ingly remained another week, and then went with the Lieutenant to camp, and had no fault found.
I had not been at camp more than a week, before I was sent off with a large detachment to New-London, to guard the fortifications in and about that town. On our march we passed through the place of my residence when at home; the detachment tarried a night there, so I had an opportunity of being at home another night. We marched in the morning and remained the following night at New-Haven. I was quartered for the night in a house in the skirts of the town; there was a young lady belonging to the house, who, as it was Sabbath eve, had gone out to see the "daughters of the land," like Dinah of old. Just as we were about to lie down, I went to the back door of the house, where was a small field of dry cornstalks, I met the young lady with a gallant, just at the door; the moment he saw me he left his sweetheart and went off through the cornstalks, making as much noise as if a whirlwind had passed through them. I thought he was a brave fellow, thus to leave his mistress in the power of those he was afraid of himself, and not stop so long as to ask quarters for her, but, upon the first alarm, to desert her to save his own four quarters from receiving damage. Many pretended heroes have done the same, perhaps worse.
We went by easy marches and nothing of consequence occurred until we arrived at New-London; here we were put into houses, and here too we almost starved to death, and I believe should have quite starved, had we not found some clams which kept us from absolutely dying. We had nothing to eat except now and then a little miserable beef or a little fresh fish, and a very little bread, baked by a baker belonging to the town, which had some villainous drug incorporated with it that took all the skin off our mouths. I sincerely believe it was done on purpose to prevent our eating. I was not free from a sore mouth the whole time I staid there. Just before we left this place a privateer brig arrived from a cruise; she was hauled up and dismantled. One day I went on board her, and in the bread room I found one or two bushels of sea-biscuit; at night I again went on board and filled my knapsack, which was a relief to my hungry stomach. But this bread had nearly as much flesh as bread, being
