Gen. Floyd having had the kindness to
offer me a positon in his military family,
I repaired at once to Lewisburg & on Sunday
morning ^'10th Aug. 1861' early called on him at Camp
Arbuckle, 4 miles west of Lewisburg, on the
Jas. River & Kanawha turn-pike.
I found the General a fine looking, agree-
able old gentleman & was prepossessed by
his appearance & manners. Unlike most
of out modern officers high in command,
who think more of their title & personal com-
fort & ease than the country's good, Gen.
Floyd shared the same hardships as his
soldiers, camped in the woods among them,
dressed in course grey pantaloons & a red
& black hunting shirt -- presenting the ap-
pearance rather of a sturdy Western
Hunter than what I expected to find the
man who had been Secretary of War & who
^'(I hoped!)' was to lead the Southern army to the
deliverance of the beautiful valley of
if the Kanawha, Soon I found that
this manner of living & acting had won
for the Gen. the respect & confidence of
all his subalterns. Knowing that
that the existence of such relations between
the commanding officer & his men was the best
pledge of success & in fact a necessity param-
ount to all the others, I was delighted; for my
highest ambition was for the reputation &
final triumph of the forces with which
I was stationed. Before remaining long in
camp I made many acquaintances among
whom were Cols. Reynolds & Heth, Major
Thorburn, Capt. Peters, & Maj. Peery, the last
two being on the Gen's personal staff.
William Edward Peery, born 7 July 1829. Attended Emory and Henry. Private in Co. I, 16th Va. Cavalry, Oct. 9, 1862. Promoted to captain of that company, Jan. 15, 1863. Wounded and captured July 8, 1863. Paroled June 12, 1865, at Charleston, W.V. Died March 15, 1895. Peery must have served as some sort of volunteer aide during this 1861 campaign. RELK
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