1861 July 31 Camp at Monterey

Dear Father
All the accounts I have read
in the papers, of our defeat at Rich Mountain and
retreat from that place and from Laurel Hill, are
so utterly untrue. I have determined to informd[sic]
you of what facts I myself saw, and what I have
heard from relyable persons.

From the time of my arrival at Rich Mountain
when Col. Pegram took command of that post,
untill the battle, we were continually expecting an
attack from the enemy on our fortifications, but
untill the day before the battle we heard nothing of
an attempt being intended on our rear, and I
think untill that time, neither Col. Pegram nor
Gen Garnett were aware of there being any way
around our positions, practicable for infantry.
On that day col. Pegram sent to Col. Scot, who had
just reached Beverly to come to his assistance, and
dispatched a messenger to Gen Garnett for an order

[page 2]
to Col Scot – to the same effect. On the next day, the
12th of July, about dinner time, we were summoned to the
trenches and four companies of our regiment, marched
with Col. Pegram to attack the enemy, posted them on
the top of the mountain in our rear, under the command
of Gen. Rosencrantz, I have since heard he had four
regiments with him. Not long after the Col. had left
us, three pieces of artilery followed him, from that
time for about three hours we heard continued firing
and Capt. Coleman’s company was called to Col. Pegrams
assistance, Soon after the horses of one piece took fright
and ran off, with the gun. We were then called to march
up the mountain, the firing having in some means
seased, After having marched about a mile through the
woods, Our three companies under Major Tyler, met
two other companies of our regiment, seemingly in the
greatest confusion and without any one in command
of them. I saw nothing of Major Tyler, and supposing that
the enemy were just in front, I called out to
those companies to advance, but they not moving
and seeming to be much frightened, I told them
to clear the way and allow us to pass on, this they did,
admidst much confusion, we marched on, they following
some distance farther, A Capt Anderson of artilery here
attempted to form the battallion in lines, all the time

[page 3]
talking about courage libert[y?] and death in the most
confused manner untill at last Tom called out to
him to cease making stump speeches and give us some
orders, During all this time I saw or heard nothing of
Major Tyler, except once, when I asked him to show me
where to place my company, and I would march to
that point at once. to my disgust he was so confused
he could not give an order, I then marched my
company toward what seemed to be the line, and
formed and dressed it on the line, they were in
perfect order and obeyed promptly, the other companies
then came on the same line, and immediately after
Col. Pegram came up, He command[ed] the officers of the
companies to the front, and told us to make an
effort to hold our position, We called on him to remain
with us, at first he refused saying he must stay with
the other companies who were about to engage the enemy
again, but after a moment he said he would stay with
us, and asked the officers if they would go with
him to attack the enemy on the top of the mountain
with the bayonet, The officers were very willing, he
then asked the men if the would follow him and
theri officers, they answered him with shouts, and
immediately we commence our march to the top
of the mountain. It was a serious time that march,

[page 4]
We knew the enemy outnumbered us, five to one or
more, and as we were on the way, Tom said to me,
This is a desperate business, we need not expect to come
out of it alive, but he was very resolute, I answered him
that there was nothing impossible to resolute men, he
turned away to his post in the rear of the company, in
silence, and we marched on. The men were becoming more
and more frightened and disordered, and once, at some
noise a company behind me broke and fled back, An
orderly sergeant attempting to stop them was shot by one
of the men and mortally wounded, They were at
last brought back and we reached the top of the
mountain, where we could see the enemy not more than
half a mile off, encamped on the road, with their
horses picketed in great numbers, A little further on
we halted to assemble, for the attack, But Col. Pegram
found the men so frightened, he determined to give
it up, He then ordered Major Tyler to save the comm-
and by retreat, just before he gave the order I was sitting
by him on the grass, and I asked him if it would not
disgrace us to leave the rest of the regiment, but he said
the men would not fight, and that he would return
to try to retreat with the rest of the command.
We then commenced our retreat with major Tyler. It
soon became dark and began to rain, a company
just ahead of the Brunswic[k] Blues, who were ahead of me
for I had taken the rear with my company, no other captain
having command enough of his company to keep them
back, broke and thus my company and the B. Blues
were seperated and lost in the mountains. It was literally
so dark that you could not see your hand a foot from your face.
After marching some distance, I ordered a halt, and we
sat down on the wet ground, without blankets, and there
remained all night. It cleared off next morning and we
continued our march in retreat. In my next letter I will
give you some account of our retreat, and what I have heard
of Gen .Garnetts retreat also. Your Affectionate Son Wm B. Bruce.

