"THE DIARY OF THOMAS DAVID WALLACE" is provided courtesy of Robert Thompson. I sincerely appreciate his sharing this document.
(This transcription from a typewritten copy has had punctuation and capitalization added in order to improve readibility. Minor spelling improvements where also made where there was a reasonable need to improve that readability.)
I left the home of my childhood the 11th of May. I left my mother. I took the parting hand with her. The battlefield is nothing to taking the parting hand with my mother. I went to Louisville on the 11th of May and stayed there till Monday morning and then I left and got to Mashulaville on the 13th and stayed there till the morning of the 14th and left there and went to Macon about 3 o'clock on the 14th. We stayed there till night. We left there about dark. We got on the cars and left with cheers from the people that was there. We went from there to Crawfordville where the cars stopped for awhile. We went to Artesia and stopped for awhile. We passed several more depots, but I never paid any attention to any more of them. We arrived at Corinth at sunrise next morning. We got off of the cars and formed a line and the captain got a Methodist church for us to sleep in the first night and next morning we went out in an old field and fixed up our tents and we stayed in the old field 2 days. Then we moved up in the woods where we was placed in the 13th regiment of Mississippi. William Barksdale is our colonel. He is a brave man. We stayed at Corinth 9 days. It is the meanest place that I ever saw. When we heard that we had to leave and go to Union City, we was the best pleased people that I ever saw. We left Corinth about 3 o'clock and went up to Jackson and stayed there till next morning. We left there at 10 o'clock for Union. We got there about 12 o'clock and stayed there about two months. The last night I stayed there, I stood guard. I thought of the friends that I left behind. The fond recollection of my old home came to memory. I could hear nothing but the rattling of bells in the far old fields and the sound of hammer on coffins that was making for the dead that was in camps. One night we heard that the enemy was coming. I believe that it was false alarm. A way about midnight there was a gun fired for alarm. The boys said that they saw somebody but I don't believe it. We all got up our guns and formed a line of battle but we did not stay for long before we went back to our tents and went to sleep.
When we got up in the morning, all was right. We did not have good water there, so the Colonel got us off as soon as he could. We left there and went to Jackson, Tennessee. We went out about a mile from town to camp and before we got our tents up. We heard that we had to go to Virginia. The colonel had us to form a line and told us to go to Richmond, Va. The cheers that was given could have been heard 2 miles I think, for the last man was glad that we was going to Virginia. We stayed there one night and went to Corinth. We saw the 14th Mississippi regiment. It was at Corinth. We had a fast time that night drinking toddy. A few days before we left, M.W.White was put on guard and he went to sleep. He was court marshalled. They put him on double duty. His time came again. I was on guard too. White went to sleep again. He thought that he was to be shot and he run away and deserted and the Winston guards was glad that he was gone. We never put ourselves to any trouble about him. We just let him go and glad to get rid of him.
The night we stayed at Corinth, we had to cook 8 days provisions. That night we left there about 9 o'clock. On Sunday, that was the next day we got to Iuka about 3 o'clock. We saw some of the Webster company. Warner saw some of his friends and jumped out of the cars and went to tell them howdy. The cars was going slow and started off pretty fast and he ran to get on. When he jumped up between the cars, his foot slipped and he fell under the cars. One of the boys saw him fall and jumped to the fore part of the cars and let them loose so the cars that we was on was stopped. Some of the boys went back to see what had become of him. They found him cut allto pieces.
They picked him up and carried him in a house. They left him for his friends to bury. They said they would bury him in good style. So the engine came back and hitched to the cars that was loose and we went on. The population of Iuka is about 700. Then to Chattanooga. We got there about 12 o'clock. We stayed there till next morning. The population of Chattanooga is about 10,000. We left the next morning about 7 o'clock. The scenery between Chattanooga and Knoxville is beautiful scenery to see. The beautiful mountains around their beautiful blue tops looked so nice as we went along the valley below. The next night we stayed at Knoxville. That is a beautiful place. The population is about 10,000. We left there about 7 o'clock next morning for Lynchburg, but we did not get there that night, so we had to travel all night. We never got there till 5 o'clock next evening.
