refersto::Theodore Buchanan Hammond refersto::William Goheen Hammond refersto::Mayberry Hammond

Hammond Letter 3

Date: July 30, 1861

From: T.B.H. (Theodore Buchanan Hammond)[40]

To: “Dear Brother” (W. G. Hammond) [41]

_____________________

Sentersville (sic) July 30,/61

Dear Brother [41]:

I [40] received your letter this morning. It found me in good health I was to see Mayberry[42] yesterday he was in the great Battle But was not heart. Now to tell you something about the fight at Blackburn Ford which came off on the 18th the day before our Brigade which consists of 3 Regiments under General Longstreet left Manassas and went down to the ford where we remained over night in the morning between 10 and 11 o’clock we drawed up in line of battle it was not long before the enemy came up in sight They came in such a way we could not see them until they was in 150 yds of us. They fired the first round. Then we opened on them. The fight lasted over 2 hours. Though the cannonading lasted nearly all day. Our less was 9 or 10 killed between 60 and 7O wounded which several of them have dide (sic) since. Our Major was the first that fell in our Regiment. The Yankees was about 9000 in number while we did net have more than 1500 ingaged There loss was between 8 and 9 hundred killed we could not tell how many were wounded as many was carried off as fast as they fell. The grandest thing that I ever saw was the fight between our Washington artillery and one of their Brag Batterys. That fight lasted over ___________ and 500 shots between the two batterys and only lost a few men while on the enemys loss was very heavy our battery cut down hole collums of their men. There men had to run off and leave that Battry several times, during the hole fight they had a battery firing on our hospital. The fire became so heavy we had to carry out our wounded, After the fight was ever they sent in a _______ of _________  to berry their dead in still of berry their dead they went to putting up a mast battery But they soon had to give that up we berryed some of their ded and the rest of them is still lying on the field. When night came on every thing was quiet and remained so until  the next night between nine and 11 o’clock when they commenced again nearly all Round us But they done no damage. After that turn they was quiet until Sunday morning between 6 and 7 o’clock when they commenced again. It was not long before it became a general thing for several miles distant The fight was heaviest at Stone Bridge they made a desperate attempt to brake our collumns at one time the Southern troops gave back some distance. on account of their having some fresh troops to bring in  there number was at least 4 to 1 The infernal scoundrals fought under our flag this _____ after the fight had become a general thing. By then fighting under our flag our less was much grater than it would of been at one time the infantry right up ________ for one hour and twenty min with out ever seacing  Besides the canonading which was kept up all the time. The fight lasted over ten hours, as near as I could come at it  our loss was between 4  and 5 hundred killed and 15 hundred wounded and the enemy’s side the less was over nine thousand killed and wounded  This is what there one paper states. We got over one thousand prisoners We berred some of there dead though there is a great many of them laying all over the country not yet  berryed. We gathered up there wounded though a great many of them dide before they could be tended to. We got at least twenty thousand stand of arms, and some 80 pieces ef artilery and 500 hundred wagons loded with provisions and clothing. Twelve of them was loded with shoes. 

 (Page 2. July 30/61 TBH)

A great many of them had there familys along to settle the country as they went. I found a great many letters they had writen and had not time to send nearly all of them wrote home to those friends to direct them to Manassus Gap. We found a sermon that one of there Preachers had written ____ to preach at Manassus.  That night his ____ (unit?) was incampt at Manassus. I came across one of there wounded  I asked him what he was doing hear he said he came to fight   I asked him what he eschewed to get for services he said he was promised 20 dollars a month and one hundred and 60 acres of land in Virginia. They have not got but very few of our men prisoners ____  few they get they have hung.  If that be true after this I won’t take any prisoners ______  ________we are camped  at Sentersville (i.e. Centerville) it is not ________ Fairfax C H near Sentersville ____________ .   After the enemy cannoned retreating Between five and 6 o’clock such running you never   heard tell of.  if we had 4 or 5 hours more to ______________.   General S____ was on the field  he made his brags that the Stars and stripes had never fell  But they came down on the 27th. Gen. Beauregard was on the field he rode up and down the line encouraging his men until his horse was shot from (under ?)him. Gen Johnson gathered the flag of a wavering Regiment and suceeded in puting the enemy to flight. Gen Davis was also on the Battlefield. A great many of _________ from ________  ________ killed and wounded.   Col. James Preston’s Regiment was there was only 16 of them carried out safe. A great many of them wounded. The Blacksburg company suffered considerably. Charles Runnalds (?) there.   his close was tore all over. But he did not get a wound several balls passed through his hat and a great many mark his coat. I must close I don’t knew how long we will remain here. I don’t think we will remain  here many days. I think we will move on nearer Alexandria.   ______direct a letter to Mannassas Gap I may get it. Our troops extend down in a few miles ef Alexandria I think the hardest Battle has been fought. We may have Battle that will last longer But they never will come so close to us again. This was there Brag army. They Brought in all the regulars that was in the United States …..  they had ten thousand Regulars all of them was in this fight. It is hard to tell how many troops they had. But it is generally thought that they had not less than eighty thousand. I must close for this time.

Respectfully yours,

T.B.H. [40]

P.S. Give  my respects to all inquiring friends.