William B. Bruce was Captain of Co. K, 20th Virginia Infantry. He refers to Generals William S. Rosecrans [not Rosencrantz], Robert S. Garnett, and Colonel William C. Scott, and Lt. Colonels John Pegram and Nathaniel Tyler. After this disasterous battle of Rich Mountain in which two of the companies were captured, the remaining five in the 20th were disbanded. In September two of the companies, including Bruces, were assigned to the 59th Virginia. Garnett, 1819-1861, was killed two days after the battle in a rear guard action covering the retreat.


MSS 2692

1861 July 31 Fairfax Station [Virginia]

My darling Jennie

Yesterday we detailed from our Brigade
40 men to repair the bridges between this
station & the Junction and I hope it will
not be many days before the trains will
be running to this point–when this occurs
I am going to ask you to take both children
& pay me a visit of 3 or 4 days & sleep in
the tent with me-Tom can sleep up stairs.
I think you can do so without inconvenience
if you will bring something along to eat and
2 blankets 2 sheets and 3 or 4 plates with
you & a small chicken [?] would be a convenience.
This will be my only chance to see you
soon for Genl Elzey is immovable & stubborn

[page 2]
I have not time to write you a letter and
indeed have nothing to say we are lying
still doing nothing but the regular routines of
camp duty–to me a very tiresome business–
It is true that I have lost the negro he was
stolen from the Camp on Sunday night after
the fight & I have not heard from him since
I am sorry for it but cant help it now–I
can charge it to nothing but the negligence of our
sentinels–my health is a little better & I hope
to be well in a few days. I have recd but
two or three letters from you in the last ten
days. write to me a little oftener if you please
or probably you do write & I dont receive
them–I feel very sorry for you & do hope
this war will soon end & that I may be
spared to have many happy days with you.

affectionately
E.T.H. Warren

Fourth Regiment Virginia Volunteers and later Colonel of the 10th Virginia Infantry.
MSS 7786-g

1861 July 30th, Camp Fairfax [Virginia]

Dear Joe,
I would have answered yr letter long
ago but I’ve been expecting you over here every day for about two weeks,
and I did not hear that you were not coming until Marcelus Beadles
came over. I w’d have been very glad to have seen you over here but
reckon it is best that you did not come as you’ve tried this sort of
life once & saw that you c’d not stand it. Well Joe, I’ve gotten on
this side of the mountains once more & don’t care if I ever never see the
other
side again, for I’ve had enough of Harper’s Ferry, Winchester, Romney
& those other places on the other side of the Blue ridge to last me some time.
I was left behind at Winchester sick with the baggage when all
of them left & I did n’t get with them again for nearly a week,
I never had such a lonesome time in my life, I actually had a
^‘slight’ attack of the Blues on the strength of it. When I got to Strasburg I
heard of the fight at Manassa[s] & heard that our Regiment was in
it & were a great many were killed, of course that made me
feel very badly. I suppose you’ve heard all of the particulars of the
victory at Manassa? That was certainly a great victory. The Yankees were
very certain of going to Richmond, they even had women & children
along,
a great many children’s clothes were found. The prettiest part of it was
their having handcuffs & ropes along, thirty thousand handcuffs & any
quantity of rope was taken, they intended carrying all of us that were
not killed to Richmond handcuffed & tied. Our camp now was
occupied by the Yankees, they left a great many things here, left

