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

Camp. Ber. Hds. Sept 2, '64
Dear All,
Here I sit alone in my snug little tent made out of shelters & I have it fitted up as nicely as one could desire. Capt. Hoyt returned to the Regt. yesterday & as senior officer of course took command. I have really experienced a great source of relief in taking command of my own Co. again & having a little tent all to myself. At Hd. Qts. something was always under way that required more or lefs attention & officers & orderlies constantly coming in to ask advice or something of kind so that I really had no time that was really my own. The change is so great here that I am almost lonesome. Am Regt off of Day to day & have when not on that duty been at work on my clothing Returns for this month which I send off to day. I am pleased to get rid of the business at Hd. Qts. & settle up my Co. books again but it seems rather strange to be -receiving- the orders that for nearly four months I have -given- & it came so unexpectedly also. At no time had I felt so certain of commanding for long considerable period that at the close of last month & then to be relieved just as we got in camp when our duties are so much lighter, when drills are just commencing & we are anew disciplining the Regt. was rather rough. But it's all right & the only thing that provokes me is the entire belief that if we had remained in the trenches at Petersburg although Capt. H would have been relieved that same I should still have commanded the Regt. & should we now be called upon for like duty I dont think said Capt. would be able to remain with the Regt. He goes this afternoon before a board of surgeons to be examined for a sick leave. Bah!! He may have - influence - enough to pass and get his leave but I doubt even that, tho' as Provost Marshal of the Division he has had a good opportunity to make friends. A word farther about leaving the service - By late orders from war Dept. no officer in a 3 years Regt is entitled to his discharge until he has served in his present rank full three years - rather severe, rather unjust, rather _dishonorable_ on the part of the Government considering the way most of us mustered but in - every thing-, no matter what when an officer is concerned the U.S. being the strongest acts the same part. Even this is true - In this army of the Potomac if the Government does not choose to pay it's officers for six or eight months & if on this account an officer is forced to ask credit at that same Government's Commissary Dept. he can only receive this credit on one condition & that is that he may draw "one or two rations" per day paying therfor or rather being charged therefor thirty cents each ration that is about twice what the same would cost if the Government had paid him promptly so that he could have bought for cash - then he must that what they happen to be issuing, probably pork, hard tack, coffee & sugar & when the men (privates) would get occasionally potatoes &c he would not be entitled to any thing. So he would not get as good rations as the Companies [1] would pay largely above the cost for what he did get. I do think that constant "bluffing off" of officers (I dont think of any other word so expressive - any one who has lived in the army understands the word whether they were handed cards or not,) by the powers that be is destroying their - morale-. True there are many officers that this treatment is good enough
for but as a clafs Officers will compare favor -ably with other men & are at least entitled to fair & honorable dealings. I can see a growing dissatisfaction among officers of all ranks and I think it one of the worst signs of the times. By this order my term will not end till March 27, 1864 [5!] & a new campaign will lust be opening then & I shall hardly feel like leaving the Regt at such a time I think. one of your letters mentions my leaving the service because I have not been promoted. I can't think I wrote that exactly though if I remember I wrote that I should not be willing to remain as a line officer because the prospect is that the other officers of the line will be men with whom I could not associate cordially & intimately therefor I did not wish to be of like rank with them & be constantly among them. I think this very different from resigning because I was not promoted. I am not entitled to promotion yet, Capt. Hoyt ranks me & nothing could look more babyish than leaving for such a reason, because was not promoted, & every one would say that I ought not to have it. If you told uncle George this do take it back _entirely_ for you certainly greatly misunderstood me. Regards to all the Pomfretters & love most & best to the Dear All, Chas You know I have found the clothing papers that I wrote for.