Army of the Cumberland

Civil War period map of eastern Tennessee and adjacent states with the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad highlighted.
Places where stationed and letters written are underlined in red.

Commentary

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The 107th was transferred from that Army to the Army of the Cumberland in September 1863, right after William Graham rejoined his regiment on the Rappahannock River in Virginia.

During the American Civil War the Rappahannock River provided a recurring barrier and defensive line for the movement of troops. It was an especially difficult barrier for Union troops in attempts to advance into southern Virginia. Control of the river changed hands multiple times during the course of the war. Significant battles fought along the river include the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Rappahannock Station, fought in 1862. The defensive line of the river was finally circumvented by Ulysses S. Grant in the Overland Campaign of 1864, resulting in the final Union victory in the war.

A railroad engine under the control of the US Military Railroad

The Tennessee letters begin on October 4, 1863, the day after William arrived in Tennessee to carry out railroad guard duty. This guard duty in Tennessee would last from October 1863 until April 1864.

William would not be joining the 11th Corps in Chattanooga to reinforce Rosecrans as he expected. His brigade in its guard duties would support the success of the Army of the Cumberland, but luckily for William, in a less lethal way than that of their comrades.

Guarding of the railroad supply line was crucial to the Union cause and not an easy task as indicated by this excerpt from Ulysses S. Grant's Memoirs: "Sherman had started from Memphis for Corinth on the 11th of October. His instructions required him to repair the road in his rear in order to bring up supplies. The distance was about three hundred and thirty miles through a hostile country. His entire command could not have maintained the road if it had been completed. The bridges had all been destroyed by the enemy, and much other damage done. A hostile community lived along the road; guerilla bands infested the country, and more or less of the cavalry of the enemy was still in the West. Often Sherman’s work was destroyed as soon as completed, and he only a short distance away."

The 107th Regiment probably traveled in similar boxcars to Tennessee

The railroad journey to Tennessee took 10 days from September 24, 1863 to October 3, 1863 and extended over 1200 miles. The sights seen on that journey were quite an eye opener for a poor farmer from rural Ireland. Given the railroad track routes existing at the time, William may have been a bit optimistic about the number of state capitals they passed through. Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana were the most likely.

The journey was initiated on September 23, 1863 when President Lincoln ordered the 11th and 12th Corps detached from the Army of the Potomac and sent to Tennessee to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland. When traveling through southern states, the US Military Railroad carried the troops and their equipment. The two Corps were sent to the Western Theatre  after the disastrous Union defeat at the battle of Chickamauga. They were placed under command of General Hooker.

Brig. General Alpheus Williams

The 107th Regiment was in the 1st division of the 12th Corps, That division was under the command of Brig. General Alpheus Williams. In Tennessee, the 1st division was stationed along the railroad from Murfreesboro to Bridgeport. The 2nd division of the 12th Corps moved to the front at Chattanooga under Geary.

Decherd

William's initial letter was mailed from Decker Station (a misspelling of Decherd), a town on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad which the 107th Regiment was charged with guarding.  The places where William was stationed during his period of guard duty per his letters are underlined in red on the map at the beginning of this post.

Decherd was founded in the mid 1800's. 'Decker' was most likely Decherd Station, and 'Decker' was a phonetic representation of what was originally a French word.

Decherd owed its beginning to the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad which was completed in 1851 through what was to become the town of Decherd. The town was named for Peter S. Decherd, who gave the rights-of-way to the railroad company with the provision that a depot be located near the "Decherd Plantation". Mr. Decherd came to Franklin County from Virginia in the early 1800's.

The Civil War dominated life in Decherd in the 1860s. No major battles were fought in the area, but several skirmishes were fought over control of the railroad and the Elk River.

Federal General Don Buell established headquarters in Decherd in August, 1862 before moving north to encounter Confederate forces under the command of General Braxton Bragg.

In 1863 Federals under Colonel John T. Wilder drove a Confederate force from Decherd and destroyed about 300 yards of the railroad. Telegraph and commissary stores of the Confederate forces were burned in the raid.

Battle of Hoover's Gap (June 23)

During the end of June 1863, three months prior to this letter, and before the arrival of the 107th Regiment in Tennessee, the Battle of Hoover's Gap with a Union victory occured in this area.

Gen. William Rosecrans

Union forces were under the command of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans. General Braxton Bragg was commander of the opposing Confederate Army of Tennessee. Rosecrans’s superiors, fearing that Bragg might detach large numbers of men to help break the Siege of Vicksburg, urged him to attack the Confederates.