[page 2]
a sick Yankee b’hind. Nearly every one of our boys made themselves
sick when they first got here eating Yankee crackers, beef tongue & beans,
we are still feasting on their crackers, a wagon load of crackers
were brought in yesterday from Manassa. You never saw the like
of wagons with U. S. on them in y’r life, we don’t use anyother
sort now hardly. I did not go on the battle field at all but saw
a great many of the prisoners & wounded, heard some of the wound=
ed talking, they said they didn’t expect to be treated so well , that the
we treated them better than their own men did…. I don’t know
how long we will remain here but w’d n’t be surprised if we were
here sometime yet. This is a very good place for a camp, we have plenty
good water convenient, the only objection is it’s being a righty dirty place,
we had a general cleaning up yesterday which improved the looks of
things very much…. all of us are get[t]ing very lazy, we don’t have any
thing to do now but to sleep & eat, we have dress parade in the evening.
Yesterday was my washing day, I had a pile of clothes to wash
as I had n’t done any washing for about two weeks before.

A new arrangement has been made about the cooking now, each negro
has a mess to cook for & the rest cook for themselves. Lieutenant Winston
hires Harry & Bro. Jno, Pen, Jim Winston, Henry Chiles, Payne, Kit &
myself are in his mess & we live like Lords, don’t have any trouble
about eating now at all. We had for dinner yesterday, ham & eggs,
onions & cucumbers, pickle, for desert hot corn bread, buttermilk, molas=
ses, butter & cake, that is good enough for anybody is n’t it Joe?
Market carts come in camp every day, you ought to see the men
flock around them. I went out blac after black berries the other
day, fou[n]d a great many….Joe, you are as well fixed now
as you want to be, I know you had rather be here with us but as

[page 3]
you can’t be here, you are doing first rate. You & Lit have the whole
field to your selves now, but I don’t think either of you would take
advantage of the boys in their absence. Do you & Lit ever quarrel
about whose time it is to go down to spend the night at Mr. Wilkin’s?
Ira told me that you took it by turns to stay all night & I w’d not
be surprised if both of you went sometimes & left the store to take
care of itself, I don’t blame you at all for wanting to go every
night Joe, for it is certainly a very nice place to visit, my love
to the whole family…. [words lined out] I never was more surprised in
my life as I was to see Pa the other days & never hated parting
with any body so bad, I could not help shed[d]ing a few tears after
he I left him. I heard to day that the cars w’d commence running
to this place next Monday & if we are here then you must certain=
ly come to see us, we are right at the station & it w’d be a very expense
& trouble to come to see us, all of us would be very glad to see you.
All of the boys that know I am writing to you send their best
love to you. I expect Albin over here soon, tell him if he don’t
hurry up the malitia will get him yet, I want to see him over
here very bad. Your must write me a long letter very soon &
tell Lit to write. My best love to all at home & all of my
friends. All of us are well. Y’r devoted friend

P. Edloe Jones
Manassas Junction
Louisa Blues

Cap. Wm. Joseph Brook s
Louisa CH
Va.

My love to Lin Kent & tell him
I will answer his letter soon.

Edloe

“Special Order” No. 1.
No one to see this but home folks

[page 4]
P. S. I intended writing more, but I have to go on
picket now directly, our whole Co is on picket tonight
& tomorrow, we will have a pleasant time of it. Ed
 
 MSS 13407
 

1861 July 30 Camp Pettis Fairfax County, Va.

My dear wife,

Your very welcome letter of the 21st came duly to hand
little did you think that at the very time you were writing it
the bullets were whistling about our ears as thick as hail.
it was certainly one of the most dreadful days I ever spent.
I did not at the time realize it, until it was all over and had
time for reflection, but I was never any more excited during the
fight than if I had been mending the old mill, not even so much
for you know I always got mad when I had that to do.
I stood it far beyond my own expectations, had I been in the ranks
I know I should have been excited, but you know I had the charge
of nearly 100 men’s lives, in my head, which by any wrong direction
of mine might have been all sacrificed and heaven seemed to
smile on our humble endeavours, I only had one man killed
and 4 slightly wounded. the wounded are all again at their duty-
in my company all of them refusing to be reported wounded. we was
in the fight about eight hours, during six hours of the time my company
alone, nearly a mile and a half from our Regiment–kept in check
seven thousand Yankees. they fixed us with their cannons
most of the time but did us very little harm as I had all of my
men posted in a position where their shot and shell could not
effect us much, nearly all of it passing over our heads some of their
shells burst among us without doing us any injury only slightly

