1862 June 18 Staunton, Va.

[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell, civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

Wednesday night, June 18, 1862.

To the surprise of every body, the troops near 

town began to move off in the direction of Waynes-

boro'; this morning. The Texas Brigade (Gen. 

Hood's) started at 5 o'clock. Whiting's Brigade 

retraced their steps through town, and marched down 

the Waynesboro' road, between 8 and 9 o'clock. Sev-

eral Artillery companies went in the same direc-

tion. A Georgia Brigade (Lanton's), several other 

Regiments and two or three Artillery companies

remained and two or three cavalry companies re-

mained late in the afternoon, but as I came home 

after 6 o'clock, two trains full of soldiers, were 

getting ready to start. All will no doubt go 

to-morrow, and We learn that Jackson's whole 

command was to-day moving to Waynesboro', 

with a view of crossing the Blue Ridge. Gen. Jack-

son was in town nearly all day; but no one 

found out the purpose or cause of these move-

ments. There was, of course, a large number of wag-

ons in connection with the various Brigades. — 

Many of our Regiments are very much reduced in 

numbers — the 31^st and 44^th Va, have not much 

over 100 men each. Our company of the 44^th 

has, or had a few days ago, five officers and six 

men — the "Richmond Zouaves," never a very res-

pectable company; a large number of desertions from 

it; as from some other companies, belonging to dif-

ferent Regiments. Two men from each company 

in the 5^th Va. have been detailed to collect and take 

to camp the stragglers from that Regiment. A 

member of the 31^st Va, from Wellsburg, Brooks Co, 

came into our office this evening, and meeting an 

                                                                    surgeon

acquaintance from the same place - - D^r. White, ^of 

the 27^th Reg. — told with great glee that, in the Mon-

day's fight near Port Republic, he had shot the 

Major of the 1^st Va Regiment (so called — although 

most of the men are not Virginians) in the Federal 

                                                            also

service. The Major was from Wellsburg ^and was 

recognized by the 31^st man, who called the attention 

of his comrades to him. Two of them took aim at 

him, and saw him fall and carried off, and heard 

 afterwards that he was mortally wounded. The same 

man told that he had two brothers in the 1^st Va (Yan-

kee) Regiment, who ran off, throwing away their 

guns. He manifested a savage joyousness in relating 

the fall by his hand of one of his own townsman. D^r. 

Smith White informed me that the man, although 

rough-looking, was a very superior clerk. James 

M^cClung, who is Quartermaster of the 58^th Va., has been 

in town for several days — he took dinner with us 

to-day. Davy Strasburg called to tell us good-bye, + 

got a saucer of strawberries. I saw Arthur Spitzer 

off this morning. Edward Waddell and Archy Gra-

ham called after dinner. Brown sugar is selling 

by the barrel at 45 cents per pound — bacon 30^c 

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258