| Camp Segal, near Winchester, Va. |
| Sunday, July 27th, 1862 |
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| My dear Mother, |
|
On the eve of our hasty departure from Cloud's Mill {in
Virginia, just west of Alexandria}, ***** We finally embarked {in
Washington, D. C.} on a rickety train of old cattle cars, and
crept at a snail's pace all that night and the next day, when we
arrived at Harper's Ferry {This must have been
on the Baltimore & Ohio RR}. Here we were detained till in
the late evening, but after innumerable and vexatious delays, I was
finally sent off in charge of the advance, consisting of a ridiculous
old engine and six cars. This railroad {the
Winchester & Potomac RR} has been habitually torn up, by
either "Stonewall" Jackson, or the Union leaders, about
every other week. It is now the most wretched road you can possibly
imagine, |
| ***** |
| The railroad is
composed of logs for ties and the "strap rail." Of course we
ran off, and as it happened to be just at the time the engineer
thought he could hurry up a little, we got a pretty severe jam-up.
Quite a number of the boys were thrown out the door, but miraculously
escaped crushing. I went on to Winchester to get a stronger engine,
and more tools. We got there at 3 in the morning. ***** |
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