From the March 21, 2008, Charleston (SC) Post and Courier.
"Civil War Letter details horrors of Bull Run" by Schuyler Kropf.
In a letter donated to the University of South Carolina, there was quite a description of the First Battle of Bull Run, called Manassas by the Confederates.
One passage mentions the wounded cries "to passersby to kill them torelieve their agony. If it pleases God, to stop this war, I will unfeignedly thank them."
It was critical of Confederate President Davis and military leaders. "Of the dead hideous in every form of ghastly death; heads off, arms off, abdomens protruding, every form of wound, sharp cries, convulsive agonies as the souls took flight."
This letter was part of 440 notes and Civil War documents that were part of legal proceedings between the owner and the state. The owner wants an auction while the state claims it still has ownership.
They were taken out of Columbia as Sherman's forces approached near the end of the war. They included three hand-written dispatches by General Lee.
Glad They Didn't Go Private. --Old B-Runner
