1862 March 20 Staunton, Va.

[from the diary of Joseph A. Waddell, formerly owner and editor of the Staunton Spectator]

Thursday night, March 20, 1862.



A stormy night — rain and sleet. I fear that Legh
is exposed to the weather, without a shelter. He probably[?]
arrived at the army to-day. The cars came in this
evening, comparatively early. Literally no news from
any quarter. Nothing in the papers of yesterday or to-day
of the famous victory in Arkansas. The last intelli
blaming report seems to have been a Charlottesville sen-
sation. Several heavy pieces of cannon from Win-
chester arrived to-day; also one or more steam saw
mills from the lower Valley. This morning early I
met Sam Baskin, just returned from Jackson's ar-
my. He said the enemy had been 70 000 strong at
Winchester, but had gone off, leaving only 8,000 be-
hind, after laying a double-track Railroad to Stras-
burg [18 miles this side of Winchester.] Soon afterwards
I encountered Sandy Garber, just arrived also. He said
the enemy had seventeen regiments at Winchester, and has
never been out of the town, in this direction, except their
pickets, and that of course they had not laid the Rail-
road to Strasburg. Such are the contradictory statements reports which constantly come to us.

[transcription by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258