Augusta County: Achilles J. Tynes to Hattie Tynes, June 13, 1864
Summary:
Achilles graphically describes two days of battle to his wife, and relates two close
calls.
Sunday, June 13, 1864.
HdQrs. 5th Cav.
Brigd.
On Lexington & Buchanan Road, three
miles
from Natural Bridge.
My darling wife:
I have been thus particular about our present location for two reasons, first to enable Pa to tell you precisely where I am, at the forks of the road running off to the Bridge 14 miles from Lexington & 10 from Buckannon, & secondly to test my own identity & self possession and equilibrium, which I have very nearly lost, so rapidly have events chased each other & so wearying has been the last ten or fifteen days. In all my experience of war I have never been so chased, pursed, dogged.
I have given you some little information up to Brattons, near Panther Gap on the Va. Central RR. Well, from there they
chased us through Buffalo Gap where we barely made good our escape from Hunter who had beaten
Jones the day before, notwithstanding we had prevented the junction of Crooks and Averill, with
him. From the Gap we had a dead race to get to Middlebrook
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(but here I remember that
I wrote you from Middlebrook) before Crooks who turned across the Mountains near Goshen Depot
to strike the Valley at Middlebrook, & catch us between himself & Hunter, but
in this he failed & passed on to Staunton, leaving us at Brownsburg (did I write you
from this place?). Nothing daunted we turned our backward march into a forward one, shewed our
Ragamuffins on the Hills in one mile of Staunton, driving in the pickets of the enemy, then
falling back about six miles for the night. This so enraged them that early next morning Crooks
and Averill 12,000 strong marched out against us, swearing that they would drive McCausland to
Hell, & really from the way he has put us through from there to this place seems like
he would be able to keep his word. On the morning of the 10th, at about 9 o'clock, he attacked
us 6 miles from Staunton, & for three hours the 22nd and 14th held him in front, the
16th and 17th guarding the flanks, but what availed courage against such odds, 1400 against 12
to 1300.
We commenced falling back, calling into the main road all our little army, they pressing us
heavily in the rear and flanking us by two parallel lines, running each side of the road
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we were on. We were in what may be called a very tight
place. If we turned our backs 'twas a ruinous rout; if we moved back fighting, slowly, the flanking columns, one, two thousand, & their other
fifteen hundred strong (cavalry) would pass & engulf us. Here was a dilemma. Of the two horns, we chose to seek the latter, keeping one
little squadron well mounted, sternly & slowly getting in the road, & from one
company to a regiment, as the pressure required, on foot, each side of the road, thus
retreating & fighting the entire day, for thirty miles. Nearly all the balance of the
command except horse leaders were engaged in scouting and skirmishing on the flanks. During the
day we repelled 5 charges & made two, to keep them from closing upon our rear. Night
brought us to Lexington one mile beyond which we halted, still keeping between that place
& the foe, where foot sore, hungry & exhausted were determined to rest. After
seeing that the men had rations for the night, at about 11 o'clock P. M. I threw myself upon
the ground, exhausted, gloomy & sad. This had been the hardest day of my experience. I
had been acting as aid throughout the day beside discharging my own duties, in getting off
stores from Brownsburg which I had accumulated there, & just as I had commenced one
sweet dream of thee & of home, the Genl.
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called
for me to go with him to Lexington to the Institute, to consult with Genl. Ship, comdg. the cadet corps (250), and Genl. Smith, who had just reached the place from Richmond &
tendered the services of these brave Boys. Here a long consultation ensued, through which I was
only enabled to sit by frequent potations of strong (don't look
cross) Coffee, handed round by Genl. Smith's fair Daughter (& oh such a pretty foot, too!). Back we went to
camp and after a brief repose was roused to life by the thunder of Crooks guns close upon us.
