July 2nd [1863]

At 2 p.m. when I came home ^' from'
Lee's line, where the
Yanks have several saps
approaching, I found, in-
stead of a comfortable
resting place and a quiet
dinner, the house knocked
in by a shell and every-
thing in complete confu-
sion -- worse confounded.
The three ladies were in
the room tat the shell
passed through but for-
tunately it didn't burst
until going through the
next -- the dining room,
where it demolished every-
thing there -- table, cup-
board, side board with
their contents -- and tore
out the side of the room.
The furniture in the ad-
joining chambers was
knocked to pieces; and
the ladies covered with
splinters and slightly
stunned -- they have this
afternoon sought refuge
in a cave, as the firing
continues, -- if anything
with increased vigor --
and you may hear now
the shells go crushing &
bursting into the houses
with great noise, de-
noting their course by a
fiendish, diabolical whiz-
zing. The mortars at the
same time continue their
polite attention, and the
land explosions & the
whistling of their fragments
are heard with
little intermission.

At the suggestion of
several of his major Gen-
erals Genl Pemberton tonight
held a council of war on
the propriety, under the
circumstances, of proposing
terms of capitulation to
Genl Grant. It resulted
in Genl Bowen's being
sent out under a flag of
truce at 7 a. m. this
morning