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          Captain Robert Gaines Haile

Capt. Robt Gaines Haile Jr The son of Captain Robert Gaines Haile Sr of the war of 1812, and Elizabeth [Beeckner?]Haile was born at Beavers Hill Essex County on April 1st 1832. Here he spent his early life. In 1856 he married Mary [?] Burke to this Union three were born three children Lucy Emma, Susie Burke and Bettie Buckour. In the early days of the war between the states Captain Haile volunteered & joined the company of Essex volunteers gotten up by Thomas Burke a V.M.I. student. Capt Haile served with Company F of the 55th Regiment. He received a mortal wound in the Battle of June the 30th 1862 at Gaines Mill near Richmond & spent a night of anguish on that bloody field from which he was borne to a Hospital in the city - but thro the intervention of friends was removed to the private home of Mr. [Barnal?] where after [?] attention of friends & kindred & [?] physicians failed to heal him - he breathed his last on the 26th of July 1862. His remains were conveyed to Beavers Hill (the place of his birth & [?] years)for interment. Where among weeping relatives & friends the services were per- formed. Captain Haile only thirty years of age fell another martyr to the cause of the South. Another added to the long list of Heroes who trod the same glorious - but bloody path. He was a useful man, highly esteemed & loved in his county - he was a gentleman, a patriot and above all a Christian. He left to mourn his death a wive & three young children, and aged Father, mother & brothers & sisters. "He shall not grow old as we that are left grow old - age shall not weary them - nor the years condemn. In the going down of the sun & in the morning, we shall remember them" the following is a copy of his unfinished Diary written during the Seven days battle around Richmond

June the 2nd 1862 Day before yesterday we were visited by a severe thunderstorm commencing about 5 oclock in the evening & continuing until a late hour in the night. The large quantity of water that fell has caused the Chickahominy to overflow. Yesterday I could hear the reports of cannon and small arms very distinctly. It seemed to be a considerable distance below the meadow bridges. It is reported that a larger force of the enemy are on their side of the river & that the bridges they crossed on are washed away, thereby cutting them off from reinforcements. They were attacked by our forces yesterday. The news was that we had repulsed them three times & taken three of their batteries. This morning the fight has commenced again, I've just gotten back from a Hill from which there is a very fine view of the surrounding country. While there I could hear a perpetual roar of small arms & cannon & could see very distinctly a baloon on the opposite side of the river, sent out by the yankees to find out our position. I could see a man very plainly in the basket. Our Brigade is stationed here to guard the Central Railroad bridge which crosses the Chickahominy. At this place about 1 o'clock today we received orders to strike tents & get ready to leave. After packing every thing up & the men put on their knapsacks, another order was received ordering us to unpack our tents and raise our tents again. The men declared they would not unpack them again before night, for fear of having to strike them again. I walked to Gen. Field's headquarters just now in front of Mrs. [G?} place. I found Andrew [Whitacker?] there, he was staying there as courier for the Gen. We took a seat under the shade on the road, had been there but a short time before Gen Anderson's brigade came marching by, judging from appearances they seemed a most excited one. The men looked as if they could do good fighting. The weather today is sultry & hot & the men seemed to suffer very much from it. It took fully an hour for the Brigade to pass. It almost made my head giddy, the constant tramp of the men as they passed by. Dr. Gresham arrived here this evening, he says he was on the battle field yesterday evening. Our forces drove the enemy back on the right and captured some 2000 of them. Our loss is severe, some seventeen hundred killed & woulded among them some fine officers. Gen. Johnson is said to be slightly wounded. There are so many reports it is hard to get the truth. The drum has just beat for our men to go on picket - the sun is now nearly down & I am stationed with thirteen men on the railroad bridge. Across the Chickahominy river - to keep the enemy from crossing - they are not more than 800 yds off & have {masqued batter- ies?] which commands the bridge and Railroad. They could kill us very easily if they wanted. It made feel quite nervous when I marched up on the bridge. We have cannon posted to command the Railroad also. I don't reckon the enemy would fire unless we were to attempt to cross over. It is now 6 O'clock. I will be relieved at 10 the black nats are very annoying. They keep me slapping my face & hands all the time. Now I must close my narative for the day. June 2nd I had a most uncomfortable time last night. Never suffered as much [?] did last night with the headache. I am not entirely free from it today & am sick & feverish from the effects of it. I slept very little during the night, bathed my head in the Chickahominy river but it did o good. I have taken several naps of sleep since sun rise but was dreaming constantly of home & the Yankees. I dreamed that Mollie & the children were here with me & that the enemy were attacking our forces on all sides, that they were advancing towards our regiment & we were getting ready fight. I waked up while I was bidding Mollie & the children farewell, feeling as miserable as any poor mortal ever did feel. My feelings were just the same as they were when I left home two weeks ago today. I have heard no news to day from the fight of yesterday. I can hear no sounds indicating that a fight is going on today. I made sure on yesterday that the fight would become a general one & that matters would soon be decided one way or [the?] I am getting weary of waiting & don't care how soon the great struggle takes place. I shall go into it with fear & trembling I know - but am determined to discharge all my duty as a brave man should, as far as it is in my power to do so. I have just gotten & read todays paper. I would cheerfully give a five dollar bill if it were at home. There is a long discription of the fight that took place on Saturday & yesterday. There was great loss of life on both sides. We have to mourn the deaths of many fine officers. Our forces succeeded in driving the enemy back from all their positions. We captured their camp & a great many provisions among them one hundred barrels of whisky. It is said our soldiers feasted on Oranges & Lemons. I would have liked to have had a hand in that. The enemy is reported to have fought very desperately. We captured twenty eight pieces of artillery & seven hundred prisoners. The news from Jackson is very encouraging. It is very hot today- I am feeling better this evening than I was this morning.

