1862 September 17 Staunton, Va.

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



Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1862.

The following slips from the Richmond Dispatch of yesterday give the principal items of news lately received:               

"From Western Virginia" and "Kentuckians Rallying"

There was a report
on Monday that our
troops had captured the
force of the enemy at
Harper's Ferry. It was
contradicted yesterday, by stage passen-
gers, who stated that cannonading was going on in the
 direction of the Ferry, and it was supposed a battle was
in progress. There is a dispatch this morning stating
that a battle had occurred at Boonsborough, Md.,
and that we had taken 8,000 prisoners. I found the Rev. (Capt)
John Miller at our house last night, when I went home —
he has been raising and organizing troops in N. W. Virginia

The annexed shows the scarcity of salt! a
nd the means resorted to to provide ne-
cessary supplies. It can only be gotten
from the works in S. W. Virginia. Peyton
brought me a pound of tea from Winches-
ter, for which I paid him $6.00. A very
indifferent article. A number of letters
have been received from sister. She is still
perplexed as to what she is to do. Addy was to
leave for the army yesterday, and Mr. Stuart next week.
Synod meets here on the 1^st October, and the ladies are inter-
ested in making arrangements for it. The Northern people
are evidently bewildered at their recent reverses. Gen. Pope
has been sent off to Minnesota, to take command in
that quarter, where an Indian war is raging. He virtu-
ally accuses most of his leading officers of cowardice in
the late battles. M^cDowell has been relieved from of his com-
mand. There is a general outcry at the North against these
two Generals — Pope is accused of incompetency and M^cDow-
ell of treachery. What a fall for Pope! Upon taking
command in Va. he issued a braggadocio proclama-
tion — that he had been used to seeing the rebels' backs, his
policy was to push forward and let his rear take care of its
 itself +c +c — In a few weeks he was forced to run, his
army beaten, and now he is banished to the N. W.
The following is the dispatch alluded to above, sent from
Winchester by courier to Harrisonburg, and thence by Telegraph:
 "Harper's Ferry surrendered yesterday, 8,000 prisoners. D.
H. Hill fought at Brownsville, Md., Saturday. Victori-
ous. Our loss heavy. Gen. R. B. Garland reported
among the killed." [Boonsborough is no doubt meant.]

    Afternoon. — A dispatch from Harrisonburg. Since din-
ner is rather unfavorable. It says:

"Maj Yost has just arrived from Harper's Ferry. —
He says that Gen. Hill was attacked by eighty
[thousand] Federals under M^cClelland and Burn-
side, near Boonsboro, Md., and repulsed three
times with heavy loss and driven back some dis-
tance, when Gen's Lee and Longstreet came to his as-
sistance and drove them three miles beyond Boons-
boro. Their loss was tremendous, as well as our own.
Gen's Lee, Longstreet and Hill retreated in the 
direction of the Potomac. Gen. Jackson in the
mean time had captured at Harper's Ferry 11,000
prisoners and 1500 negroes, 50 pieces of artillery,
all their ammunition, commissary and Quar-
termaster's stores. He opened fire on them at 5
o'clock and shelled them until 10, when they sur-
rendered. Gen. Jackson then crossed the river
and formed a junction with Gen.Lee."  The
idea of our army retreating towards the Potomac is un-
pleasant, and diminshes the gratificationat the grand
result at Harper's Ferry.


[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258