1862 May 13

    Camp on South Branch

      May 13” 1862

My dearest Wife

   I have been wanting to write to you but

have not for two reasons – first I did not have the

time & next I thought every day we would cert-

ainly fight the next day & I wanted to wait

until it was over and if alive, tell you then

all about it, but now I have a spare half hour

& will try & send you a note any how.  we

Our victory at McDowel [sic] was most satisfactory

our loss for the numbers engaged was heavy –

50 or 60 killed & many more wounded but

that of the Yankeys was much heavier than

ours.  they admited [sic] a loss of 100 killed &

were compelled to destroy all of their sup-

plies & camp equipage in order to use their

wagons to haul off the wounded.  we pursued

them to within 12 miles of Franklin in Pendleton

County where the[y] fired the mountains and under

cover of the smoke which was thick so con

cealed their movements that we could not pursue

[page 2]

them any further  so yesterday we returned on

our way back almost 8 miles and to day about

3 miles.  we march very slow and well we

may for a more entirely exhausted set of men

I never saw.  nearly 100 men are disabled in our

regiment by hard marching  others are no better off

I suppose  we are on our way back to the Valley

& will go down after banks

“South Branch”, heading – ‘South Branch of the Potomac, near Monterey, west of McDowell.’

“McDowel”, line 8 – ‘McDowell, Highland County, site of the Confederate victory on Sitlington’s Hill on 8 May 1862.’

“our loss for the numbers engaged was heavy – 50 or 60 killed & many more wounded”, lines 9 & 10 – ‘Warren referred to the total losses of the Confederates engaged, not the losses in the 10^th VA Infantry.’

“the Valley”, page 2, line 7 – ‘The Shenandoah Valley.’

“banks”, page 2, line 8 – ‘Nathaniel P. Banks, Union general, commanded the US Department of the Shenandoah.’

‘This unsigned letter was written by Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, acting Colonel, 10^th VA Infantry.

    Due to the death of Colonel Simeon B. Gibbons at the Battle of McDowell, 8 May 1862, Lieutenant-Colonel Warren assumed command of the regiment.  While he was, in fact, the commander of the regiment Warren was not, due to the extensive campaigning which occurred through the summer, appointed colonel until 16 August (with date of rank of 8 May 1862).  This appointment was not confirmed until 7 October and Warren did not officially accept the commission until 24 October.  Military bureaucracy moves slow, indeed. ’

[transcription by John P. Mann IV]

MSS 7786-g