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

Bark Brookman Thursday 9.M. Jany 23, '62 we are as where I finished writing Tues - day, at anchor in the sound. There has been a heavy gale blowing with considerable rain for about thirty hours, how glad I am that we are inside, and I try to lie thankful also, tho' perhaps we would be as safe there as here for we are so closely packed, the vessels I mean, and the tide and the wind are so strong that collisions are continually occurring as the vessels swing around with each change of tide. Yesterday a ship ran into us & tore off some of the stern works of this vessel & received some dam - age herself but the damage to each was very slight. Last night I was reading Bleak House after most of the "cabin passangers" had retired, t'was 11 o'clock, when some one came to captain & said that the Hospital ship was coming round into us & so it proved. she struck us forward, our bowsprit running between her masts, the jib boom being carried away, and there she laid on our anchor chains the last part of the night, we were so entangled and the wind was driving her on all the time, that we were perfectly helpless, and so we hammered together several hours they firing guns all the time as signals of distress we were again fortunate and are but slightly injured as our ship was the heavyest. she is considerable damaged. we have been threatened by her again today but are spared thus far. Many on board were a good deal frightened so that while I was going to bed, half an hour or so after we first came together, the others were all getting up. I went out first & put a guard over each of the hatch ways to keep the men down & then judging that we were in no immediate danger & finding that I could be of no assistance I turned in and was just dozing nicely when the others getting up waked the Coln & my self. It was real fun to see the Coln, he takes every thing so coolly. The others were coming in one after another with different stories about it & he lying in bed would question them, some of the stories were perfectly ridiculous. I fear you will think from what I have written that this was more of an affair than I intended, it really would not have amounted to anything in the day time but in the night being very dark many were frightened. our horses are having a rough time to day I fear they were taken ashore (made to swim) near first Clark on a low piece of land & that is flooded to day & we could see the men trying to drive them to higher land, across a narrow strip over which the breakers were driving with great force. I watched them some time, this was some trouble, when they reached the middle & then they all stood a long time, from here the surf seemed to wash entirely over men & horses, but I suppose that could not be. But to go back to Tuesday, Lt. col. Terry with Capt. ward & others came over from the "chasseur" in the afternoon & such reports as he brought, the substance of all was that the expedition was a failure, almost all the reports have since proved false & some are not proved at all yet, as this, he told us that the schooner with all the signal corps (wait & Breed) had gone ashore & all were drowned or captured & that several other vessels were ditto. This we would not believe but it troubled us very much. we were much gladdened yesterday by the appearances of several schooners outside & I have no doubt they will probably be obliged to put to sea again during this storm as the wind was not right for them to come in yesterday this will delay them perhaps one or two weeks though I dont think as long & I expect them to come out right soon. These reports are just like Col. Terry, he is all hot or all cold, every thing is right or every thing is wrong. The Lt. col. brought some raisins & a half bushel of apples that did us much good. I never tasted any thing so good as the first apple I tried & I dont know how many I ate after that I am sure. There was about twenty of us to pitch in & we made way with them in a hurry. The last two days have been too stormy to return their visit. I hope to soon, the Col seemed very glad to see me & wanted me to go back with him very much. Dr. Lathrop was with them all looked very well, they had not been sea sick at all, as they steamed straight down & came right inside. But the Lt. Col's party brought one thing better than apples or raisin and more acceptable than almost any thing else could have been, and as that deserves the most attention I have reserved it until the last. It was the mail, & the mail brought me two letters from home & precious letters they were - dated the 6th & 7th insts - I was much relieved to know that you had received the $200. sent by express. I dont know why but I was afraid there would be some miscarrying about it, they were all so busy at the office and then it was Sunday, but I had no time to go to the office. I am so much pleased to hear such a good account from George & greatly delighted that he has taken the first class prize. I also like his selection. If I could start over again in this business I should fit myself out very differently in