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Daily
Life of a Monitor Crewman--George Geer
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George
Geer.
From the Collections of The Mariners' Museum |
The following letter
was written by George Geer, a fireman who had been assigned to the Monitor
since her commissioning. Here, Geer writes to his wife describing his daily
routine as it was during the spring of 1862 while the Monitor was stationed
on the James River near City Point (present-day Hopewell, Virginia). Geer's
narrative conveys the boredom faced by the majority of Union sailors assigned
to blockade duty.
U.S
Steamer Monitor
City
Point, May 20, 1862
Dear Wife
I hardly know what
to do this evening to while away time. I thought I would write you a few lines
and in that manner get read [rid] of part of the eve[n]ing, but what will I
write about? I wrote so much before I am out of news. I think I did not tell
you before that I have no night watch: I can go to Bed when I like, and can
lay untill Six if I pleas. But I cannot sleep after foor, and am up and have
a good wash and clean my Room before Breakfast.
I told you I would
write you how we Live, and what we eat, so I will give you a little sketch in
this. To commence, on Sunday as every other day, the Boatswains shrill Whistle
is herd a[t] six, and everybody must turn out and lash their Hammock up and
stow them away. All hand[s] make their way on deck, get a pail when their
turn comes, and have a good wash. Most of them strip to [the] waist and
wash, so you see their is not many dirty ones among us, although there is a
few. At seven oclock--as we on ship call it, Six Bells--the Boatswains Whistle
is sounded for Grog and Breadfast, which consist of a Pot of Coffee and hard
crackers, such as I gave you a sample [of] on the North Carolina. But our mess
is more fortunate than some: we have an Iron Sauce Pan that will hold some three
or four Gallons. Our Cook takes those crackers and brakes them up, puts some
fat Pork in it (which we have plenty, as its so fat no one can eat it), puts
salt and Pepper in, and cooks it untill the crackers are soft, and that makes
us what we hungry men call a good Breakfast, but what I should hardly eat if
I were home.
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Monitor's
berth deck and officers' quarters.
From the Collections of The Mariners' Museum |
After Breakfast, everything
is cleaned up about the Ship, which takes about one hour, and after that there
is nothing to do but keep watch, which amounts to laying around deck for the
saylors and laying around the Engine room for the Fireman. I can do as I pleas,
and if any thing is wanting out of the store room when I am not here a Fireman
is sent to look for me.
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Go to Main Category:
Life on the Monitor
Go to other documents in this category:
Biographies of Commanders of the
Monitor
Photo Identification of the
Officers of the Monitor, July 1862
Biographies of the Crew of the Monitor
Photo Identification of the
Crew of the Monitor, July 1862
Photo Identification of the Monitor,
July 1862
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