[from the diary of Eliza Oswald Hill,  refugee from Wilmington, N.C.]

Thursday the 8th  the weather is again clear & bright–Mr
Powell leaves at one o clock for Mississippi–He has called
to bid Eliza goodbye–The conscript law is taking away all
the students from the Hill–It will soon be very lonely–
Eliza Bradley has measles–No letters to day–Tom will soon be off

MSS 6960

[from the diary of Lt. John Tyler of the Letcher Artillery]

May 8th  Up this morning at
5 o’c to roll call part of my duty as
Battery officer of the day.  At 10 o’c
heard artillery firing some five or
six miles to our right, & at 12 o’c
the Capt. rode up with orders to
move immediately, which we
executed in half an hour, starting

from our Camp at 12 ½ o’c.  We
afterward rec-d orders to send back
after our Camp equipage, which
was done.  We moved a ½ mile down
the telegraph road towards Fredsbg
and there waited till 4 ½ o’c in after-
-noon, when we moved one mile
farther down & brought our battery
into position on a hill covered with
pines & cedars clearing a place for
the guns [word lined through] with axes.  Our wagons
came up in the evening & two tents
were pitched for the officers, the
men bivouacing.  Went to bed very
tired having been on my horse near-
-ly all day.  Nothing but tough bread
and fat bacon to eat.  We are now
5 ½ miles from Fredsbg.

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 6150

[from the diary of Joseph A. Waddell, former owner and editor of the Staunton Spectator and a civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

[from the diary of Jesse Calvin Spaulding,  Co. F, 25th Massachusetts]

Thursday
May 8

Got ready to go on guard this
morning.  When news came that
were going off after all so we must get
ready. Sent some things home by express
Borrowed a dollar of Ed Brown.  Quite
warm and pleasant weather.  Wrote a letter
home.  May God my father be with me
and preserve me from evil.

MSS 11293

[from the diary of James Dismore Templeton, musician and private in the 23rd Ohio]
Thursday, May 8, 1862

Had breakfast at
the Hotel Played for
Guard mounting.Tom the cook came in
this forenoon fixed
up to cook We fired[?]
the Court House: Had
dinner at a private
house with Critchfield
Called to see Mrs
Jenstron at whose
husbands office we
 now stop
Played on the Piaza
this evening. Boys
on a drunk yesterday
acted badly
Several Secesh about
here.  Reconnaissance
made this day.  Enemy
about 12 miles off  Clear

MSS 10317

[from the diary of Daniel D. Logan, younger brother of General Thomas M. Logan, formerly a Sgt, Co. B, 1st Special Battalion (Rightor’s), now with the Hampton Legion]

                        Thursday – May 8th 1862
We were up this morning before one o’c
& our column got under way – It was so
slow owing to the number of wagons
along the road & artilery, that I got
ahead & marched in the advance
with Imbodens battery – we reached New    
Kent Court House abt seven o’clock a’m      
here I got something to eat, which I must      
apologize for terming “breakfast” & took a  
good sleep until noon when the Legions
came up & joining them I marched
on abt one mile from the Court House
where the brigade halted for the day
& bivouacked for the purpose of getting
something to eat, the men have been
out of everything since yesterday at
morning – I walked up to Mr Mayo’s
house to try & get something to eat, but without
success – I was however well paid for the

walk by the fine scenery – from the
hill upon which the house is situated –
an extensive view of the distant hills
towards Richmond & a fine view of the
Pomonkey river abt seven miles above  
its confluence with the Matomoni –      
the eye can reach over an expanse
of ten or twelve miles distant – how I
Upon this hill in a quiet little graveyard
we dug a grave for a Texan of the first    
regt – who died of his wounds today –    
Mr James Bush Co F – (Early Co Gr) from  
Hardin CountyTexas – Returned to              
Camp at 5 o’c found Mullie & his Lieutenants                
starving for something to eat, the men on hf rations
of bacon & crackers – Major Conner loaned me his
horse to go foraging – after a ride of 5 miles I succeeded
in getting some corn bread & bacon from some free negroes
which proved very acceptable to us, having had
nothing to eat since last night when we dined
on yankee crackers – Retired at 9 o’c –

[“Imboden’s Battery was the  Staunton Artillery (Va.)  commanded by Capt. John  D. Imboden.” – R.K.K.]


