Harper's Ferry as viewed from the Maryland Heights. The Potomac flowing east in the foreground with the Shenandoah entering from the south. |
Harper's Ferry
was a key site in both the war and its preceding events. On October 16,
1859, the radical abolitionist John Brown led a group of 22 men in a
raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. U.S. Army Colonel Robert E. Lee
was assigned as commander of federal forces along with Lieutenant J. E.
B. Stuart as his aide-de-camp. Following an army assault, Brown was
captured, tried for treason and hung.
The 107th was on duty at the Maryland Heights fortification overlooking Harper’s Ferry from September 22 to October 29, 1862. This Picket duty at Harper's Ferry followed the end of the Maryland Campaign that lasted from September 4-20, one of the major turning points of the Civil War.
Harper's Ferry during Civil War days looking east. Maryland Heights is to the left on the north bank of the Potomac River |
The vacancy caused by the death of General Mansfield at Antietam was filled by the
appointment of Major-General Henry W. Slocum who had achieved a good reputation by his
services on the Peninsula, and at the successful storming of Crampton's Gap. The Twelfth Corps remained in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry until
December, when it moved into Virginia, and made its winter-quarters at
Stafford Court House.
Commentary
Dr. Robert Bell was William Graham’s cousin. For further information on Dr. Bell, see William's Letter Correspondents.
William Graham, based on his words, is a man of strong religious beliefs. In Ireland his family was Presbyterian.
Given the religious ferment of the time, and his descendants' church
membership in Schuyler County, as an adult he may have been Methodist or Free Methodist.
Frequently in his letters, William’s words relate an almost
clinical contempt for his fellow soldiers. Incidently, blackleg is a
British term for a strikebreaker or swindler. A blackguard is a low,
contemptible person
The sickness while the regiment was at Harpers Ferry
resulted in the death of many of William Graham’s fellow soldiers.
Illness would ultimately put him in the hospital for more than eight
months.
The ills and sanitary conditions prevalent in the Harpers
Ferry area at the time did not improve in the next month. The following
excerpt from a contemporaneous letter written on November 10, 1862 by Isabella Fogg is most revealing:
"We did what we could for his comfort and then proceeded
to Harpers Ferry. Here the sick are in a fearful condition, in every old
house and church and hundreds on the ground. You no doubt think your
ladies in Washington are doing a great work, but I can assure you, if
they were here, they would find the stern reality of want, privation and
extreme suffering. We visited the sick of the 19th in care of Dr.
Hawes, asst. surgeon, he has upwards of 50, does all in his power for
their comfort. At Gen. Slocum's request we went over to Loudin Valley to
learn the condition of several hundreds, who had been sent the day
previous without any preparation. We found them lying on the ground, in
all directions, many convalescent, but a great many very low. At this
time no surgeons, nurses or cooks were on the ground and hard bread
their only food."
Schuyler County in 1854. Click to view. |
William Graham’s sister, Elizabeth Graham lived with the Scobey
couple in the Town of Dix, Schuyler County for around 30 years. That $30
William left with Scobey in 1862 would be worth more than $600 today
based on the inflation of consumer prices.
A Henry Kleckler age 30, together with two young
children, was living as a farmer in Wayne, Steuben County, New York in
1860. He was still there in 1870 with a wife and a lot more children.
The Town of Wayne is situated upon Lake Keuka on the east
border of Steuben County. The towns of Tyrone and Orange were taken from
Steuben County when Schuyler County was formed in 1854. A part of the
township of Wayne was annexed to Tyrone in 1854. (See map)
In 1860, next door to Henry Kleckler lived George Kleckler age
65 and family, including a Samuel Green, age 16. Samuel Green is listed
in the National Park database as serving with the 107th regiment during the Civil War and is likely the boy with fever who William Graham mentions.
John Boyes was the nephew of Thomas Boyes, with
whose family William lived as a farm laborer in the Town of Orange in
1860. The experience living with Thomas must have made William quite
knowledgeable of his affairs.
Libbie is William’s only surviving sibling. For further information on Elizabeth (Libbie) Graham, see William's Letter Correspondents.
William's health would not remain good for long.
Guy C. Adams is recorded as being with the 107th by the Nat’l Park Service database. Like William, he went in as a private and out as a Sergeant. Guy Adams is about age 17 in 1862 and is the son of John Adams, a neighboring farmer of Libbie.
The Anna discussed in this letter appears to have been William's girl friend back home in New York's Finger Lake Region. The discussion in this letter and elsewhere makes it pretty clear that she was not going to wait indefinitely for William's return from war. Rather then give him the bad news, she has 'proved deceitful' to Libbie and failed to communicate as her message to him.
The amount of letter correspondence mentioned by William is certainly not represented by the letters that have survived to our knowledge. At one per week, William's three year service should have resulted in some 150 letters. The letters of which we are aware represent less than 20 percent of that potential treasure trove.
The Independent was a weekly magazine published in New York City between 1848 and 1928. It was an important voice in support of abolitionism and women's suffrage. The magazine was founded by three Congregational ministers.
Havana Company was one of those in the 107th Regiment. The companies of the 107th NY Regiment were recruited principally: A, B, C, D and E at Elmira; F at Addison, Cameron and Campbell; G at Elmira, Bath and Hammondsport; H at Havana and Elmira; I at Corning, Wayland and West Union; and K at Hornellsville, Howard, Elmira and Canisteo.
Commentary
Libbie is William’s only surviving sibling. For further information on Elizabeth (Libbie) Graham, see William's Letter Correspondents.
William's health would not remain good for long.
Guy C. Adams is recorded as being with the 107th by the Nat’l Park Service database. Like William, he went in as a private and out as a Sergeant. Guy Adams is about age 17 in 1862 and is the son of John Adams, a neighboring farmer of Libbie.
The Anna discussed in this letter appears to have been William's girl friend back home in New York's Finger Lake Region. The discussion in this letter and elsewhere makes it pretty clear that she was not going to wait indefinitely for William's return from war. Rather then give him the bad news, she has 'proved deceitful' to Libbie and failed to communicate as her message to him.
The amount of letter correspondence mentioned by William is certainly not represented by the letters that have survived to our knowledge. At one per week, William's three year service should have resulted in some 150 letters. The letters of which we are aware represent less than 20 percent of that potential treasure trove.
The Independent was a weekly magazine published in New York City between 1848 and 1928. It was an important voice in support of abolitionism and women's suffrage. The magazine was founded by three Congregational ministers.
Havana Company was one of those in the 107th Regiment. The companies of the 107th NY Regiment were recruited principally: A, B, C, D and E at Elmira; F at Addison, Cameron and Campbell; G at Elmira, Bath and Hammondsport; H at Havana and Elmira; I at Corning, Wayland and West Union; and K at Hornellsville, Howard, Elmira and Canisteo.