That is as fast a place as I ever saw. The population is about 12,000. I have left out several important places but it is too much trouble to mention all of them. We changed cars there. We changed several times before, but I did not mention. It is a beautiful place situated on the James River, on the side of a mountain. We got on the cars at 9 o'clock that night. We left there and went to Gordonsville at dinner time where we stopped and got our dinner. We stayed there till about 4 oclock that evening. The population is about 700. We left there about 4 o'clock. I will not mention any more places till I get to Manassas Junction about 10 o'clock at night. We unloaded the cars which made it about 11 o'clock before we laid our blankets down and lay down on them and went to sleep without putting up our tents. We had enough cooked for breakfast the next morning, which was Sunday. We eat our breakfast as soon as we could. We had no more got done eating before the captain came and said "Fix boys for a fight". We put one blanket in our knapsack and got our guns. We started off without anything to eat. We traveled about 5 miles north and we stoppped there about 1/2 of an hour when the colonel said "Attention!". We all got in line and the colonel said leave your knapsacks. We hung them up on bushes and got back in line. He then carried us in a run about 10 miles awhile before we got to where the fighting was going on. We met several poor Southern boys shot all to peices. Some of them with their legs broke and some of them with their arms broke. They would say "Go it boys for we have got the battery but I am afraid that they will get it back" and some of them would say "Go it boys, we are giving them the devil." Some of them would say "Go it, goddamn their souls, we will give them the devil" that was cursing that way when they was all shot to peices. We met one poor boy coming from the field, acrying. He said that he had been fighting all day and his regiment was cut all to pieces and he was tired down. He said, "my captain was shot down right by my side - the best friend that I have. Go it boys, I will be with you as soon as I get some water and rest for a little, for I am tired down now, but I will give them the best I have got." When we got in sight of the Yankees, we raised a yell that Indians could not have raised. When we got in about a quarter of a mile of them we formed a line of battle. They commenced firing on us. We could not shoot for we was too far off. The right wing shot but did not do much harm. Our artillery was playing on them all the time. Our colonel give the command, "Charge Bayonets!" When we started towards them, they (ran) like turkeys. They beat us a-running all to peices. When we got to where they was on top of the hill, they was about 1/2 of a mile from us, our artillery still firing on them as they run. They would shoot as long in one place as they could.
Then they would hitch up again and follow them. Our cavalry followed them till midnight. The northern loss was about 8,000 killed and wounded and ours was about 1600 killed and wounded. We followed them about 3 miles and we had to stop for we was tired down. We stacked our guns and lay down without anything to eat or any blankets. We put our cartridge box under our heads and lay down on the ground.
We got our breakfast on Sunday morning and did not get anything more to eat till Monday evening. It rained on us all day Monday. On Monday night, we got some rails and made us a straw tent that done pretty well. We stayed there till Wednesday evening and we left there and went to Stonebridge, where they fought the Thursday before. The next morning, we drilled a little and that evening, which was Friday, they put me to guard the hospital. When I am on guard I can't hear nothing but the groans of the wounded, some with their legs broke and some with there arms broke. The most of them is Yankees. One is a colonel and he says if he ever gits back he will be damned if he don't try us again. He says that we can't whip them everytime. That he says we whipped them this time but he says that we can't do it again, but I believe that we can do it everytime.
When we had gone about 2 miles from the place where we had the fight, we stopped and rested awhile. When we had been there about 1/2 of an hour, the colonel said "Attention Battalion!" We all got in line and to our surprise we saw the honorable Jeff Davis, the brave southerner, the man who deserves the honor of being a true southern, a man that says that he will die with the South. He deserves the praise of every true born Southerner. He deserves the honor of every mother and father. I am now at the hospital. Sometime I get off by myself. I then think of my native land. The fond recollection of my native home comes to my mind. I then think of my love and my mother that I left behind. I then think of my sisters and brother.
I wish that I could be with them. I then think of my first loved, the girl that my heart is bound to, the one that draws my attention, the one that I love better than all the rest.
