[from the diary of William M. Blackford, bank officer and former diplomat with five sons in the Confederate Army]

Monday 4  One of the hottest days
of the season–Very hazy all day.  Rose
at 4 and got Mary off at 6 in
the cars–about 10 recd dispatch from
Gwatkins that Eugene was “decided
ly better”  News that Seward has
resigned & that he is denounced by
the Nat Intelligencer as having been
intriguing with England to bring
about [?] on her part–also
that Governors of Pennsylvania–Ohio
& Connecticut had refused to furnish
more troops–which I presume means
only that they would not conscript
volunteers: all this is important
news.  Gen Order out to please Pope
and all officers of his command be
yond the Cartel. If taken they
cant be inprisoned[?]  not as Prisoners
of war but as hostages & to be hang
-ed in retaliation if any one of our
men is executed.

MSS 4763

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

Monday, August 4th
The warmest day I have felt this summer.  I got up early to work on a pair of pantaloons for Fez.  Before breakfast a message came from Longwood saying Cousin William Nelson was there so we went up and stayed to dinner.  Returned home about five o’clock and had to finish the pantaloons which Dr. H took down to the river to Fez. Cousin William was very pleasant and agreeable

MSS 9759

                Headquarters Conchs Division
               Camp near Harrisons Landing, Va
                             August 3rd 1862

Col. Thos. Hillhouse
            Adjut General
                    State of New York, Sir
                                             I have the honor
to acknowledge the receipt at these Head-
quarters of the Commissions of Col. Wm H
Browne, and Lt .Col. James Walsh. 36th New
York. Vol. Those officers have been
placed on duty accordingly.
I am Sir
very respectfully
your obd. servt
Francis A Walker. Capt
Assist. Adj. Gen.

Francis Amasa Walker, 1840-1897, after the war was Chief of the Bureau of Statistics, a professor of political economy at Yale, and president of both the American Statistical Association and the American Economic Association.

Thomas Hillhouse, 1817-1897, New York State Senator, and Adj. Genl. New York State Militia, after the war New York State Comptroller and Assistant Treasurer of the U.S.

MSS 8474-aa

               Camp near Gordonsville
                                    Aug 3 1862
My Darling Wife
                             For some days I have been expect-
ing that every mail would bring me a letter from
home but have been disappointed. I am sure a
letter is on the way and that you would not
suffer two weeks to pass without writing to
me. I wrote to you some ten days ago just after
I got here. It may be that this did not reach
you and you do not know where I am
I am getting to feel used to the army and used
to the idea of staying in it, until I see the
end of the war or it sees the end of me
The work entrusted to me is highly honourable
and very agreeable. I think it will be suff-
icient to keep me employed and make me
as happy as I have ever been in the service.
The only objection to it is that my labour
is gratuitous and I draw no pay. I shall try
and make my expense account as small as possible.

[page 2]
The army is more quiet than I have ever known
it. The enemy have a considerable force some
30 or 40 miles from us amounting possibly to
30,000 men. Their cavalry and ours are occas-
ionally skirmishing, and yesterday had quite        
a severe engagement with one of our regiments    
at Orange C.H. They are said to have had some    
three regiments against our one, and so far as        
I can learn we got the worst of it. No very
serious damage however as our killed and
wounded are only some fifteen.
Today Sunday is very quiet and reminds me
much of a Sunday at home, the usual work being
suspended and every one engaged in sleeping
reading or talking. Formerly there was no Sunday
in the army and every thing went on as usual
on any other day, but now the drills and ordin-
ary work of the week are suspended on Sunday.
Whilst employment here will make me contented
for there is no use in grieving about what must
be borne yet I heartily wish that I was at home
with you and our dear little children. Affection

[page 3]
and sympathy attract me towards home as the dearest
place on earth, but duty to my country and respect for    ]
my own manhood require that I should forego
this happiness until the war ends, as end it
must sooner or later.
I trust Darling that you will be as contented
and happy as you can under the circumstances. The
inconvenience to which you are subjected is just
the same which all other ladies have to bear. You
at least have all the comforts of home and necessaries
of life whilst the wife and little ones of many
a gallant man in the service are miles from
their homes or without the necessaries of life. It
is a poor consolation for your own troubles
that others have worse, but it is alike
the dictate of pity and virtue to bear them
in patience and thus show that you merit a
better fate. The War must end some day. We
may never live to see it. But we owe to ourselves
to cherish the hope that we may one day live
happily together again, that there will be bright
sunshine after the storm which now envelopes us.

[page 4]
Notwithstanding, the rainy days which we have
had in the last two weeks  I trust there has been
dry weather enough in the last two weeks to enable
the hands to finish getting up the hay and that you
have gotten rid of your Irish boarders. I have sold
the hay to Capt Tutwiler the quartermaster at Lexington
at $1 per hundred, to be baled and hauled away
by him. I should like for him to do it
as soon as possible.
I wish the wheat threshed by the machine
which your father gets to thresh Mats
wheat. You can send your hands to help
with his and then get his to help with yours
if your father is willing to do this. As soon as
the wheat is threshed have it hauled to the
mill. Before you commence plowing for
wheat I wish Jack to spend four or five
days in hauling saw logs from the brushy
hill to Zolmans mill. Wm White will
furnish the bill of lumber into which they
are to be sawed which Jack can take to the
Sawmill.
I wish you to manage every thing on the farm
just as you like and I will be satisfied. In
your weekly letters, and you must write
that often, let me know what you have
been doing –
And now Dearest good bye. Remind our
dear little boys of their absent papa
                                        Ever Yours
                                             E F Paxton

[The above letter is written in ink and is somewhat faded. Page four, shown above,
is not included in Civil War Letters of Frank “Bull” Paxton. The original letter is signed
as above and not “Love, Frank” as found in the cited book.]


