1862 June 29 on the North of the Chickahominy

On the North of Chickahominy
  Sunday 29” June 1862
My dear Wife
    We have had a great victory
so far.  Nothing was done yester
day & we are still lying still
but other divisions have ad-
vanced & others are building
bridges.  our loss has been heavy
but that of the enimy [sic] terrific
& fearful.  The fight was
terable [sic] & was general  The
13” Va Reg suffered severly
George Magruder, Sheridan Reu-
ben & Conway Newman are
all wounded but none dange-
rous & will all be sent
home to day.  I have not heard
from Ned  He fought on
the other side of the river.
Our Brigade belonged to the
Reserve Corps & was not
ordered forward until 5

[page 2]
oclock & then did not
get under any thing like
a heavy fire but unfortu
nately for us it was heavy
enough to deprive us of our
gallant brigade commander
Col Fulkerson who was
mortally wounded & has since
died.  The command of the
brigade then evolved on
me.  Yesterday Hamptons
Legion was assigned to the
brigade & Genl Hampton
assigned to the command of
both, but he still keeps me
in command of our brigade.
Genl Elzie & Capt Chestney
were both wounded  Lieut
McDonald killed.  we are
expecting still further & very
hard fighting [two words illegible] skir
mishing is kept up  I will
write to you as often [word illegible]
[words illegible] dont know [words illegible]
I will send this

[the following was written along the left margin of page 2]

But by first chance  Most affectionately
E.T. H Warren





“On the North of Chickahominy”, heading – The regiment was in position near White Oak Bridge.


“My dear Wife”, salutation – Virginia ‘Jennie’ Watson Magruder Warren.


“George Magruder”, line 11 – Jennie’s brother George S. Magruder, Private, Company C, 13th VA Infantry, was wounded in the shoulder at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, 27 June 1862.


“Sheridan”, line 11 – No official records have survived which indicate Charles Sheridan Newman served in the 13th VA Infantry.  However, a number of men served in various organizations and no official records are extant today.  Available official records indicate Charles Sheridan Newman was commissioned as 1st Lieutenant/Adjutant in the 60th Tennessee Mounted Infantry in October 1862.
    It is unlikely Warren would have made such a mistake as mentioning Sheridan as wounded considering the detail he added about their being sent home.  However, as he obviously received the information second-, or third-, hand possibly there was some confusion concerning which Newman was wounded.  It is remotely possible the man was John Herbert Newman, Private, Company A, 13th VA Infantry.  He was mortally wounded 27 June 1862 at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill and died on 28 June.


“Reuben”, lines 11 & 12 – Reuben Manning Newman, Private, Company C, 13th VA Infantry, was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, 27 June 1862.


“Conway Newman”, line 12 – Conway Newman, Lieutenant, Company F, 13th VA Infantry, was wounded at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, 27 June 1862.


“Our Brigade”, line 18; page 2, line 16 – During the Seven Days’ the brigade consisted of the 10th, 23rd, and 37th VA Infantry regiments, along with Wooding’s Danville (VA) Artillery Battery.


“Col Fulkerson”, page 2, line 7 – Samuel V. Fulkerson, Colonel, 37th VA Infantry, commanded the brigade noted above at Gaines’ Mill, 27 June 1862.


“Hamptons Legion”, page 2, lines 11 & 12 – Hampton’s Legion (SC) Infantry Battalion.


“Genl Hampton”, page 2, line 13 – Wade Hampton III, of South Carolina, Confederate general.


“Genl Elzie”, page 2, line 17 – Arnold Elzey, Confederate general, commanded the Fourth Brigade, Ewell’s Division, Jackson’s Command, at Gaines’ Mill, 27 June 1862.  Elzey was in the thick of the fight and received a severe debilitating wound in the face.


“Capt Chestney”, page 2, line 17 – Theo. O. Chestney, Captain, Assistant Adjutant-General, General Elzey’s Staff, was wounded in the shoulder at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, 27 June 1862.


“Lieut McDonald”, page 2, line 19 – Craig W. McDonald, Lieutenant, Acting Inspector, General Elzey’s Staff, was killed at the Battle of Gaines’s Mill, 27 June 1862.


“E.T.H Warren”, page 2, signature – Edward Tiffin Harrison Warren, Colonel, 10th VA Infantry.


[transcript by John P. Mann IV]

MSS 7786-g