Friday, October 12, 2012

1862 October 13 Staunton, Va.

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



Monday, Oct. 13, 1862.
Rumors to-day of a victory by Bragg and Kirby 
Smith over the enemy in Kentucky. We met
with a reverse in Tennessee a few days ago, a
small body of our troops having been surprised.
Troops still going down the Valley — a large number
this morning — No news from that quarter. —
A number of brass cannon, captured from the en-
emy, in town. Rumors on Saturday of some
kind of intervention by England. Not credited.
Cloudy and chilly for several days, with a little
rain. The earth very dry — no pasture for stock
very few vegetables — fall seeding retarded —
corn crop short. There was a distribution of salt to-day
considerable crowd and pressure — one pound for
each member of a family. Several wagons passed
through town to- day, on the way to Kanawha
for salt.

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258


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