Page:History of the Forty-eighth Regiment, M.V.M. during the Civil War (IA historyoffortyei00plumm).pdf/51

 for New York and the South (or the other place previously alluded to) and the regiment left at an hour's notice, proceeding by rail to Groton, Conn., where they went on board the Sound steamer for New York arriving there at an early hour in the morning of the 28th and going at once on board the "Constellation," an old sailing vessel, just arrived from Europe with a load of immigrants. It had not been properly cleansed and was very foul and dirty; but it is a soldier's duty to bear with all sorts of inconveniences, and we soon learned to accept them without an undue amount of grumbling. There was no chance for a fire on board except in the first cabin, consequently the line officers, who occupied the second cabin, and the enlisted men who were quartered between decks, suffered considerably with the cold, but we were consoled with the thought that if we were destined for either of the places threatened by Gen. Schouler we should not be likely to grumble on account of cold weather.

Friday, January 2, got under way at 12.30 P. M., being towed out by tug "Rattler," which cast off and left us at 4.15, taking ashore a large mail for friends left at home.

January 8 we arrived off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay with little of special importance transpiring. Pilot came on board at 9.30 A. M. and we passed up the bay where we found many of the fleet composing the "Banks Expedition" of which we now find the 48th is a part, and came to anchor just below and near Fortress Monroe where we remained till January 15, when under sailing orders the tug hitched on again and we sailed away South at 2.30 P. M. in a gale of wind.