Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Elmodam Nathaniel Poarch letter on Malvern Hill/Second Manassas |
Dates of Creation |
November 9, 1895 |
Scope & Content |
The full image of the letter by Poarch is split in half, as the paper is folded in the middle. Image one is actually pages 7 and 1, followed by pages 4 and 2, 8 and 3 and ends with 5 and 6. The half that is page 1 has aged so that it is hard to read. The last image is a note sheet written by George Bernard. Three battles are mentioned "The Seven Days (25 June-1 July, 1862)," "Malvern Hill (1 July, 1862) ",and "Second Manassas (29 August-30 August, 1862)." The 12th Virginia Infantry was in Mahone's Brigade, R. H. Anderson's Division. Poarch begins by first referring to the movements of the 12th Virginia (Bernard's Regiment) after the Seven Days battle, crossing the James after the Battle of Malvern Hill, and eventually marching to Richmond. The regiment went into camp after Malvern Hill staying sometime near Falling Creek. They then marched to Richmond and took a train to Louisa Court House, marching all the next day, halting next to a river under a heavy rain. Poarch remembers this, because he and Lt. James May slept under a fly tent that came from Malvern Hill. The rain caused the river to swell so that it could not be forded. He and his friends went into a corn field and gathered corn. He recalls that the wagon train did not catch up till Manassas, so he and his friend were glad of the corn. Poarch refers to "that letter". It would appear that Poarch has read something written by Bernard and wants to add a few words. Poarch cannot remember exactly when they left the Hazel River to head for Manassas, but he remembers an incident while passing through "Through Farms Gap" [should be Throughfare Gap], where a comrade encouraged them on. "Come on boys we have not much further to go." They were soon brought to a halt, then informed they were in Federal lines, and should pull back easy. After pulling back the men were formed in line of battle, and did not leave that line until called to arms and ordered forward on the double quick for two miles. General Mahone then brought the men to a halt and dressed the lines, this all under fire. Going forward some distance near some woods, General Mahone brought the men into a line of fours. Marching in fours, Co. A on the right and B company next they got pretty close to the enemy. So close that it was here that General Mahone was wounded. Poarch believes that if Mahone had not been wounded he would have flanked the enemy and captured them. He remembers that after being brought to column of fours, Cadet Richard Christian of the color guard was hollering - "Go this way General M, go this way." Getting to the front the enemy was hollering "Friends", and so were we. The general asked someone to go forward and find out who they were. Poarch's comrade, Jed Gibson, volunteered to go, but does not know how far he got. At this time the enemy hollered out ,"Give way to the left" - and as they began to dress their line Poarch spied the Stars and Stripes, raised his gun and fired, and the rest of the men followed suit. They were then told to lie down. After the action, Poarch relates that when he looked around he saw many of his comrades dead and wounded. He mentions the death of his friend Hoffman, and he thought another fellow in his company, "Benezette", was left for dead. Benezette would later show up and Poarch saw him eating meat and bread. This same man would later be killed at Burgess Mill. Poarch informs Bernard that he will hear from him again in regards to the regiment's movements after Manassas, and that he wrote to give justice to his and Bernard's comrade Hoffman. The letter is signed by E. N. Poarch Poarch would pass away from TB in 1897. The last image is a note written by Bernard and entitled The Battle of Malvern Hill. Bernard is making a note to himself that mentions that the letter in print will constitute a Chapter in Volume ll of War Talks of Confederate Veterans. That such written matter will be addenda and there will be perhaps as much as a page of foot notes in small type. Signed by Bernard's initials and dated Nov. 9, 1895. |
Year Range from |
1895 |
Creator |
Poarch, Elmodam Nathaniel |
Year Range to |
1895 |
Subjects |
Action Arms & armament Boys Bread Cadets Camp Captures Civil War Civil war battles Company Comrades Confederate flags Confederate officers Confederate soldiers Corn Cornfields Dead persons Double quick Enemy Enemy lines Federal Federal troops Flank Foot note Friends Front Guns Leaders, Military Letters Line of battle Lines (military) Marching Meat Movement Orders, military Rain Regiments Rivers Stars and Stripes Tents Trains Type setting Volunteer Wagon trains Woods Word Wounds & injuries Writing |
Search Terms |
Burgess Mill Civil War Confederacy, the Confederate Army Confederate Infantry Confederate Veterans Falling Creek, (near Manchester, VA) Hazel River James River Louisa Court House Mahone's Brigade Malvern Hill Manassas, Virginia Richmond, Virginia Second Battle of Bull Run [Manassas] Second Battle of Manassas [Bull Run] Seven Days' Battles Thoroughfare Gap Union Army War Between the States War Talks of Confederate Veterans |
People |
Benezette, Charles W. Bernard, Geo. S. Bernard, George S. Christian, Richard H. Cox, Henry Carghill Drinkard, Henry H. (Pat) Gibson, Jed Hoffman, Charles H. Mahone, William Morrison, William H. Poarch, Elmodam Nathaniel (Mondie) |
Event |
Civil War |
Collection |
George S. Bernard Collection |
Imagefile |
024\200975076.JPG |
Number of images |
5 |
Object Name |
Letter |
Object ID |
2009.75.076 |
Extent of Description |
3 pages, size 9 1/2" x 8" |