[“Not only was James Bush buried there, but also Colonel H. H. Black of the 1st Texas. Apparently they are both still there, although the plantation is long gone and the cemetery is not marked.” -R.E.L. Krick]

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards;  annotations by Robert K. Krick, and Robert E. Lee Krick]

MSS 6154

[from the diary of Charles Hay of the 23rd Ohio]

                                       Giles (or Pearisburg) May 9th; 8 P.M.
     Have just arrived here, after a weary
horseback ride of 28 miles.  Was furnished
a horse this morning at Princeton, &
jogged through today, thermometer pretty
well up.  In this trip, I found myself
in a much better country, & better
cultivated than I have yet seen in
Virginia.  After striking New River,
some 12 miles below here, we find
rich bottomd  [land], well adapted for raising
corn.  Farmers were at work planting
corn, as though their neighborhood
was not the theatre of active warfare.
Find the town in a state of feverish
anxiety, consequent upon one small
force, no reinforcements at hand, &
the enemy in large force, but a few
miles out, making anything like friendly
demonstrations.  The truth is, we are in an
unpleasant locality, only 21 miles from
the Rail Road having direct communi=
=cation with Richmond, from which

                                                                           
they could bring a large force in a short
time against us, & which they have
undoubtedly done.  As I compose myself
to sleep tonight, it is with the conviction
fully impressed upon my mind, that if
an attack is not made tonight, it will
not be deferred 24 hours.  All I ask is,
that in my present wearied condition,
I may be allowed a full night’s rest,
& my breakfast in the morning, & then,
if fighting must be done, I can relish
it better.
     From what little I have seen of Giles,
I can say it is really a pretty town,
and substantially built.  The style of
architecture is better than we usually
find in this country.  The people are
wealthier, much more intelligent, and
not given to the use of such idioms
as ‘thar’, ‘whar’, somewhar’, ‘right smart
sprinkle’, &c, so peculiar to most of
these Western Virginians.  But most are
unquestionably ‘secesh’ all over.

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 13925

West Point Va May 8 62
Dear parents
Since I wrote to you we have moved up the York river to this place,
and landed right in the face of the rebels our gunboats
fired a few shell and drove them away from the shore
so we could land we landed just at night and the
next day was occupied in scouting and some hard
fighting took place in which the fifth Me. was
engaged, we had one man wounded in the leg
another had three galls put through his clothes
but did not hurt him much there was quite a
number killed and wounded in other regts.
while the fight was going on the rebels tried to
shell our transports our gun boats got into play
and throwed shell into the rebels and soon stoped
their fun one of Gen Newtons aids was taken by the
rebels while they were carrying him away a shell
struck among them they left him and run and he
returned to his place slightly wounded.  We had one
man killed in Co. G. and three others wounded in this Regt & one
in our company by the name of Parker they think to save
his leg his wound is just below the knee he bears the
pain patiently.  Our Regt. stood their ground amid a shower
of bulletts until the rebels began to retreat then they were

[page 2]
[words too faded to distinguish] all day the rebels were in a thick
swamp and fought in  indian[?] fashion. We have now got
a large force here and more are coming at first we
had only one division Gen Franklin’s and it is supposed
the rebels had 40000 men near this place but they have
left the place now and gone towards Richmond but
McClellan is in hopes to catch them before they get
there: The rebels used our wounded rough one man
was found this morning wounded in the shoulder with
his throat cut, some men got into the mud and could not
get out and the rebels shot them after they asked for
quarter

[letter of Hiram Cash of the 5th Maine will continue on May 10]

MSS 12916

Yorktown May 8th
Dear Mother
I suppose before this reaches you you
will have heard of the battle at Williamsburgh we were
not in that fight, but we are about to embark and
go up the York river probably to Richmond we are the
reserve and follow after the rest so we do not have
to go into a fight unless needed I have not time
to write more now as we are on the wharf and
the boat is ready to start.  Write and tell Asa where
I have gone as I shall not have time
My love to you and all the rest

William Wallace

envelope addressed to:
Mrs. E. Smith
Newton Lower Falls
Mass

William Wallace Smith
22nd Massachusetts


MSS 15360

Tuesday, May 6th

[from the diary of Matthella Page Harrison as transcribed at a later date]

This morning when I awoke, I could scarcely realize all that had passed the night before.  It was like a vivid dream.  This morning when I had dressed, Cousin John, Cousin Mary Nelson and the girls, Mary and Lizzie, came to propose a walk to Moorings to congratulate her on Cousin Bev’s visit.  We found her rather doleful, fearing he had not gotten in safety through the lines.  I trust that the Almighty arms which preserved their incoming will preserve their outgoing.  God grant our people will soon return to us in safety.

MSS 9759