University of Texas at San Antonio Civil War Diaries

out the knowledge of the Yanks, had not a magazine of ours at Yorktown been blown up, contra -ry to orders. Being the rear of the army, we did not have our posi tion near Yorktown untill long after sun up, and reached Wil liamsburg, (12 miles) about 5 PM at which place we were ordered by another Brigade, and took a position in advance, Though we were not attacked by the Yan -kees while bringing up the rear, we were every few minutes drawn up in lines of battle to receive the Yankee cavalry who were a short distance in our rear. With sorrowful hearts we marched through the beautiful town of

of Williamsburg, where the angel faces of the young Virginia girls, the sorrow and gloom depicted on the faces of old and young made us blush to think that Southern chiv -alry, was fleeing from a [i?ing] [?] but our country demanded the sac -rifice, and we obeyed. We camped that night three miles from Williams burg. We understood during the next day, that at early dawn of May 5th the Yanks, attacked our forces and till 3 pm quite a heavy fight was carried on, in which we whiped the enemy inflicting a loss of some five to six thousand. Loosing heavily ourselves, some {2800?], in all. The enemy thus re

-ceived a serious lesson in the "battle of Williamsburg" The first battle of "62". I failed to mention that the "Texas Brigade" and "Whitings Brigade" formed a sub division, of Genl G W Smiths "army division," hence we were known with Whitings Brigade as "Whitings Div." On the night prior to the battle of Williamsburg, Genl Johnstonreceived reliable information, that "Little Man" had sent a large force in transport, up York river, to land at "Elthams Landing" or "West Pt", The terminus of the "Richmond & York river RR", by which movement if successful, our army, would be cut off from our base, and with a large