We got to Rockbridge on Thursday evening. We fixed and went to bed. The next morning, which was Friday, we went to drilling. We drilled from 8 o'clock to 10 and went back to our tents to get dinner. We eat our dinner and rested till 4 o'clock, when we was called out to drill. They had to have some guards to guard a hospital that had the wounded Yankees in, so we went to the hospital. On Friday evening, when we got there, there was some guards there that was the proudest fellows that I ever seen for they wanted to get off of guarding. We stayed there till Tuesday evening. We looked for guards to relieve us but saw none. We stayed there till Tuesday evening, when we got orders to leave there and go back to our camps. We got back about one hour into the night. We went to our tents and went to sleep.
The next morning we went to drilling again. We drilled from 8 to 10 and got our dinners that evening. We got orders to cook 1 days provisions. We did so. We got ready to move next morning soon, but it rained till about 10 o'clock. As soon as it quit, we put our knapsacks on and started to Centerville.
We are now in about 1 mile from Centerville. We got here on the 1 day of August. We fixed our camping ground that evening. The next day which was the second we went out to drill. We drilled from 8 to 9 o'clock. Then we went to our camps and got dinner. We rested till 1/2 past 6 when we went out on dress parade. It looked like we had but one company for all of our men was sick. The next morning one of the wagoneers got sick and I had to drive in his place till Monday evening. On Saturday I went back to Rockbridge to get some of the cooking utensils. I got back to camp about 3 o'clock and stayed there till Sunday morning which was the 4 of August. I geared up my team and went to the Junction to get a load for the "suttler" of our regiment. I got them and started back for the camp. The wagon was piled up to the top of the side boards with boxes and there was six men on top of it too. I got about 4 miles from the Junction and I went to go over a branch. Just as I got half over, the wagon turned over. I looked back and I saw men and boxes a-rolling out together. I could hardly keep from laughing but I did not. I got down off of the horse and asked if there was anybody hurt. They said "no", so we then had to go to work and tote the load out of the branch. So when we got loaded again we had to go about 6 miles. When we started we had a long steep hill to go up which was hard pulling, so we never got to camp till dark. We unloaded our wagons and bed our horses and went to sleep. We got up next morning and got our breakfast and started back to the Junction. We had better luck that day and got back about 1 hour by sun on the 6 of August.
Leonard Alexander died a little before day. We fixed and dug his grave and we buried him about 3 o'clock. We had 8 men with their guns to shoot three times a piece over his grave. We covered him up. It made me feel bad to see a man die. All of our regiment is sick at this time. There isn't enough of us to wait on the sick and stand guard so we have no guards now. We have the name of the "sick regiment" now. We have lost 6 of our men since we got to this place. (They are) Leonard Alexander, Newt Tabor, Harry Owens, Jesse Brown, Stark Rolin, and Henry P. Peterson. Oh how I hated to part with him.
He seemed like a brother to me. He died 15 of August 1861, a day that will not be forgotten by me soon. He went to the battlefield on the 21. He stood up to like a soldier - a man. I hated to part with him as bad as if he had been my brother. He was sick 22 days with the typhoid fever. On the 14th a parson came over from the 17 Miss regiment, He came in our tent and knelt down by him (illegible text)...
Our regiment, that is to say the well ones, left here on the 9 of August and there was no more than 5 or 6 out of 10 the was able to go. They went up to Leesburg. I hear that they got there safe. I wanted to go but I was too sick to go. There was but 3 of our Miss. went. All the rest was sick. This is one of the trying times in our regiment. We stayed at Centerville one week after the well men left. On Friday night, T. J. Hughes died which was 7 men out of our company in less than 2 weeks. We left Centerville on Saturday which was the 17 of August. We got to Leesburg about sundown. I was glad to get with my company once more. It looked like that they had been gone 2 months . On Sunday was the 18. I did not do anything that day for I had not got well. 19 20 21- I went out on battalion drill and when we got done drilling we went back to our tents and rested awhile. Then we went out on dress parade. Our company had 13 men in it. The 22 - 8 men answered for duty. There is more sickness in than I ever saw in my life and has been for the last 2 weeks. On the 31 of August, I went to Mr. Cravens and stayed there till the 8 day of October. When I left there it was like leaving home. I was treated as well as if I had been at home. On the 8 of October, I went to Leesburg. I stayed there all night and till after dinner the next day. When I got my dinner I started for camps which was about 7 miles. I had to ride in a baggage wagon. When I got to camp, I took the "grounders" and I was sick with them about 2 weeks. One morning the regiment left Ball's Mills and went to Leesburg. They stayed there till about 2 o'clock that night when they got orders to go to Carter's Mill which is about 7 miles. They got there about daylight. When they left I was sick and I could not go with them so I stayed at Ball's Mills till the next day and the colonel sent for all of the boys to come to Carter's Mill.
