Victory! News came from Anahuac that Confederate forces commanded by General Beauregard whupped the yankees good at a place near Manassas, Virginia. They'r callin it the battle of Bull Run Creek. Seems like they ought to call it the battle of yankee run! Just like we thought, them yankee boys coldn't fight. They was doin alright until General Thomas Jackson and General Bernard Lee made a stand and drove the Union troops back. After that the battle became what the newspapers call a "Rout". That means the yankees turned and ran like rabbits. Looks like this might be a short war. If we keep beatin them yankees like this, it won't be long until the north gives up and sues fer peace. I sure hope we git in on some of the fightin before it's over. I'd like to have somethin to tell my kids besides I spent the war diggin ditches in the mud. Speakin of diggin ditches, the fort was complete last week. It's pretty sad looking with earth and log emplacements, but Captian Koch says the ten feet of dirt and logs will hold up to any gun the Union can bring up river on a boat. Our daily life now is back to drillin and practicing shooting. The only relief from the heat is to go swimmin. We swim a lot when we're not on detail. Some of us have been training with the artillery so if there's a battle and some of the artillery men are shot, we can fill in and help with the big guns. Captain Prusser has detailed twelve of us to train as sharp-shooters. I'm one of the sharp-shooters. We all have English Enfield rifles. We're all pretty good and with the two rifles that have lookin glasses on them, we can hit a man sized target at three hunnered yards or better! The Captain is hopin to get some more of those sights (he calls them "rifle scopes") fer all of the sharpshooters. He figures if the Union sends a boat upstream we can make life pretty miserable for the men on it by shootin the gunners, pilots, and such. To tell the truth, I don't know rightly how I feel about shootin another man. The Bible teaches us that thou shall not kill. This is war, however. Didn't the Isralites kill their enemies in battle? King David was a great warrior who couldn't build the Temple because he had blood on his hands. The Old Testament is full of the victories of the Isralites over their enemies. I don't know. The Methodists circuit preacher that visits us once a month says that God is on our side and we will win. I asked him about killin, and he said this was a holy cause like the Isralites had. Said that made it OK. I hope that if I have to fight, I'll be brave. I don't want to let my messmates or the Captain down. Guess I won't know until I see the elephant. I ain't told Elizabeth, but we have some men down with what the Captain calls swamp fever. He says it is caused by the mist that comes off of the swamps at night. A couple of them are pretty sick. The Captain says they'll most likely get over it, but that it'll keep coming back on them. I hope I don't catch it. Hard chills and fever. Bob, a private in my squad, says one minute you ar hot as the inside of a furnace and the next you're freezin. He looks like he's lost a bunch of weight and he don't have an appetite. Elizabeth had me another letter writ. Says things are fine and that the corn crop got in just fine. The men what are left in Navasota have banded together to help the wives of us in the army. They do the heavy work that needs doin, and the wimmen take care of all the rest. The Colonel tells me that he writ home and told Mrs. Prusser to send some field hands over to help pick the couple acres of cotton when it is ready. That's a cash crop. After it's picked and bailed, Elizabeth can sell it to the English buyers and use the cash to buy some things she needs. I really miss my wife now. Been thinkin about askin the Captain fer a pass to go home. I figure I can catch the supply boat back to Galveston an get home from there. If he'll give me a two week furlow, I can spend a couple of days at home with Elizabeth and Sid. I'd still have enough time to git back here overland if need be on a stage. I know I can get to Anahuac. Once there, the fort sends troups into town every day or so, and I could ride back with them. The boat's comin next week, so I better ask fer leave tomorrow. Hope I can go home to see my family.