1861 Sep[tember] 16 Camp Blair [Virginia]

My darling wife
I returned last night from my visit
to David. Dr Gaines was with me--he found
him very badly & feel fatally wounded.
The wound is from a minie ball flatened
by having struck the fence before it hit him
the ball enterd near the lower part of the
stomach & progresing laterally lodged under
the skin in his side from where it was
extracted--The danger is that his stomach is
wounded, if so he has scarcely a chance for life
if he is not wounded there he will certainly
I think get over it--He is at the house
of a most excelent lady who is paying him
every attention--I left James Dr. Gordon and
a young man from his Co with him--Your
father got here last night & went home
this morning. David suffered a good deal
the night after he was wounded--but the

[page 2]
next day (yesterday) he was free from pain
and apparently as calm & free from all
excitement as a veteran or a stone[?] He is as
brave in the face of threatened death as he was
in the face of the danger in which he got
his wound. The circumstances under which he
was wounded show the spirit of the boy and my
great regret is that he was at the time going
a head of orders. It seems that the yankes at their
picket had erected a breast work (in army par-
lance called a pit) from which they kept up
a continuous fire on our men--David & several
others undertook on their own hook to get
practically in rear of this pit, in order to have
a good fire at the yankeys in this they suc-
ceeded & gave them a deadly & distructive fire
during which David was not 30 steps as I was
told from their line--they then got safely
back to the woods not far from their original
position--Davis was standing by the fence when
a ball from the yankeys struck the fence, glanced

[page 3]
and struck him--he did not fall but walked
50 yards before he told them he was hurt he
then gave out & was carried to Mrs Crump of
Falls Church as a distance of 2 miles. it occured

Sunday Evening about sun down--His wound
is very much the same that Mike Coffman
recd at Manassas and from the fact that he
did not fall when struck I am constrained to
believe that his stomach is not hurt.

I told Mr. Boyd to tell you not to attempt to
come down before he returned. You could do
David no good now, but harm--Everything de-
pends on his being kept entirely free from all
excitement & I dont think you ought to see
him now if you came here--In a week
you can be of service to him for then the
first crisis will have passed. I have just
recd from the confederacy a very eligent
wall tent & fly--have got it up ready to
occupy. I hope now my very good friends
at home will not go distracted because I
have a whole tent to myself.

[page 4]
By the way Genl Longstreet head quarters are
at Falls church which is 13 miles from here *
I got hm to keep a regular guard on the
house in which David is I asked it as personal
favor & it was readily granted--I did this to keep
out stragling soldiers.

I want you to bring me a card of butons for my
shirt bosoms & a tin candlestick

affectionately & truly yours
E T H Warren

Give love to all & remember me kindly to
Mrs Williams & tell her I am going to write
to her when I get time & a good pen, and
I will expect a very long letter in reply


E T H Warren of the Fourth Regiment Virginia Volunteers and later Colonel of the Tenth.

Mike Coffman is Michael D. Coffman, 1st Corporal, Co. G., 10th Virginia Infantry [John P. Mann, IV]

More on the wounding of Jennie Magruder Warren's brother David Magruder will appear in the Jones letter of September 20
MSS 7786-g