We got there about sundown and stayed there two days and went back to Ball's Mill. We stayed there till next morning when got orders to go to Leesburg and to send our tents and cooking utensils and clothes to Carter's Mill, all but one blanket apiece. We went up to Leesburg that morning. When we got there we got orders to go down to the mouth of Goose Creek which is about 4 miles east of Leesburg. We stayed there till next morning, which was Monday and the 21 of October. When we left there we went double quick about 3(?8) miles when we stopped there in a thicket for awhile. We then got orders to put off our blankets. We put them down and started to the Yankees. We double quicked about 2 miles but that morning we sent out 2 companys as scouts and we got behind a fence and waited for the Yankees to come on us. We could see them a-walking about but they did not come.
While we was a-going down we heard the muskets of the Yankees and our company and 2 companies of the 18 Miss & 8 Va & 17 Miss. While we was behind the fence, the Yankees killed one of our regiment. We did not stay there long till we got orders to go help our boys whip the Yankees but when we had double quick 2 miles and had got in about 1/4 of a mile of where they was a-fighting, we got orders to go back where we left our blankets and stay there all night. Just before we got orders to go back to our blankets, we met some of our boys and they said that our boys was giving them the devil.
Our boys whipped them and made them run down a bluff about 60 feet perpendicular and splunge the river. We took 700 prisoners and killed about 300 and there was about 500 drowned. The 13 regiment did not get in the Monday fight, but we kept back the Yankee's reinforcement. So we went to where we left the blankets and went to sleep. So Tuesday morning we got orders to go and fire on them and retreat back in order to bring them out but that morning they sent over a flag of truce and wanted General Bakers and General Irvins accepted of it. So he sent us orders to hold on but the Yankees down where we was planted their cannon. So we sent Irvins words and he sent us word to fire on them and retreat so we went round and attacked them on the south side. When we commenced firing and yelling, the Yankees commenced running and firing on us with their minier rifles and throwing bombs at us, so we run them about 1/2 mile and the colonel said halt but the boys went about 50 yards before they would stop. So when we stopped, the colonel give the command, "By the left flank march". So we retreated and we was traveling for more than a week. But we are living fat now.
Last Sunday night the Winston Guards went down and tore down the Yankees breastwork and burned it up. This is the 9 of November and it is raining.
On Monday's fight General Baker was killed and the great General Baker was killed and the great (?)achieving battle was won by the southern boys on the 11. We started to Carter's Mills but when we had gone some 5 miles, the general ordered us back. So we went back about 2 miles and are camp here now but don't know how long we stay here. This is the 12. On the 13 we marched to Carter's Mills. This is the 14 and we have been out 6 months and if we could call back 10 years, oh the pleasure that we could see the north and south in brotherhood days and joys we saw nobody but them that has experienced this war can tell, the joys that mothers and fathers would see all there children at home in peace. But now what is this world, a world of strife, sorrows and pain. A many a man that enjoyed good health this time last year is now under the ground with fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers to weep for him. We moved from there to Camp Forrest which is about 13 miles from Carter's Mills. We stayed there till the 2 of December. Then we moved about 1 mile of Leesburg. The name of the camp I don't know. This is the 3 of December, but I will name it. It is named Camp (illegible text?). On the 9 day of December, our brigade all met at Camp Carolina to receive our battle flag.
Our brigade is composed 21 & 18 & 17 & 13 Mississippi regiments. General Irvins was our general up to that day. He presented us the flag and give us praise for the Leesburg fight and bid us good-bye and left with the cheers of the boys. General Griffith is our general now and this is the 11 of December. On the 20 of January the Winston guard was sent out on picket on the Potomac about...
