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                                                                                                Culpeper cty. Aug 24^th/61

 

            M^rs M. E. Terrell,

                                    My Dear Friend.

                                                                        It was my purpose, to have written to you Some time ago, but owing to the nature of my wound, I have been compelled to forego that pleasure until now, and I only hope, that I may Succeed in interesting you, to the extent of my desire to do so, and if I fail, ascribe it to my incapacity, and not to the want of effort. You have no doubt heard a greatdeal of what the Noble 4^th Al^a regiment done in the memorable fight of the 21^st of July, and I hope you will pardon me for attempting a description of the part it played on that day, up to the time of my being wounded, and, to do justice not only to the 4^th, but to the whole of Johnsons command, you must allow me to carry you back to Winchester.                   On the 18^th (my birthday) we turned our backs on that beautiful and hospitable town, with feelings of Sorrow; as we at that time did not know for what purpose we had evacuated it, and the general impression was, that we were falling back on Manassas to avoid a fight with Patterson, but we were not/

 

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long left in doubt, as agreeable to Johnsons orders, his address to us was read Seperately to each regiment, its purport was to the effect, “that as we have on all former occasions proven ourselves good Soldiers, by implicitly obeying our officers, he hoped on this, the most important of all our movements, we would aid our officers in the discharge of our duties, as he (Johnson) had just received a dispatch from Beauregard.” Stating that he had fought, and won a battle that day with a loss to the enemy of over eight hundred, but that the enemy was collecting in large force, with the intention of giving him battle. also that he (Beauregard) thought he could hold his position for forty-eight hours, and closed by Saying that he hoped Johnson might be able to join him in that time.” Johnson thus told us it would have to be a forced march and hoped by the rapidity of our march to Show to the world what Volunteers could do.

            The distance from Wincester to Piedmont, (a Station on the Manassas road) is thirty Six miles, through a mountanous country all the way. we marched that distance without rest or Sleep, crossed the “Blue ridge” and “forded” or rather “waded” the Shenandoah river, and our way was over the worst of roads. We reached Piedmont on friday night at nine or ten O’clock, had to stand or lay in the rain until 4 O’clock/

 

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Saturday morning, at which time we took the cars for the junction, arriving there at 9 O’clock. We then marched two miles in a northerly direction, and bivouacked about half way between Bull run and the junction, in a fine piece of woods.      It fell to my lot to be on duty Saturday night as Corporal of the Guard, as all of the Corporals were Sick, or broke down. the pickets of the two armies were firing at each other nearly all night. at times, ony three or four would go off in quick Succession, and then again twenty or more would belch forth their messengers of death at nearly the Same time.

            I was aware that a desperate fight would take place in the morning as I had been told that Johnson intended to attack them about nine O’clock, but the Yankees anticipated us, as they made the attack.            I was just finishing my breakfast (a slice of Shoulder broiled on the coals, and two hard crackers, washed down with a good drink of branch water) when they fired their first gun (cannon) at half past Six. Our regiment was immediately ordered to form, which it did in quick time, and then our gallant and lamented Bec rode in front of us and in a clear trumpet like voice gave the command, “right face” “forward March” to which we responded with a “hurrah,” and off we marched in quick time, in the direction/

 

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of the firing of the “Yankee” guns, in high spirits at the now good prospect of Seeing a live Yankee with a musket in his hand. On we went at quick time till coming into a large old field thickly grown up in briars. we were ordered to “form column on first division” which manouver was done in fine style. we then marched into a piece of thick Swamp woods right in front of us, and about four hundred yards from the enemy. we only remained here a few minutes, as it was obvious, that it was not his intention to attack us at this point, and that the continued firing of his guns was Simply a ruse, and on our looking to our left, we could see the “rascals” filing up Bull run on the north Side. We then Knew that it was their intention to outflank us on our left, and then commenced a desperate race between the “yankee rascals” and our Selves, they Striving to outflank us, and we as determinedly striving to prevent them. On, On, we Sped nothing checking our Speed through woods, and briar fields, up and down hills, across branches and creeks, even fences fifteen rails high did not Stop us, for with one Shove we would levle them with the ground—

 

