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

Genl Melton thus speaks. "Here we had a fair sample, of your Texans, under Hood. The best fighters in the Confederacy, Men upon whom one could depend, who seem to fight for the very love of it." While the boys were all giving in their experiences, I felt rather gloomy. I was tired & hungry. I had no remedy for the latter for in the morning I had thrown away my overcoat, in order to doub -le quick, and in double quicking I had lost my haversack, containing 2 ears hard corn, 1 cracker, and 3 bites of bacon, so my feelings can be better imagined than experienced, besides this, I was seized with a fever & cramps, and in the language of "Bowers" wished myself most dead.

We lay down to rest that night, flush -ed with victory, and proud of our 1st days work, and were just on the eve of dreming of home and the loved ones there. When the long roll aroused us from our slumber just begun, and the order "prepare to march" was passed from mouth to mouth. We had saved our army and now we must save our selves and should we wait for day, our situation would be intrical, since the whole army had passed on its way to Richmond. Well do I remem -ber the night, since I was so weak and sick I could hardly move my foot, and all wagons and am -bulances had been sent on ahead hence I must either make an

effort to walk, or fall into the hands of the enemy, my choice was soon made, and after walking some two or three miles I felt as if "Rich -ard was himself again." How ben -eficial is exercise! We commenced the march at 11 PM, and had the Yanks known of our [renegade?] movement. They could have bothered us much, strict silence was the or -der, and for ten miles, not a voice was heard above a whisper, for every moment we expected to be fired upon from Yankee ambush. To show the true state of affairs. I copy from Chaplain Davis his story of the 4th Txs. "What a hearty laugh a man could have had, had he been in a po -sition to observe, both armies

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mained near "New Kent" until the evening of the 9th, when we resumed the march in a hard rain, and marched till one at night, when we found ourselves on the banks of that hereafter historical stream "Chickahomany" having made six miles in ten hours. On arriving at the bridge over the "Chickahomany" we found several several Generals - all exhorting these men "flare up and for God's sake hurry on." After crossing over, the bridge was immediately destroyed. We remained near this stream until a late hour next morning and after feasting extravagantly on a "flap jack" and one slice of bacon" we took up the march once more for Richmond