1862 August 11 Staunton, Va.

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

Monday, August 11, 1862.

The cars brought word yesterday of fighting on Saturday, 

beginning at 11 o'clock A.M. and closing at midnight, in Madison

or Culpeper. The enemy, it was said, were driven near Culpeper C.H. 

leaving their dead and wounded behind them. Our force engaged 

was reported as only 5000. The number of prisoners taken by our 

army was variously reported from 150 to 600, among them 

Gen. Prince. Our General Winder was killed by a cannon 

ball. The telegraph operator here reports, upon inform-

ation received by him this morning from the operator

at Gordonsville, that the fighting was successful to our 

 side on yesterday, that we had captured 29 officers 

and two Generals yesterday evening. I left my of

fice on business Passing the Court-house yard a 

while ago, I observed a number of persons 

standing before several blue jackets who were lying on 

the grass. The latter turned out to be deserters from the 

Yankee army down the Valley. A dozen of them ar-

rived here yester last evening, ten Western Virginians, 

one from Pennsylvania and one from New York. I 

talked with two of them, one from Kanawha and the other 

from Jackson county. They said there was great dissat-

isfaction in the Yankee army, many of the soldiers hav-

ing deserted and many more intending to do so the first 

opportunity. These men were in camp near the Blue 

Ridge and took to the mountain to escape a pursuit by 

cavalry. Afterwards they came out into the Valley, and were 

guarded by our "bushwhackers." No further intelligence 

from East Tennessee.

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow Project]

MSS 38-258