James Merrill Linn Diary: 1861-1862 James Merrill Linn Diane K. Jakacki Bucknell University Professor, Lead Investigator Junior Alejandro Bucknell University Encoding editor Matteo Antenucci Bucknell University Encoding editor NinaArsov Bucknell University Encoding editor Caroline Colucci Bucknell University Encoding editor Drew Fisher Bucknell University Encoding editor Olivia Garcia Bucknell University Encoding editor Harvey Harvison Bucknell University Encoding editor Reilly Hope Bucknell University Encoding editor Matti Kruger Bucknell University Encoding editor Selena Liu Bucknell University Encoding editor Gayda Makki Bucknell University Encoding editor Ben Maya Bucknell University Encoding editor Calvin McGuire Bucknell University Encoding editor Natalie Monroe Bucknell University Encoding editor Luke Nowicki Bucknell University Encoding editor Ori Raz Bucknell University Encoding editor Grayson Renkert Bucknell University Encoding editor Amadou Samb Bucknell University Encoding editor Ben Samuels Bucknell University Encoding editor Rose Schmidt Bucknell University Encoding editor Nyah von Haam Bucknell University Encoding editor Bucknell University
Lewisburg Pennsylvania USA
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Tuesday January 14.

It blowed fearfully and those outside the bar last night must have had a severely rolling time last night. The little Picket, used by Burnside as his ship, is owned by her Captain, named Ives, who is a wealthy man, and offered his services and boat to the Government without pay and received a captain's commission. The steamship New York is fast on the bar. The surf is so bad that the tugs can't get near it. And the captain won't allow a boat to go ashore. The officer's mess is out of provisions. We have no meat & came down to the last scrapings this morning. There is a little fellow, nominally a servant of Capt. Blair, as peculiar as Blair too, goes by the name of Bucktail. He is about 15 years old, with small, turned up features, wears a belt with a bayonet & scabbard, large blouse and large pants. He is from Tyrone. Father & Mother dead, all from Tyrone - got into camp at Harrisburg, in the employ of some of the serjts - & one night about ten o'clock came up to Blair's tent, saying that they had turned him out. He started with ten cents - bought newspapers &c - Blair lent him five dollars at Camp Union: because with his little capital he had to go to town so often to replenish - He has paid that back - & has now some ten or fifteen dollars. The other day he got terribly sea sick and someone told him to take a dose of salts. He came in and wanted Blair to get him a dose, & could hardly be persuaded to the contrary. I think his name of Bucktail came from his having some kind of an animals tail pinned on to his hat. The wind has blown stormily all day. A little gun boat dragged her anchor and has come against us twice. We have just heard this evening that the Scout with other sailing vessels have come in. The steamship City of New York is still aground - they cut away her mast, and her smokepipe came down this afternoon. Of all desolate looking places this beach is the most desolate. Those that hold her must have a very disagreeable time. We are getting down to the originals in our officers' mess. We have no soft bread. At noon we had pea soup and hard bread, and the adjutant fished up a little bunch of butter out of his haversack and gave us a knife full. This evening we had hard bread, cooked rice and tea.

Tuesday January 14. Hatteras Inlet

I remember of hearing Mother often remark that rice was such a tasteless thing when cooked without milk. This was evidently cooked with water. We had no butter. The hard bread is good - the tea is good, the rice seasoned with salt, and sugar to make it gritty was good. I don't know what we are to have tomorrow. I see Commisary Shorkley in anxious consultation with the Quartermaster. We have seen the ships lying outside all day - but I hear that most of them have got in. We conjecture that the first attack will be on Roanoke Island. The surf ran so high that the Captain would not allow his boats to go ashore, so that we have not had any communication with anyone.