Letter to Sarah Garibaldi (Poor), 1863

Scope and content:

Written from Culpeper Court House, Virginia. Letter reports various engagements with the Union and prisoners taken.

Language:

English

Other descriptive data:

Camp Near Coul Pepper [Culpeper] Courthouse

Dear Wife

I saw George yesterday and I see him very often, he is as well as he could be expected. As Mr. Lamby is here now and got chance to send this letter by hand, I thought I would write to you this present letter and enclose twenty dollars, which you will receive and spend them as you need them. We have got payed off this morning and got thirty four dollars for two months that is for July and August. We shall soon have another pay day for September and October and in that pay we will get our clothing money. I expect I will get opposite of one hundred dollars and will try to send you some of it the next chance I get.

There is some talk of our regiment coming to Western Virginia as soon as we'll get settled here for the Winter. We have been on a march for twelve days, and we expected to have a fight with the yankees but they didn't stand their own ground when they heard that we were coming, they ran away during the night. We left our old camp on the other side of the Rapidan River on the eight of this month and in three days march got to Coulpepper [Culpeper] Courthouse where the yankees had fixed themsleves nice comfortable winter quarters, and stopped about five miles from the place to cook rations and be ready for the fight the next day, but the enemy having heard of it made his escape at two o'clock in the morning. They even didn't have time to gather up their blankets and shoes but they were rushed out and crossed the Rappahannock River that night. We took after them the next day and after two day's march overtook them again at this side Manassas Junction late in evening.

General A.P. Hill cut off their line of march in two in that case. We lost about one hundred and fifty killed and wounded but it was through bad management of General Heath or Hill that we lost so many killed. One North Carolina Brigade did pretty much all the fighting and they were badly whipped just for not having any support close at hand. The yankees had three Brigades engaged and about twenty cannons and we only one brigade and six pieces of cannons, but after reinforcement came up we took possession of the road they were marching on and cut off good many, but being nearly night and not having time to fight them, they got away and made their escape. We were all disapointed because we expected the yanks would make a stand some where but they kept going and when we'd catch up with them in evening they would get away during the night and have two or three hours os start on us, they done that twice, the cavalry done all the fighting in this trip.

We have got about two or three thousand prisoners on this trip principally stragglers who couldn't keep up and the balance cavalry. We are now returned on this side of the Rappahannock, after having broken up all the rail road from Manassas to the Rappahannock and burned all the ties, we expect to go now in a regular camp, where we may remain till next Spring unmolested. The yankees have been whipped often enough here in Virginia to come here again to fight us, it is believed by northern editors that the army of the Potomac has fought her last battle, and that it is useless to fight any longer here in Virginia so that the war will be removed from here to Tennessee and Kintucky and we shall have some fine time here. They have lately been whipped in Tennessee also and I believe that before twelve months these hostilities shall cease and they will let us depart in peace. It is said that Generals Heath and A.P. Hill are both under arrest for having thus managed the fight willfully bad. If the thing had went on right, we could have got a big fight out of them, whipped them bad and got nearly all their wagons and commissaries and a large quantity of prisoners, because their army is now composed almost all of substitutes and conscripts and they don't care whether they fight or not, because they were forced in to it.

I shall finish writing by giving you my best respects and Remain your affectionate husband untill death.

Give my best Respects to Miss Russia and Mother to Mrs. Sarah Johnson to Mr. Pursinger and to all the enquiring friends. Enclosed you will find twenty dollars. Excuse my bad writing because I wrote in the hurry because Mr. Lamby might start before I get letter written.

Subjects:

Confederate States of America. Army—Virginia Infantry Regiment, 27th
Correspondence

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