...Alfred King told me on Election Day, he thought we would all be elected to the bottom of the River...

Autograph letter signed by T.M. Judson. U.S. Steamer Brilliant, Paducah, Kentucky, 9 November 1864. 4 pages, 8vo, with original envelope with red 3-cent stamp and Smithland, Kentucky cancel. 

A detailed eyewitness account of the Battle of Johnsonville, the culmination of Maj. General Nathan Bedford Forrest's 23-day raid through western Tennessee, attacking Union supply bases and destroying a total of 28 Union boats and barges on the Tennessee River. 

Timothy M. Judson (d. 1908) enlisted on 14 August 1862 and was first assigned to the USS Signal. He was wounded on 20 May 1863 and sent to the hospital ship Red Rover, then later transferred to Memphis Hospital before he was discharged on July 30th. He re-enlisted on 10 August 1864 and served aboard the US Steamer Brilliant, from which he wrote this letter.

Judson writes of his experience: "...we have been having some pretty hot times on the Tenn. for the last week. Old Forrest & Hood have got up here with a force of Thirty Thousand men and some heavy guns. They made [their] first raid at old Fort Hindman where they captured the gunboat Undine and two steamers loaded with government stores they then made they [sic] way farther up the river to Jonesville where they again fought our whole fleet, and whipped us out or at least we had to back water. They sunk three more of our gun boats at this place and burnt some 6 or 7 steam boats five of them loaded with government stores and alarge store house belonging also to the government and a good deal of other property. They had [their] Batteries so planted that the Fort at Jonesville could not play on them and the gunboats had to run right into the teeth of [their] guns before they could do anything. And that was (good by gunboat) for [their] gunners hot with great [accuracy] while ours were wild, but we did not have any shows for we could not tell where they were. They had all [their] guns in mark batteries and only fired on us when they could do us great damage we were in some hot places but did not know it till we began to retreat, by good luck our Boat happened to be [fetching] up the rear so we fared first rate although we had to do some fighting, our boat got a compliment for doing some good shooting, but I guess they were chance shots." 

Interestingly, Judson also comments on the late Presidential election, evidently not yet aware of the results: "You wanted me to put in a vote for Honest Old Abe. But our Election has gone up this time we had to stand by our guns night and day for the last week. Alfred King told me Election day he thought we would all be elected to the bottom of the River. I am sorry I could not have a chance to vote, but then it is just as well for I am a Little Mac Man any how. Our boat is a regular Mac Boat, the Captain, Doctor and most all the Officers are strong for Mac, I don't think there is two dozen Abe Men on the Boat."

Shortly after penning this missive, Judson and the Brilliant would move up the river and support the Union Army's attack on Nashville. 

An excellent sailor's letter. 

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