A.D. 1861
Deaths of the Winston Guards
D.F. Stark died June 2
B.L. Covington died July 14
R.M. Harris died July 16
W.C. Robinson died July 29
L. Alexander died August 6
N.C. Tabor died August 8
H.J. Owens died August 11
J.T. Brown died August 12
P.S. Rowland died August 12
H.P. Peterson died August 15
T.J. Hughes died August 17
W.H.R. Cook died August 20
W. McStriflin died August 25
J.L. Brag died August27
J.D. Howe died September 3
J.L. Leatherwood died September 5
W.W. Shaw died September 25
J. H. Ellis died October 28
W.J. Liddell died November 29
S. J. Alexander died December 29
1862
J.D. Cowen died April 29
J.M. Clark died May 2
T.P.Miller died June 14
W.H. Smith died June 15
A.D. 1861
Discharged of the Winston Guards
C.C. Denis discharged June 9
C.M. Cook discharged June 9
C.H. Bevil discharged September 25
H. Hamil discharged September 24
J.A. Diderele discharged September 24
A.V. McMakin discharged September 21
D.M. Quinn discharged June
U.B. Tabor discharged June 25
J.W. Liddell discharged December 2
Killed of the Winston Guards
C.P. Warner was killed by the cars July the 14
Deserted of the Winston Guards
W.White June 11
(continued)
2 miles and a 1/2 east of Leesburg on Tuesday morning. I was sent on picket to stay till next morning & it snowed & rained all day and night....time and we have to stand guard every other night. This is the 30th and it is snowing but that is nothing new. We soon got worn out of standing every other night and quit and went back to the company and went on the regular detail. I was guard on the 14 of February and the wind blew as hard as I ever saw it. It was a clear day but the wind blew as hard as I ever saw a storm. Things is getting along very well. On the first day of March, it was a mighty pretty day. On the second, the sun rose as pretty as I ever saw it, but before 9 o'clock it was snowing. On the second of March we had orders to send off all our baggage. We have done so. On the 26th of March at roll call, the Captain told us that we had to march next morning. At one o'clock next morning we was waked us. We fixed up our blankets and started.
We marched about 2 miles west of Leesburg by day and there we joined our regiment and our boys that was on guard burnt Smart's Mill before they left. And we marched about 18 miles to some Mills and a little place called Davon(?) and camped there about dark. We (were) there about 10 o'clock on the 25. Our band was playing Dixie. We past through Middleburg about 12 o'clock. We camped at the White Plains on the night of the 8 which is nine miles from Middleburg. We are retreating from Leesburg now (?) without tents or much clothing and one blanket apiece. On the 9, we left The Plains and marched in the direction of Washington which is about 12 1/2 miles from The Plains we camped in. About 2-1/2 miles of Washington of traveling 10 miles over very rough road and over stones and fences. We marched 3 days over the blue mountains on one day's provisions. On the 10 of March, we geared up and started for a little place by the name of Waterloo. We passed through Washington about 12 o'clock and reached Waterloo about 4. The population of Washington is about 5000. It is very pretty town but the streets is mighty muddy. We traveled about 13 miles on the 10th. On the ? we camped on the bank of the Rappahannock. It is a very pretty little stream. On the 11th, the sun arose beautiful and birds sung like spring.
We left our camp about 7 o'clock. After traveling about 6 miles, we passed through a little place called Annansville(?) and rested awhile and started (?) and we traveled mighty hard after traveling about 8 miles. We passed through a place called Washington. It is a very pretty little town. The girls very pretty. After traveling about 1 mile, we camped in about 1 mile and 1/2 of a little place called Sperryville. We rested mighty well that night after marching 26 miles over pike road and when we stopped, our feet was so (?) wore out and we was tired down. We was so tired that we did not cook anything to eat . On the morning of the 12th, the sun rose beautiful and the birds sang very pretty. We are now traveling over the mountain on the 12th. We marched only 6 miles after we passed through a little place called Woodville. On the 13th we marched about 13 miles and camped 1 mile east of Culpepper Courthouse. On the 14th we rested at Culpepper Courthouse. On the 15th rested... On the 16th rested... On the 17th...
