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This transcription has not been verified by Special Collections Research Staff. Please also consult images of the document.

[1]

Camp near Centreville
August 7th. 1861

Dear Tom

Bragg & Leitch arrived last night bringing me
a box, bundle of shirts for Edmund & a letter from Preston
all badly wellcomed.  I had learned from a letter to Abner
from Armistead that Mother had been confined to bed
with a bilious attack but was a great deal better & was
disturbed to find that she was not well when Pres wrote.
Almost all the letters from our neighborhood stated that
she was sick &had it not been for Armistead’s letter
I should have been much more [...eaty?] than I have been.

I hope you are all [crossed out] not worn out with reading & hearing
about the battle for I have nothing else to write to you
but the part our regiment played before & after the fal [‘the fal’ crossed out] during
the battle. .  We were stationed at Fairfax C H from the first of
July until the fourteenth or fifteenth when we retreated to
Bull just below the stone bridge.  At Fairfax court house
nothing important occurred except[crossed out] & we spent a great time
though with one or two regiments we were on the advanced
post of the army & had occasional alarms at night from
our pickets.  On the morning of our retreat we had all our bag-
gage packed & the wagons sent to Bull run by seven o’clock as
we had been informed by day break of the advance of the enemy.
After starting the wagons we were drawn up in Battle on a hill
a hundred yards from our camp wh.[which] commanded the of a hill
beyond the courthouse & about a mile from us.


[2]

In about twenty minutes our pickets who had been stationed
about three miles distant came in & said that there were
about fifteen thousand of the enemy turning our left flank.  As
the retreat had been meditated long before no provision had
been made to meet such an enemy except a breast work
for infantry wh. we had thrown up very roughly across the road
on our left along wl.[while] they were advanceing.  Behind [crossed out] This breast work
was thrown up to cover our retreat in case of a sudden attack
& to entice the enemy to pressure us [?] into three or four
masked batteries planted on Bull run about nine miles distant
by leading them to believe that we were only a [] collected about
the courthouse to oppose their progress but frightened out of our
purpose by their terrible array wh.[which] was pretty soon displayed on
the hill opposite to us.  The column advancing on our left
was cut off from view by a very thick woods about two hundred
yards from our position.  As soon the enemy appeared Bouham
ordered our regiment to begin the retreat wh.[which] we did at double quick
for about a quarter of a mile in order to make room along the
road for the two South Carolina regiments that had been en-
camped a little in advance of us.  At Centreville the[crossed out] wh.[which] is about
seven miles from Fairfax C H the road forks.  The right hand
for wh.[which] we took crosses Bull run at the Stone Bridge about
three miles lower down at Mitchel’s or Black Burn’s ford
& was protected by a good breastwork with three or four masked
batteries.  Between this ford & the stone bridge there is another
ford which our regiment was ordered to hold & where we
took our position that night & returned the next morning


[3]

to the side of Bull run next the enemy in woods about half
a mile from the turnpike on a road wh.[which] turned off from it
to the left & led to the ford wh.[which] we held.  Here we were depoyed
as skirmishers every day from Wednesday morning till Sunday
morning retiring every night about two or three hundred yards
to sleep.  Some of the men had oil cloth & some a blanket &
over coat but we had scarcely any thing to eat but ship biscuit
& hot muddy water from Bull run.  The position of our regiment
here was a very [?] one as the enemy was not more than
                       occupied
two miles from us & we were[crossed out] the most advanced post having
a creek, a steep hill & rough road of a half mile between us &
any assistance or place of retreat.  On Sunday morning a company
from our regiment posted on picket near the turnpike fired
into the enemies skirmishers about day break.  In a few minutes
we were marched to our posts.  In about an hour the company
wh.[which] had fired came in reporting the approach of the enemy in
great numbers, bringing one prisoner & saying they thought
they had killed one man.  By this time we could hear the
roar of the cannon carriages & amunition wagons & the orders
of the officers along the turnpike.

Sunday August 11th.
I intended to give you a full account of the battle
when I began this but was interupted & as I determined
to send above home for a short time thought I had
better finish & send it by him.  Abner asked leave to to[crossed out]
go & as our movements are at present rather uncertain
& I might have to leave him at any rate & thinking too
it might be some comfort to Mother to hear directly


[4]

from us I consented.  He can stay until Thursday evenening.

We moved to day about a mile from where we were camped
when I began this letter.   We are about half a mile beyond
Centreville & about three or three & a half from the battlefield.
Jackson’s brigade was encamped very near here last
week & I hope have not gone yet.  I will leave if possible
tomorrow.  As it passed down the road Tom Preston, [?],
John Alexander, John Leyburn & two Meyers boys came to
our tent & stayed about an hour.  Tom Preston is chap-
lain to Echols’ regiment.  They were then moving to a
                     are
woods near where we have[crossed out] encamped now.

Our regiment was ordered into battle about one o’clock.
We lay for about half an hour under a fire of musketry
part of wh.[which] came from on old house about seventy yards
                            were hid
off where about thirty yankees.  We then charged down
a hill about a hundred yards with a shout to Sherman’s
                                                      by
[?] battery which had a little while before been taken ^ cousin
James Preston’s regiment & it was here the college company
suffered considerably.  His regiment becoming scattered
the enemy seem to intend to retake the battery but
retreated when we shouted & another regiment appeared upon
their left & fired into them.  I did not fire a shot.  Most of our
regiment fired at them as they retreated about two hundred
yards off.  Willy Page was killed before we were ordered
to lie down.  Every one in the company regrets his death exceeding –
ly none as much as Edmund & myself.  Our company recieved
a reinforcement of Winfrey, [?], & [Byaeds?] last night.