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This letter came from a direct
descendant of A.O. South whose name I do not know through a third party. Permission
was granted to post it. A(bner) O. South was a private in Co. F 2nd Miss. Infantry.
I received the letter in typewritten form and attempt to publish it as it was
received with no corrections. Some mistakes may have occurred in OCRing it although
I did attempt to correct those. Some may also have occurred when the letter
was initially typed. I do not know who James was nor to whom the letter was
written.
Camp Jones, near Manassas Junction, Va.
August 7th, 1861
Dear Friend,
James
received your last letter yesterday and was sorry to hear of the death of his brother and of your
being unwell. James is not very well at this time, but is able to be about.
I have been very sick myself but have got so that I am able to do about half duty.
There is 400 on the sick list at this time in our regiment none that are dangerous
though. We have a good deal of mumps.
Before
we left Winchester we though we would have a fight every day but could not get the enemy under General
Patterson to meet us. The day before we left Winchester, Patterson sent
forward 2 regiments to make us believe that he was going to attack Winchester,
our pickets brought in the word and we were ready and willing. We had thrown up breast
works and planted large canon on the side of the town that we expected him
to come. We were ordered in front of our breast works and canon and lay on our
arms all the night waiting him, but the next word our picket guard brought in was
that he had retreated and gone toward Harpers Ferry with the intention of crossing
the Potomac and going by Washington then to Manassas to whip Boreauguard.
McDowell, the Genl in command of the Lincoln forces had had a fight on Thursday
the 18th, 2 days before our fight when Boreauguard whiped him. Then it
was fixed that the enemy forces were to be all concentrated on Manassas, and they
would give us a real thrashing and move on to Richmond. The whole army
believed this, from McDowell down to the lowest private, but how uncertain such things are.
The victory is not for the swift nor the battle to the strong. but to return
to us at Winchester. as soon as it was discovered that Patterson had gone
towards Manassas General Johnston ordered all his forces to cook 2 days provisions
and be ready to march in a few hours. We were ready carrying nothing
but our provisions, our blankets and coffee pot & frying pans were put in waggons.
The road was full of waggons for miles we after them. you have no idea of
the show we made, over twenty thousand men on the road at one time with wagons
anough to carry our baggage. We marched all night until 2 Oclock in the
morning, lying down on the side of the road without anything under us but rocks
and nothing to cover with. We were on the march again at day break and stoped
a little after sun up on the Shenandoah River to get breakfast the waggons
had to cros the River, it is about 250 or 300 yards wide and waist deep.
After eating and all the wagons had crossed, we commenced and such a sight nobody
that has ever seen a large body of men move have no idea of it. There
was one Ferry Boat below the ford but it was nothing in getting us acros, about
as much as it would be for one waggon to carry everybody to the largest
Camp Meeting you ever saw. We were marched down to the water's edge and took off
our clothes some keeping on thore shirts to keep the sun from burning them and bulged
in by hundreds one after another the diver was full of men hollowing creaming
cursing & yelling for hundreds of yards, carrying our Gun Cartridge Box
Cap Box and other things on our shoulder's. The bottom was rocky and them sharp
Some one of us would drop in a hole & fall, then for a loud laugh from all
in sight. We were hours in crossing and formed in line on the other side, and
marched on again not stoping until we reached >Piedmont a Depot on the Manassas
and Strassburg Rail Road. it was in the night when we reached this place,
and it commenced poring down rain, we were ordered in a field where there
was plenty of wheat in shocks we tore it down to lye on and spread our blankets
over it lying down in the rain without any supper, not being able to cook
any, we were so tired.
The next
morning we were up by 2 Oclock to start on the cars but did not get off untill day when we
left. there was thousands of soldiers waiting to get to Manassas, but we got
off first being the oldest regiment on the ground. We reached Manassas
about 11 Oclock Saturday the day before the fight we rested at the junction 1 or
2 hours then marched out some 3 miles to camp and rested there until morning
geting a loaf of light Bakers bread and a few crackers and a piece of shoulder
meat for two rations.
While eating
our breakfast we herd canon booming to our right. All started up and commenced looking up there
guns catridge & cap boxes and were soon ordered in line and to march in a minute
by our Genl Bee. he had charge of our brigade composed of the 2nd & 11 Mississippi
the 4th Alabama the 1st Tennessee and one North Caroline regiment along with
a Battery composed of several canon and a large force of Cavalry under Col.
