"All who have come back to camp say with exception that the colored troops fought splendidly and that no better fighting was every done."

Autograph letter signed by John Bally, 144th New York Infantry. Hilton Head, South Carolina, 8 & 11 December 1864. 6 pages, 4to. With original envelope with Port Royal cancel and red 3-cent stamp. 

A lengthy and eloquent letter with details of the late Battle of Honey Hill, featuring exuberant praise of the Black troops in the 26th USCT who participated. 

John Bally (1827 - 1902) was a Swiss emigrant who worked as a watchmaker and jeweler in Oswego, New York. At the start of the war, he enlisted as a musician in the regimental band of the 41st New York Infantry and served until 7 October 1862, when the War Department deemed bands an unnecessary expenditure. He re-enlisted, again as a musician, on 30 August 1864, into Company A of the 144th New York Infantry. 

He begins the description of General Hatch's Expedition up the Broad River, specifically calling out the USCT troops involved: "Last Monday a week ago, our regiment embarked aboard transports with other troops from Florida & Morris Island and some negro troops, among them the 26th Colored - the regiment in which our colored boys from Deposit are in and who were stationed at Beaufort S.C., about 10 miles form here. They started up Broad River with the intention of cutting off the railroad connecting Savannah with Charleston. After some severe blunders and considerable time lost, they effected a landing and after marching a few miles, met the enemy in force who gave them battle, and who, by the way, set a large marsh on fire so that our boys had to fight fire and bullets, saying nothing of shells which the rebel's artillery threw away with great liberality."

Despite the failure of the attack, attributed by historians to Hatch's irresolute leadership, Bally reports the tremendous bravery and military acumen of the Black troops involved: "All who have come back to camp say with exception that the colored troops fought splendidly and that no better fighting was every done. They made charge after charge to the mouth of them guns, but to no avail. But friend Reed, had you been here and saw the poor wounded when brought to the hospital, you might have found your blood taking fire - nay anxious - to go and avenge them. For my part, I almost cursed my being in the band and thought it the place of a coward. But if I was not permitted to fight, I done the next thing, and that was to volunteer in the hospital and take care of my poor brother soldiers. During the engagement we could plainly hear the cannonading and every report would make me jump out of my boots, feeling so much anxiety for the result of the fight, knowing the small number of troops sent there and the facilities of the rebs in concentrating theirs. We lost, as near as I can find out, from 800 to 900 men. Our regiment lost about 88 killed, wounded and missing."

The Battle of Honey Hill and expeditions up the Broad River were part of the otherwise successful March to the Sea led by General William Tecumseh Sherman. Bally turns his thoughts to the main army: "This afternoon for about two hours, a very heavy cannonading was distinctly heard in the direction of Savannah and we all think and hope that it is Sherman thundering at its gates."

The rest of the letter touches on several interesting topics, including the Pocotaligo bridge, care a wounded comrade, a request for band music, a description of his role in the band, and commentary of the recent Presidential Election of 1864: "The Elections are over and our old standby Abe Lincoln reelected. It was a sad blow to the copperheads - at least we think so here by their twisting and mourning - but thanks be to God the country is not to be sacrificed just yet and according to appearances, the war seems to be pretty well going the last pull."

An excellent and sensitive letter full of detail about the Battle of Honey Hill. 

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Separations along old folds, some small chips. Neat repairs to last leaf. Paper is delicate.