"Santa Fe is Ours..."

Friday, April 2, 1862 Gardens Corner, South Carolina

The Yankees have once more put one over on us. With their ships and gunboats, they are able to flank us and confound us at will. On the first of this month, the Yankees made aniother raid from the locality of Port Royal Ferry. This is the same place that was raided much earlier this year.  Houses and fields were burning.

The 12th plus Leake's battery of Virginians and four companies of the 13th South Carolina were sent to the source of the infernal destruction. Two regiments of Georgians were in support.  Corporal Flynn was extoling us to engage the Yankees and to do our duty. He needn't have said a word. All of us are sick of working the spade and would go after the enemy with nothing more than bayonets if that were all we had.  

By the time we arrived, the Yankees had retired under cover of their gunboats to the Beaufort side of the Ferry. Two companies of the 13th were on the other side as well. We heard the reports of muskets. Perhaps they were able to have some fun. As for the rest of us, we went back to camp. There will be more work with the spade.

Santa Fe is ours so says the latest news from way out there. Albuquerque has been taken as well. General Sibley is marching on California and will soon have their gold securly held in the vaults in Richmond.  The Californians are supposed to be assembling an army to invade New Mexico. They would do just as well to stay home.

We have lost Nashville but have taken these two cities. It is not a fair exchange but we will take it. After we take the gold, we will take Nashville, Philadelphia and Washington. Then the war will be over.