"On to Richmond".

Thursday, May 7, 1863, Guinea Station

We are surrounded by prisoners and we did not capture a one of them. We have stories, mostly from the Yankee prisoners, as to the brilliant attack. The brilliant attack that we were not a part of. Any other regiment in the brigade could have stayed behind but it fell on us. That is all right. Unless Hooker retreats all the way to Washington City, there will be a next time and the Twelfth will be there. 

Jackson will be there too. We have been told, although not formally, that both Jackson and Hill were wounded but not badly. We hope that both generals will recover in time for General Lee's next pounce upon the Yankees.

If half of what these Yankees have been telling us is true, our victory was total. Jackson caught them napping and woke them up with a cannonade. The result was a stampede that threw the whole Yankee army across the river. The prisoners are coming here for transportation to their new quarters in Richmond. There must be thousands here.

Some are wounded and are being taken care of by their own captured surgeons. I expect that the surgeons will be released when the need for them has concluded.  Both Lee and Jackson have always been generous where it concerns medical officers. I have seen some of our surg attend to their wounded.

Many of them are in a pitiful state. So few have blankets or haversacks or canteens. They will suffer the most during their captivity. While I am sure that many lack these necessities due to the haste of their capture, I am equally sure that some were relieved of their burdens by our own people. Had the regiment participated in the attack, I am not so sure that I would have not done the same thing.

I had a chance to talk a spell with two of these Yankees but I did not understand very much of what they said. They were Dutchmen. So many of the prisoners here are those foreign, babbeling servants of that dictator, Lincoln. I am reminded of those Hessians that Daddy fought during our Revolution. How we are fighting them again.

These two gave their names as Albert Drayfall and Adam Hairlick. I had to ask them several times. Both were from New York. I asked them why they were fighting us but could not understand their answers. It did not take too long before I stopped asking them anything. 

We are marching the prisoners to Richmond. We will be several days in doing this. Every day's march takes us further away from the army. We will have to hurry them along to get back in the shortest time possible. On to Richmond. This is what the Yankees have been saying.