[NOTE: The following letter appears in the August 15, 1941 issue of the Lebanon News.]

James H. Barrett to Zadock N. Gardner

LETTER WRITTEN BY SOLDIER IN 1861

A letter written 80 years ago by James H. Barrett, formerly of the eastern end of Russell county, to the late Z. N. Gardner, does not quite picture scenes equal to the modern horrors caused by Hitler's legions, but does revive memories of the terrible days in our own country which led Sherman to make his famous statement about what war is.

The letter is dated July 21, 1861, and is written from Highland county, Va. Excerpts follow: "Your letter found me as well as could be expected under present circumstances, though I am very much worn out and out of fix owing to a long retreat we have just made.

"I suppose you have heard that we were attacked on the sixth of this month at Laurel Hill by the Yankees. Well, we fought for four days somewhat on the guerilla form, taking trees and logs and firing upon each other. Sometimes it looked like we were going into a regular fight with them. At times we could not hear anything but the reports of the muskets and cannons for two hours at a time. They threw a great many cannonballs and bomb shells close to us, although none of them done any execution. One of the balls popped through the guard house striking close to Bill Pinion, almost covering him up with dirt and grave. I don't think I ever saw a man scared worse.

"Well we fought them from Sunday morning until Thursday night. Then we learned the Yankees had taken a place about 10 miles from Laurel Hill. We were ordered to leave Laurel Hill in haste about 11 o'clock. That night we left to find we were surrounded on all sides by the Yankees. We traveled on until Saturday morning, when we were attacked on the rear by 8,000 Yankees. A regiment of Georgians and Col. Golivar's regiment being in the rear had the fight principally to themselves. We were attacked at Cheat river. The fight was principally in the river. Our regiment was in front. That was one of the warm battles. The Georgians and Col. Golivar's men slew them by scores. They filled our cannon full of grape shot and fired upon them several times.

"It is thought we killed at one shot 200 Yankees but seeing their number so great our general ordered us to retreat and was shot dead while giving the retreat order. We traveled eight days and nights in our retreat and four days and nights of that time we got nothing to eat but cow meat and that without breat and sale. but we all stood it better than you would have expected. Some seven companies of the Georgians were cut off in the fight and was four days without a bite to eat but they have all got up again. We never could hear anything much from the result of the fight until today a gentleman that lives on Cheat river, near where the battle was fought, came here today. He tells us that the loss of our men was sixteen killed and six taken prisoners. He told us that when Gen. McClellan found the dead bodo of Gen. Garnett he wept like a child as the two generals were school boys together and found side by side in the Mexican War. McClellan was the general that was commanding the Northern troops that were fighting us. He took the body of Garnett and sent it to Washington city to bury. We heard from the fight at Rich mountain. The loss of the Yankees was 300 and the loss of our men was 40 killed and 700 taken prisoners. The prisoners have all been released by taking an oath not to bear arms against the United States. This is what I call hard times.

"Zeddock, I want you to see to my folks and if you think they can do any good staying at home and keeping house, then I want them to stay. But if you think they can do better to quit housekeeping, they had better break up. I would write a long letter if I had tome and paper. I am sorry Tom volunteered, he will not be able to stand it."