[1861] June 21 Camp Garnett Rich Mountain

My Dear Mother
I have just this
minute got & read yours & brother
Henry's & Bessie's letters--I never
was more delighted than when
our company returned from Head-
quarters & handed me the letter.
It is just two weeks since I
left Staunton & I had not
heard a word from home. Neither
of the letters written before the
one of the 18th have come to
hand. Dr Atkinson's company is
at Laurel Hill near Phillippi
where the enemy are in greater
numbers-- The roads to this place
& to Phillippi separate about
8 miles from here & I suppose
the number of Dr A's company
has neglected to send my letters--
I don't know what has become of
the one that was sent from
Staunton--I heard from there the
other day, but the letter had been

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nearly a week on the road--&
came by private hands--I got
from the same source a box
filled with, cakes, pies, pickles
ham biscuit &c--it was really
a treat & is not all gone yet--
Our mess has been making use
of it--"In the first place & foremostly"
the news paper article which I
return is all a lie--We have
never retreated a step & never
will--Old Porterfield who caused
the stampede of our forces from
Phillippi two or three weeks ago is
has been Courtmarshalled & is
now undergoing his trial--it was
all his fault--but that is the
only instance of our men retreating
& they cd do nothing else then--
We are now in Tyggarts Valley
22 miles from Buckhannon where
the enemy was when we reached
this place--They have since re-
treated back towards Grafton or
else have sent their whole force
to Phillippi--We have here only
one regiment--900 men--At

[page 3]
Phillippi we have about 4000
troops & more are coming on
daily--A Georgia Regiment arrived
at Beverly today--Our men are
on Laurel Hill (near Phillippi) which
they have strongly fortified. the
Yankees are very good at theories
but can't stand the sight of
bayonets--They are expecting a
battle daily at Phillippi--but if
they do have one the enemy will
have to be fooled into it--our men
are trying this ruse[?]--The enemy
tried it too the other day, but failed--
a Cavalry picket over there night
before last shot a picket of the
enemy across a fence, captured
his horse & presented it to Gen.
Garnett--all the officers and about
20 men from our company were
detailed night before last to go
with part of a Cavalry Company
to within about 10 miles of where
the enemy was supposed to be, to
try to capture some pickets &
spies who had been seen there--
We "pressed" horses & all the

[page 4]
saddles we could & reached
the appointed place about 11 o'clock--
We dismounted on this side of a
river, where we left the cavalry
& marching a mile thro' the densest
forrest I ever saw, concealed our-
selves on the lower side of the
road--we had not been there very
long when we heard horses galloping
& our pickets passed at a full gallop.
This was the signal of the approach
of the enemy--We had orders not
to fire unless the enemy came in
large numbers--The men were consid-
erably disappointed when they saw
only 2 horsemen riding past--We
have our guns cocked & cd have
thrown into confusion & utterly routed
a thousand men--We let the two
pass & the cavalry stopped them--They
proved to be friends with a letter
informing us were we cd capture
a spy--We sent some cavalry-
men who took him & he is now
a prisoner at Beverly--We got
back about 4 o clock--went to sleep
on our horses several times--They
are fortifying this place as if they
certainly expected an attack, but
I dont think so--it is well enough
however to be prepared--We may
be here some weeks & we may
be ordered off at any time

[letter of Charles Daniel McCoy ends abruptly at this point]
McCoy was a member of the 25th Virginia Regiment. He refers in this letter to a skirmish June 3 1861 in which Col. George A. Porterfield's sleeping raw recruits were surprised by two columns of Union soldiers and quickly fled. There were only a few casualties on both sides. This minor incident was played up in the Northern papers and helped establish a reputation for McClellan who had not even been with this troops in the action. Porterfield was relieved from command. Robert S. Garnett took command of the Confederate troops on the 15th. Porterfield lived until 1919, one of the last Mexican war veterans. Garnett, also a Mexican War veteran, was killed on July 13 in the retreat from the battle of Rich Mountain, the first general officer killed in the Civil War.

MSS 6830-a