amer
Empire City with the Twenty-sixth Connecticut Regiment. The men of the
Twenty-sixth were in the hold of the vessel while the Twenty-fifth men
took a deck passage which we didn't appreciate especially at this
season of the year, December 6th. We left the Atlantic Dock, Brooklyn,
at six o'clock that morning. We hadn't been out long before the water
became quite rough and the steamer plunged and rolled dreadfully which
made the soldiers very sea-sick.

December 7th was dark and boisterous and the good old ship creaked and
swayed on the mighty deep. By the way, I hadn't been sea-sick since we
left the Atlantic dock, but I could not help laughing, the first day we
were out, to see the guards of the vessel from stem to stern lined up
with anxious sea-gazers, their knees knocking together, their
countenances ashen and a very intimate connection evidently existing
between the stomach and the mouth. Even my risibiles were aroused
though myself not entirely insensible to the attractions of Neptune.

December 8th. It was Sunday and when daylight came it brought with it a
calmer sea and a more jolly set of soldiers, although the water was
several inches deep on deck. That day was spent, as all others, without
any religious exercises so we had nothing to do but watch the
porpoises, of which there had been a great many in sight all day.

We had been out of sight of land since the previous day at noon. Well,
we had found out where our expedition was going. It was going to sea.
One thing was certain, we were going pretty far south.

December 9th. The weather had become quite fine. The boys had, most of
them, gotten over being sea-sick. As the Twenty-sixth boys began to
feel as though they had rather be on deck than down in that dirty hole,
we were in pretty close quarters, for I think there were as many as
twelve hundred men on this old unseaworthy ship which had been used as
a transport in the California trade for a great many years. So I was
told by Harlan Skinner, who went out as Sutler's clerk of the
Twenty-fifth Regiment. (He was a brother of Town Clerk Francis B.
Skinner of Rockville and went to California on board of her in 1849.)

December 10th. We were still out of sight of land. Some of us might be
imagined reading the Bible or some other interesting book and others
were lying asleep on deck, while the rest were watching and wondering
where we were going to land, I suppose.

December 11th. It was much warmer, and v