June 28th [1862]
O terrible war! The great battle has at last commenced, as yet we have had signal victories – but at what a cost.. how many brave, noble spirits have passed into Eternity How many hearts have been made desolate forever. A part of this very life has gone. All hopes have been crushed in one instant & now what is life. What have they to live for.
Young men the noblest of the land. The pride of their fathers – their mothers joy. The passionate dreams of a young girls’ life – have been brought home dead – a mangled & disfigured corpse. The noble – the magnificent forehead wherein mighty genius sat enthroned is cleft asunder & that is by a Yankee bullet – Great God give us strength to bear it – Let us lean upon Thy all powerful arm. This is our day of trial. O Woman! What hast she not borne. What has thou not yet to bear? Bleeding heart, theres rest for thee in Heaven. But for this thought I would fain lay down & die – Hearts may brake, may bleed for years, yet they never die – would that they could –
Women go mourning & wailing all the day long – some sit with folded hands calmly waiting to hear their doom
Source: Elizabeth Collier Diary, Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill.
