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

Newbern June 18 1862. Dear All, While I wait for the rain to slacken before starting for the city to attend the court martial I will inscribe a few lines & post them this morning. I have been intending to write each day but every day brings new duties & I find my attention & time pretty fully occupied. The C M is still in session, we have several times adjourned for a day at a time to give the Judge advocate opportunity to prepare cases & also have adjourned over both Sundays, with these exceptions we have been constantly at work. It is now proposed to make us a military commission, we can then try both civil & military cases, & send us down to Beaufort to adjudicate several cases there. I like this for several reasons tho' I hate to be absent from the co. even for a few days, I can there find a US Official - Coll. of the Port - who can receive my acknowledgement in case of those U.S. bonds at the savings Bank, I understand a collector has lately been appointed. I find that I am getting much information in regard to military affairs in general at the court & I am glad to go on that account & generally it will be quite a pleasant excursion. Rain has ceased A sky is clear & I must start. My table cloth - courier of the 22d alt. - says S H Groveneser has left the firm of Wms & G. why & what is he going to do? Evening - half past nine - 18th inst. A steamer has just past going up to the city & as we are expecting one with mail & news our boat has followed it to find the news if it has brought any. while I wait our boat's return I propose to amuse myself thus. There has been, or is to be, a bi-weekly communication established between Newbern & Norfolk. This will furnish us with news from McClellan & the North pretty often, every two days, & I do hope it will carry mails also. It would be decidedly pleasant to get letters from home every two or three days instead of about four or five times during a month. I should write oftener then too, now I always think there will not be a steamer sailing for several days & there is no hurry. I am going to try to get a furlough about the last of next month or first of August & I think I shall succeed. I shall mean to have some very important business to attend to for an excuse if any is needed, perhaps there will be some tenant behind with his rent & it will be very necessary for me to collect it in person of course. I shall try any way if there is nothing of consequence going on here & if I succeed I will certainly stay at Miss S.G.C.'s house a few days. The court martial will not go to Beaufort as I wrote this morning as the cases there will probably not be brought to trial. I shall try to go however in order to get my Power of Atty. acknowledged by the Coll I have been intending to go over to the 11th camp every day to see Col. Mathewson but have not found a chance yet & I fear he may have gone home before this. I think I wrote that he had resigned. I hear the boat returning so good night dear all. - Told again - no news - the steamer was only a gun-boat pegging up in the dark. - Sunday evening - A 22d inst I write this evening with the picture of the young man in the Insurance office stairing me in the face, if it was only the original, I am very glad to get it & think it very good tho' rather sober & heavy round the eyes. & Rec'd your two of the 4th & 12th yesterday, had not received any for more than a week & was very I shall look for photographs of mother & Ellen next mail, it will be so nice to have you all & I shall value them most highly. I wrote A I am sure a long time ago about them but left it with you to decide as you were rather short for each just then, but it seems you have not recd that letter. A mail came in this evening but I did not get a letter. The mails are very irregular, that tri-weekly mail proves to be all bosh. I am sorry you told Alice child of my seizing the liquor I did not want that told out of the house and Alice is just the one to spread it & make a great affair of it. I understand you have received in Norwich rather queer reports concerning the health of the Regt &c, that we cannot turn out but about 300 at Dress Parade &c. we have out as Dress Parade between 400 & 500 at the same time we have on guard duty & other daily duty at least 100 then we have a great number detailed from the Regt on all kinds of service, so our number of sick I think is small & will com- pare favorably with other Regts as far south as ourselves. I suppose I had the acclimation fever while at Morehead any way I have been & am now very well since. I do not think the hot weather will affect me particularly unpleasantly I never pretend to do anything I can help in the middle of the day our morning drills are over at 9 AM & the drills of the PM do not commence until 4 o'clock. I often at these times long for a counterpart of Ellen's favorite Counterpart, it is almost impossible to try to write except in the morning & I generally have Co. writing enough to fill that time. In the eveng the light calls in lots of mosquitoes. We commence each day with Reveille at 5 AM & are pretty well occupied until 9 oclock. I am still on the court martial & there seems little hope of finishing immediately tho' we hope each day will be the last. We meet in the "sail" - it is about the coolest place I find tho' the walk over to city at 9 or 10 AM & back between 2 & 4 is decidedly warm. Newbern if the buildings were better would be a beautiful city, it is so perfectly shaded with elms, it is called the Elm city of the south. I will send the Progress with Gov. Stanley's late speech at Washington D.C.& let him defend himself for I do not see the Paper regularly & really know very little of the merits of the case. You probably know much more than I do. Mr Collins is back again & I hear he is to establish a school at Beaufort. That Lt. shumway who called with Mr. wait I do not know but I guess he is rather a hard nut. Lieut. Shepard is doing nicely lately. I think he means to do well. Lieut. Eaton returned Friday, he is a queer stick, it seems funny to be his superior officer & order him to do this or that & then he has to ask my permission if he wishes to go away ^ to the city &c. very glad uncle Geo is better, remembrances. I wanted very much to get a letter to day to know whether you had recd the $250 I sent by express. Don't expect too much from what I may have written about a furlough for I think it to say the least very uncertain. Late it is & I must go to bed. Remember Photographs. Good night, best love & every thing Affect brother Chas