Sunday, May 27, 2012

1862 May 28 Staunton, Va.

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


Wednesday night, May 28, 1862.
There was a rumor last night that 8000 of the enemy 
had surrendered somewhere beyond Winchester — No con-
firmation of it to-day. There seems to be no doubt that 
2000 were captured, and some, perhaps all, of them will 
be here to-morrow. Our army at last advices had reached 
Martinsburg, securing large quantities of stores, breaking up 
the Baltimore + Ohio Railroad, +c. +c. A number of persons 
have gone to Winchester to buy goods, having heard that the 
town was well supplied with many articles very scarce 
here. An order has come for "all the wagons in the coun-
ty," and adjoining counties to go down to remove the cap-
tured stores. No train from Richmond to- day, the enemy 
having possession of the Richd + Fred'g RR. from the Junc-
tion down. A report that our troops were repulsed 
at the Hanover C.H. yesterday. I brought a young 
Robinson up with me this evening, and he staid 
till 9 o'clock. Mrs. McClung had quite a levee till dark — 
 So many callers. Robinson is from Richmond, and be-
longs to Company F, 21st Regiment. He mentioned an 
incident in connection with an allusion to a recent 
order from Gen. Jackson, prohibiting the wearing of 
any part of the United States uniform. There was a 
man in his regiment, a low fellow, who was very rag-
ged and forlorn at the battle of Kernstown (Winches-
ter). The next day, however, he turned up in a full 
suit of gaudy Yankee uniform — broad-cloth coat, 
gold corded pants +c. — having managed to equip him-
self during the darkness, from a slain officer, notwith
standing our army had to make a precipitate retreat. 
The destitution of clothing, shoes +c in our army, when it 
passed through Staunton, was merely because the men 
had been on the march, more or less remote from the depots 
of supplies, and not because the articles could not be 
furnished.   

[transcription by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258            

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