Stewart, the two last from Virginia. We bore to the left all the time close
to a creek called Bull Run as we advanced, we herd the canon and very often
Muskety in swift succession bearing to the left also We kept on until we got some
six miles from where we started, going all the time in quick and double quick
time at last we were ordered to halt, then load and march again pulling down fences
as we went along
--------------------------------
Keep this, I will want to see it
when I come home
A. South
(note in upper right hand. corner of page 4)
---------------------------------
Just before going into action while
in the rode close to where we went action one of our ammunition waggons got
destroyed by the horses running away. We were ordered up to a little skirt of
woods, the enemy being over on the other hill in an open field. We lay down in
the edge of the woods waiting for further orders. the 4th Alabama came up
and passed through the woods stooping like they were close to there game. the went
to our right in a little while we were ordered down through the woods to a fence
and lay down behind it. in a little while thare was two of our Companys ordered
over the fence and up the hill as skirmishers. as soon as the got high enough
to see the enemy at the canon the fired some rounds and called attention of them to
us. The battery commenced leveling there pieces at the Cannons for they were one
of the companys that were skirmisking They fired too high to do much damage
to them and there bumb shell and grape came in amongst us at the fence, wounding
some cutting our clothes canteens and haversacks off from our sides.
there was but few killed at the fence, but we had the narrowest escape in
the world and it could be nothing but a Provedential escape in all not getting killed.
besides the canon that was playing on us, we were fired on several
times by the enemy's infantry who were to the right of us and in the rear of
their own canon. the 4th Alabama were in shot of there infantry every time they
would show there heads over the opposite slope of the hill. they Alabamians'
being in full view of the enerny with nothing to protect them, they suffered
severely, but stood it like heroes. We too were ordered over the fence to charge
the canon and our boys shaved the top rails of and jumped over as if the enemy
were ten miles off in place off 250 yards. after getting up the hill the enemy
being on the other slope we were ordered back there canon & infantry firing
on us all the time we then lay down again behind the fence. after a little while
we were contending with there best battery Shermans and fifteen thousand infantry
our force at this place was just our brigade, commanded by Genl. Bee
who was killed composing 5 regiments averiging about 600 strong most of us not
being able to get a shot at there place. We stood this for nearly an hour.
all behaved as if they were familiour to such sport. In our retiring up this
hill we were fired on all the time, the enemy's battering allmost silencing our
battery, giving them the time to play on us. In our retiring we became scattered
like sheep and with all the head officers' Pains they could not be rallied
together again Companys getting away from these regiments, the men getting
lost from Companys from fatague and escaustion, and even regiments geting lost
from the brigade, the enemy meeting us at every place. They fought well when we
were particulary. Ellsworth's Zouave the 69 and 71 New York regiments they
were there best troops, after going about 3/4 most of our men got together
abain close to Shermans battery of 8 pieces and were ordered to charge and
take it they done so but had to retire charged again destroying most of there
horses and a good many of there men and thinking they took but others claim the
credit of it particulary the Virginians it was here we lost most of our men. We
lost 6 out of our company, our 2 Lieuts Smith and Bragleman John Green, J.A.
Norton, Sam McBride and Ed Sullivan and when Wm A. Morgan got wounded they carried
him some 200 yards to keep as a prisoner but were so tightly pressed that
they had to leave him. This shows who took the battery for we lost more than
any other Company.
The fight
was for 8 or 10 miles up and down Bull Run and back from it some two miles on our side about 3/4 on
there side. bumbs shells, and mortars buzing and flying in evey direction all over
the field and when faling bursting and spreading destruction all around.
The fight commenced about 6 oClock in the morning and lasted until dark even
in the night. They commenced retreating about 4 o Clock from where we were
in the utmost confussion the first running over those behind they taking the
alarm running back and so on until the reached Centreville our Cavalry
pushing them all the time it was the most complete rout ever known in history.
the panic became so terrable at Centreville where members of the Lincoln Cabinet,
Member os Congress and other big bugs, along with Ladies and even children
where congregated to witness our defeat and to go to Richmond. their hopes
were all disappointed they had to fire on the teamsters to keep them from running
over the Carriages with the Ladies and children.
As near
as I can ascertain the loss on both sides must have been some from 7 to 10 thousand. our loss was
about 1500 or 2000. 4 or 500 killed and from 12 to 15 hundred wounded We took
60 canon a large amount of arms any amount of amunition and waggons and in fact
every thing else that you can think off. President Davis came on the field
about 4 o clock the retreat had commenced when he came on the field. Johnston
commanded the left wing and Boreauguard the right wing.
In the
evening toward night our boys walked over the field to see what havoc had been done. they saw the
most awful sights. some cry for water Our waggons and men were gathering
up our dead and wounded bringing them into the junction about 5 miles from the
field. it rained all the rest of day, but our dead and wounded came in canon
gun with prisoners from one to fifty. As fast as our guard house became full
we sent them off to Richmond this was going on for days, we buried all of our
boys at the junction. Wednesday We were close to where the enemy were unburied
and they became so offencesive that we had to move. We left and went about 2
miles on Bull Run after the first rains maggot came down the creek from the field
of battle by millions and we had to leave there and come to this place some
8 miles off on the orange & Alexandria Rail Road. We have a fine camping
ground and are doing very well. We have a good many sick but none
very dangerous. We do not know how long we will stay here there is a talk
in camp of our having to go to Romney. all of our brigade was not in the
battle, but 2 Regiments & 2 companys of the 11th Mississippians 2nd
Miss & 4 ala.
It was
a great Victory and will be long remembered the north will never whip us. there is now talk
of piece by some of the Northern papers, but they are raising troops
fast.
You must
write to me and James as soon as you receive this No more
Respectfully Yours
A. O. South
P.S. you must read this to most
of the neighbors as it will be news to them.
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