Ox Hill, Va.,
September 3, 1862.
I was in the battle
at Manassas and made several very narrow escapes. I had to go on the field
there, although it was Dr. Kilgore's place to go, and not mine, but he was
afraid to go. On Monday (September 1) at this place I came very near being
killed; for a bombshell barely did miss me and burst right at me. I stood the
late terrible march surprisingly well, but I have learned what hunger and
hardships are. I would often lie down at night on the bare ground without a
blanket or anything else to cover with and would wonder what my dear wife would
think if she could see me lying there. We have had some dreadful sufferings,
especially on these forced marches. The fatigue and the pangs of hunger were
fearful.
We marched fast all
day Monday and all day Tuesday (August 25 and 26) and until late Tuesday night,
when we bivouacked in a field of tall grass near Bristow Station. Bob Land
spread his wet horse blanket on a bare spot, and we lay on it and covered with
his blanket and went to sleep without supper. The country was a waste, and I
heard no sound of a chicken, cow or dog during the night.
The next
morning (Wednesday) we got up before day and marched fast to
Manassas Junction, and almost kept up with the cavalry. We found sutlers'
stores and trainloads of flour and meat, and we captured a few prisoners. I
went into a sutler's tent and got three days' rations of ham, crackers and
salt. Before noon we started towards Washington, and after marching three or
four miles we marched back to Manassas Junction again late that afternoon and
found many prisoners and negroes there, who were all sent away towards Groveton.
We staid there that night, and all the cars and everything were set on fire
about the same time. We were very tired, and all day lay down on the ground,
but I remained awake for some time watching the fire, which burned fiercely.
Thursday morning (28th) we marched nearly to Centreville, and from there
towards Groveton, and Ewell's command got into a fight late that afternoon on
our right. We remained there and bivouacked in the oak forest where our brigade
fought next day.
Next morning
(Friday) we had breakfast, and I ate with Adjutant Goggans. Our command then
took position in the woods near the cut of an unfinished railroad and sent out
skirmishers, who soon retreated and fell back on the main line. The Yankee line
came up quite near and fired into us from our right, and Goggans was shot
through the body. I remained some distance in rear of our line and saw Mike
Bowers, Dave Suber and two other men bringing someone back on a litter, and I
said: “Mike, who is that?" and he said: "Goggans," just as they
tumbled him down. I looked at him as he was gasping his last, and he died at
once. Then the wounded who could walk began to come back, and those who could
not were brought to me on litters. I did all I could for them until the
ambulances could carry them to the field infirmary, and this continued until
late in the afternoon.
I saw an Irishman
from South Carolina bringing a wounded Irishman from Pennsylvania back and at
the same time scolding him for fighting us. Colonel McGowan came limping back,
shot through the thigh, but he refused to ride, and said: “Take men who are
worse hurt than I am." Colonel Marshall and Lieutenant-Colonel Leadbetter
were brought back mortally wounded.
Shells came over to
us occasionally as if thrown at our reserves, and would burst among the men and
overhead, but they paid no attention to them and kept very quiet. I did not
hear anyone say one word. An occasional spent ball fell near by and one knocked
up the dust close to me, but the trees were thick and stopped most of the
bullets short of us. The Yankees charged us seven times during the day and were
driven back every time. Their lines were always preceded by skirmishers. One
ran into the railroad cut and sat down, and Jim Wood shot him dead.
Our brigade was not
relieved until about four o'clock. They had been fighting all day and their
losses were very heavy. I saw General Fields, commanding a Virginia brigade,
ride in on our left to relieve us, and I then went back to the field infirmary,
where I saw large numbers of wounded lying on the ground as thick as a drove of
hogs in a lot. They were groaning and crying out with pain, and those shot in
the bowels were crying for water. Jake Fellers had his arm amputated without
chloroform. I held the artery and Dr. Huot cut it off by candle light. We
continued to operate until late at night and attended to all our wounded. I was
very tired and slept on the ground.
