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

Roanoke Island Feby 20, Thursday (I believe) Dear old home & the dearest ones there, A whole week has passed since I wrote last so I shall now give you an account of the week & I think you will excuse my neglect. Last Thursday morning on coming ashore from the Sentinal (where I vainly tried to sleep during the night but couldn't the air was so hot foul the little cabin having been taken possession of by the sick & their attendents) I found the Regt just marching off to the upper side of the Island under command of the Major. having received orders to encamp there. we had then been bivouacked exactly a week, as we landed the Friday night before. This week exceeded all other weeks I was experienced in the discomfort & the rain almost every day did not improve matters much as we had no rain proof coverings. I was aboard ship several nights which helped me out very much. well after the Regt marched off, there was left col. Harland, Dr. Storrs, & the sick, myself & a squad of men to carry the sick & the hospital stores &c down to the boat which was to come for us. The work was finished early in the afternoon & the col, Dr, & myself retired to the attic of the house used as the hospital for the wounded. (they had been removed the day before) built a fire in the open fire place (there are no stoves on this island) while the Dr. was writing the col. tried to sing some song that I had never heard & so we passed the PM until dark then made some supper from our haversacks after supper there being no signs of the boat we went out round the field picking up wood for our fire during the night had got a nice pile & were most comfortably seated before the blazing fire talking over our bedding arrangements for the night when the plaguing old boat whistled. It was too late to move the sick the col. decided that the boat should go to the Sentinal Chasseur & our schooner & take all our baggage tents & quartermaster stores ashore, so the men able to work were put aboard & with them I started for our all night job a hard job it was. when we reached the first vessel I found the men that were to do the work were all in the cabin asleep & some sick had come aboard with them also. I had to go through the cabin wake every man & make them go to the work unless I knew they were sick. then place a guard over the door to keep them from retiring. we went first to the Sentinal & the Quarter master was there to take charge of the unloading, next the Chasseur. when col. Harland told me to report to col. Terry & have him take command. I expected to be relieved then a rather not needed & looked for a good nap, but the col. was mad at being waked up & would not take hold of the work at all, came on the boat after a while & after doing nothing there a while, disappeared I saw him next in the cabin when I went to try to get warm (no fire & so had to go cold) rest a little while before we should reach the shore. Col. T. did not show out very well that week. when on shore would leave the Regiment & stroll all over the island without even asking permission, must go on the ship to sleep every night least he should be sick was grumbpling all the time because we were not in the fight, but I have more to say about col. T. before I am through. Col. H. was with the Regt all the time so was the Major except he had permission to leave. I slept on a bench in the cabin about an hour then went ashore & was at work unloading the boat & getting up tents of Lt. col & I all day Friday. Saturday was busy with reports &c the whole day & the camp was so entirely unsettled we could have no service even had it been pleasant. Genl Burnside published a General order desiring that this Sabbath should be especially observed but through some neglect at Genl Parke's head quarters we did not receive it & only heard of it afterwards. Sunday I rose feeling badly enough some fever chills & bones aching. After guard mounting & when I had sent off my moring report, it was about noon I went to Dr. Storrs & got a good cup full of whiskey, but when I brought it back to the tent both Colns. were there & both declared that it would never do to drink it in that shape & agreed to fix it up right for me so I handed it over to them. Col. Harland presided and they made what they called punch I believe (miserable stuff) then they made me drink about a pint red hot & strong & then go to bed. I think it was just what I needed. I did enjoy laughing to see them running around for things first col. H. started for the tea pot, then col. T. went for sugar then they were after lemon & I dont know what. The next day was abed in the tent all day & the next. col. Terry in the morning went off to one of the other camps & borrowed a Secesh horse on which I rode to this house Mr Joshua Johnsons where I am most comfortably quartered, have a feather bed with one sheet & plenty of patchwork quilts. Mrs. J. thinks we must have any quantity of such quilts North where calico is so plenty & cheap. Dr. Lathrop comes down every morning to see me & the two Colns do every thing for me that is possible, they come down once or twice each day & sit with me an hour or two. This has been the most com fortable sickness I ever had. I have sat up the largest part of every day. I had a little fever the first day or two & since that nothing but a furred tongue. I dont know whether you will understand some parts of this as I have changed the days. I had them wrong. Chas.