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and on mid go, mad with delight “as it were” with the music of the Cannon, and the rattle of Small arms, that were firing on our right, we had now double quicked it for at least Seven miles, and on immerging out of a thick piece of pine and cedar, into an open field, we came in full view of our hated foe, and with one accord there was Sent up by the boys of the 4^th Such a yell of concentrated hatred and defiance that it was heard for more than a mile distinctly above the roar of battle. the enemy filed on past the place we first Saw them, and formed in line of battle on the Summit of a hill directly in our front, and about one thousand yards from us. their position was a well Selected one, and as they marched up they would form in rear of those already formed. the center of their line of battle was in an open field and protected by a fence that was on top of a bank of dirt thrown from a ditch that ran the whole length of the field. their right wing was Supported, and protected by a fine Battery (Rickett’s I think) while on their left wing, which was in a piece of pines, reinforcements continued to pour in, for perhaps an hour/

 

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and a half. Our regiment was ordered to advance on them. we marched down a hill, crossed a small creek and up another hill, and into a piece of woods about three or four hundred yards long, and Seventy wide. as we entered this piece of woods, we marched over the 2^nd Mississippi regiment, which was laying down, in the Southern edge of the woods. on we went through and were halted at a fence that ran between the woods and a large cornfield. we lay down at this fence for perhaps ten minutes. finally Bec rode up and asked “what regiment is this”? “4^th Ala was the reply” “up 4^th Ala was his response and it was the last order I ever heard the noble fellow give. through Some mistake we were ordered to “forward” and we did forward in gallant Style. we marched up to within Seventy five yards of their line, and again lay down, but we did not lay long, as the enemy could be Seen from the right of our regiment and our boys in the first battalion opened on them immediately. they returned our fire rapidly but did no great damage for some time. Our company was on the extreme left of the regiment, and consequently pretty near their battery. So we “lay low and kept dark” ‘till they Showed themselves in front of us, and then we would put in a volley for/

 

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the ladies we had left “behind us” and I say it without any compunctions of consience, that it done me a greatdeal of good; whenever I Saw one of the Scoundrels fall, and if we have one or two man fights, with like results, my wish will have been fulfilled, viz: that for every tear this war had caused our Southern ladies to Shed, we their protectors, might cancel the debt, by exacting one quart of blood from the heart of a rascally yankee, for every Such tear drop.

            but I am digressing. the fight raged with unabated fury for more than an hour. a little band of Six hundred brave Southern men, held at bay over fifteen thousand of their best troops, for more than an hour! and three regiments of these troops were regulars. nobly did Alabama prove to the world, on that day, that her Sons were fit representatives of their brave and Shivalrous Sires. We were ordered finally to fall back in the “woods” but the order had to be repeated Several times before it was obeyed. they had flanked us on our right Some time before we fell back in the woods, and it is astonishing to me how any of us got off the field alive. we marched through the woods, and down the hill, and formed after crossing the creek. on our left we noticed Several regiments drawn up in close column, but did not pay any particular attention to them, as we were of the opinion they were/

 

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friends Sent to our assistance. we were on the lookout for the enemy on the top of the hill, and were ready to give them a warm reception. about this time the adjutant of the regiment nearest us (perhaps Something over a hundred yards) rode towards us with a flag of truce. we then thought they mistook “us” for Yankees, and wanted to find out. So we gave them the Sign. the adjutant no doubt had Seen our flag, for about this time he rode back to his regiment and they immediately opened fire upon us, and we as quickly replied to their fire, and could have whipped them if Some fool had not given the command “to fall back and form in rear of [?]dere’s Battery”

            Rob^t Hanley of Demopolis, and myself, Staid behind the regiment when they commenced retreating from this point. I was determined to Send my compliments to Some particular member of this regiment in the Shape of a rifle ball.  I first looked for the rascally adjutant and found him on the ground wounded. I then looked through the lines, and discovered an officer in full dress. I took deliberate aim at him (aiming to hit him about the hips) and pulled trigger, and down came M^r Yankee. I then Started up the hill after our regiment, loading as I went. I passed poor lft W^m/

 

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Pitts (who was quite dead) and had gone Some fifty yards when down I came. I was struck with a minnie ball in the right thigh, about three inches below the hip bone, it made a hole about the Size of a “quarter” and glancing from the bone, lodged in the fleshy part of my thigh in the muscles, and near the main artery.     if you have ever been Severely Shocked by a galvanic Battery, you can form Some faint idea of how a “minnie” ball feels when it enters one’s flesh, &c.    We commenced fighting about half past eleven, and I was Shot at about two and lay on the field where I fell for about four hours, exposed to the fire of two Batteries and some three or four regiments of infantry. Ball, Bomb, Spherical case Shot, grape, Shrapnell and canister, rifle, minnie, and musket balls fell hot, fast, and thick around me, in fact I thought that every moment would be my last. one Bomb burst within a few feet of me, but thanks to a Special providence I went through it all Safe, but my escape was truly miraculous.        after the Batteries ceased firing Several regiments of the enemy passed close by me, but I “played dead” and they did not notice me.    finally Some Six or eight Straglers came along whose object Seemed to be the robing of the dead and wounded. two of them came to me and asked me what New York reg I belonged to/

