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

Roanoke Island Tuesday, march 4, 1862 Dear All, Last night after writing you we received orders to be in readiness to march at 8 o'clock this morning with all our baggage & dudds. This order was not received until about half past seven PM & you may imagine there was some packing & scrambling for the tents were to be struck as early as seven AM we have lately been expecting to move from here in light marching order taking no truck with us except what we carried on our backs we were therefor more unprepared for such a wholesale order then we were just making out our muster Rolls for payment those must be completed during the night, & as I have been on the shelf so much lately that my writing was behind hand that must be straightened, so my orderly (civilian) & myself were pretty busy until about half past ten but after working an hour or two this morning on my packing &c, orders came that it would be impossible to embark to day, the violent storm during the night having partially destroyed the pontoon bridge & on account of the roughness &c. we may not now get off for some time I do not know what time will be necessary for repairs. This is the fourth time we have had orders to move since we have been here been countermanded. while I was up at Mr. Johnson's we had orders to embark in light marching order & I was feeling as well that I decided to go & sent Eastman down with my things & he was to return after finding the time of moving so that I could come down & go directly aboard, thinking that I could be as comfortable on the "sentinal" as any where & knowing that I should not be obliged to land with the Regt unless I was able to do so, but Charlie returned soon with word from col. Harland that if I came down to Camp he would send me back in arrest escorted by a file of bayonets, I thought this would not be hardly pleasant and I should have to walk both ways so I remained & soon learned that the order had been recalled. we understand this time that we are to go into camp immediately upon our arrival (where ever we are going) & rather understand by it that there is to be no fighting which seems rather improbable to me. Your letters are just what I want I think I am fond of gossip if the letters are rightly named by you. Im sure to be in rather a bad way all of you sick & so much bother about the stores &c cant you leave this part momentarily to Eggleston & not trouble yourselves about it. I wish I could drop in upon you & help you if I could put my arms around you all I believe I could cure you all I think I should prove an acceptable medicine also, easy to take I can answer for the medicine that it would like to be taken. Our failures all through the North as large in proportion as in N. you remember we had very few in '57 & '58 when every body was up. I was much dissapointed to get but one letter by the mail yesterday though that was a good long one & you all wrote which is nice. As George is so desirous to hear from the Governor I will tell all I know & that is that he is at Hatteras & I have not seen him since we left Annapolis. How I would like to see Ellen in her furs & new cloak though I should actually kiss her even if I should meet her in main street with only the old velvet on. I must stop the mail boat we have has been delayed by the storm & so I write though we have both been hard at work this morning and have much more to do before I should feel really ready to start I hope to be ready now for orders to move any day. with greatest love Your aff son & bro Chas I have a Tribune with an account of our battle but have not had time to read it. You ask how I felt. I dont know as I felt at all. I did not know it if I did.