1862 December 12 Staunton, Va.

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

Friday night, Dec. 12, 1862.

Reports yesterday and to-day by telegraph of heavy fighting in the direction of Fredericksburg. This morning we heard that the Yankees had shelled the town, and that the number of wounded on our side was large. The operator here told me, about 12 o'clock, that he had caught a dispatch from Fredericksburg to Richmond, asking for Railroad trains to carry off the wounded. The Richmond papers of this morning tell us that the enemey attempted to cross the Rappahannock at three points, were driven back at two of them, but succeeded in crossing at the third. Our loss is said to have been five killed and seventy-five wounded. The enemy fired upon the town and several houses were burnt. The town is nearly deserted of its inhabitants, who are scattered through the State, many of them without means of subsistence. The New York Herald is confident of success "this time." The United States, it says, have an army of a million of men, and a navy of equal to a half a million more, and must now succeed, in a few weeks, over own army of not more than five hundred thousand, "It is very long before the paradox is generally admitted, that numbers do not necessarily contribute to the intrinsic efficiency of armies." — Hallam Mid. Ages— p 122.

I received three more hogs to-day — 402 1/2 lbs at $25 per hundred = $100.87! Va bought a piece of cotton cloth yesterday 36 1/4 yds at 90^c per yard. Five yards of Factory flannel cost $12.50!

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258