Harper's Ferry

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

Picket duty was an advance outpost or guard for a large force. It consisted of a scattered line in advance of the main army's encampment, but within supporting distance. A picket guard was made up of a lieutenant, 2 sergeants, 4 corporals, and 40 privates from each regiment. Picket duty constituted the most hazardous work of infantrymen in the field. Being the first to feel any major enemy movement, they were also the first liable to be killed, wounded, or captured. A soldier on picket was also a likely target of snipers. Picket duty, by regulation, was rotated regularly in a regiment.

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 107^th 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.

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.

Ruins of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Viaduct at Harpers Ferry, destroyed 
by Confederate forces on June 14, 1861.  This  bridge was destroyed and  
replaced nine times during the War. As can be seen at the top of this post, 
it still stands today.

Interesting that William asks frequently as to the condition of his father, but communication between the two of them never seems to occur.

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.