1862 July 21 Staunton, Va.

Monday morning, July 21, 1862.

As I started to church early last evening, in order to 

call upon Mr. Tipping, who is sick at the Seminary — he + 

his family are refugees from Winchester. Coming down the 

hill I observed two men approaching me, and one of 

them had lost his left arm. I soon recognized Frank Preston, 

of Lexington. He and his companion — a young man named 

Burgess, of a Louisiana Regiment — had just arrived from 

Winchester, having escaped from the Yankees, and were 

going to my house. Frank was so severely wounded in 

a fight at or near Winchester that his arm had to be amputa-

ted. The operation was performed just before Jackson 

was compelled to retreat, and as he could not be moved 

he was left behind in the hands of the enemy. A pri-

vate family took care of him, and he was treated with 

great kindness by the Yankee surgeons. Burgess had been 

wounded in the leg, and was left in the Hospital. Be-

ing paroled, he staid with Frank to dress his arm. Frank, 

however, was not discharged from custody. One day last 

week a party of our cavalry had a skirmish with the 

enemy near Winchester, capturing twelve or fourteen of 

them, and the Federalists in the town, thinking that Jackson 

was upon them, hastily withdrew. A lady who lives on 

this side of the place, taking advantage of the occurrence, 

went in and brought Frank + Burgess off in her carriage, and 

so they escaped. The former started to Lexington this morning 

by stage, and the latter went down the Railroad in search of 

his regiment. Burgess had been captured before at Hunts-

ville, Ala. He and the other prisoners were confined in 

a large building, and the ladies of the town coming 

to bring food to them (the Yankees not furnishing supplies), 

he asked one of them to allow him to pass out with 

her. She consented, and taking off his military cloth-

ing, he went by the sentinels, unsuspected. Clem. 

Fishburn was with us most of the day yesterday. Jim-

my Tate was in also. Kate gave up her room to Frank 

+ Burgess. News came by the cars yesterday that a 

party of the enemy from Fredericksburg had made a 

dash upon the Central Railroad at Beaver Dam De-

pot, and burnt the buildings, tearing up the track +c. 

Some skirmishing on Saturday between Gordonsville + 

Culpeper C.H. — nothing authentic in reference to the 

cannonading heard here that day.

Afternoon. — A dispatch from Richmond, for Gov. 

Letcher at Lexington, states that our Col. Morgan 

has captured Frankfort, Ky, and has been joined by 

10,000 men, and that our troops under Forrest and 

Harris (Governor) have retaken Nashville, Tennessee.

[transcription by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258