[page 2]
wounding some of our men, which did not amount to much
as none of them were disabled. John Simpson poor fellow was
afterwards shot while gallantly charging with the company one
of the enemys Batteries, we charged right up and planted the
flag on the top of their guns driving their gunners from them
and having previously shot all the horses that hauled them, they
never could be moved from the place again till the fight was closed
which was shortly afterwards, it was in this charge that poor James
was taken prisoner, the last I saw of him was at this point,
and the enemy having hoisted the Confederate Colors I we
were ordered to cease firing, as we all thought that they were our friends
we were fighting. we retired about fifty or sixty paces when they
again opened a tremendous fire on us, but fresh troops coming
to our assistance, they were again driven back and completely
routed. I think it probably that when they hoisted the
confederate flag, that Jim took them for our friends and got
among them and was carried off him and Rob Lewis are the
only two missing from the Palmetto Riffles and some of our men
have seen a Washington paper which says that among the Prisoners
taken from the Rebels as they style us, are two of the Palmetto
Riflemen from South Carolina, so that they are Prisoners beyond
all doubt, you need not be the least alarmed, about his safety
as we have to[o] many of their prisoners in our hands for them to
perpetuate any outrage on ours.

We have advanced 5 miles from Stone Bridge in the direction
of Alexandria and joined General Jones Brigade of South
Carolinians consisting of the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th Regiments
I think an advance on Washington highly probable but dont know for certain.

[page 3]
Your talk of coming out here to see me, nothing in the
world would give me more pleasure than to see you and
little Maggie, but Dear Creek you must not come, this is no
place for women and children, true they are much needed
in our Hospitals to wait on the sick and wounded, but the
Ladies of this country are very kind to them and do all in their
power to make them comfortable, and you know it would be
impossible for you to travel with me, as we do it all on foot and
often sleep out all night with nothing but the blue sky for a covering
but should it be my fate to get wounded on the field I will
Telegraph to Tom at Columbia for you to come and nurse me
should I require it, for I know I should soon recover with you beside
me, but until that time you had better stay at home and
take care of Dear Little Maggie I could not be happy if you and
her were separated. Should we be quartered near any town for any
length of time, I will let you know and shall be very happy to see you
here and you can bring Maggie with you but we are to[o] far away
at present from any point where you could come to by Rail and
it is impossible for you to get a private conveyance; I have just read
a letter from Jane to Billie, I am afraid Mr. Maxwell &c will make
me vain if they carry many more such reports home about me, you
need not be afraid of my rushing into a needless danger, what I have done
I only consider my duty, and shall still endeavour to do it, to the best
of my abilities, and I am ably supported in this by my company
who are as noble and gallant a set of men as ever entered a field of Battle
But I must close as the drum is beating for parade[?] and I have
to attend. Kiss our little darling for me and tell her papa sent it
Farewell Dear Creek Heaven Bless you.

William [Anderson]

4th Regiment South Carolina Volunteers [Palmetto Sharpshooters]

MSS 10366

1861 July 30 Fairfax Station [Virginia]

[to Jennie Warren]

We are still at t his point and
doing nothing and yet I cant get leave of
absence for 3 days Genl Elzy is an
old brute & curses every man that applies
for leave. I applied this morning again and
was refused and apprehending abuse for ma-
king the application. I took the start [?] of
the old dog and commenced abusing him
I gave him my mind plainly & he was as
mum as you please. Capt McDonald the
Genls Adjutant says he thinks I will
get leave in a day or two but I have
no hope–I would not care so much but

[page 2]
I am sick with my old complaint and
dont believe I will get well here–and if
I dont get better in a day or two I will
leave here if I lose my commission
by it. I am as mad as mad can be
and am getting worse–Elzy is a fool
I can make nothing else of him and
if he abuses me as he has done some others
I will cal him to account for it certain.
I saw John Pennybacker about that report
and he denies most emphatically ever
giving circulation to any Report against
me on the contrary says he heard the re-
port and denied it. Try to keep up
your spirits–and be as cheerful as possible
look on the bright side & hope for the best–
Bob Hardesty has resigned & Sprinkel will do so

[page 3]
or be cashiered for cowardice on the Battle
field last Sunday–he behaved very badly
& ought to be drum[m]ed out of the service
Hendesty from all accounts did not do much
better–Pent Bryan will I suppose be captain
he behaved very gal[l]antly–so did Willie H[?]
I would not publish Elzys Report. I [know?] very
little about the report–no one believes it here
all know that we fought like tigers and
behaved as coolly as veterans and with
1500 men repulsed 7500 of which one
regiment was regulars–but for us the day
was lost & Beauregard & Davis both admit
ed it on the field of battle.

