1862-04-06 letter from Meeker Griffin to Mr. Thomas Dewitt

              Mound City Island No 10
						April 6 1862

Dear friend Dewitt

		I take my pen in
hand to let you know how we are
getting along[.] we are at present lying
in the middle of the stream about --- 2 1/8
miles from the rebel batterys. The 
bombardment is still going on, but 
it is still slow work but we are
doing something all the while[.] the big
mortars are firing once in a while
but the gunboats are all quiet[.] a few 
nights ago a boat and crew from each
gun boat & 6 soldiers in each boat
went down and spiked the rebels
upper battery of 6 guns without
losing a man[.] we have been here 3
weeks last Saturday and I dont know
how much longer we shall have to
stay. We shall have a hard old fight
here soon. Night before last the Gun-
boat Carondelet (1.) ran the rebel batterys[.]
Yes she did[,] and she is now down
to Gen Popes (2.) quarters[.] She is        
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     (1.) For information on the USS Carondelet see http://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/Navy_Ships/USS_Corondelet.html
(2.) John Pope (March 16, 1822 – September 23, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East.