-azine.  If my duties allow me time to complete them in a satisfactory manner, I will forward them to you.

Very Respectfully

Your obt. svt.

N. G. Axtell

142nd Regt

N.Y. Volunteers

P.S. I have made several answers to meet the requirements of an order recently published, which I had overlooked.