 

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my reply was, that I did not have the honor of belonging to any of the N.Y. regiments. Then what reg do you belong to? 4^th Alabama! was my reply. one of them was a N. Yorker. The other was a Rhode Islander. They very kindly took me up and bore me to the creek, made me a bed of the boughs of trees, gave me as much water as I wanted, and bathed my wound. They were very kind considering they were Yankees and I Shall ever be grateful for this Show of feeling on their part. I lay on the bank of the creek Six long hours before I was moved, and then I was moved by South Carolinians. They put me in a road wagon and carried me to a tent hospital of the S. Carolinians (about midway between the battle field and the junction) three miles from where I was wounded. I think I Suffered about a half a dozen deaths, going those three miles and when I reached the hospital it was So full they could not put me in there. So I lay out in the rain until about nine or ten Oclock monday morning. They then carried me in the hospital and one of the Surgeons probed my wound to the bone, and remarked “that it was too dangerous an operation to attempt to cut the ball out of my leg, and that he could not do anything for me” I lay here all day, or rather till late in the evening. they then carried me to the junction in an “ambulance” which place I reached/

 

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about half past Seven at night. There was no room in any of the hospitals for me. So I was put in the Ordinance department, on account I Suppose of having lead in my leg. here I remained until tuesday afternoon. I was then put on the Car and reached M^rs Taliaferro’s at twelve oclock in the night and I then had my wound dressed for the first time. but thanks to providence, and a Strong constitution, I will Soon be myself again I hope.           I must now say a few words about Colⁿ Taliaferro’s family and the appearance of the country. his family consists of wife, five daughters, and one Son. M^rs Taliaferro is a perfect pattern of a housewife, and all of the qualities that constitute a perfect lady of the old Virginia School are embodied in her. her oldest daughter Miss Mollie is about twenty years old, has black hair and black eyes, and rather dark Skin. She could pass for a Spanish girl very easily, is fine looking I think. She is considered pretty by a great many. The Second, Miss Leah, is about eighteen years old, has rather dark hair and eyes, but of fair complexion, is quite pretty. the third, Miss Maggie, is about “Sweet Sixteen” has jet black hair and eyes, and fair complexion, is passably good looking, and will no doubt be a fine Specimen of V^a beauty when She is grown. the fourth Miss Nellie is about fourteen is almost the counterpart of Miss Leah, th’o the mouth is Somewhat different, larger and not So pretty. the/

 

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fifth, and last, Miss Aggie, is about twelve years old, has black hair and eyes. hair is very Short and Stands up on the top of her cranium (which by the way is Shaped very much like a large monkey’s) like the hair on a wire haired tarrier, her nose is more like a hawks bill than any thing I can think of to compare it to, and her complexion is a strange one. her face is well Sprinkled with freckles, about like a turkey’s egg, and has a dry perpetual bloom on it, like a frostbitten leaf in autumn. the Boy, “Alick,” or as they call him, “darkies” and all “Brother” is perhaps ten years old, and a fine looking Boy. as I have now disposed of the Taliaferro family (th’o I confess to having been very prosaic in my description, for which I crave your pardon) I must Say Something of their residence, and the magnificent cenery. the house is a three Story one, Situated on the Summit of a fine hill with a lovely lawn running down towards the R.Road which is distant about three humdred yards on the South. the “classic” rapid Ann rolls on in her meandering bed, in Silent and majestic (and now muddy) grandeur, and as far as the eye can reach in a Southerly direction, the country presents a perfect picture of ease and contentment. But it is on the north and east Sides that/

 

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nature Seems to have Striven to outdo herself. for perhaps a mile towards the north there is a meadow clothed in the most beautiful dress of green. Then comes a fine piece of woodland, then a large field of wheat, then ranges of mountains upon mountains till the eye wearies of looking to the end of them, that are lost in a hazy canopy in the distance. it is useless for me to attempt a description of it. So I will desist.