June 3rd I was afraid this morning that I was going to be quite sick - had right much fever & felt very badly in every respect. This evening I fell much better, there was a severe thunderstorm here last night, it waked me about 2 O Clock. The thunder & lightning were severe. The rain came down in torrents for a short time, my coat & pants were satcherated in water where they touched the tents. My Bible which was in my coat pocket is almost ruined it got so wet. There has been no fighting since Sunday. Mr. Clarvee has just gotten here from Essex. As soon as he got in sight I ran to see if he had a letter for me from home, he had none I was very much disappointed. He said there was a report down there that the 55th Regiment had been in a fight with 400 and came out with only one hundred. I am sorry such reports get out. It causes a great deal uneasiness to those have have near & dear ones in the Regiment. Buck Davis came to me this morning to borrow one hundred & sixty dollars. I loaned it to him. It has been one of the hottest days that we have had. I would not be at all surprised if we did not have a storm tonight. June the 4th As I expected it commenced raining early last night & continued to rain until 8 oclock this morning. It has been the heaviest fall of rain I most ever saw. The streams are all very much overflowed today. I hope & trust it may turn out for the benefit of our cause. I have written a long letter home to send by Mr. Clarvee, he expects to go this evening or early tomorrow morning. I am now waiting to get todays paper to send also. June 5th We got no papers on yesterday. I left some money with Ned Powers to buy me two news papers & walked to Mrs. Gooches to see Lieut Wright. I found him much better than I expected. When I got back to Camp I found that Mr. Clarvee was about to start back home. Ned had gotten my papers & I sent them home. How I wished I could go with them. Everything is very quiet & lonesom here today. Two North Carolina Regiments have just passed belonging to Gen Branch's division. I fear it will be a long time before things are decided up here. Both sides are going to be very cautious in their movements. June passed off very slowly to me, even more so than when I was a school boy. This is the evening for us to go on picket, but have received no orders to that effect yet. Tom wen to Richmond this morning. I am there fore in Command of the Company he has gotten back & says there is no news of any interest. June 6th As I expected our regiment went on picket last night, and our company the last time it was out had the hardest time of it. I claimed it should be on the reserve this time. I therefore got as much sleep as usual. I have been looking at the yankees on the opposite side of the river this morning entrenching themselves. That is the system that they are going to preserve. They will entrench on that side & then every inch of ground they get on this side. I don't think it should be allowed. I go for attacking them at once & never stop until they are driven from our side. The very idea of two large Armies only separated by a small to be entrenching themselves is out of the question. I go for their meeting each other in open ground, fight it out and be done with it. From present appearances things will continue pretty much as they are all summer June 7th This morning after a good deal of form & trouble I got permission to visit Richmond and return in the evening. The walk is about 3 miles from where we are encamped. It has been fifteen months since I was there last under what different circumstances I find it now. It was then all quiet & peaceful. Now it is threatened by an army of two hundred thousand seeking to destroy or capture it. A bloody fight has already taken place near it and hundred of brave men have been killed defending their Capitol. There are now hundreds of others lying in the Hospitals of the city wounded. I saw a great many of these poor fellows. They seemed to be nursed with the utmost care. Especially so by the ladies. What a sad picture to the spectators, to look at them as they lie scattered on small cots or beds in a large room, perhaps thousands of miles from those most dear to them on earth. How they must long to have them near to nurse & care for them. I found every thing selling at exorbitant prices. I bought very few things, had my picture taken & got some candy & toys to send home to my little daughters. I got a most excellent dinner at the Powhatan Hotel, the first good one I've had since leaving home. June 8th I walked to where one of our batteries is stationed commanding the bridge over the Chickahominy this morning while there the Yankee pickets came near the bridge, so near that Col. Walker ordered two shells to be fired at them - both fired were good ones, they made the yankees scamper in all directions. When I returned to my tent I wrote a long letter to Mollie it's a great pleasure to me to write home. I would not be deprived of the pleasure for a great deal June the 9th Nothing of interest took place today had a skirmish drill in the morning & went on picket in the evening. June 10th I got to our picket station a little after sun down yesterday. Robt McColl & my self went to sleep on some planks not thinking it would rain before morning. We were awakened by rain about day. Got up & went to a fire, it was raining very fast & a real cold am at that. We had a most disagreeable time of it. At 11 oClock I had to take 16 men & relieve the guard at the Bridge. The Yankee pickets & ours are on very friendly