June 29, 1862
Sunday—Went to Church, but there was no service, Mr Cheshire having been sent for to bury a young man, one of his Tarboro congregation, whose body was brought from the battle field yesterday—another house plunged into grief & mourning by this needless cruel war!
Sent up to Weldon for news & after waiting with feverish impatience all day for it received only rumours brought by passengers—so good, however, that we fear to trust them. According to them, Jackson is certainly in their rear, between them & their Gun boats, has captured their main depot of supplies; our men steadily advancing, driving them with the bayonnette. Gen Whiting has driven in their front & we have out flanked them—the carnage terrific. Major Trim Skinner, 1st Regt, killed on Friday; Capt Wright of Wilmington certainly dead. We have captured two Brigadiers & a brig of 5000 men who have laid down their arms. Rumour even gives us McClellan & the forty Congressmen who chartered a vessel & engaged a band of music & came down to see us vanquished; but this is too much, it cannot all be true, so we must wait with what patience we can until the mail tomorrow.
Sue & Rachel left us yesterday for Raleigh. We miss the young folks greatly. Father much better. Willie Clark, Mary’s second child, quite sick.
Source: Edmondston, Catherine Ann Devereux, 1823-1875, Journal of a Secesh Lady: The Diary of Catherine Ann Devereux Edmondston 1860-1866. Crabtree, Beth G and Patton, James W., (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1979). http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/478.html
