Coit, Charles M. (1838-1878) to his family

Camp Buckingham Sunday evening M's good long letter received yesterday & the bundle with George's letter & the old double jams made me feel more homesick than any thing since I left home I felt very much like having a good cry over them. The major was in my room at the time & he was pretty homesick also as sue, his wife, had not arrived as he expected I like the major very much. he is rough but honest & has a real good big heart, he says his boy is homesick & he is too & he wishes this war was over that he might go home & stay with Sue. Dont think him any the poorer soldier for this he is first rate, dont repeat it but I wish our Lt. col. was as good, he is an exceedingly pleasant man, but does not understand military much & I dont think he studies as he ought some of the captains are beginning to complain of this quite openly as he does not give the orders ever correctly when he is drilling his half of the regiment, but I am doing wrong to say any thing about it, and you must keep secret. Harland said the other day he wished the Lt. Col. - much as he liked him as a man - would resign. I ought not to write this & I do hope you will not repeat it to any one. It takes Harland to drill the whole regiment, he drills it every afternoon & I tell you it is done "up to the handle". Sunday is very like other days in camp. This morning right after breakfast I attended Guard mounting, then made up my morning Report, then as twas church time went with the Major on horseback to congl ch at Jamaica about a mile from camp. Rev. Mr. Bates a private in our Meridan company preached. I liked him very well, he seems a real sincere christian. he enlisted hoping to be elected Chaplain but he was bound to go any way, his charges in Meridan gave him permission to go and are to receive him back after the war. In afternoon the Reg. went to the Dutch Ref. ch. our chaplain Mr. wooley preached. I like him. The major & Mr. Wooley have just come in from a prayer meeting in the surgeons tent, the tent was crowded & they had a glorious meeting. I am sorry I was not there, should have gone but I have a cold & I thought it better for me to stay by the fire. The Army Regulations allow me more wood than I can burn so do not need to be cold this winter if I can help it so now I have a glorious open fire blazing in my fire place which has been constantly burning since yesterday morn - ing I took cold during Sir Netuna's long church Yesterday I was busy in my room most of the time with the court martial & to day I am so much better that I have been to church twice besides attending to my other duties. The Surgeons are examining all the Regiment & the examination is so severe that it will take several days to finish I think you will have time to come on here if you wish to & think it best. I would much like to have you & have you see our camp & the Regiment & see me performing. I can probably find accomodations for you at a house near the Camp I would like you to stay overnight here, so you could see Dress Parade & Guard M, but you will know best whether all things considered you wish to come. Mr & Mrs wait & all the family have been here to day. Mr. Joseph Ripley was also here this afternoon & left his address he wished to do something for me or the Regiment had quite a pleasant chat with him & his son & Bill Ripley of Norwich. Has George's name realy been changed Like the difference very much You can get as many more photographs as you wish I suppose in Hartford the room was on main St. the right side going up a few doors above State St. but you all I had taken fourteen. I engageed a dozen but they made 14 I preferred to take all. Perhaps you can get them copyed in Norwich that would be more convenient Dont think I am working as hard as I did not near that I had to get up by moonlight to do my work. I shall have time enough after I get a little more used to my duties. Shall be busy tomorrow finishing the court martial business as I have to make the record very full length. I dont like to think uncice s advancing money for you but I find an officer has to buy both each every thing he cannot draw even rations. Rations for officers are commuted at thirty cents a day but we cannot draw the ration. we get the money at the end of two months so it takes a good deal of cash to start with. It is the same for forage for horses. I have been intending to write uncle Geo. but I cant sit down still long enough to write decently, while writing this we have been in quite a number of the officers & they are talking round us all the time, my room is the general reception room. All the ladies & gentleman are received here & in the Col's room, the door between our rooms is always open. An old gentleman came in yesterday, brought some grapes for the Hospital & the col, gave us some asked me to come out to his carriage & be introduced to his daughter, his name was Smith of course, asked me to call &c. I have been introduced to a great number of people but have made no calls. the Field staff and capts are all invited to the Female Sem. of Jamaica Friday night I did not go. they had a fine time gone home about 12 Midnight. Tell Ellen I have not had a single flirtation, although I have received affectionate messages from several young ladies. About the Hartford ladies, I thought I wrote their names a long time ago. I think you have received a letter, there is no scent about it as Ellen seems to think one was Miss L C Collins of H & the other Miss Chuver of Providence RI. the calling card has a black border, does Ellen know either. I have not acknowledged the receipt of the boquet as I intend to do soon, a little boy handed me the flowers near the state house. I wish you would in writing put all your questions together so that I can refer to them readily I dont generally have time to look over your letters carefully when I am writing. There are a great many things I want to say but I cant think what they are. Mother says nothing about her health but as she has written such a good long letter I am bound to believe she is well again but I wish she had written as much then I should be certain. Do always give my most special love to uncle Geo & Aunt Mary. Taps sounded quite a time ago. I find the officers are very mum about our destination & the time of our departure so perhaps you had better not say much about my Saturday letter. Good night. Love your brother Chas.