several particulars & I would take one or two little copies of choice poetry. I have so laughed at the Coln when I have found him reading a couple of books borrowed by some body of the mate, one was "Jack Knox or the Tar for All weathers", dont remember the other, he had read Bleak House &C & was rather hard up, but he reads every thing, to day he has in hand a treatise on storms, he plays checkers most of the time though with the major. I have worked at "Hardee" some to day. I have wandered from the subject. George can do well I know but I think his great danger is that he learns so easily that I very much fear he will put off his studying until the last moment (I remember he used to do so) & there after fail & oftener leave his lessons in such a way that they will soon be forgotton. I do want him now to learn to be up to time in every thing & if ahead of time so much the better. L do hope he will get in the habit of doing every thing promptly and well & remember that any thing worth learning at all cannot be learned too well, this does not apply alone to things of tome either. oh how I would like to see him. I fear he will have a good deal of trouble with the rents & care of the buildings this winter, hope the roofs wont leak as they did last. Am sorry we could not have been at Annapolis another week & so seen Mrs. william & the Hatties. I am mighty glad to see any one from old N. & should not object to some of the girls. was much interested in your account of 1st day Sabbath. I should have enjoyed it. I walked up from landing with Mary Hillard shortly before leaving Norwich and I remember she seemed quite different from usual there, more sober & not as flighty. I always liked her, How are all the other girls. I am suprised that they do not skate much this year, so Ellen writes. I dont think I care as much for girls as most boys I should not care to see any of them except that they are from Norwich. while I am on this interesting subject I would say that I have not acknowlwdged receipt of my "third cousin Lillie Coit Collins" stockings & dont expect to & here ends this lesson. I was real glad to get Ellen's letter & do wish she would write oftener. I enjoy hers much. one thing more about Tennison's poems. I thought seriously of sending Ellen just this same from Annapolis, I remember her speaking of it once, but I was short for cash then & afterwards forgot it and also Mrs. Browning's. so Joe Rockwell has really been to C. & back. You write that you fear he is not informed in navals. I dont think ship board the place for that. Am glad John is better but why dont he get well. I could sympathise with him in his sea sickness. I cannot believe that Kemp Abbot can make a good Captain & I should not wish to be left in his care. Harland thinks he will do very well. what changes there will be in Norwich before I get home. I dont like to think it. Jany 24, 1862 There were so many round me last night while I was writing that I closed rather abruptly. I was thinking of the changes in old Norwich, your letter stated that Rawson had bought the I Armindire place and I noticed advertisementes of several new firms in the last Bulletin Harland received. while I think of it I wish you would send me the weekly Tribune for the present, that will bring the news in a compact shape more so than the daily would, we feel the want of papers very much, we have received no news from outside a circle of five miles since the 9th inst, so you see we are not particularly well posted. I hope you will continue to take the daily Tribune or one of the N.Yk dailies. You have spoken of living as cheap as possible this winter but I hope you have not cut that off or Ellen the Atlantic. I dont think we ever had any news papers to spare & I think it is very important that George should have all means of information that we can afford. No news in particular to day The storm is over since noon. The ship that has the 11th Conn Rgt on board (we think it the 11th) dragged her anchor last night and has been driven onto the flats. A steamer has been trying to pull her off this afternoon but did not succeed, they have displayed signals of distress & flag with union down - all day. I cannot think the troops are in any real danger for they are driven in so far that the water must be very shallow & from our ship the shore appears only about ten or twellve feet off & being inside the bar the water is not very rough & tomorrow at low tide they may find themselves surrounded by land, or rather sand, instead of water, but I should prefer landing at some other place as that is only a low sand bar. All things considered the 8th has suffered thus far as little as any of the Regts. Col. Terry has been here again this afternoon. seems to feel a little brighter about our prospects than at his former visit. He says the storm has changed the direction of a bar above here that we were to crofs, part have crossed, he thinks it is shoalee & must be sounded all over again, every thing seems to delay us, the storm has so raged for more than forty eight hours that is until this noon, that no vessel could move, all must