Sketch of Hoods Texas Brigade of the Virginia Army (Handwritten Civil War Diary)

out the knowledge of the Yanks, had not a magazine of ours at Yorktown been blown up, contra -ry to orders. Being the rear of the army, we did not have our posi tion near Yorktown untill long after sun up, and reached Wil liamsburg, (12 miles) about 5 PM at which place we were ordered by another Brigade, and took a position in advance, Though we were not attacked by the Yan -kees while bringing up the rear, we were every few minutes drawn up in lines of battle to receive the Yankee cavalry who were a short distance in our rear. With sorrowful hearts we marched through the beautiful town of

of Williamsburg, where the angel faces of the young Virginia girls, the sorrow and gloom depicted on the faces of old and young made us blush to think that Southern chiv -alry, was fleeing from a [i?ing] [?] but our country demanded the sac -rifice, and we obeyed. We camped that night three miles from Williams burg. We understood during the next day, that at early dawn of May 5th the Yanks, attacked our forces and till 3 pm quite a heavy fight was carried on, in which we whiped the enemy inflicting a loss of some five to six thousand. Loosing heavily ourselves, some {2800?], in all. The enemy thus re

-ceived a serious lesson in the "battle of Williamsburg" The first battle of "62". I failed to mention that the "Texas Brigade" and "Whitings Brigade" formed a sub division, of Genl G W Smiths "army division," hence we were known with Whitings Brigade as "Whitings Div." On the night prior to the battle of Williamsburg, Genl Johnstonreceived reliable information, that "Little Man" had sent a large force in transport, up York river, to land at "Elthams Landing" or "West Pt", The terminus of the "Richmond & York river RR", by which movement if successful, our army, would be cut off from our base, and with a large

forces in our rear and one in our front, we would indeed have been in a crucial condition, hence Mc Lelland fought The "battle of W", in order to delay us, but his designs were understood. Vigorous measures had to be executed, and prompt -ly too. Our Division (Whitings) was aroused from its slumbers at 12 am on the night of 4 May, and started on march. The rain pouring down in torrents, and so dark we could distinguish nothing. We continued in the march the rest of the night and during the days of the 5th & 6th The rain never ceased, mud & water knee deep, and misery & fatigue was viable upon the coun -tenances of all. The rain cleared

during the evening of the 6th and we went into camp, and spent a most delightful night. Early in the morning of the 7th May, we were up again, we resumed the march, not toward Richmond as all expected, but towards West Pt. We marched but a short distance, where we were halted. The 5th Txs was sent out on a reconasance. We had gone but a half mile, when we came back to the posi -tion in a hurry, having fallen in -to a Yankee trap, but the spring being rusty, did not work quick enough to ketch us. On returning to the place where we had left the rest of the "Brig" we found them gone. A corn