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

Camp of 8th Rgt Conn Vols Sunday June 1, 1862 Hotter than seventeen "blazars". Just returned from church. very small number present. even our chaplain was in his "shirtsleeves" & slippers. Services were quite short but very appropriate, the subject was profaness a crying evil in camp of course. My Co. are much addict ed to it & I have debated with myself much as to the best way to lessen it. I can only exert a moral influence as the penalty in Army Regulations amounts to almost nothing. I shall try though in some way. I like our new Chaplain quite well but have seen but little of him & do not feel acquainted with him yet. Recd three of your most welcome letters this noon, & will reply to one or two things now before I forget it. About the Hospt Box & the things therein. I think I have written that - the - box that had my things has been recd since we came here the box opened at Morehead city was another box in which I was not interested tho' Dr. Storrs gave me a - bundle - of cookies & two pairs of socks. I recd all my things from the last received box & - I think I requested you to thank Miss P. for the stockings. - I am sorry you have so poor an idea of Dr Storrs, - there are but few men who could not better be spared from the Regt, - he is invaluable here, is not popular with the men & not generally with officers I think, chiefly I think because he does not when a man is complaining, ask him very minutely as to his - "pheelings" - & when his relations were last sick & whether any of them died violent deaths. He can see at a glance more than many, to say the least, ascertain after all this questioning. As the head of our Hospital Department he "cant be beat" or as the Brigade Surgeon expressed it, when he inspected our camp, he "knows how to keep a hotel", Every one gives the 8th credit for having the cleanest & handsomest camp in the Department (we are encamped on ground rejected by another Regiment) & this largely Dr S. doings, the Coln & Dr. worked together in perfecting it, the streets are all regularly laid out, graded & - drained - the cess pools for reception of the cook's slop are dug very large & deep & covered over a foot or more below the level of the ground, (a small hole only being left open, ) and then dirt filled in to the level, so the sun has no action upon the contents and there is no smell rising from them. The building of the pools Dr. S. directed about particularly - in many camps there are entirely uncovered, in others only covered loosely with boards or brush. Dr. S. is round often inspecting the conditions of the tents & is very particular about men bathing so much so that we now have an order from col. that men must bath at the drum call at 5 PM & out at second call at 20 minutes past 5. I wish I could send a copy of that order issued shortly after we arrived here, it is quite long but, as you know if Col Harland wrote it, neither prosy or verbose but right to the point & touching about every point. I seem to be filling this sheet with a vindication of Dr Storrs when he needs & asks for none but I want - you - to know what he is if he never - prescribed - in individual cases he could be but illy spared. I consider him a superior man & as a - surgeon - all admit that he is far above the average. Dr Lathrop was terrible as a surgeon. Dr Storrs is thought by the mass of the rank & file to be perfectly heartless & is certainly at times apparently indifferent but I truly believe he is greatly missjudged. I almost hated him after witnessing him perform on Capt Leggett of the 10th Conn vols. He was - so cool - about it, he is not one of the tender or soft hearted kind, but I think most highly of him as a professional man & as a friend, please always speak highly of him for my sake & this time I am willing you should speak. A word more about camp. The tents & streets are swept each day, all solid refuse food &c is put in barrels & carted off to the sinks nothing goes into the cess pools but liquid, - we are very strict in this & it pays a thousand fold in the improved health of the men. We should have doubts in regard to the sanity of any man who would attempt to drive a horse thro' one of Co. streets. In conclusion - I wish you could see the camp & I could see you. I should be greatly pleased with Geo's photograph & the same of you all. I thought I wrote very fully about that in a former letter. I have not a likeness of anyone & I do often long for them it would be next to going home but I am really afraid they would make me home sick. Geo. writes that you are learning day by day the truth about my sickness at Morehead says a man writes to his wife that I "was the sickest man he ever saw". I wish you to understand that that man, whoever he was, either lied or else he never saw any one unwell before. I think I was out every pleasant day with one or two exceptions & when I looked in the glass I was almost ashamed that I was not on duty. Then I was at work at my adjutants books & reports almost every day I should not have done it if I had felt much unwell. - I wrote you the truth fully & squarely, the whole & nothing but. - when you, mother & Ellen go into a hospital as nurses I shall drop our correspondence. The army is no place for women according to my ideas. I am happy to say that there is no petticoat certainly within a mile of the camp. I shall send a copy of view of our camp at Annapolis. The box or tub has not turned up yet, tho, I have inquired all round for it. Don't trouble Mr Capt Almy again any thing will come safely by express & in shorter time & be no bother to any one. I am very sorry to loose it but I cant mourn much after receiving the trunk load of good things. The brandy flask is very nice, do write what all these things cost, flask, trunk, pants, &c. Breed & wait have been made first Lieutenants & wait has returned to his Company. Breed, who stands very high, remains with the signal corps. I understand he continues to study practise the code while most of the S.C. officers are loafing or perhaps carousing. He is a fine fellow. Wait stood very well in the corps.