East Lyme, Conn.
October 3-4, 1998 October 4th, 1863.
near Niantic village.
East Lyme, Conn.

Dear Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to once again post you on the adventures of the veterans of the old Eighth. We find ourselves still here on veteran furlough in our old home State. We are encamped here on the Brookside Farm, belonging the the Avery family, near the village of Niantic. We are hard at work enlisting and filling our ranks before being sent back to the seat of war.

We arrived here in numbers from our perspective homes early Saturday morning, with the grounds laid out by one or two staunch forward party members who secured us a fine camping site behind the barn of the farm. We are surrounded by woods, and well shaded, yet the mid day sun can find its way to us to warm us in this brisk season. The weather here is sublime for this time, it is sunny, crisp, and bright. It is not hot, and not cool. The foliage is just turning, and the harvest is plentiful.

The main object of our stop here is to make ourselves visible to the public, so we commenced that with a dress parade and flag raising at the pole in front of the house. The 8th was accompanied by the 1 Md., and a couple sailors raised the flag. A few patriotic words were spoken to encourage the citizens to visit and speak with us.

The farm here is of about 100 acres or so, level, and half wooded. The house is about 100 rods off the road, and is of a fine Greek Revival style. It is two floors, with parlor, sitting room, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor, and four bedrooms on the second floor. The grounds are sprinkled with fine large oaks and maples, and the out buildings include the back house, the wood shed, a crib, a coop, and a fine new red barn. The kitchen garden is small but productive, and the arbor at the back door has produced the most delectible grapes.

We held a military drill for the public jointly with the 1st Marylanders including the facings left and right, flank drills, and the evolutions of the line of battle. We demonstrated the firings by company, rank, and file, and left and right obliques. This surely bored some, and fascinated others, but generally did not change the rate of enlistments.

In the afternoon, we were dismissed for a time, and devolved to our favorite pass time when the Marylanders are about, the revered game of Massachusetts Townball. It was a good game, only one injury to report, and we took it 21 to 4. It seems as time goes on, there are more floating runners, and more determined chases in the soaking department. The variations in the order of the pegs has got to be almost a science in coordination of the various runners through the pegs. It seemed at one point that we might run out of strikers, since there were so many runners on the field.

That evening, we had our supper mess, and were at rest about dark, when the call for the Corporal of the Guard went out. It seems some of our guards brought in a yonug confederate who had been skulking near by the camp, spying on our activities. Since there were several foreign observers and government dignitaries staying in the farm house, the rebel was arrested and brought there for questioning. It took no time to determine that the rebel was indeed a woman in soldiers clothing, and quite a spirited secsesh at that.

She was questioned by a navy captain, and then recommended to be interviewed by Mrs. Lincoln, herself. It turned out that inded, Mrs. Lincoln was at the house, and the secret could not be concealed any longer. It was a mystery to know if the spy's presence had any singular purpose aimed at Mrs. Lincoln. The First Lady's doctors advised against it, yet the women was brought to the front parlor and interviewed there. The converstations came to no good, since the rebel was spitting of defaeat at all costs, and Mrs. Lincoln advising that the rebels were the transgressors, and started the whole thing. In the eventual confusion, the woman slipped the guards grasp, and bolted out the front door. The guards pursued, but with no success. They returned , and reported teh escape past our perimeter, and were reprimnanded. The spy is no doubt half way to Richmond with some report by now. The rest of the evening was passed in watchful solitude.

The Sabbath morning brought a short ceremony at the flag pole, a patriotic demonstration prior to church services held for the soldiers in the barn by the local minister. After that, there was a combined 8CV and 1 Md. drill demonstration again. We performed the countermarch, and concentrated on the oblique firing positions, and the left flank drills. After our noon meal, we once again were dismissed long enough to hold the ever popular Townball match once more,and once more, the Eighth was victorious, 21 to 2. The game brough plenty of the towns folks forward to join the game, but they did not come forward to enlist after the drills and demonstations.

In the late afternoon, we once again formed a dress parade in front of the flag pole, and to retreat, slowly lowered the old stars and stripes, signalling the end of our recruitment at this station. We broke our camp, and put all the baggage in the wagons, and once again headed off to our blessed homes to be with our families once more. The orders were to meet the regiment in Durham a fortnight from now. I suspect that that will be the end of our pleasent stay in the home state, and we will once again get back to the business of the army back at the seat of war.

Your obedient servant,
Kim