This Day in Georgia Civil War History
July 03, 1862
Soldier Wrote of Battle Again
The same soldier who had written his wife about the battles earlier in the week wrote again on this day.
“…The reason that the fight on Tuesday was so severe is that they outnumbered us two to one. This was owing to our army being scattered in trying to surround and cut them off from their gunboats. We are now fighting at least 20 miles from where the fight began, and they are nearly or quite under the protection of their gunboats. General Holmes’ division tried Monday evening to cut their column in two when they were retreating to the boats, but failed, being subjected to a fire from three directions, vix. their gunboats on the right, their column on the left and in front. He, however, turned their column in a different direction. They were rapidly embarking as fast as they could reach the boats. …” Source: Mills Lane (ed.), “Dear Mother: Don’t grieve about me. If I get killed, I’ll only be dead.”: Letters from Georgia Soldiers in the Civil War (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1990), p. 156.
