Yesterday we got orders about noon to go on board the "Guide" with six days provision. In two hours we were on our march. Leaving all the sick we have seven hundred solid men with us. We marched through New Bern, past Gen. Burnside's & Reno's headquarters - The streets of the town are sandy like a sea-shore - the day was very hot - & though equipped for light marching it was very hard on us. We went to the wharf at the railroad depot, on the Neuse?, & the Pilot-Boy took us one wing at a time, down to the Guide lying below Town. The Guide is a very fine boat 32 feet longer than the Cossack - & her style finer. We are quartered very comfortable, though the men are very much crowded, and between decks it is very hot. Capt. Shawl is usual drunk as a fool - I was reading at the table when he came up, took the light and made a drunken endeavour to light his pipe. My first impression was that the wind had blown it out. As I looked up he had his pipe upside down, swaying to & fro until he scorched his nose. "Don't you like it you can lump it" he said. I now register this now, that twere I have excused his impertince, because he was drunk, but here after, I will go upon the rule of law as to drunkeness, that is - every man is supposed to know the consequences of his own [?]. He commenced talking about getting killed - that we were to have a battle on this expedition. I shall never vary my belief in his innate cowardice. The only time he kept sober was when he led us away from Centreville. He was drunk when we landed at Roanoke, he was drunk at the battle. He was drunk at Slocum's Creek & presented a most contemptible aspect - having fallen in the mud. The hair matress was too warm for me to sleep on, in the close state room, having slept in the open air for a month. Toward morning it became cooler & I slept. I have today been better than I have been for sometime. I have been bothered with pain in the back, head and back of the neck & stomach - I was not alarmed though they were symptoms of small-pox. But today my both hands broke out with red-spots & pimples. There we are thinks I - only regretting that I was not back to New Berne, and the length of time it would put me off duty. However after looking at it suspiciously all day, I found they turned out to be watering pimples - bless my soul - was ever man known to rejoice that he had caught the Itch - [?] it was - & no small-pox -
Thursday 17. continued.We left New Berne about six o’clock. We looked with interest, at Slocum’s creek - but I spent most of the day on the confessions of love queen. We passed Ocracoke inlet about 11 o’clock, passed a steamer, Port Royal, and 7 schooners - Hatteras inlet somewhat after one, and got aground between 4 & 5 miles or so this side of Roanoke Island, just the place where the Guide got aground when we first went up. The Massasoit came down about dusk & took our men off to lighten the boat. The Cossack passed us taking the sick and wounded north. There is something singular about this expedition. The N.Y. 51, Mass. 21. 48 Penna were ordered to go on it. Lt. Col. Bell & some of our officers were sitting on the Gen-Court Martial, & Capt. Mitchel 51 N.Y. & other officers had just got excused, to go on the expedition, & they were twitting Lt. Col. Bell on his noting left behind, when the order came countermanding the orders of other regiments and our one substituted. The officers of the other regiments are as mad as forty. An inspection of marching return showed that our regiment has as many effective men as the other three together. Gen. Reno & Burnside are to join us. Co. E. Capt Hassenplug’s Company had to go without a commissioned officer. Foster is evidently consumpted & it will go hard with him if he gets home. He may attribute it all to his own work - dissipation especially at Harrisburg. When our regiment came on board, one of the the hands asked where we were from - said that we were the quietest men he ever saw - It took but a half of hour before every man was quiet in his bunk - every other regiment he said, in a half hour would have the ship upside down in a half hour. The Capt asked the Col. to make proper arrangements for order. The Col said he shouldn’t trouble about that - “Thats what the Cols of other regiments said & we always had a row.” The Capt. [bail] expressed himself agreeably surprised. He is a young man, highly educated, literary - mode sailor and though very young has been master for nine years. We are happily off now, but ...