We have no news dont expect to move
forward for some days to come and
dont then know in which direction
we are to go. The Yankeys are still in
Alexandria–The Ellsworth Zouaves with
their col[o]n[el] were nearly all killed or
taken prisoners.

Love to all

affectionately

ETHW[arren]

Fourth Regiment Virginia Volunteers and later Colonel of the 10th Virginia Infantry.

Capt. McDonald: Craig Woodrow McDonald, prior Company E, 13th Va. Infantry
John Pennybacker: John Dyer Pennybacker, Private, Company G, 10th Va. Infantry
Bob Hardesty: Robert L. Hardesty, 1st Lieutenant, Company G, 10th Va. Infantry
Sprinkel: Charles Alexander Sprinkel, Captain, Company G, 10th Va. Infantry
Pent Bryan: Pendleton S. Bryan, 2nd Lieutenant, Company G, 10th Va. Infantry
Willie H: John William Houck, Lieutenant, Company G, 19th Va. Infantry.

[names identified by John Mann IV]

MSS 7786-g

1861 July 29 View Mont [Albemarle County, Va.]

Gen. John H. Cocke,

Dear Sir,

I enclose, at my
sister’s request, a copy of the letters you wished.
Hoping they will be safely received, I remain,
Very respectfully,
Lotte Moon

[enclosure follows]

My sister [i.e. Dr. Orianna Moon], having
entered into a temporary engagement with the
medical faculty at the University, has had a
ward assigned to her, and is now there in the discharge
of duties. The urgent demand for the service of
all who had the will and the nerve to witness
and relieve the suffering, rendered it impossible
for her to remain idle. Yeh I am confident,
from having so often heard her express the desire,
that she earnestly wishes to be nearer the scene
of action, and that she will shrink from neither
difficulty nor danger in the discharge of duty.

[page 2]
If any arrangement could be made to that effect I
am sure that she would be much gratified. The
arrangement she has entered into with the surgeons at
the University is only temporary, as she had determined
to make no permanent engagement until she had
heard further from you.

I regret extremely that I can find no copy of
the letters you wished. After looking over her
writing desk, I have reluctantly concluded
that she has either taken them with her,
or destroyed them. My mother will send a
messenger to town with your letter, and I
presume you will receive an answer in a few
days.

Very respectfully,
Lotte Moon.


Dr. Orianna Russell (Moon) Andrews (1834-1883), daughter of a wealthy merchant of Scottsville, Va., was a graduate of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania. After obtaining her degree she travelled to the Holy Land to assist her missionary uncle. There she was known as El Hakim (the doctor) by the Bedouins among whom she encouraged basic sanitary measures to reduce the prevalence of eye disease among the children. She returned to the United States shortly before the war. After the battle of Manassas/Bull Run Dr. Moon began working in the general hospital in Charlottesville. Soon after she married one of the Assistant Surgeons, John Summerfield Andrews, whose dying brother she had attended.

Her sister Lottie Moon (1840-1912), was equally well educated, a master of several languages and one of the first Southern women to obtain an M.A. degree. She assisted her widowed mother in running their Scottsville, Virginia, plantation, then taught for a few years before receiving a call to become a missionary. In 1873 she was appointed by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Church to China, where she lived and worked for the remainder of her life.

