Unknown, 10th Virginia Infantry, On the March to Manassas and the Battle

FOR THE REGISTER.

Messrs. Editors: – I send you extracts from a private letter, written by one of our friends in the recent fight near Manassas, and which I think deserves a place in your paper. The letter claims to be no new thing, only one in a thousand, perhaps, that made glad many homes during the last week, bringing tidings of life and safety, after that dear-bought victory. It was intended for the partial eyes of home friends, makes no display of beautifully rounded periods or high sounding words, but is a simple narration of impressions made by the living panorama of brilliant achievements on that day. Please let us have it in your next issue.

Manassas Junction,
July 28, 1861.

My Dear – : I wrote to you yesterday, but for fear it may not reach you I write again, knowing the uncertainty of mails now. I stated that we had a terrible fight at this place on Sunday. In that I only gave a general outline. I do not know whether I dan do much more now, but from the fear that the other may miscarry this is written.

We left Winchester last Thursday evening at six o’clock, marched all night, only lying down by the roadside for about an hour. About eight o’clock on Friday morning we stopped and got breakfast, moved on again and got to Piedmont Station about ten o’clock at night – a very hard march and nothing to eat for twenty-four hours. The next morning we got breakfast, and expected to move on here by railroad, but as there were some twenty thousand troops at Piedmont to be moved, and as the train broke down, we did not get off until Sunday morning. Elzey’s Brigade (the 4th,) composed of the 13th Va. Regiment, the 3d Tennessee Regiment, the Maryland line, and our Regiment (the 10th Va.,) moved off from Piedmont about daylight, arriving here about ten o’clock, the cannon roaring all along north of us. Twenty minutes after eleven o’clock we set off for the field of strife, then some four miles away north-west of us, where the “Yanks” were trying to turn our flank with the pick of the whole Northern army. Sherman’s entire battery was there, also the celebrated N. Y. 7th Regiment, the N. Y. Zouaves, &c; indeed, the flower of all Yankeedom was concentrated there for the purpose of turning our left flank, which they would have done but for the timely arrival of our brigade. Although we Irani at least five miles out of the seven we traveled to the field, yet the officers who were on the ground say they could not have held their ground twenty minutes more if we had not come up. – Indeed they would have given back before, but they had word we were coming. and although they were falling by scores, yet they fought on until we relieved them. Several of the Regiments engaged at the time had the misfortune to lose one fourth or more of their men in killed and wounded.

The run we had was perfectly exhausting. When we were formed in line, a little sheltered behind the top of a hill, the Col. ordered us to lie down and rest, the balls falling around and among us thick and fast. Several were wounded while we lay there. Bomb-shells were flying over us all the time, but fortunately for us we were closer than Mr. Sherman thought, and he shot beyond us. After resting about ten minutes, the order came to rise, and then to advance, which we did in very good order; three whole Regiments in line moving up to charge a large wood in which the “Yanks” were concealed. We delivered our fire into the woods, although we did not see a man at the time; again loaded, came to a charge, and moved into the woods. The enemy now had ceased firing upon us, except upon the Tennessee Regiment, which was out extreme left wing at the time. The “Yanks” had given way, and retired behind the top of some hills in the fields beyond the woods we were now in, and when we came to the edge of the woods next to them, such a sheet of lead as came whizzing over us was a caution to soldiers to – lie down, which we did until their fire was delivered. Then we raised, some to their knees, some sprang erect and gave it to them. The enemy again gave way, we again loaded and gave them a parting salute, and again advanced upon them – did not get sight of that part of their army, but did see another detachment into which we fired, after which they left in such a hurry as to make it really amusing. After this we saw no more of the enemy in a body, only prisoners, wounded and dead; and may God keep me from looking upon such a scene again! – The eye could not rest upon any spot of ground where there was not a wounded man or a corpse, and this was the truth, literally, of the country running east and west ten for twelve miles. In some places they lay almost in heaps, in others here and there on or two together, in every imaginable shape and position. Some praying, some begging to be killed to get out of their misery, others in the most pitiful tones begging for water; and when we would hold our canteens to their fevered lips, to hear their heartfelt thanks and “God bless you.” S—-, no man can say he has ever fully realized what charity is until he has passed through such a scene. For many reasons, I hope to God I may never have to do so again. The hard run we had to get here in time, the fatigues we had upon the field, and above all, the horrible scenes afterwards. The enemy had from one hundred to a hundred and fifty thousand engaged in the fight, and our side had some fifty or sixty thousand engaged, we do not yet know the exact number. You will see more in the papers than I can possibly tell you at present. – It is thought we lost about one thousand killed and about two thousand wounded. The enemy lost some nine or ten thousand killed, and there is no safe rumor to their wounded – it is enormous. The number of prisoners we had talied I do not as yet know. Some say fifteen hundred, some twenty-five hundred or mor. You may be sure it is very large. We also captured a great quantity of everything warlike. – About 70 or 75 pieces of rifled cannon, some very large, to throw ball or shell. – Among the last the celebrated Sherman battery. Small arms, without number, ammunition, stores of every kind, almost without limit, about six hundred horses, besides blankets, knapsacks, haversacks, canteens, &c., without limit, or rather by the cord. A day of glory to all engaged in the fight. A day to be proud of by all the friends of freedom and our cause. Surely and certainly God is with us.

Patterson, who was threatening us at Winchester, is said to be a prisoner. I do not know whether it is certainly so or not, but we know there were a number of high officers taken. We are again ordered to move, where to I do not know. I think probably to Fairfax C. H., which is only a few miles from here; and so I must close for present, very abruptly. Let me caution you against uneasiness, as we all came out safe from such a battle, as it is hardly probably we will ever be engaged in again. G. H. and W. are only fatigued and sore from the “terrible Sunday.”

Rockingham (Harrisonburg, VA) Register, 8/2/1861

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Contributed by John Hennessy