Sunday, August 12, 2012

1862 August 13 Staunton, Va.


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

Wednesday morning, Aug. 13, 1862.
Another train of wounded from Saturday's battle arrived this 
morning — one or more came yesterday, bringing fifty wound-
ed Yankees. These sights give us a horrid view of war. Men 
without arms and legs, and shot in the head, body +c. — 
A poor woman present looking for her husband, who, she 
has heard, was wounded, or killed. We are still without 
reliable particulars of the battle. Reported that 800 of the enemy were 
left dead on the field, that we captured from one to 
three Brig. Gens and killed one, and took 4000 small 
arms, cannon +c. The fight is represented as a very se-
vere one. A brother of Joe Ryan killed. The papers of 
Monday; received last night (via Lynchburg) have no news 
indicative of a termination of the war. Most people in 
this region doing without sugar and coffee.
Afternoon. — Twenty-one deserters from the Federal army 
came in to day. Fifteen or sixteen of them belonged to the 8th 
Va (Yankee) Regiment, the to which most of those who arrived 
Sunday evening were attached. Lincoln has ordered a draft for 
300,000 militia, for nine months, in addition to the 300,000 
volunteers called for. So far the North seems determined to 
wage the war to the bitter end, in defiance of the cardinal 
feature of our institutions, that governments derive 
 "their just powers from the consent of the governed."

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258

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