War diary and letters of Stephen Minot Weld.

Friday, November 8. — I went back into the island, and saw a dead rebel on the way, killed by one of our shells. I passed cotton fields, sugar-cane, and sweet potato fields in any quantity, and finally came to a house about two miles and a half into the island, where there were four rebels, three mortally and one severely wounded. One of them had just died under an operation (cutting his leg off), and those horrible turkey buzzards could be seen hovering in air over the house, smelling even so soon the dead man. It was a horrible sight, and made one feel what war was. I found a rebel knapsack, which I took home with me. The road was strewn with them for two miles back in the woods, showing that there had been a rebel Bull Run. I went into the fort and saw near one of the dismounted cannon, a piece of a man’s head, and a large pool of blood. There were three men killed here. This morning when going to the ship I saw an explosion at the battery on the other side, which I since learn was a mine. Our forces took possession of the fort, called Beauregard, early this morning, it having been evacuated by the rebels last night.