1862 June 3 Lynchburg, Va.

[from the diary of William M. Blackford, former diplomat, and bank officer of Lynchburg, Va., with five sons in the Confederate army]

Tuesday 3  It began to rain at 3 p.m.
and kept steadily at  it the remainder
of the day--Recd a telegram from
Chas Gwatham saying Eugene
was in the Sundays fight also &
escaped unhurt--though his haver
sack was shot off.  The mail brought me
a short letter from him dated
Sunday at 3 P.M.  He says 22
out of the 56 men he led into action
were shot down--that they all
stood manfully by him--not a sin
-gle straggler--that he did his duty
and had three bullets through
his clothes--hears that Jackson
had come up the battle Valley, saving
all his captured stores--more dis
agreeable  rumor of Beauregard
having fallen back 35 miles to the
Mississippi--quite unwell con-
tinual excitement affects my brain


MSS 4763