862 May 11 Staunton, Va.

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

Sunday night, May 11, 1862.

More of the wounded at M^cDowell were brought in 

to-day — morning and evening. Many were lying in a 

field at Wilson's, Highland co. The last report of our loss 

is 75 killed and 250 wounded. It is said that 82 of the 

enemy have been found dead — 30 of them covered in 

a heap. The enemy in their flight proceeded beyond 

Monterey, towards Cheat Mountain, but learning that 

our guerilla's from the other side (called "Dixie Boys") 

had occupied the mountain and obstructed the road, they 

retraced their steps to Monterey and went down the Frank-

lin road — throwing out 16 dead bodies they were carrying 

off and burning wagons + caisons. Afterwards they 

threw their cannon ammunition into a stream. Thir-

ty (30) wagon loads of their plunder, picked up at va-

rious places, came here arrived to-day. The number 

of the enemy is reported as 9000, and if they were so 

strong, their flight was caused by a panic, as we could 

not bring a much larger force to bear upon them. 

It is said they had stopped at Franklin, whether to 

make a stand [which they could not do unless re-

inforcements were coming to them from some quar-

ter] or from exhaustion, we do not know. They 

must have suffered severely for want of food. 

Jackson was to move upon them this morning. — 

 Jackson's recent movements, which seemed so incom-

prehensible to us, are now all explained. Last Sun-

day we heard that 8000 or 10 000 of the enemy were 

threatening Johnson at West View. It was true that 

the enemy, largely reinforced from Romney, were pre-

paring to advance this way; but they were still in 

Highland co, or beyond. Jackson was advised of their 

movements, and therefore took the route he did to meet 

 them. It was, of course, arranged that the guerillas should 

obstruct the road. Yankee "shinplasters" — or Sutter's 

tickets — are very abundant in Staunton. A bright 

and delightful day. Bees doing well apparently, not-

withstanding the jolting they got. A young Nelson, of 

Ohio, cousin of our Nelsons, is among the Federal 

wounded, and at Monterey. A young man from Wheel-

ing, on our side, is guarding his cousin, from Clarkes-

burg, a prisoner taken from the enemy.   

[transcription by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258