Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 32.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

The figures of losses.

Lee's numbered about 50,000; his loss was 8,000.

The loss in our brigade was small. Amongst the killed was Lieutenant Edward G. Rawlings, commanding F. Company. He was as good a soldier as the war produced, a magnificent specimen of manhood, tall and erect, over six feet in his stockings, weighing about two hundred pounds, with endurance in proportion to his size. I have often heard him say he could march forever if his feet would keep from getting sore. He was kind, gentle and always at his post and in the performance of his duty.

To Jackson falls the chief honor of Second Manassas, as it did in the first battle, and the position held by the 2d Brigade was one of the points the enemy made their most desperate and repeated assaults, [88] in all of which they were repulsed with great loss. I saw more of their dead lying on the ground in our front than I ever saw in the same space during the war.

One of my company wrote home that ‘he was shot all to pieces,’ had twenty-seven holes shot through his blanket. In his next letter he explained that his blanket was folded and one shot going through it, made the twenty-seven holes.

It was the unanimous sentiment of the 2d Brigade that they were never handled as well before as they were by Col. Bradley T. Johnson, during this battle, and the balance of the time he was with us. His personal interest in the men went right to their hearts, and they showed their appreciation by obeying every order with cheerfulness and alacrity, and these circumstances made him a Brigadier-General.

Here is an extract from a letter written to the Secretary of War by Lieutenant-General Jackson, in which he thus mentions Colonel Johnson and the 2d Brigade at Second Manassas:

‘The heroism with which the brigade fought, and its success in battle, but brightened my opinion of its commander.’