On the 18th we started again our spring drill. On the 19th, we took up our march again. We marched about 10 miles down the railroad. Of evening when we stop, the sounds of axes can be heard several miles around. Then to cook our rations. Then we all lay down and take our rest. Then all is calm.
On the 20th, we marched about 7 or 9(?) miles. It rained slow all day and it was very muddy on the 21. We at the camp when we stopped on the 20th. On the 22 we.... On the 23... On the 24... On the 25 of March, we got out of our clothes. On the 26th we was still camped on the side of the hill. On the 27th, we cleaned out a campground on the top of the hill. At dress parade, we got orders to cook 3 days rations. On the 27th we cooked our rations and fixed up to march. On the 28, the sun rose very pretty, but before night it was a-sleeting and raining. It sleeted and rained all night on the 30. The timber was all covered in ice but that night it all melted off. It was warm enough but still cloudy on the 31. It was a clear and very pretty day on the first of April. It was a very pretty day and we moved up on the hill where we had cleared off a place for a camp ground. On the 2, it was cloudy all day. On the 3, we had orders to pack up to move. We all packed up and lay ... a out all day awaiting for orders to march but got none. About an hour by sun the order come to take our things out of the wagons. Stayed at our (?) all night expecting to start on the 4. That was next morning, but we got orders to unload our wagons and make ourselves contented with our march. On the 5th morning we got orders to pack up as quick as we could. We loaded our wagons and started. We marched down to Rapidan (?) station which was about 2 1/2 miles. We got there about 3 o'clock and watied for the cars till about 6 and we saw that they was not coming. We went back about 2 or 3 hundred yards to some woods and camped all night. On the 6, we stayed at the camp.
On night of the 5 and 7 it rained till about 12 o'clock and then it started snowing. It snowed on till night and rained all night. On the 8, a rainy day. About 8 o'clock we had orders to pack up. We packed up and got the cars. We passed Annance (?) Sandinsville and several other places. We got to Richmond about 4 o'clock and stayed there till day. On the 9, still raining. When day come we went down to the river and got a steamboat and went down the river about 130 miles. We got off at Kints (?) about 4 o'clock and then we had to march about 10 miles through the rain and mud the most of the way. About shine (?) Mouth (?) day and some places half boot leg deep. We camped at ... Church. We got to Lebanon Church about 10 o'clock. It is a low slashy flat pine quicksand country between King's Landing and Lebanon Church. On the 10, we stayed at camp where we camped on the night of the 9. It was cold, sleety weather on the 9 and on the night of the 9 it sleeted and rained most of the night. On the morning of the 11, it was still cold and cloudy and sleety weather but about 12 o'clock it cleared off and was a very pretty evening. On the 11, we moved about 2 miles south. On the 12, we stayed at the camp where we stayed on the 13...
On the 14, we moved about 1 1/2 south of where we was camped on the 12. On the 15, that is the evening we worked on the breastworks. On the 16, a sharp cannonade commenced about 7 o'clock. It lasted till about 2 o'clock when the musketry commenced and lasted till night. On the 17, all was still. On the 18, all was still but I was looking for a fight. On the 18, it was a cloudy all day and just about sundown there was a black cloud come up from the west and a little after dark it commenced raining and we all wrapped up under our scaffolds to keep dry, but alas, about 8 o'clock, the musketry and cannons commenced firing. We was up and into line very quick, but soon after we got in line, the firing ceased and we went back to our quarters and in about 1/4 of an hour the firing commenced. Into the line again. Soon after we got into line, the firing ceased again. So we went back to our quarters and stayed there until day. On the 20, all was silent.
On the 21... On the 22, we sent out a few scouts, but we do that every day and they had a few rounds. On the 25, there was a colonel and a major and a negro our pickets took prisoner from Yankeedom. On the 24, there was some few canons firing. On the 25, we had a speech made to the regiment by the honourable McCou (?) and Barksdale, congess members. On the 26, we had an election. Wm Barksdale, Col. James Carter, Lt. Colonel and McElroy Major.
