Beauregard telegraphed yesterday (they say, to General
Johnston), “Come down and help us, or we shall be crushed by numbers.” The
President telegraphed General Johnston to move down to Beauregard's aid. At
Bull Run, Bonham's Brigade, Ewell's, and Longstreet's encountered the foe and
repulsed him. Six hundred prisoners have been sent here.
I arose, as the Scriptures say, and washed my face and
anointed my head and went down-stairs. At the foot of them stood General
Cooper, radiant, one finger nervously arranging his shirt collar, or adjusting
his neck to it after his fashion. He called out: “Your South Carolina man,
Bonham, has done a capital thing at Bull Run — driven back the enemy, if not
defeated him; with killed and prisoners,” etc., etc. Clingman came to tell the
particulars, and Colonel Smith (one of the trio with Garnett, McClellan, who
were sent to Europe to inspect and report on military matters). Poor Garnett is
killed. There was cowardice or treachery on the part of natives up there, or
some of Governor Letcher's appointments to military posts. I hear all these
things said. I do not understand, but it was a fatal business.
Mrs. McLane says she finds we do not believe a word of any
news unless it comes in this guise: “A great battle fought. Not one Confederate
killed. Enemy’s loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners taken by us, immense.” I
was in hopes there would be no battle until Mr. Chesnut was forced to give up
his amateur aideship to come and attend to his regular duties in the Congress.
Keitt has come in. He says Bonham's battle was a skirmish of
outposts. Joe Davis, Jr., said: “Would Heaven only send us a Napoleon!” Not one
bit of use. If Heaven did, Walker would not give him a commission. Mrs. Davis
and Mrs. Joe Johnston, “her dear Lydia,” were in fine spirits. The effect upon nous
autres was evident; we rallied visibly. South Carolina troops pass every
day. They go by with a gay step. Tom Taylor and John Rhett bowed to us from
their horses as we leaned out of the windows.
Such shaking of handkerchiefs. We are forever at the
windows. It was not such a mere skirmish. We took three rifled cannon and six
hundred stands of arms. Mr. Davis has gone to Manassas. He did not let Wigfall
know he was going. That ends the delusion of Wigfall's aideship. No mistake
to-day. I was too ill to move out of my bed. So they all sat in my room.
SOURCE: Mary Boykin Chesnut, Edited by Isabella D. Martin
and Myrta Lockett Avary, A Diary From Dixie, p. 85-6
No comments:
Post a Comment