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Confederate Guerrillas Harass Union Troops As They

War-date Union soldier's letter written in pencil by Quarter Master Sgt. John P. DeMerit, 29th Wisconsin, 4p. quarto, ink, Mobile, Alabama, March 27, 1865, and reads in part: "...Our Army is laying before a Reb. Fort & none can tell how soon the awful signal to advance may come. However I will begin and I cut short by a battle it won't be the first time. March 24 this Army come out to a point where our boats down the bay could come up & bring us supplies & late papers. It was cheering to come out of these doleful pines to where boats were visible & as for the first time most of our Corps were together it was delightful to see how cheer upon cheer arose as one Regt. passed another. ...Each side of us today marched two rows of men as protection against Guerrillas....I forgot to mention in speaking of our march of the 24th that a band of Guerrillas pounced on part of the train and captured & killed fourteen mules and captured about as many men. Two of our Regt. happened to be out of their places & along there & were captured...March 26 Our march today was through land altogether different from what we had met...About 2pm our advance met Rebel pickets & the rest of the day was spent in skirmishing & the teams were carrolled together in a secure place....March 27 today we were called up at 4 am & each one was quite certain the day would be immortalized by a fight. The Rebel pickets & ours opened the ball by lively shooting at each other. A Rebel fort or two is about two miles ahead to day we hope to capture. The opening of the battle progressed as the day advanced. All the morning there was 'hurrying in haste' of stead & rider. About noon our Army began its rapid advances by a semicircle against the Fort. I went up to see the battle open. The scene of our Army advancing by black & regular lines was extremely grand. I looked on till our forces had drove the Rebs into their fortifications when the contest became so clear & the woods so thick I could not see much & be in a safe position and it began raining so I have returned to camp. I am now sitting in a wagon & writing while the noise of battle is raging. A man just from the Regt. says we have met with only one loss that a corpl. who with others carried the colors...March 28...Our Generals seem to be waiting the approach of our fleet up the Bay. This evening our gunboats are near enough to throw shells into the Forts. Our fleet advances up the bay about 200 yards an hour. The torpedoes hinder them very much. It looks now as though our Generals aimed at surrounding the Forts completely & then advancing...March 29...Our fleet of gunboats is operating in the Bay, & it is reported a large force which came from Vicksburg is laying claim to the City in its rear..." Fine.

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