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July 4, 1861

Page 1

From the Seat of War

The Selma Reporter publishes a letter, the writer of which, it says, is well known in Dallas and the adjoining counties, from which we extract the following:

CAMP RHODES, June 20, 1861

Dear Sister: We are now in camp about twenty-five miles from Washington City. Our Regiment is honored with the extreme outpost. Our camp being at a bridge on the turnpike leading from Washington to Manassas, we have to sleep with one eye open, to be ready at a moment’s notice. A large body of Lincoln’s men are encamped within ten miles of us. Lincoln’s spies and scouts are captured daily by our different Regiments. I can only conjecture what the chances for a big fight are, but we have an immense army in this section. I reckon about 50,000 within ten miles square. Gen. Beauregard’s quarters are only about ten miles from our camp.

My idea of the issue is this. Lincoln’s Congress meets on the 4^th of July, and if they sustain his invasion policy a great battle will be fought in this vicinity. The preparations on our side for defense are on a large scale, and we can repulse an army of Hessians twenty times our actual force. I think that the fighting before that time will be skirmishes. Scouts from the different camps meet daily. Day before yesterday a considerable force was sent down from Alexandria by Lincoln to repair the bridges and railroad which had been demolished and torn up by our side. When they got within eight miles of Manassas a scouting party sent out by Gen. Beauregard attacked them and succeeded in routing them. We got several, but they managed to get their engine in motion and escaped with the larger portion of their men. In fact we get the advantage everywhere the scouts meet.

JUNE 21—I missed the mail yesterday and open this letter to add an important P. S. We have just received orders to march in the morning for Fairfax Courthouse—fifteen miles from Washington City and about 10 from Alexandria. The enemy have about 5,000 men within five miles of that point. We will have about 3,000. We have to leave all baggage except what we are able to carry. All extra baggage will be sent back to Richmond.

[Transcribed by Sharon Strout]