New Orleans
[May 2 of 67]
Dear Genl,
I have just recv'd your [ ] [ ] with letter dated 20th inst for which please accept my thanks. I have also McGowans, but have heard nothing from either Genl Scales or [Harris], I don't know their post offices & wrote to Englehard to write to them. I always thought it just & proper to mention in my official reports the names of such officers as were killed or mortally wounded, and as my retained copies of reports were lost, left to myself I could mention only those I personally knew. After all the battles I wrote long letters explaining all aboutthe battlesthem to my brother & his wife in Texas all these letters were retained & are now in my possession & I have been [enabled] to write out the reports as at first [Save] in the matter of names & the number of casualties, up to the time of sending in my reports in November or [December] '64 our loss was 5007 all told, of which these were about 1000 missing. I have McGowans [copies] during the last few days, but I know the difficulties in getting at the lost data.Early read me his manuscript in Mexico & I told him distinctly that the Yankees were repulsed & driven out of our lines on the 12 by your brigade before any others came to your support, so if he has not stated correctly it is his own fault. I also told him about Mahone, but he said he saw that & knew from his own personal knowledge. A simple and truthful narative of your brigade from the Wilderness down will be [enditable] enough to satisfy the most ambitious, at the Wilderness doing as good service as any, at Spottsylvania, [ ] especially distinguished for expelling the enemy from our lines & attacking late in the evening with [vigour] taking prisoners, artillery & flags & in fact all the [ ] [ ] down to the end. I will leave the city in a few days & will be absent all the Summer & will on my return send to Genl [Scales] the reports, I could send them in four or five days if I only had the others reports (Harris & Scales)
| [Addressed to:]
Genl James H. Lane [ ] NCa |
Very truly your friend
C M Wilcox |