We did nothing
Saturday morning (30th). There were several thousand prisoners near by, and I
went where they were and talked with some of them. Dr. Evans, the brigade
surgeon, went to see General Lee, and General Lee told him the battle would
begin that morning at about ten o'clock and would cease in about two hours,
which occurred exactly as he said. Our brigade was not engaged, and we spent
the day sending the wounded to Richmond.
Early Sunday morning
(31st) we started away, and I passed by where Goggans' body lay. Near him lay
the body of Captain Smith of Spartanburg. Both were greatly swollen and had
been robbed of their trousers and shoes by our own soldiers, who were ragged
and barefooted, and did it from necessity. We passed on over the battlefield
where the dead and wounded Yankees lay. They had fallen between the lines and
had remained there without attention since Friday. We marched all day on the
road northward and traveled about twelve miles.
The next morning
(September 1) we continued our march towards Fairfax Court House, and had a
battle late that afternoon at Ox Hill during a violent thunderstorm.
Shell were thrown at
us and one struck in the road and burst within three or four feet of me.
Several burst near Colonel Edwards as he rode along, but he did not pay the
slightest attention to them. There were flashes and keen cracks of lightning
near by and hard showers of rain fell. The Yankees had a strong position on a
hill on the right side of the road, but our men left the road and I could see
them hurrying up the hill with skirmishers in advance of the line.
I went into a horse
lot and established a field infirmary, and saw an old lady and her daughter
fleeing from a cottage and crossing the lot in the rain. The old lady could not
keep up and the daughter kept stopping and urging her mother to hurry. The
bullets were striking all about the yard of their house.
Lieutenant Leopard
from Lexington was brought back to me with both his legs torn off below the
knees by a shell, and another man with part of his arm torn off, but
neither Dr. Kenedy, Dr. Kilgore nor our medical wagon was with us, and I had
nothing with me to give them but morphine. They both died during night. The
battle continued till night came on and stopped it. We filled the carriage
house, barn and stable with our wounded, but I could do but little for them.
Colonel Edwards was furious, and told me to tell the other doctors "for
God's sake to keep with their command."
After doing all I
could for the wounded, my brother, my servant Wilson, and myself went into the
orchard and took pine poles from a fence and spread them on the wet ground to
sleep on. I discovered a small chicken roosting in a peach tree and caught it,
and Wilson skinned it and broiled it, and it was all we three had to eat that
day. Wilson got two good blankets off the battlefield with “U. S." on
them, and we spread one on the poles and covered with the other.
The next morning the
Yankees were gone. Their General, Kearney, was killed and some of their wounded
fell into our hands. The two other doctors with our medical supplies did not
get there until morning, and many of our wounded died during the night. I found
one helpless man lying under a blanket between two men who were dead.
We drew two days'
rations of crackers and bacon about ten o'clock, and I ate them all and was
still very hungry. I walked over on the hill and saw a few dead Yankees. They
had become stiff, and one was lying on his back with an arm held up. I picked
up a good musket and carried it back with me to the house and gave it to the
young lady I saw running away the day before. She thanked me for it, and seemed
very much pleased to have it as a memento of the battle.
Late that afternoon
we drew rations again, and I ate everything without satisfying my hunger. A
soldier came from another command and said he heard I had some salt, and he
offered me a shoulder of fresh pork for some. Wilson cooked it and I ate it
without crackers, but was still hungry. During the night I became very sick
from overeating, and next morning when the regiment left I was too sick to
march. Billie, Mose Cappock, Billy Caldwell and myself all got sick from the
same cause. We are all sleeping in the carriage house, and I have sent Wilson
out into the country to get something for us to eat.
We hope to be able
to go on and catch up with the regiment in a day or two. It has gone in the
direction of Harper's Ferry.
SOURCE: Dr. Spenser G.
Welch, A Confederate Surgeon's Letters to
His Wife, p. 23-31
