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

Near New Berne, May 20 '62 As I sit me down to write, a line or two before tattoo, a real nigger performance is raging nearly behind my tent, singing, dancing & speechifying. Napoleon Bonapart is there & his presence is sufficient to ensure the genuine article. The singing reminds me of the specimens of Hindoo as given to us so often by returned missionaries in the old Sabbath school room. - long drawn out, extremely nasal, quivering & quavering, now one voice & then under full head of steam. I can hear the heels click together & the knees patted in the dancers & also the rapid repetition of some word or words then a line sung. Their seat has just given broken down - I judge by the crash - & now we have the true nigger "Gah ha ha ha! Gah" &c. some one says "Brudrur dis mettin are now dismissed". The songs are those picked up at camp meetings I think, some of them are the old words we sing at home but the tunes are dif- ferent & there constant repetitions of words & syllables, - cant spell that word - I assure you it has been no minstrel exhibition for as I said before Napoleon was there & every thing is nigger when he is not excessing even the delicate perfume of the animal. You ask how I like him - well pretty well, he is willing & I think tries to do right but as he has always been looked after & taken care of by a master, he often forgets to attend to little matters, so that I sometimes (not often) find when I sit down to the table that the sugar or something else is out. He can neither set a table or make up a bed & I generally mean to oversee the cooking when I am expecting "roast turkey" or "mince pie" for dinner. I wish Col Terry would telegraph some of his wife's samples on to me hot from the oven. after "taps" & so good night May 22 '62 Of course it is most time for "tattoo" as I begin to write. During the day the heat is great and I. enjoy the evenings all the more for being uncomfortable the early part of the day. I generally find myself after supper down in the vicinity of the Coln tent & there pass an hour or two most pleasantly, -sometimes- we talk of all the good folks of old Norwich the many changes that have occurred since we left. We shall all be happy enough to get back I tell you, the sooner the better, and yet there is something very pleasant about even this soldiers life much of the time & I really believe I shall have a kind of hankering after it when I get home. - The most important item that I have to record to day is the selling of the - "Governor" - to the - Government - The - Quartermaster - rode him to Newbern today sold him through the - Quartermaster - Department. I got one hundred dollars for him. I think it is what - Bromley - would call a "big thing". I could not have sold him for any where near as much. The Q.M. (he is a Thompson ville man & we have always worked together very pleasantly) is to turn the horse over tomorrow & get the cash for me. The "Governor" has been standing still & been feeding well ever since we have been here (I have been on him but twice since) & was feeling pretty well, he sold none of the worse for it. He is terribly raw boned & all efforts to put flesh on him have entirely failed, one can count his ribs as far as he can be seen. I can hardly believe he is sold for so much am in haste to get the cash in pocket. I am much relieved to get rid of him so well, for he has been a great expense and of no real use. I think I shall send you my saddle, tho' I can sell it here for something but you remember it was Steve Meech's present & I should like to keep it. - The Hospital box that we have waited for so long has at last arrived & yesterday 1 recd the coffee, cookies & Miss Rawlings stockings - please thank her. The cookies are real good yet, the coffee excellent, - The singing is going on as usual behind the tent, they are now performing "old Hundred". - I am alone with my Co. at present Lt. Shepard went over to Newbern a few days since sick, (they are singing "Windham", - - with variations, - - outside) I am very well & getting on finely. Lt. Morgan of Co. G. was in Newbern to day & saw Lt. S. who told him he had been up to - "Head Quarters" - & Genl Burnside advised him to go down to Morehead city & stay until he recovered. Lt. M. & Lt. S. took dinner together & Lt. Morgan says he ate what he thought was a hearty meal (Lt. M. is a great large, strong man) but shepard disposed of -four- times the amount he did. He does not wonder he has the -piles- which by the way is quite common among us. I was troubled a day or two. Think it must be caused by change of water & diet, from salt to fresh, since commenced writing, the rain has begun to fall & it now fall or rather pours in real Carolina fashion but I am as dry as possible with new tent over & nice board floor under me, I am happy to remember that the men are just as well off. All the tents are floored. At the city last week brought me a McC. Cap, a -light blue- sword belt, (rather fancy & very pretty, over a red sash, for Dress Parades &c. they are all the rage now.) a can of concentrated milk & butter (at 40 cents per pound) &c & found that I had spent the whole of a ten dollar note during my' visit & so the money goes, belt $5. Cap $2.50. Many of the Officers have gone the whole figure & with new coats vests pants &c rather take the shine off of the rest of us. If I thought Thompson could make me a nice dress coat, I should wish for one, but he has not a good measure of me & I would not trust him to make me a "soger" coat if he had for he dont know how. A tailor a private in one of our Co's has just made a nice coat for Dr Storrs & if I find I must have one I shall try him. I wont pay the price that is asked for ready made coats here I am beginning to enjoy Battalion Drills exceedingly & succeed much better than I had dared hope. Company Drill is decidedly tedious. Co Drill is from 9 to 10 ½ AM Battalion Drill from 3 to 4 ½ P.M. Its warm work now I don't know what it will be the next & succeeding months we expect our Express over from Newbern tomorrow The mail come 4 or 5 days ago. I think I have written since I wonder what the Goddards are going to do. I hope they will be able to keep the house &c. I cannot realize that Mr. Goddard is really dead & that I shall see him no more. but I truly believe he was a good Christian & is happy now Is Louis Mitchell returned from ship Island. If I send home the money recd for the horse I hope you can pay the L'Hundred note tho' you may have something more pressing. We expect to be paid off every day. I dont wonder Geo. feels a little grand at the thought of the $36 due him in two months. I know the feeling. I would like to see the young man arrayed in his light pants & new neck tie, as Ellen writes - inherited from our friend in "Park Place" &c - Don't think because I don't refer in my letters to many of the things you write that I don't care for them I do but when I write in a hurry as I do I have to put down what comes first into my head, but I read the letters over & over again I enjoy Ellen's letters very much & was real glad to get a four page one of hers by last mail & not finished them I shall look for the "continued" by next mail & shall have no "conclusion", until I get home. Geo. writes grandly, every mail brings me one from him. Mrs Williams golden wedding must have been a great affair I was much interested in your accounts. I expect the boxes per Express from Thompsonville tomorrow I think it will make something of a rumpus if I seize the liquor sent to different members of the Co. but I shall do it & hand it over to the Hospital & tell them that if they need it the Dr's will prescribe. It will be a new thing in this Co. but it is right for their best good. Their friends ought to have known better tho' I suppose many wrote home for it. will you please send me some Newspaper stamps. Cant get stamps here. I can get the Adjutant to frank a pack of envelopes for me when I wish & so I am sure of not spoiling stamps as I so often have done. Geo. asks if I lost my pistol with the bag. I did not but I sometimes like to have some weapon with me when I could not carry such heavy ones. Nothing new here. I am so glad to hear you have all been well "as usual" of late. For a while I was afraid some of you were sick. Half past eleven & I must to bed. My day always begins, I mean I am always up before 6 AM, ie. reveille and and does not end until after half past ten. Rather a long day of it but I lie on my bed quite a portion of it with my "Tactics" & after sleep some. Good night dear ones all aff Chas