MSS 640


1861 July 29 Camp Pickens, Manassas Junction

My dear little Nannie:

I send by Mr Progue

a Yankee Knapsack, with some Brass

Belt Plates & a small Book, from the Bull’s

Run battle-field; which you can distribute

at your Father’s house, as you like, reserving

one or more pieces for your little self – The

Boys can be suited and I am sorry not

to be able to obtain something more appropriate

for your Ma, Lizzie, Sissie, & yourself – Let

it be remembered that I didn’t participate

in the fight & that these things are not

trophies earned by me

With much love to all at home

I am most devotedly

Your own

“Choctaw”

[William King]

Confederate Artillery Captain, Saltville Light Artillery

MSS 6682

1861 [July?]

A Confderate song typical of the rash of patriotic songs and poetry produced by both sides, especially in the first year of the war

SONG.

[small vignette of hunter with rifle and hound]

BULL’S RUN

Come gentle muse give me your aid,
Sharp make my pen as Ashby’s blade,
That I may make a good selection,
Of scoundrels for this day’s dissection.

First, Winfield Scott is on our list,
But gout has made him drop his fist,
For fuss and feathers only famous,
He thinks by proxy he can tame us.

Whenever Lincoln’s at a loss,
He quickly lies him to the Boss,
For so he styles this prince of leaders,
This deadly foe of all seceders,
Who from his chair, scarce dares to move,
Lest his foot, for his feathers too weak should prove.

McClellan, from Ohio, next boldly rushes forth,
And leaves the Central railway to aide and help the
North,
As fireman, brakesman, engineer, we make no doubt
he’s good,
But o’er our Johnston, let him crow when he gets
through the wood.

Now rushes on with drunken leer,
That gross ensample of all fear,
Bombastes Furioso Butler named,
For lies and boasting justly famed;
Major General is his rank,
For which we heaven devoutly thank.

These are the men, the Yankee nation,
Has raised to the exalted station,
of Major General, let them be,
By good luck you’ll soon farther see
And hear, from your obsequeous.

Broadside 1861 .S65

1861 [post July 21] Washington Camp Oswego

[letter fragment of an unknown Union soldier in Co. J of the 24th [New York]Regiment]

Dear wife I now sit down to let you
know that I am well and pretty
tough and hope these few lines will
find you enjoying the same blessing
you can see that my hand trembles
not with fear but it is vary hot and
I am out on picket guard about one
mil from the camp I have got
to stay here until tomoerning [sic] at
ten O clock there is one man with me
he is a stranger to me but we are
all soldiers together and Brothers
I hope I have a great deal to say
to you but cant say it all on this

[page 2]
sheet I will say all that I can
a soldiers life is a hard life to have
but we must not find any fault
or expect to live as we do at home we
came out two weeks to day on the out
side next to the enemy and have held our
place ever since we have not had
any tents to sleep in in that time
sleep on the ground rapt up in our
blankets under some tree i there is any if
not wright out in the open air it rains
very hard here when it dos rain and
that is pretty often to but we stand
it very well for all that, there is a
man that sets on the ground writing
on the same box with me he is writing
to his wife also his name is weaver
George W Weaver he lives at sand creek
or rather down below there about four
miles he has a little famely the same
as I have, we stand together in the
ranks and have agread that if one
falls in battle and the other dont

[page 3]
he that dont shall fetch the
tidings to the other famely and
his things if he can it is well enough
to have some friend by your side in
such times as these and on such business
as ours is our armies stand here a few
apart and we dont what will be
done the next time but I hope our
army will come out better the next
time if they have to fight but if it
will have be settled without any more
blood shead if it can be done honerable
but if we have to fight may we do it
like men not like beasts as the South
have our sid[e] sent a flag of truce to
bring the wounded to Washington but
but they would not receive it but
gave the man just ten minutes to get
out of the reach of their guns and
he had to run for his life I see the
waggons when they went out and when
they came back it seamed that we
could not have our wounded men to
take care of them but it was so them