Elisha F. “Bull” Paxton, University of Virginia alumni and commander of the 27th Virginia Infantry

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 2165

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

Sunday
Aug 3

Went down town on a pass.
Went to church and heard Mr
Wellen of the 24th Mass preach.  liked him
much.  The[n] wnt down to the wharf with
John Simonds-and got some honey and pie

MSS 11293

                  Hillside
                  August 3d  1862

Dear Gen: Cocke,

               As I have not written
to you for a very long time I will
write to you now.  We did
              We did not go to Sunday
school or church this morning because
of the scarlet fever which has killed
several children within the last 2 or
3 weeks.
            I am very lonesome
here as there are no boys to
play with, & mother will not
let me hunt with Uncle Johns gun
   I used to hunt a great deal
with at Uncle Lucien Prices.
             Give my love to Charley
if he is at your house.  Clara

[page 2]
sends her love to you, & Lily
would too if she knew I
was writing.
                     I am yours affection-
ately.
                      Lucian Minor

docketed
Minor Lucian red Aug
2nd  and Do 23
per my grandson
Charles H-

MSS 640

                                    Sunday morning August
                                                      the 3  1862

Dear Cousin
                    after long neglect I in deavor
to answer you kind letter which came to hand
in due time  I hope you will excuse me for
not writing sooner, as I was verry unwell
for several days after I got your letter,
I have bin waiting sence I got well to
learn something new to write, tho I beleave
thare is no news in circulation now atal,
I hear but very little said about the yankees
now, tho we are still preparing for them
close by here, we have to go about four miles
to work on the breast works every other day,
I cant beleave that thay will come bac here
again soon, tho thare is no teling what
the fools may do,
Some of our boys are geting very anxious
to put in substitutes, John Milner got
a transfur from the Cascade  company to ours
and put in a substitute last week he onley
stayed one night after Milner left,
Henry Hines came down last week and got
one for his brother William he hot him
in yesterday  thay will start home to
marrow. he belonged to the 57 Regiment,
I dont blame no man to put in a substitute
if he can, tho I think if it is kept
up much longer it will ruin our army

[page 2]
It is a nough to make a man want to
get out, to look at our Flag that we carried
in the last Battle, thay was some six or seven
men shot with our flag in thar hands, and
thay was forty five holes shot through it
and the staff shot in too,
I hird friday evening that Pleasant Iman was
dead, he died in started home some too weeks
ago after the men that was absent without
lave, and got to Richmond and the orders
was counter manded, and he was taken sic
thare ane never got bac to his company eny
more, I havent hird from Bates since
he was sent to the hospital,
I would like very much to be at mount
herman to day with you all, I hope
you all may have a interesting meeting,
I got a letter from Mary & cousin Amerca the
other day I was glad to hear from you all
& to hear that you were all well,
I have bin very well the last week
I dont think thare is much sicness
in camp now,
I will close John says he will write
a few lines before I seal this he is on
guard to day, nothing more remain
your frend and cousin until death
write to me soon and gave me all the news
                    James Booker
              to Miss C. V. Blair

Sunday eavning August the 3 1862
Dear Cousin I write you a few lines
to let you no that I havent forgot mi
promes I have bin thinking I wold write to you
ever sence I have bin here.  but I have bin on duty
so much I havent had the chance. I have bin well
sence I have bin here exsept coal.  I have had
a very bad coal & soar throat sence Ive bin here
Cousing Unity I havent time to write much
now as I am on guard to day & I reaken Jim
have give you all the news.  I here nothing
from the yankees. I am in hopes they will
con clude not to [obliterated word] fite any more those
is very often very hevy canon made in
down on the river be low here. they are
fire ring a good eal.  this eavening some says
they are trien thare Batterys  Cousin Uinty
I am going to send you some postage stamps
I could ent get any ten cent stamps an had to get
five cents stamps, you must excuse this short
letter, I still re main your frend an
an[sic] cousin unntel deth  John Booker

John and James Booker of Co D, 38th Virginia (Whitmell Guards) to their cousin Chloe Unity Blair


MSS 11237

[from the diary of Frank C. Fitzhugh of Cutshaw’s Battery]

     Sunday   3
 I went over to Ch
rode from Cousin
BS over to Jane Conways
With Nillin [?]
Lou Muggy came
                         home

J John Fitzhugh
came up home

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 4448

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

Aug 3rd
Sunday wrote to Jennie, Remained in Camp all
day.  Aug 4th  Sent letter over by Henry to Gordons-
-ville.  Some rumors to day about enemy being
at Liberty Mills and Ewell going over after
them.  Aug 5th Today servant Jas. came
up sent by Jennie with a letter, and some
of that celebrated cake.

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]