Augusta County: Tony Pastor to Annie Harris, May 16,
1862
Summary:
Pastor describes an engagement near Franklin County followed by a retreat.
Mentions a day appointed for thanksgiving, by order of the president.
May 16th 1862
Camp near Shenandoah Mountain
Annie
I will now attempt to answer your kind letter, which I received some time since,
but until now, had no opportunity of responding to,
owing to the fact that we have been on the march
ever since it was received until the present. We are
now in the mountains up to our knees in mud. We layed
over today, it being a day appointed by the president
for Thanksgiving. I suppose you have heard all the particulars of the fight at
Mc[unclear: Dowell]. A great many of our best
soldiers fell in this hard contested battle. Yet we succeeded in completely
routing the enemy making them leave behind a large portion of their baggage
[page 2]
in [illeg.] commissary [unclear: stores]
Quartermasters [illeg.]
We pursued them fast for three days [illeg.] coming in light of their rear guard, but they did not feel disposeed to fight - they fell back to Franklin the County [illeg.] of Pendletown, where they were reinforced [illeg.] it is said we stood before them for three days - but they did not make an attack. finding their position impregnable We fell back some 8 miles & there waited a day but they [unclear: didn't] fall on. We then continued to fall back to this place. It is thought that we will now go into the valley. We will [added: leave] in the morning at 6 oclock. I hope we will soon get some rest. If we should get in the valley come & see us.
Yours truly in haste
Tony