terms, they are not more than two or three hundred yards apart. I had not been there long before one of the Yankees advanced waved his hat & made signs for someone to meet him. I told Ferguson to take a paper and exchange with him. He went but this man did not have a paper with him. He told Ferguson he'd return & get one for him. He also asked how we were off for provision. Ferguson replied that we had aboundance of every thing except coffee. That article was not so plentiful as one would wish. The yankee then told him he would bring him some of that too if he would accept it in about an hour he returned & brot both coffee & paper. About one O Clock two men coming riding down the road waving a white flag. I immediatley started & met them half way between the pickets. When they met me they asked if I was in charge of the post. I told them I was not Capt Burke was. They came to pass Mrs. General Lee to our lines & would like to see the officer in charge. I called to Mr. Stone & asked him to go & ask Capt. Burke to come. I had quite a long conversation with them. One was Capt Trabert Comman- der of the first New York Vol regiment the other a surgeon. In a few minutes a Lieut. came he was an officer in the same company that Gen. Field used to command. All three seemed to be men of refinement & since after talking a while one of them took out a flask and asked me to take a drink as I was wet & cold. I thnked him and took a good pull at it, found it to by very nice whisky. I wanted [?] of them how they could claim [page break, not sure if something missing] yet am still willing to suffer any and every hardship rather than submit to the abolitionists who are invading our soil seeking to destroy that which our fore fathers gained for us "Liberty" Our battle cry should be liberty or death. We have moved our encampment today - much to the satisfaction of our whole regiment. The place where we were an old encampment when we went there it had become very filthy & smelt dreadful. I believe if the regiment had remained there much longer all of the men would have been on the sick list. There are at this time half of them sick. I am sick my self have been for two or three days. We moved a very short distance just back of Mrs. Gooches in a clean field. There is an excellant spring near us, as good water as I ever drank. Am in hopes the move will have a very beneficial effect on the health of the men. June 13th Today I went to Richmond with Jack Broaddus to pay his quarter master bond. The Hospitals were nothing like as full as when I was there before. I was very much amused in the [viewing?] at a [?] of the city and drilling on the Capital square. We did not get back to Camp until after sun down. The regiment had gone on picket, just what I wanted. June the 14th I got a good night's rest & have now joined my Company which is on picket. It is on a reserve where Pegrams battery is stationed, just before leaving Camp for that purpose Tom came to get something to eat and asked if I had gotten a bundle and letters that Sandy brought up the day before. It was the first that I had heard about it. Looking around found had slept with my head in a few inches of it all night. Both letter & bundle were very acceptable to me. I carried some paper with me & wrote a letter home while I was on picket, expecting to send it by Dr [Rinolds?]. Some time during the day a report reached me that William [Latane?] was killed in a skirmish near old [?]. I did not believe it. There have been so many false reports lately. After being relieved & getting back to camp I made inquiry concerning the report & from what I could learn had very little doubt but that it was true. I made up my mind to go to the Cavalry Camp next morning & learn the particulars. A victory in the late fight below Richmond. When we had driven them back two miles. Capturing their Camp and taking a great many things. They said they would admit that we got the best of it on Saturday but they they made up for it on Sunday, said they buried twelve hundred of our dead for us. After a good deal of talking & formalities, Mrs. Lee was passed to our lines. Thus ended a day that I never shall for get. June 15th Last night when we returned from picket duty I was pun on as officer for the Camp guard. Wrote a long letter to Mollie while I was sitting up that night, did not lie down before two o'clock. This morning it is clear & very cool. Mr. Pound a member of Capt. Jett's company is dying not far from our tent, his groans can be heard all over camp. I liked him very much he was company comissary for his company at the for & seemed to be very fond of one poor man. He leaves a wife and five little children to moan for him. What a sad picture is here presented to die in a tent far from those he loved the most dearly on earth. It is said that neglect caused his death. He was buried not far from our Camp. [June 12th? dates out of order] It is a beautiful cool clear day. This day 6 years ago I was married. Little did I think that six years from that time the north & south would be at war with each other & I was where I am, defending Richmond the Capitol of both state & Confederacy. Oh what a horid and unnatural state of affairs this war has produced in both north & south. How many hmes have & will be made desolate by it. Would to God it could be ended. I am heartily sick of it. June 15th I slept very little last night was thinking about William Latane. I fin ished my letter hearing that Sandy was about to leave for home. After getting something to eat I borrowed a horse