Accounts from Manassas.
Mrs. Hinsdale, whose husband is a member of the 2d Michigan Regiment, which is now on the Virginia side of the Potomac, has returned to Washington from Manassas Junction. Mrs. Hinsdale was at Centreville during the engagement on Sunday, and waited there for the return of the soldiers looking for her husband, but failed to see him. She supposed him a prisoner at Manassas. The enemy captured and conveyed her thither, employing her as a hospital nurse. On Thursday she procured a pass from Beauregard and his consent to leave. She walked to Alexandria where she arrived this morning. Her husband she discovered was not a prisoner, but safe in camp with his regiment. Mrs. Hinsdale reports as being in the hospital at Manassas a large number of our wounded troops. The enemy say they have as prisoners over a thousand of our men. She brings verbal messages from several of them to their friends. The wounded are well cared for. The offer of liberation has been tendered to all, provided they will take an oath not again to take up arms against the Confederacy. The Capt. of a Maine regiment and several privates have accepted the condition. The others refused. Among the prisoners in the hospital are Henry L. Perrin and Lieut. Underhill, of New York, engaged as hospital stewards, E. T. Taylor, of New Jersey Surgeon, Quartermaster C. J. Murphy, Dr. Swift, John Bayley, and E. Viedenburgh, of the New York 14th. The last named is also a hospital steward. There are also there Surgeon Braxton, of 5th Maine, and Surgeon of the 38th N. Y., 1st Minnesota and 3d Regiments of Federal Infantry. D. C. Sprague, of New Haven, and Wiggins, of Brooklyn, who was wounded, are also prisoners. Mrs. Hinsdale says the Confederates buried their dead as they could be received, and that the enemy represent that of this number there are only 50, but that their wounded exceeds 1500. She saw many of our dead as she passed over the battle ground, and distinguished some of them by their uniforms. She says that the force of the enemy at Manassas is very large and that the officers are very busy drilling their troops. Beauregard is constantly on the move going from one part of the camp to the other and arranging as they said for some great movement. She reports that a large force of the enemy is at Fairfax with heavy guns.
Connecticut Courant, 8/2/1861
Contributed by John Hennessy
2nd Michigan Infantry Co. D Roster
*Wife of Hiram H. Hinsdale, Co. D, 2nd Michigan Infantry. Civil War Soldiers Index show Jane Hinsdale as a laundress, while the Pension Rolls show her as a Nurse.
Hiram H. Hinsdale and Jane Marshall at Ancestry.com
Hiram H. Hinsdale at Ancestry.com
Hiram H. Hinsdale at FindAGrave
Review of Michigan’s War: The Civil War in Documents, which includes info on Jane Hinsdale
Harry Smeltzer
Bull Runnings 
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