1862 June 1 Staunton, Va.

[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell, former owner of the Staunton Spectator and a civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

Sunday night, June 1, 1862.

This morning, at Sunday School, Legh told of a re-

ported that Jackson had been routed by a large force of 

the enemy — no one, he said, believed it. He also stated 

that there was a considerable battle near Richmond, yes-

terday, in which the enemy were repulsed. Just before 

preaching, he told me there was further intelligence 

from the lower Valley, brought by Sherrer, the Ger-

man baker. The substance of it was, that the enemy had 

re-taken Front Royal, a number of our wagons with 

stores +c, and had probably captured the 12^th Georgia Reg=

iment. As I was going to Mrs. Gilkeson's funeral, at 5 

o'clock, I overtook Sherrer — He was not at Front Royal, but 

on the Valley Turnpike, perhaps at Strasburg. His story was 

that we had one Regiment (12^th Ga) and a company of Cav-

alry at Front Royal — that on the approach of the enemy the 

Georgians started towards Winchester and the cavalry to Strasburg, 

and that our teamsters brought off their horses, leaving 12 

or more loaded wagons. W. B. Kayser afterwards gave me 

another version of the story — A party of our cavalry 

came dashing into Front Royal, stating that the enemy 

were approaching, whereupon our troops + teamsters left, 

but that the wagon master (Joe Whitmer) had gone back 

for his wagons. At church to-night I encountered Pay-

son Hoge, who left here for Winchester on Friday last. 

He went as far as New Market, where he heard that 

Shields, with a large Federal force, occupied Front Royal 

(our men, before they left, having destroyed coffee +c cap-

tured by them from the enemy), and that Millroy was 

entering the Valley from the West ^{that Johnson was calling in his troops at Winchester}. While we were talking Lyt. came up and said that stage passengers 

who arrived late in the afternoon [Hoge came this 

morning] reported contradicted the reports almost entire-

ly — that a small body of Federal cavalry came to 

or near Front Royal, and were driven back.

The news by the cars this evening confirms the reports 

we heard from Richmond this morning. Some 25,

000 were engaged on each side. The battle not decisive, 

but the result in our favor. Mrs. Gilkeson, 

 mother-in-law of J. K. Woods, was buried this evening. 

 Returning from the cemetery, I came over the hill, 

to enjoy again, on a peaceful Sunday evening, the grand 

prospect from the summit. But a gathering storm 

caused me to hurry home. Ground north of the cem-

etery, just outside of the enclosure, is now used for 

burying soldiers in. At first they were interred in 

the Cemetery, but more space became necessary. — 

I counted 89 graves outside, and there are many others 

dug + ready to receive the remains of the poor fellows who 

are dying in our hospitals. Communion in our 

church to-day — three new members — A young man 

named Vass, of Fredericksburg, originally, preaching     

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258