This is the second letter between Gabriel and Anne. However, we are going to assume that at least one other letter has been sent between March and July since the Confederate postal service wasn't so bad as to take all of four months to deliver a letter (at least I hope so).

July 3rd, 1862

Dear Anne,
I am taking advantage of a brief respite in our march to write you and tell you that I am safe and well. I know you are scolding me as you read this for not having written before, but your letter took some days to reach me and I have not found pen or paper till this moment.

I do not think that I ever truly saw war while I fought in the Shenandoah. A few hours of fighting, maybe a day, but nothing gained or lost, we simply hounded the enemy. But now, we have fought for seven days without end. Anne, it was as if demons of hell had fought on the battlefield instead of men and devoured everything in their paths. At Malvern Hill our men marched forward through an open field as Yankee cannon exploded around them. It was a slaughter. Even those places we mark as victories are steeped in blood. At Gaines Mill the Yankees had the high ground and surrounded it with three lines of fire. Generals ordered their men to attack. They marched forward through a hail of bullets and smoke so thick that more than one man tripped and could no longer march on. Sometimes all we had to guide us were the flashes of light as the Yanks fired at us. The 33rd arrived in the evening and we were immediately moved to the front of the line. Marching down that ravine was the hardest thing I have ever done. The ground was covered with bodies; we stepped more often on men than on actual ground. In the midst of all this carnage, someone, somewhere, broke through their lines. The Yankee line collapsed. We took the high ground, and we sent them running. Oh, what a chase it was, Anne! We chased them all the way to the James until we came within range of their gunboats and were forced to withdraw. But we beat them!

The Yankees have taken refuge at Berkeley Plantation for now. Some of the men say that it was Mr. Harrison, who lived there during the Revolution, who wrote the Declaration and not Mr. Jefferson. I do not know how they came by this idea, but since both men are Virginians, I see no problems with it.

Much of the talk around the campfire now, when not about this new history lesson, is of our new commander, General Lee. I must admit, I trust him more than I ever trusted Johnson. I would follow him into battle, even now, exhausted as I am, if he asked it. He has done a remarkable thing in the time since he came to command. This army is such a rag tag group of men, and so many are there to fight for their state; I cannot fault them for it, since I am here to protect Richmond and Virginia and those I love. This does mean however that some governments are reluctant to give up control of their troops and the threat is ever constant that they will call their regiments back to fight at home. We are dangerously divided. But Lee has created an army that speaks for the entire south, though we call it the Army of Northern Virginia. With this battle, this victory, we are more united in our cause than ever before.

While I believe in General Lee and his abilities, I am still worried about our army. Malvern Hill proved that some of our generals do not have the courage or the intelligence to take the initiative and change suicidal orders. MacGruder, who many consider a fine general for his defense of Williamsburg earlier this year, has been sent west. Some of our commanders, such as General Pickett, have never commanded in such numbers before. Others, again, like General Pickett, are wounded, or even killed, in battle, leaving command of the troops to less experienced men. I will admit I would not feel confident marching into battle with such men leading us if General Lee were not in command to oversee things.

These battles have also uncovered serious gaps in communications between divisions, and even brigades and regiments. General Jackson, it is said, did not attack when he was ordered to and instead waited till evening before moving forward. Attacks went awry because regiments could not find each other, or could not attack together. We are outnumbered, out gunned, and fighting a defensive war. The only way we can hope to end this war is to deliver a decisive blow to the North, and to accomplish this we must move quickly and with unity. Otherwise I fear we shall be drawn into a long war that we shall have little hope of winning without foreign assistance. Are the bureaucrats in Richmond making any progress at bringing England in on our side, Anne? Or do you think we will have to win this war on our own? We have the will to win-I have never been so sure of myself and our cause as I am now, and the men are now more than ever determined to defend their loved ones and their country-but we must channel this somehow into a mighty, unstoppable army. The sooner General Lee can unite us, the better. There has never been such a violent and sustained battle in this war before. The Yankees will not let this stand. I fear that they will set aside the gloves and will ransack the countryside, burn farms and plantations and take away as much food as they can carry. It is said that their generals only let Berkeley Plantation stand because it serves as a hospital. There is also the threat that they will raise more men to attack us. But if we strike soon, before they attack again, we may bring them to peace. Elections are fast approaching in the north. People are growing weary of the fight, and this battle will surely bring home to them just how terrible war is. Perhaps now those few Yankees with a conscience will elect those who understand our cause, and will let us create our own country. Perhaps now they will let us go.

I wish to believe that the possibility is a strong one. Yet, if I were in their place, I would feel determined to commit all my resources. The Yanks have not been truly serious till now. I fear that now they will not be so easy to defeat as before. But Richmond is safe. Without the capital, the Confederacy will fall. And if the capital were to fall, I should lose you. I have seen enough of fighting, Anne. Sometimes I feel I can only fight on because if I do not, the Yanks may win, and then you and our families would be in danger. I will endure any hardship to prevent that.

There is some good news that comes from this battle. I have seen your father and Joshua, your brother, though only in passing, for we were hurrying after McClellan. Neither is injured, and your father asked me to assure you that he will write soon, if only to escape a scolding from you and your mother. I hear rumors that the army may pull back to Richmond once McClellan is cleared from the Peninsula. If this does happen, I shall try to come and see you. Until then, I remain,
Yours,
Gabriel Donahan