On the 27th was Sunday. We had preaching. On the 28, it was very pretty day and all was still. On the 29, we could hear the cannons pretty steady roaring down about ... Yorktown. On the 30, all was still.
On the 1 day of May, had orders to cook 2 days ration and 10 o'clock that night we sent off our cooking utensils. On the 2, four cannons was gone out of our fort. On the 3, we stayed at our camp all day and at 8 o'clock we fell in the line and put out for Williamsburg which was about 14 miles.
We marched about 13. It took us till day to march it. On the 4 we stayed at the place where we stopped till about 10 o'clock and we left there.
Marched about 1 1/2 miles past and through Williamsburg. The population of Williamsburg is about 1500. When we got to Williamsburg. the enemy opened fire on our rear guards, which was about a mile back. They kept up such a firing, that we sent back a Tennessee brigade to assist our rear guards, but our men run the Yankees back before our reinforcements could get there. I heard that our men took 8 pieces of artillery and killed 50 men and got 6 prisoners. We did not get more than about 5 miles and Thursday after night, we traveled about 8 miles. It took us till about 10 o'clock. We rested till about 4 o'clock in the morning when the drum sounded for us to get up.
It was raining on the 5. When we fell into line it commenced raining hard and rained till about 11 o'clock. We marched about 5 miles and it took us till about 11 o'clock to march it through the mud and rain. It slacked up for about a hour but the black clouds still hovering about 10 o'clock. It commenced raining again and rained on till night. Then it slacked. We fixed up some blankets for shelter. We eat under them and went to sleep. The drum sounded at 3 o'clock for us to get up. We fixed up and started on our march at 5 o'clock. The sun rose very pretty and it was clear and a very nice day. We had not marched far... before we heard good news from our brigade that we left at Williamsburg that they whipped the Yankees again killing and wounded 1000 and took 500 prisoner. Our loss was about 500. We marched about 3 miles. On the 7, we started about sun up for Westport, that is to say, we marched about 5 miles toward Westport. Then we turned up the wire road (telegraph lines) toward Richmond and marched about 8 miles, then turned down east to another road. On the 8, we marched about 7 miles and camped about 2(?) west of New Kent courthouse. On the 9, we marched about ... miles. On the 10, we marched back towards Westport about 3 miles. We left our old camp about 12 o'clock and marched 5 miles, stayed there about 1/2 hour by sun then marched up the road about 1 mile and then right about and marched back and then turned across the fields north 1 mile and camped.
On the 11, we stayed at the camp where we camped on the night of the 10.
On the 12 ... On the 13, we could hear some few cannons a far distance off, but we heard of no fight. On the 14, it was cloudy and it rained slow nearly all day and night. On the 15, we was called up at 3 o'clock in the morning. It was still raining. We started our march about day. We marched about 2 miles west, 3 miles north and 1 mile east. We stayed there till about 12 o'clock, then marched back to Richmond. After marching about 16 miles, that day through the mud and rain, we camped about 1 mile west of Chickahominy. On the 16, we stayed at the camp where we camped on the 15 till about 1 o'clock. With the dark cloud still over us and still raining, we started our march and soon quit raining. We marched about 7 miles of roads, very muddy. Every 2 or 3 miles we passed a dead horse. On the 17, we marched up in about 2 miles of Richmond. On the 18, we stayed at camp near Richmond. On the 19 ... On the 20, we got our cooking utensils. When we left camp near Yankeetown, we sent off our cooking utensils. Sometime when we was on our march we would draw flour and had nothing to cook it in so we would make it up in a cup and cook it in the ashes and then did not get but half rations. On the 21, we was still at our camp near Richmond. On the 22, we ... at our camp. At this camp we have very hard drilling. On the 23, all was still till after twelve. When we can hear the cannons roaring down on the Chickahominy River. On the 24, it was very cloudy and about 7 o'clock it commenced raining. There was skirmishing all day. It rained till about 2 o'clock. We stayed at our camp till about 1 hour and a half by sun. We took one blanket apiece and went back about three miles. On the 25, we went about one mile, where we got in sight of the Yankee pickets. We put up pickets accordingly. We stayed there that night but next morning, that is on the 26, the 15th Va. regiment took our place and we went up the creek apiece farther. The sun rose very pretty but not long before it commenced raining about 12 and rained that evening and all night. On the 27 we sent out 6 of our company as scouts. About 12 o'clock there was a right brisk firing ensued between our scouts and the Yankees and lasted till about 3 o'clock. J. L. Moore wounded on our side. We don't know whether the Yankees lost any or not. Towards the last , the firing got so hot that our company had to reinforce. Our boys went up in about 100 yards of our scouts and haulted in a ravine up the river. There was a battle about sundown. We went back to our quarters and about 8 o'clock there was a brisk firing between our pickets. But it did not last long. On the 28, we was relieve off picket, that is to say we was sent back about 1/2 mile and there we was kept in line of battle. There was firing between pickets all through the day. On the 29, there was a brisk firing between the pickets in the morning. On the 30, it was very cloudy. The clouds passed rapid from the south. We could hear cannons firing all around. About 5 o'clock, we could hear the muttering thunder far off in the west. Erelong the cloud could be seen advancing with the mighty peals of thunder and streaks of lightning.