We retired across the river & made the best disposition for checking (we knew we could
not whip) them we could. About 10 A.M. the battle commenced. We had three pieces, small ones,
& for 4 hours we had quite a brisk time. Finding our little forces flanked beyond our
reach, we fell back to this place yesterday evening, and on this Sabbath day we rested; that is
the troops did. I have been engaged in hunting up and impressing supplies. Maj. Smith CS has joined with wagon trains but this morning the Genl. asked me to hold on as Bridg. CS for a few days,
& like a goose I done so, for the sake of seeing the men fed, though nothing else could
induce me. I should like to write you a long letter but have no paper but will hunt up some
scraps
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& give you some few incidents of the various fights, more
particularly that of Lexington, in which you came very near being reduced several times to the
necessity of hunting up another husband. Pa knows the river cliffs beyond the Institue, between
which & the Institute Hill runs a deep ravine. On these cliffs were posted our sharp
shooters & one piece. Here I must close for the present, the Genl. calls me.
Just in the rear is Institute and other hills rising higher than the Bluffs. About 11 o'clock
the enemy commenced a severe fire from some six or eight pieces, the shells screaming,
shrieking, bursting & whizzing all over the crest of the hills above mentioned. (Pa can
tell you that on the opposite side of the river the country is even higher than our position
& gave them the advantage). On Institue Hill was generally found the Genl. & staff. & it was here that you had like to have
been a widow.
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The corps of cadets were thrown up here, & here were seen (?)
the officers, & here fell the shot the thickest. Sitting on my horse in a little wheat
field, sorta (?) on the southern slopes of the hill, Capt. Harvie,
Mr. Marshall & two others by myside, a riffle shell passed so near as to nearly take my hat off. I had only time to observe
to Capt. H. that we should have to move, as they had gotten
the range, when another came shrieking through the air, passing just before Jeff's head, and
plunged into the ground, some fifteen feet past me, seemingly, burying itself two or three feet
ere it exploded; when it did so
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throwing a large quantity of earth upon everything,
making a grave nearly large enough to bury horse & man. Poor Jeff, he was completely
paralized
with fright. He had been very restive all day but this was too much & he only
trembled & perspired in a foam. He shook so terribly that I could hardly keep my seat,
and for three hours after he was in a perfect quiver. I have never
seen anything so frightened. I fear he is a coward, but he, poor fellow, need not be ashamed
for his betters, or rather his masters, considered it prudent to canter to another part of the
Hill, only to await a repetition of the same, sitting upon the platform in front of the
Lexington Hotel, where some of us had dismounted to breathe our weary steeds. The rascals on
the other side of the River (Pa may remember looking east,
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or north of east, the
hills beyond can be seen) got the range of the street completely, & seeing a group of
horses & men, let fly a shell among us & so fine was the practice (?) that it
passed over our heads about 5 feet, passing up the street about 100 yards beyond us, striking
the bannister of a porch, rolled harmlessly into the street,
striking the porch of course. Thus was your husband twice saved from destruction, once by the
depth the shell had buried itself in the earth, and again by a bad fuse, the latter shell not
bursting.
Well, here we are, & Crooks & Averill in and around Lexington with between 20
and 25,000 men. Hunter is or was at Midway, and by sunrise tomorrow we must again confront
them, but to fall back: but we
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will fall back like Spartans of old, & fight
them back into the City of Richmond. Here I shall have to stop again. I am three miles from
Camp: have just eat supper. 'Tis ten o'clock. I must go to camp. Can't say when I shall finish
this.
It occurs to me to finish now, or rather close, for tomorrow brings sterner things. I remember you are a Soldier's Wife, hence I shall talk plain. It has always been my habit to talk plainly to those I love. Therefore do not let what I am going to say disturb or make you sad. I always try to keep my lamp trimmed as well as possible, temporarily at least.
Here, the Pay Dept. owes me from first of August 63; the
QM
Dept. forage for two
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horses, about 5 months, at
Gov. prices for grain and hay, commencing first of Dec. 63 and ending with this year. Capt.
N. Fitzhugh owes me 500$ - have his note. Capt. W.D. Haynes,
Officer, 200$ (note). Capt. C.I. Harvie, Adj. some 60 or 80 odd dollars, & my vouchers for the month of May, will more
than cover the amt of funds recd.
from government on account of Brgd. expenses. You know nothing of
what to do with this, but it would furnish data.
Accept my whole heart's devotion.
Called again.
Achilles
