[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell, civilian employee of the Quarter Master Dept.]
Wednesday morning, Aug. 13, 1862.
Another train of wounded from Saturday’s battle arrived this
morning — one or more came yesterday, bringing fifty wound-
ed Yankees. These sights give us a horrid view of war. Men
without arms and legs, and shot in the head, body +c. —
A poor woman present looking for her husband, who, she
has heard, was wounded, or killed. We are still without
reliable particulars of the battle. Reported that 800 of the enemy were
left dead on the field, that we captured from one to
three Brig. Gens and killed one, and took 4000 small
arms, cannon +c. The fight is represented as a very se-
vere one. A brother of Joe Ryan killed. The papers of
Monday; received last night (via Lynchburg) have no news
indicative of a termination of the war. Most people in
this region doing without sugar and coffee.
Afternoon. — Twenty-one deserters from the Federal army
came in to day. Fifteen or sixteen of them belonged to the 8th
Va (Yankee) Regiment, the to which most of those who arrived
Sunday evening were attached. Lincoln has ordered a draft for
300,000 militia, for nine months, in addition to the 300,000
volunteers called for. So far the North seems determined to
wage the war to the bitter end, in defiance of the cardinal
feature of our institutions, that governments derive
“their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]
MSS 38-258
