V., Morris Island, S to M. Drouyn de l’Huys, December 28, 1863

Mr. Cauvet to M. Drouyn de l’Huys

I am going to tell you something that will not give you much pleasure. I would tell you that I had hardly received your letter, when I settled my account at the house where I was, and came back to New York, where I staid some days, awaiting a vessel on which to return to France, but meanwhile persons came looking for me, and telling me I was a soldier, and that I must go, because my name had been given at the hotel where I was staying without my knowing anything about it, and told me that the chance had fallen on me. There were two of us in this situation, and we were told we could not be obliged to become soldiers, but We had no person to take care of us, and meantime we were taken to an island in the neighborhood, and gradually, a month afterwards, we were off the city of Charleston, thoroughly enrolled in the regiment, and at the end of some days were carrying on our backs the knapsack and musket.