Augusta County: Thomas Garber to Albert Garber, September 25,
1862
Summary:
Thomas Garber describes the activities of his regiment since leaving the Valley.
Sept 25th 1862
Dear Father
In the last few weeks I have received several letters from Addie complaining that I did not
write home at all but she is mistaken for I have written you one
letter I have sent one to Kate and have written 3 o 4 times to Addie Addie also complained that you know nothing about me at home when we were at Harrisonburg I
wrote home that I had joined Co. I. Capt C
Ferralls Company and that Regiment was the 12th Va
and now I will try to give you an account of myself since we left
the Valley. The Col. has just given orders to saddle up I will finish this the first
opportunity (Sept. 26) We passed through Charlestown yesterday & have encamped 4 or 5
miles of that place. We left Harrisonburg on the 1st day of August and after a march of 20 or 25 miles we encamped near John
Lewis and on the next night we stayed at Michums River where we laid
over Sunday cousin Jenny brought the Col a box which did a heap of good on the next night [deleted: last we] we stayed [deleted: on] 7 miles from
Charlottesville we laid over there to await orders from Gen
Jackson we were encamped near [unclear: Cobhan] Depot I rode out to see if I could hear anything of Mr. Lewis I found his
Father and Told Nicky had gone to Halifax to finish his education and was there arrested as a
conscript put in the guard house and sent to Richmond where he got an appointment in the Q.M.
Office. We left that neighborhood on the next day and every
[page 2]
* [illeg.] has almost
passed like a dream since that [illeg.] had a good deal of hard
marching
both day and night. We laid around while they were fighting until
Saturday when the whole Brigade started out full gallop for about
2 miles when our Regiments & the 7th and the 2nd and 6th went on before as fast as they could gallop. I did not
know what is meant when old Stuart came and
ordered Col Harman up with his Regiment and we galloped a quarter of a mile and met the 2nd
running
away we passed on through them to where I
thought the 7th was drawn up line when we got in 50 yards of them I found
out my mistake for I could see the stars & stripes plainly then the Col ordered a
charge I made right for the flag and shot at it once but lost sight of it & then [deleted: met up]
cought up to a yankee running like blazes I
shot him through the back and tried to get him but he fell off of his horse and I went on to where the Col was he had halted near Bull
run and tried to form the Regt on the top of the hill the other side
of the Run there was 25 or 30 Yanks Capt Ford passed on & told
me to come on with the flag I passed on in the creek and the whole line fired at me but did not
hurt anyone but came all around us we charged up the hill and broke
the line and then Capt Ford myself and two other men galloped off to left and captured 34
yankees 8 horses & two ambulances which were brought in to camp
[page 3]
8 of the men we brought in I captured myself
12 of them and the Ambulances I and one of the took together. In the first part of the fight I
lost my old black hat and the first yankee I met I told him to give me his hat which he did the
next one I met had a brand new one so I traded with him Dear Father
[unclear: Bunch] is about starting I can not write any more I do not think because I
do not write often it is because I do not want to or that I do not wish to hear from you for the true reason of my not writing [deleted: when I have
time I two am tired when time do not think I am busy all the for often we do not see the
wagons for 5 or 6 days] we are moving around all the time and
we are very seldom with the wagons Give my love to Ma, Addie, Kate and sister Ellen and tell
them all to write to me and write soon your self to your
Affectionate son
Tho M Garber
