Fight All Day, March All Night by Mahood Wayne;

Author:Mahood, Wayne; [Mahood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 3408671
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2012-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Capt. William Coleman (Source: New York State Adjutant General's Office)

Changes at the regimental level followed. One of the first was the resignation of Company B's Captain William Coleman. Rumor was Coleman had protested that he could not serve under Smith Brown, whom he considered a “rascal and a coward.” Officially he was resigning “on account of health.” (He later regretted his decision.) Ironically, given Coleman's huffy resignation (and Morris's criticisms of Coleman), a testimonial to Coleman by the regimental and company officers was signed by both Browns and William Baird, whose promotion Coleman also had protested.6

Another change, greatly affecting Morris, was Smith Brown's absence, beginning March 24, when the latter returned home on recruiting duty. Five weeks later he was appointed by Secretary of War Stanton to serve as inspector general of Wisconsin in Madison. Additionally, Morris's Hamilton cohorts were all gone. Darius Sackett had been discharged after Harpers Ferry. Henry Porter Cook had been killed at Gettysburg. Edward and Myron Adams had been discharged and had enlisted as 1st and 2nd Lieutenants in the 2nd U.S. Colored Infantry and later the U.S. Volunteer Signal Corps. George Wright Sheldon, Class of '63, would be killed in September, while serving as Captain, 6th U.S. Colored Infantry.7

Morris's letters would reveal not only how much he missed his older brother, but his relief that his brother was not present for the bloody combat that was about to begin. Morris also was battling on another front. In the first week of April, his father and attorney D. B. Prosser were suing “agent Ebenezer B. Jones” on Morris's behalf, asking the court to compel specific performance of a contract by the defendant. While the details are unknown, it appears that the younger Brown had purchased a twenty-five acre plot in the Town of Milo and was suing Jones to compel compliance with his part of the bargain. Clearly the ambitious younger Brown was promoting his postwar future.8

Despite a flood of circulars and dispatches from headquarters and the lengthening of picket lines along the Rappahannock, which created an extra sense of urgency in camp, Morris was in a playful mood in early April. Not even the cancellation of furloughs and the April 8 instructions not to reveal to the press anything about the “near approach of … active operations” seemed to destroy that mood.9

[Partial letter n. d. to parents, but after April 5, 1864.]

commenced to think of the short time I had to remain & to dread the time for starting. I want Jennie, if Josie Eaton has not left Penn Yan yet to go & thank her, for her kindness to me while there. She did really exert herself for my benefit & I am just the one to feel grateful for it. I believe I would fall in love with her if it was not for the trouble I had with Frank_undage when we lived at Hammondsport for the sleepless nights which I then passed frightened ____ even when I think of such a thing as _____.

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