In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Correspondence, 1863 Hd. Qrs., 3rd. Va. Cavalry May 10th, ’63 (near Orange C. H.) My Dear Father, Your letter by Phil Grigg reached me yesterday and was highly gratifying although you seem, as usual, inclined rather to discourage any attempt on my part to obtain promotion. In all kindness and reverence , I would like to ask if it had not occurred to you that your sons are too little inclined naturally to rely on themselves and to push themselves, and do we not need a spur to encourage our ambition rather than a bit to curb it? Had I pursued the course most others pursued , gone to work and gotten a company, I might now be a Colonel, instead of playing third ¤ddle to Matthews and Palmore. I have written this now in a perfectly good humour and am conscious that you wish me prosperity, etc., but it has been suggested by the general tone of your letter and I have often thought of it before. It arises, I know, from an affectionate desire to prevent our appearing presumptuous and ridiculous. But I fear that we are too much afraid of that always for our own good. Colonel Owen has requested me to act as adjutant once he is of¤cially noti¤ed of McClellan’s promotion.1 Everybody seems to think he will offer me the place; if he does I think I will accept it and hold on till I can do better. I have thought a great deal about it and am inclined to think it will give me advantages in the way of making the acquaintance of many men that I do not now possess. I doubt whether anything could be accomplished by applying to Seddon2 through Uncle Edmund so you may let that matter drop. I will try to ¤ght my way up before long. It is rumoured that the brigades of mounted ri®emen are on the way to Stuart from the southwest.3 And I hope we will ¤nish Stoneman, yet. Stuart is said to have remarked the other day that after resting his horses a few days he would start after him. The white livered sons of bitches who have been scared so badly will, I hope, learn a lesson and furnish the government the forage necessary for our horses. They are to blame, not we, for what Stoneman did.4 Hampton was recruiting south of James River. The few men we could turn out were essential to Lee’s success at Fredericksburg [Chancellorsville]. The active movements of his army were directed by the information we furnished him and we had to stay there partly to protect the weak points of his line (the 4th and 3rd Virginia Cavalry occupied a position in front of the whole army corps of the army) and partly to protect the trains. Jackson’s wagons would have been captured but for the success of Lt. Colonel Carter of our regiment commanding a squadron of cavalry and some companies of infantry. William [Rooney] Lee had two regiments down in Essex [County] foraging. In one of the others we had only 57 men for duty. They guarded our wagons. The 9th and 13th went with him after Stoneman but could not give him much of a ¤ght. The battle of Fredericksburg [Chancellorsville] was a grand affair. Jackson’s ®ank movement was one of the greatest ever made. The enemy having sent out scouts in front of his right wing, they reported Jackson falling back toward Richmond having already disappeared. Some of our men who were prisoners were present. The general commanding there said, “Boys, we have the heights and Jackson has left our front. We rest tonight and tomorrow on to Richmond.” A few moments after six bomb shells burst in their midst. “Jackson is on our ®ank,” they shouted. Of¤cers and all took [to] the woods and the whole 11th Corps ®ed in confusion. Hooker attempted to rally them and his horse was killed and he reported wounded. We had a hard time of it, short [of] food, loss of sleep, etc. Nobody was killed in our regiment but [with] Lt. [Col.] Carter several were 118 / Year 3: 1863 wounded, several horses killed and wounded including several in our company. A panic was raised in our train of wagons and my saddle bags thrown away and lost. But in scouring the woods when the enemy fell back I captured two Yankees after shooting at them twice...

Share