            I Staid at Colⁿ Taliaferro’s nearly one month, which by the way is in culpeper county, and I Spent quite a pleasant time there. they were very kind to me, could not have paid me more attention, had I been a member of the family.            for the last few days, I have been over in Orange County just across the “rapid Ann” and not more than three quarters of a mile from Colⁿ Taliaferro’s. I am Staying at the residence of one of “natures Noblemen” Cap^t Henry Holliday, than whom a better man does not live. he is a widower, but one of his Sisters is living with him. She is not pretty, but is quite goodlooking, and improves amazingly on acquaintance. She is pious, intelligent, ameable, and is a fine housekeeper, as her table daily attests. and of course is a great/

 

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favourite of mine.       She has a Sister (who comes over occasionally) who is about Seventeen years old and is very pretty, indeed I think you would call her beautiful. I will attempt a Slight description of her personal appearance, and also enumerate Some of the good qualities that dame rumor Says She possesses. She is about the higth of “Fannie” and a perfect model of a figure, and moves with the grace and dignity of a juno. She has long waving auburn hair, that She wears beautifully disported from her alabaster brow. her eyes are hazle and are large and almond Shaped, fringed with the most magnificent Set of long, Silky lashes that I ever Saw. her nose is of perfect grecian mould, and her mouth is a perfect counterpart of Cupid’s Bow, lips of medium thickness and as red as coral. the contrast is beautiful between her Snowey white teeth and red lips.        rumor Says She is one of the best housekeepers in the county, and is as industrious as a Bee. also, that She is the very personification of amiability, and of course She is intelligent. in fact She Seems to have caught “nature’s coy and furtive graces” and Spread them like wichery about her person. She has all the delightful, blushing conciousness of an artless girl, inexperienced in coquetry who is even ignorant of having made the first conquest. I have Seen and known many fair and good ladies in the course of my Somewhat chequered life, but I confess, that this is the first volume of womankind I have ever attempted to/

 

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Study on So Short an acquaintance. I was captivated with the very title page, but the further I read, the more am I delighted. She Seems formed to love, and to be loved. her Soft hazle eye rolls languidly under its long Silken lashes, and wherever it turns it lingers in Sweet endearing repose; there is true tenderness in every beam.          do not infer from what I have written that She has created in my heart a Sentiment Stronger than friendship, but could I love anyone, it would be She.            No. No! my heart is now desolate and Sad, the mere wreck of its former Self, and I know of no fitter comparrison than to liken it to Some classic fountain, that has once welled its pure waters in a Sacred Shade, but now, it is dry and dusty, with the lizard and the toad brooding over the Shattered marbles of love’s Urn.

            There is Something in Sickness that breaks down the pride of manhood, that Softens the heart and brings it back to the feelings of boyhood. nay, almost infancy. Who that has languished, even in advanced life, in Sickness and despondency; who that has pined on a weary bed in a distant land but has thought on his Mother “that looked on his childhood”, that Smoothed his pillow, and administered to his helplessness? Oh! there is an endearing tenderness in the love of a Mother to her Son that transcends all other affections of the heart. it is neither to be chilled by Selfishness/

 

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nor daunted by danger, nor weakened by worthlessness, nor Stifled by ingratitude. She will Sacrafice every comfort to his convenience; She will Surrender every pleasure to his enjoyment; She will glory in his fame, and exult in his prosperity:—and if misfortune overtake him, he will be the dearer to her from misfortune; and if disgrace Settle upon his name, She will Still love and cherish him in Spite of his disgrace; and if all the world beside cast him off, She will be all the world to him. Mother! what a volume of love is in that one word!                                                  I heard from camp a few days ago, but very few Sick. there was a report in camp that they Spoke of Sending our Brigade to Memphis, I do not know that there is any truth in it. I wish you to give my love to Aunt Fannie, Sister, and the children, also my best respects to M^rs Bradfield and Coleman and “Ira” and Miss Ann Stephenson. let her read this. I received a letter from her not long Since and ought to reply to it “perhaps.” but She wrote Such a Short letter that I infered, She did not wish an answer to it. remember me to all my friends, particularly to Asbury Coleman, D^r Bradfield and M^r Terrell.            When you answer this direct to “Pemberton P. Office, Goochland County, V^a” and be sure and write Soon. Adieu. Your respectful and constant friend.            J. Douglas Fowler

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