The following letter was written by Daniel Crist Kitchel (1842-1928), the son of Daniel Kitchel (1795-1855) and Eliza Crist of Liberty, Union county, Indiana. At the time of the 1860 US Census, Daniel was living with and working as a farm hand for Enoch Coddington in Brownsville, Union county.

According to muster rolls, Daniel enlisted in Co. C, 8th Indiana Infantry in September 1861 and mustered out three years later at Indianapolis. He signed this letter as a sergeant but the date of his promotion isn’t recorded.

Daniel married Mary Ellen Babb (1845-1915) in 1869. When 86 year-old Daniel died in 1928, he had 39 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Daniel’s letter describes the Battle of Fort Esperanza (November 27–30, 1863) which was fought in Texas in late November 1863. Maj. Gen. Cadwallader C. Washburn led two brigades from the XIII Corps to capture a fort on Matagorda Island defended by Colonel William R. Bradfute and a small Confederate garrison. After some skirmishing, the Confederates evacuated the fort. Casualties were light on both sides.

See also—1862: Daniel Crist Kitchel to Lucy Sullivan

T R A N S C R I P T I O N

Camp on Matagorda Island, Texas
December 6, 1863

Dear Miss,

Tis with pleasure with which I seat myself this morning to write you a few lines informing you of our whereabouts. This leaves me in perfect health. We have come to a new field of action since I last wrote to you. I believe that the last time that I wrote to you we were at New Iberia, Louisiana. We went from there back to Brashier City & there on the 12th of last month, took shippage for the Rio Grande where we arrived the 15th after sailing 3 days and 4 nights. We was out of sight of land thirty-six hours. We arrived & was halted by the blockading squadron that lay at the mouth of the Rio [Grande] at noon and had to cast anchor. We then received orders that we was to form a part of an expedition that was fitting out to operate on the coast near Corpus Christi which is a hundred miles from the Rio.

We arrived there & landed on Mustang Island on the 17th and after a skirmish, captured a three gun battery & one hundred and three prisoners including 7 officers. We remained there a few days. The men that was captured was guarding Corpus Christi Bay to keep us from landing troops & to keep us from getting to the main land. We crossed the bay on the 21st onto St. Joseph Island & crossed that on the 24th. We crossed Matagorda Bay on the Matagorda Island. We found several of their pickets scattered over the island.

We arrived near the head of the island about noon on the 27th & found the enemy in force & fortified strongly. We, after a slight engagement, fell back & went into camp where we remained until the 29th when it was thought that they were a going to evacuate. The 8th [Indiana] was called on to go & reconnoiter their front. We ent & and after four hours skirmish, we gained their first works & the 33rd Illinois was called to our support. Our skirmishers were thrown forward & the enemy opened on us with ten heavy cannon. So we was ordered to halt & hold the position that we then occupied. This was done. Dark came on & all firing ceased & the rest of the Brigade was sent to our reinforcement.

The enemy found out that they could not hold their position so they withdrew at about midnight, crossing the Matagorda inlet onto the peninsula. They set fire to the fort, burning all of their baggage that they was unable to carry off with them. They took off two cannon but one was captured the next day & left eight fine ones in the fort. They were temporarily spiked, five of the magazines were blown up & three were saved. There was only six prisoners caught here. The cannon are in size as follows: one 24 pounder, six 32-pounders, and one 128. These are the guns that were in the fort. After the capture of the garrison, we went into camp & still remain in camp.

Rations was pretty near played out when we was on the march through here but the boats can land here and we are a living fine with the exception of the water. It is so salty that it is almost impossible to use it to drink. It is very warm here. It seems almost like mid summer at home.

I should like to be at home to pass Christmas & New Years but that is impossible as I am now near 25 hundred miles from home on an island. We are a looking for General Benton here all the time. He says that he is a going to take the regiment home in the spring. I hope that he can. I believe that I have written all the particulars for the present. Please write soon and do not forget the bird if you have not sent it before this time. I remain as ever your lover, — Dan C. Kit[chel]

Direct as usual; the address is the same.