Wednesday, October 3, 2012

1862 October 4 Sharpsburg, Md.

[from the "War Journal" of George Hazen Dana of the 32nd Massachusetts as compiled by him for wartime letters and diaries]




                                                           Camp near Sharpsburg.
                                                                          Oct. 4th 1862.
My last was written in Washington, and I have
not as yet heard from you, but hope to soon.
I was not in very good health in W., but am now
well.        You see, as I said, I knew myself better
than you did.        From Washington, I went to
Frederick, Md. in the cars, thence to Boonsboro,
on top of an old fashioned stage coach, a distance
of sixteen miles.        The [whole?] concern was

rather shaky, and I expected every moment to be
precipitated with the body of the coach, - which
rolled from one side to the other like an old sailor –
from my lofty position to the ground.        The
drive would have been very tedious, had it not been
for the magnificent scenery.        I never saw
any to compare with the view from the battle field
on the summit of South Mountain.        It unites
the wildness of our Northern mountain scenery
with the fertility of the island of Java – but
I will not try to describe it to you, for it would
be beyond the power of the most eloquent pen.
But should I be spared till more peaceful times,
we must all feast upon that heavenly scenery
together -        It seemed to me sacrilegious
and almost impossible that a bloody battle
would have been contested in the very midst of
one of God’s choicest creations – brother against
brother -, fighting to the death for the possession of
what seemed to belong to God alone.
I remained at Boonsboro all night, and the next
morning, hired a wagon, and drove to Sharpsburg.
Here the destruction caused by shot and shell
were visible in every direction, - large holes through
the sides of brick buildings, tottering walls, etc.

It seemed miraculous that all the inhabitants
could have escaped injury, but it is accounted for
by the fact that they stowed themselves away in
the cellars.        The regiment I found posted about
a hundred yards from the Potomac River,  on the
Maryland side of the river, where we still remain –
   The regiment is all on picket duty today, but I
remain in camp as Officer of the Guard.
President Lincoln reviewed our corps yesterday.
Little Mac attended him, and the men were therefore
crazy, as usual

[transcript by Mary Roy Dawson Edwards]

MSS 5130

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