1862 April 10 Lynchburg, Va.

[from the diary of William M. Blackford, former diplomat,editor, and bank officer, Lynchburg, Va., with five sons in the Confederate Army]


Thursday 10 A bright clear day.
but rather cool for the season. Tobacco
Row mountain covered with snow. It
was cheering however to enjoy the sun
shine and in the evening there were
many ladies in the street, in spite of
their being crowded by Arkansas and
Louisiana soldiers--recruits and fur-
loughed men on their return,-many of
them drunk. I was struck with the
number of youths among them-some
very fine looking ones--news, that
Beauregard had fallen back to his
original position at Corinth, & that
Buell had joined the desperate column
Telegram announcing that the siege &
Bombardment of Pulaski below Sa-
vannah had commenced. I do not hope
it can resist the immense batteries
and the naval force which will
be brought against it. I fear it
will fall--The reduction of the strong
-est fortress is generally a work of time
merely. The rumor is that the Merri
-mac found nothing in the Roads. She
ought to pass the fort and go up the
River and destroy the gun-boats there
Three of the enemys gunboats passed
Island No 10 yesterday in a fog. I do not
suppose it is a matter of much con-
sequence as there are other batteries
below--Another letter from Lanty one
day later-and from the same bivouac
Recd from Rev. Mr. Phillips $30, which
Lanty had requested him to send to me.
We have pretty reliable information
that Eugene's brigade has gone to the
Peninsula--It was on the town Sunday
night when the collision took place
his regiment does not seem to have suffer
ed--all the losses were in the 5' regt
Ala

MSS 4763