1862 May 7 retreating from Yorktown, Va.

                     
[from the diary of Daniel D. Logan, younger brother of General Thomas M. Logan, formerly a Sgt, Co. B, 1st Special Battalion (Rightor's), now with the Hampton Legion]

Friday – May 7th 1862
                             Wednesday
We were up at Early dawn this day & the
brigade (Hamptons) marched down to
within two miles of West Point – two co’s of
the Legion were deployed as skirmishers
on the left of the road – Mullies Co among
one of the two – we worked our way
through the woods, heard firing to our
right when Coming on a cross road we
were fired upon – Col Archer of the 5th                                                              
Texas regt who thought there was
something wrong - & came out to see –
his men had fired upon our Co & it was
but only owing to the coolness of Mullie
that the fire was not returned – Col Archer
was within 30 yds of the right of the W.L.  
Infantry & twenty guns were leveled upon
him before he made himself known to us.
After this accident the Texans were withdrawn
& placed on the left of the road & our

brigade on the right – The Texans had
already had a brush with the Enemy
killing some & losing two of their own
men – who were brought out into the road –
After deploying on the right & left of the
road, it was not long before we heard
heavy firing on our left from the Texans &
also their yell as they charged the foe –
they drove them through the woods
to the field beyond – Capturing 46 & Kill-
-ing a large number – very soon after this
the enemy appeared before us on the right, we
had abt three shots Each at them in our Co
(”Washington Light Infantry”) – Young Leber fell
near me wounded in the shoulder, the
balls flew thick & fast around us – we had
no support on our right, being the extreme
right of our line of battle, owing to which the
enemy moved by & flanking us crossed the
fire upon us – the Gist rifles fell

back abt 30 paces also exposing us to
fire on the left – by this time we fell back
on a line with the Gist rifles & with a yell
moved to the charge but the Enemy had
retreated, & we he were ordered by Genl  
Hampton who came up to fall back which
we did in good order – The Texans had
also fallen back on the other side of the
road – While going through the woods we
found any quantity of Yankee fixings in
the woods left by them when the Texans had
fought them Early in the day – such as Knapsacks
&c – One of the Infantry found a can of butter, a
chicken, corn beef & bread – Any quantity of
crackers were abt, I filled my haversack, which
was all I had to eat today – Our Killed was
abt 14 & 30 wounded – the Enemy must
have lost 300 men Killed & wounded, as the
Texans fought like devils, & our legion saw
dead Yankees laying all abt through the woods

We returned to camp abt 3 o’c – well
satisfied with the days work – From
what we could learn today we fought
Genl Franklins division, & Newtons
brigade.  A Surgeon came up to the Davis
Guards & asked for Col Pratt, but finding  
his mistake – when one of the boys asked  
“where its is Hamptons Legion?’ he wheeled
around & said “follow me now & I will show
you” – the boys shot him down before he got
off & captured his horse, the grape was
too hot from a battery of the Enemies in the
field to bring in the Yankee MD who
was badly wounded – I took a nap this
evening in anticipation of a long march
tonight – Slept with Mullie tonight –  

[Colonel James Jay Archer] 
[Mullie: Logan's brother, Thomas Muldrup Logan] 
[W. L. Infantry: Washington Light Infantry]
[young Leber: Oscar M. Lieber]
[Hampton: Col. Wade Hampton]
[Col. Calvin Edwin Pratt, commander of the 31st New York Infantry]

[transcription by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards; family comments by Logan's great grand niece Sarah Rice Forsyth Donnelly; annotations by Robert K. Krick]

MSS 6154