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

-will write again soon- Apl. 18, 1862 Have been looking over one of your last letters & I want to speak of one or two things mentioned there. You say Rev. Mr. Hall of the 10th called upon you & said my face was much thinner than when the Photograph was taken. well I dont know Mr. Hall & I dont believe he knows me or ever saw me & I do wish you would not let every story about their faces &c frighten you so much. You see how much truth there is in this one. Mr. H probably pretends to be personally acquainted with every man in the three connt Regts. I have just asked col. Harland whether my face was as full as when we left Hartford & he says "yes" & "it has been fuller until the last few days." Then about the Insurance office. Mother calls it the Bank & thinks they ought to shut it up at noon like other Banks. It is not a bank & has nothing in common with a bank & mother must not judge hours &C at the office by what she knows of the same at Banks. If Geo. was in a store you would expect him to hurry up & bolt down his dinner & back again as soon as possible - well in many respects an Insurance office is much more like a store than a Bank. I think you are mistaken about the office being closed at noon when Bela was there I think Mr Davison there, but I may be wrong though I have often found him there. I should think your way with Plunkett about the garden would do nicely but if we furnish the manure will not he make that an item. If he manages well you must get all your vegetables & some to sell. I think & it will save you a world of trouble. I have recd quite a number of Tribunes but only one of Leslie's war maps that I have nearly wore out it has been used so much. I see you keep harping on that lie Eastman wrote home. He can lie as glibbly as any one I ever saw. I am very glad Ellen has a photograph album & hope she will enjoy it much. I dont know how Geo. will get along managing the buildings alone. It requires often a good deal of judgement to know who to let to & who to refuse. Enquire particularly about character of person wishing to hire, make then give references. Genl Burnside is at Newbern & has been thru all the time. he wants reinforcements to push ahead from there I suppose we (Genl Parke's Brigade) need move to take Ft. Macon we are particularly at work getting our heavy guns in position & shall soon I think open upon the Fort. we have had some pretty serious skirmishing between the rebels & ourselves. The 13th the 8th were ordered to drive them into the fort it resulted in a fight lasting a large part of the day. Five of our co's were engaged. one captain (Sheffield) was quite seriously wounded by musket ball & a man in his co was also wounded. The rebels were driven in. They fire their heavy guns at our men at intervals all day long, but I learn our works constantly progress. I am more alarmed about what I shall eat this summer than most anything else. I am about well now & must get over to my co in a few days (on the Banks) and then I suppose it will be about salt Junk & hard tack with beans, rice pork & I hope sometimes fish. I may find fish plenty. Cooked at home a man could live on the fare alone but we dont cook so here. I cannot understand why col. H. does not call a council of Administration & send Geo. Moore home, it would be a mercy to moore & the Regt. I have left off smoking entirely & given away what tobacco I had. I am also very careful in my use of coffee. I dont know that either has hurt me in the least but I am going to try doing without them. On the Sentinal not liking the water I drank coffee entirely & since that have drank immense quantities. Ellen is attending to my rides after eggs says she is a "little suspicious" of me I should like to show the natives with their snuff sticks in their mouths Ellen's suspicions would be below par very shortly. I hear that the officers of the 10th say that all Rev Mr Hall does is to look out for the best place & best food for himself & to draw his pay regularly. He, from the accounts, could not have been so faithful as Mr. woolley for the really did try some but it was not in him. I have not recd the farina coffee & cookies you sent me so long ago in a Hospital Box. Col. H. had things in same box but it has not been recd. within the last week I would gladly have paid a dollar & much more for a paper of Farina. we have had to live on meal gruel made with water & sweetened & hard bread tea & coffee