[page 4]
that were there said the rascals
even fired into a church full of our
wounded that is worse the heathans
you have heard all about the battle
as much as we or or more although we
are within a few miles of the fields
so I will write something else that
concerns you more we recieved our
pay day before yesterday and to day I
have sent ten dollars to you by
express it will go to Sandy creek to
Mr Mason Halsbury and he will
send or fetch it to you I got sixteen
dollars and a half this payment and
sent you ten of it and kept the rest
of it we shall get some more the 30th
of August I expect they pay us as
they see fit we cant say our pay
is due here pay us our money and
then we have to waite until they get
ready there is one months pay due us now
the last of august there will be another
I want you to write as soon as you get
this for I have not had a letter from you
these three long weeks it seems a great while placed
as I am I may not live to get a great more
and I want you to write as often as you can
Direct your leters as you see on the other

[remainder of letter and signature missing. A George W. Weaver was in the 24th New York Infantry which had been mustered three weeks previously and at this time was posted to the defense of Washington. Presumably the unknown correspondent was in the same regiment]

MSS 8474-u

1861 July 27 Washington, D. C.

Dear parents and friends

I have again got an opportunity
to write and I thought I would occupy the time in
doing so. I have recieved all the letters you have
written to me and also one from Franics Symonds and
one from James Jordan. I have been very anxious to
hear from home ever since I came from Portland I am very glad
to hear you are getting along so well but I hope you will
not try to do too much work it will be far better to let a
part of the work go undon[e] overdue yourselves but
you must be your own judges in this respect try to do
the best you can for yourselves and all will be well.
I understood by your last letter that you heard I
was a prisoner to the rebels but I am happy to say it
is not so we were one spell in a very tight place and we
have lost six men out of our company probably their
may be in all 50 men in this regiment missing including killed
and wounded, we were in the thickest of the fight & about
three hours in the fight we got all mixed up and part
of the time we fought on our own hook the main body
had begun to retreet before our brigade got there but we
did not know it we marched up to the enemy and drove
them into the woods all the whill the cannon and
musket ball were whistleing and flying in every direction
at last our own cavelry rushed down uppon us like

[page 2]
cowardly dogs as I think they were trying to get away
from the enemy we opened our ranks and let them
through and we got into disorder and could not form
again as we were before and then came the order to
retreet and we went in every direction the party that
I was in came very near being taken by rebel cavelry
but we formed into line and met their charge we
stood firm and when they got near enough we fired
upon them and in a few minutes they begun to retire
but they left more than half their men behind, out
one company that charged uppon the Zouaves but six
got away alive it was so in about every fair charge
we had taken four masked batteries and were was
driving them towards Manassas Junction and their bagage
wagons had begun to start towards Richmond, in fact
we had fairly won the day but I believe our leader
was a traitor and a coward or we should have held our
ground, but as the saying is every thing works for the
best I hope it will be so in this case but I cannot
tell we retreeted to Alexandria we are now encamped
about four miles from the city in a splendid grove
and our men appear to be in good spirits and anxious
to go back and wipe out the rebels from their strong
hold among the hills which we surely shall do if we
ever have a chance to try. I can get enough paper
here to write on so you need not send any more
try and do the best you can to take care of the
things at home and if you cannot do it alone hire

[page 3]
some one to help you and if you cannot get any
one let a part of the work go undone. I have been
a little lame since the battle I did not feel it at
the time I had a musket ball pass through my coat I
suppose as there is a hole through the skirt about as
large as a musket ball. I could see the cannon balls
passing through the air and when they came to near
I steped one side and let them pass on. I saw quite
a number wounded dead, and dieing on the field it
was hard to pas them but we were obliged to do it
in order to save ourselves from being captured which
we were lucky enough to do I have learned since the
battle that the enemys force numbered more than
three time our own our loss is small to what we
expected, it would be whill the loss of the rebels
must have been large in killed and wounded with
a small number of prisoners that we took. I do
not know where we shall move next but this I know
we are now under a general that is a union man and
knows something and the one that lead us in the
battle is under arrest and I hope he will be hung
as I believe he deserves I do not think of any more
news at present. Tell the boys and friends that I
cannot get time to write to them separately so when
to write a letter to any I mean the whole I should
be very glad to hear from any of them if they
feel disposed to write. Give my best respects to all

Hiram M. Cash
Washington D.C. Co. H fifth Regt Main V.M.

Cash here refers to the July 26 appointment of George B. McClellan as commander of the Military Division of the Potomac, the main Union force responsible for the defense of Washington.

MSS 12916