"...that d----d Lee..."

Tuesday, June 3, 1862, Smith's Farm Virginia
The euphoria over the news of our glorious victory over McClellan has vanished. I had been ready to dance a jig and pop a cork of cider but all I feel now is horror that such a victory will be wasted now that we have a new commander.

Johnston had been wounded and the command of the army was given to Smith. He has been removed and that d-----d Lee is now in charge. That granny who is no soldier was elevated by that peawit president Davis. Was he not aware of Lee's shortcomings and failings in South Carolina? Lee could not command a corporal's guard. May Johnston return to his army soon before Lee destroys it.

We are unaware of the details of the two-day battle. We do know that the loss of life has been frightful. There are thousands of our wounded too many and thousands of their wounded too few but this is the price for our liberty. We have seen our own surgeons quite agitated and in a state of frenzy. I suppose we will send them to Richmond to tend to our wounded.

It rains much to much here and when it does, the swamps look as if they would invade our camp. The frogs are happy and their sounds are pleasant to the ear but we all know that the sound of a new crop of mosquitos will soon follow and we will feel the sounds of their hunger.

I must remember not to play cards with Duncan again. He is quite good at it. He relieved me of two dollars, silver. He was quite happy about it. I should not have played with  hard money as there is so little of it around. I warned him about keeping a deck of cards but the shimmer of the silver deafened him.

Someone is sawing at a fiddle and we are going to go and listen.