About 4 o'clock the mighty rained commenced falling. It rained till about midnight.
On the ... still cloudy but had quit raining about 12 o'clock. The cannon commenced firing and not long before the muskets commenced rattling. Now and then we could hear them roar and yell and make a charge. Then the rattle of muskets and the roar of the canon seemed... It lasted till dark.
With increased vigor the last guns and Yankees fell back but our side had nothing to brag of I don't think and as far as I know I was in about of the fight all evening. Just about dark, we was ordered down to the battlefield, but they had the field but we did not get any fire on them. Killed and wounded, I don't know other side. Most of our wounded was taken off of the field. All that was not hurt sank back into the wood where they composed in the deepest of slumber. The pickets stand with a watchful but sleepy eye.
The dead sleeps without fear. The wounded with their groans (?) diny any way and every way to Richmond. On the 1 of June, still cloudy. We marched back about 1 mile before the sun was 2 hours high. In the morning the Yankee's battery opened on our men but soon our men lit into them and drove them whirling back. About 1 o'clock, the fighting ceased. Our brigade was not in other fighting. On the 2, we have not ascertained the loss of it.
It was very pretty day. There was some fighting up the Chickahominy. When the sun went down, it went behind a bank of very black clouds and before 10 o'clock the torrent rain commenced falling and the sharp peals of thunder and lightning, one clap after another till the clouds passed over which was about 3 hours. On the 3, it was cloudy in the morning but not long before the sun shone out and it was very hot till about 2 o'clock. When it cleared up and commenced raining. It rained all that evening and night. On the 4, still raining and rained off and on all day. On the 5, still cloudy and raining. Soon in the morning the Yankees commenced shelling or our men across the Chickahominy. Soon our battery was ordered down to the bank of the river and a sharp canonading ensued for about 3 hours. We could see the Yankee's bombs burst some hundred feet high. Some would hit the ground and burst. While some would go I know not where. We could hear them whistling by. We lost 9 horses and 2 or 3 men about dark the 21 Miss Regiment pickets got to firing our las man (?) 5 wounded. On the 22, still cloudy. Some few bombs was throwed across the river. On the (?), it was very pretty day till about 2 o'clock, when a dark cloud come up from the N.W. and a hard shower issued. A few bombs was throwed on both sides. After the sun had went down, the Yankees began shooting at our company, wounded one man, C.W. Wilkins.
On the 8, some canonading. No rain. A very pretty day, clear at night.
Before day it commenced to rain. On the 10, rainy. On the 11, a very pretty day. On the 12, clear and hot. On 12 and 13 some on the 14, clear and hot.
On the 15, very hot till about 3 o'clock when a very dark cloud come in from the west and rained very hard for awhile. On the 16, it was clear. Some few bombs was throwed from our side. On the 17, was a pretty day. In the night about 2 o'clock, there was a right smart of firing with the pickets.
T.D. Wallace Book
1861
Price 50
this the 25 of July A.D. 1861
I got it at Manasia, Va.