hold by anchor as well as possible. The great excitement this afternoon has been in visiting the Division sutler, the boat has been over to his schooner twice. I did not go, the Q Master & Major went first & the Q.M. bought a barrel of apples paying therefor eight dollars. I paid him eighty cents for a peck when he returned. some of the privates went in the second boat 4 Eastman went too, he bought a box of pickles in jars 4 some other things & thus resold them here & made ten dollars clear. The men were offering five dollar treasury notes for little jars of grape jelly, they were paid just before leaving Annapolis & could not spend the money there and keeping it so long seems to have burnt their fingers. but spending it so is certainly better than gambling it away as the greater part of them seem to be doing. The steward of the boat made twelve dollars on one barrel of apples, paid eight dollars & sold them five cents apiece. our sutler does not appear yet and it is rumored that the schooner he was on has been lost which I dont believe. Any man who would credit - the rumors floating about would be crazy immediately. The Coln has been beguiling us with college stories this evening a long time, very funny & interesting I should be much easier in my mind if I could hear from you & send forward what I have written. it is rather queer work writing letters home as I am doing & then keeping them in my pocket. I think we have had no communication with the North but I suppose you have heard from us through the south. I would like to know what they say. I am sure I dont know what I think. with so much love to all Good night. Sunday eveg Jany. 26, '61 [actually '62] Have been ashore all afternoon with col & Lt. Col. & on our return to the ship we found that a steamer had gone to Fortress Monroe with the mail & I had lost this first opportunity of sending. I was raving when I heard it for I know you will expect one & be much alarmed at not receiving a letter all these weeks. I want to hear from you all badly enough but I want more that you should know how safe & how nicely I get along. I fear you will be enquiring up all sorts of things that I have been cast away & every thing of that sort and when I think how uncertain it is where there will be another chance of sending & that I may mifs that as easily, it seems as though I could not bear it. col. Terry procured a Herald of the 22d inst. from the Capt. of a steamer that came in this morning & by that I see that Burnsides Exp. has been heard from but that will not be particular enough for you. I very well know & when you now hear that a mail has been received I know how troubled you will be. we are perfectly crazy for papers & news. Col. Terry brought his Herald over here & Col. Harland read it aloud to the cabin full. It was recd just before service & we thought of having Mr. Woolley read the account of the glorious victory in Kentucky as a part of service. This is pretty late news for us, we have had nothing before since the 9th inst. so there is quite a blank not filled, we want to know what old England thinks of the surrender of mason & Slidell &C. After service this morning the col, Lt. Col, & I went ashore (this is the first Sunday service aboard this vessel for all the time we were outside Mr. w. was too sick to preach) taking some "hard tack" (ie hard bread) and apples for our dinner & we had a fine time of it. we started off with the intention of seeing our horses they are on the island some where. we walked up the ocean beach about five miles to the encampment of several Regts & then crossed over through the woods to the Sound side & back that way making in all a walk of twelve miles. This was the first time Harland had been ashore since leaving Annapolis. I was ashore a very few moments yesterday afternoon but not long enough for any exercise. It was real queer to be stretching away on the beach with the surf rolling up at your feet & the ground covered with different kinds of shells, after being confined to the old bark so long. I came back rather tired but I had enjoyed it much. I have picked up a few little shells which I hope to send home something to remember Hatteras by. The walk through the live oak wood was delightful, twas quite warm, the birds were singing all the trees had green leaves & in one place we found a little patch of green grass springing up. we remembered you all in old Connecticut probably coming home from church all wrapped up & half frozen at that with snow & ice on the ground while we were almost among green pastures. I started with overcoat on but stripped it off very shortly & was then uncomfortably warm. There is nothing particularly new in these parts. The 11th Regt is still high & dry on the beach but out of all danger though I should think rather uncomforatable. I think we shall make a forward movement during the week I dont see what can delay longer. I think is shall carry this letter over to Fort Clark & leave it there & see if it will go there. I dolt like to risk holding it myself again for I may not know when the next steamer goes. With love love love to all chas