from Jim [?] & went to the Cavalry Camp. Almost the first man I saw was John Latane as soon as I saw him I knew that his brother was dead. He invited me in his tent. He seemed to be so much distressed I would not ask him any questions concerning the death of his brother. There were a good many members of the company at camp on the sick list. Among them John Young from him I learned that Capt Latane had command of a squadron of Cavalry. The Mercer & Essex Co. & that some where near the ["old ct" ?] they were ordered to charge the enemy who were drawn up in the road ready to receive them. Capt Latane gallantly lead the charge he fell shot thro by two balls. The devil who shot him was killed immediately after by one of Mercer Cavalry named Ashton. In Capt Latane's death I have lost one of my best friends and Essex one of his worthiest sons. I have known him ever since we were children together and a more noble brave [?] correct man ever lived. He has been the first one from Essex to fall in defence of his country. Many of us may be fated to meet with the same end before this war shall close, but none will be more lamented, particularly so by me. June 16th I sent another letter home to day & three papers which give an account of Gen Stuarts bold and daring adventure going around McClellan's army by Dr. Renolds. I am feeling [more?] today than I have felt. June 17th I received a letter today from Mollie dated the 10th by Mr. Clarvee. They are always most gladly received by me. I have been writing home so frequently lately, I am afraid they will not be appreciated. It is beautiful weather at this time very cool June the 18th We went on picket last night Tom & I went to sleep under a persimmon tree. The musqui- toes were very plentiful & annoying where we were lying. It was not more than 20 or 30 yds. from the Chickahominy. About one o'clock at night Capt. Street sent a man to inform Capt. Burke that was talking heard on the opposite side of the swamp from us. We moved our location where our company was. I took the Corporal of the guard & carefully examined the swamp up & down but could neither nor hear any thing suspicious. Gave the sentinals instructions to keep a bright look out. Then returned & was soon fast asleep. Slept this morning until the sun was an hour high. I have been on the bridge & taken a good look at the Yankee pickets. They had a spy glass & seemed to be examining us very carefully. I have been to the bridge & taken a good look at the Yankee pickets. One of them got to waving a news paper as if he wished to exhange it for one of ours. It was against orders for us to do so. I had the Whig & told Tom Fogg he might do so if he wished. He took the papers & met the Yankee half way but the scamp said he did not have a paper, he gave Tom some sugar & coffee. Tom would not let him have the paper. I had a pair of Opera glasses watch ing them all at once I saw them bring a canon down on opposite & unlimber it as if they were going to fire it. I got off the bridge as fast as my legs could carry me. As soon

as all the men left the bridge I 

went back to see what they were doing, but could see nothing of the Canon. I think they had put it behind some bushes which had been places on the RR. June 19th Every thing is very quiet & still the weather very cool for this season. June 20th. James Croydon is very will with typhoid fever at Mrs. Booth's. I have just been to see him & don't think there is much [hope?] of him. June 21st Jimmy Croydon is no better this morning, how sorry I feel for him. What a consolation it would be to him if his wife & child were with. The situation which he is in has made me more low spirited than I've been for a long time June 22nd Our Company went on picket yesterday evening. It was ordered to a place called Strawberry Hill. It was the first time we were ever sent there. I was the only officer with the Company [?] charge of other Companies that went to the Bridge. It was getting dark when we got there Gen. [Christian?] told me to take the Company down on the flats of the Chick ahominy & pick out 9 picket guards. I arranged everything and took two men & scouted some distance in advance of the pickets. I returned to the reserve, laid down & went to sleep.Half past 1 O'clock I was waked up by one of the men saying that the Yankees were right us. I jumped up & saw at a glance that the men were very much alarmed. I told them to get up thier blankets & fall in. Some [?] took to thier heels & ran for dear life not even taking their blankets or accoutre- ments along with them. I marched the company back a short distance had all the guns loaded. I then told them to remain where they were until I returned. I took Clarkson & returned to the place where the pickets ran from. Could neither see nor hear anything from the enemy. I went back to the company & marched them to the picket stand & stationed the pickets some two or three hundred yds nearer the enemy than they were before. Nothing more disturbed we during the night. Soon after day I marched the Company back to the house as I was ordered to do. There was a very fine view from the house can see miles & miles up & down. I ate a few cherries today, the first I have had this summer. June 25 Gen Fields had a review of his bri- gade today, the first he has had since I've been in it. Our regiment has also been inspected by the inspector Gen. Jimmy Croydon's wife got here day, poor Jimmie did not recognise her. Dr. Wright thinks he is a little better today. I did not think he would live as long as this when I saw him