On June 23, 1863, Rosecrans deployed forces to feign an attack on Shelbyville while massing forces against Bragg's right. Although slowed by rain, Rosecrans moved forward, forcing Bragg to give up his defensive line and fall back to Tullahoma. Bragg evacuated his forces from Middle Tennessee and withdrew to the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rosecrans followed and captured that city on September 8, 1863.

Rosecrans' pursuit of Bragg ended during the bloody Battle of Chickamauga, where his unfortunately worded order mistakenly opened a gap in the Union line and Rosecrans and a third of his army were swept from the field. But for the saving action of Union Maj. Gen. William Thomas, all of the Union forces might have been lost. Besieged in Chattanooga, Rosecrans was later relieved of command by Grant.

Commentary

 

Shelbyville 

Shelbyville is in Middle Tennessee on a Highland Rim limestone bluff upon the banks of Duck River, which flows around the southern and eastern sides of town.

Shelbyville, the only Union town of Tennessee
Harpers Weekly, Oct. 18, 1862

Shelbyville and Bedford County were divided on issues related to the civil war. When an election was held June 8, 1861 to vote for or against separation from the Union and representation in a Confederate Congress, the county voted to remain in the Union by a majority of nearly 200. When the time came for military action, the county furnished almost as many soldiers to the Northern as to the Southern army.

So loyal was Shelbyville to the Union as to earn for the town the name of "Little Boston." Being on the line of march of both armies, Shelbyville witnessed many movements and counter-movements of large bodies of troops. Some residents asserted that though much damage was sustained to property and not a few lives lost, the consequences were no more serious than could have been expected in time of war.

In 1863 a lively skirmish occurred between the Fifth Tennessee Cavalry and the Confederate Cavalry under Gen. Wheeler at nearby Wartrace. Subsequently, Gen. Wheeler again had a brush with the Federal Cavalry (between 3,000 and 4,000 men being in the fight) two miles west of Shelbyville, in which quite a number were killed and wounded.

In May, 1864, twelve soldiers belonging to the Fourth Tennessee Mounted Infantry (Federal), were captured by Robert B. Blackwell while guarding the Shelbyville depot, which was stored with hay. Blackwell was the head of a company of bushwhackers, The depot and contents were burned, and the twelve soldiers escorted a short distance from town and shot.
 

Chattanooga (Fall 1863)

Abraham Lincoln was keenly aware of the importance of the City of Chattanooga. The President had said that, "...taking Chattanooga is as important as taking Richmond." Rails from the city linked major distribution centers of the Confederacy. It was a key link in his plan to "divide and conquer" the Confederacy.

Maj Gen George H. Thomas

After their disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga, Union forces under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans retreated to Chattanooga. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee besieged the city, threatening to starve the Union forces into surrender. Bragg's troops occupied Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, both of which had excellent views of the city, the river, and the Union's supply lines. Confederate troops launched raids on all supply wagons heading toward Chattanooga, which made it necessary for the Union to find another way to feed their men.

Lincoln ordered reinforcements to the city and gave Ulysses S. Grant command of all forces west of the Appalachians. Grant relieved Rosecrans of his command and replaced him with Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas (known as "The Rock of Chickamauga") as commander of the 40,000 troops in Chattanooga. From Virginia, Joseph Hooker moved 20,000 men. From Mississippi, William Tecumseh Sherman came with another 20,000. Grant's first priority upon reaching Chattanooga was to resupply the Union army.  

While William Graham was marching back and forth near Shelbyville, the Battle of Wauhatchie finally opened the supply lines to the besieged city of Chattanooga. 

Battle of Chattanooga - Charge near Orchard Knob on Nov. 24, 1863

A Union force had seized Brown's Ferry on the Tennessee River, opening a means to supply the Union army in Chattanooga. Confederate forces attempted to dislodge the Union force defending the ferry and again close this supply line but were defeated.

Wauhatchie was one of the few night battles of the Civil War. Victory was assured when Union forces charged up a steep hill in the face of the enemy and using bayonets drove James Longstreet's veterans out of their entrenchments.

Later that Fall, the Battle of Chattanooga (including the Battle of Lookout Mountain and the Battle of Missionary Ridge) was fought November 23–25, 1863. A part of the 11th Corps under Maj General Joseph Hooker was actively engaged at Missionary Ridge. In coordination with William T. Sherman's forces it helped bring about the rout of Bragg's army, ending the siege of Union forces in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

As a result of these battles, one of the Confederacy’s two major armies was routed. Union forces held Chattanooga, the “Gateway to the Lower South" for the remainder of the War.  Chattanooga became the supply and logistics base for Sherman’s 1864 Atlanta Campaign. After this battle the 11th Corps was ordered to East Tennessee for the relief of Knoxville.

Fort Schuyler

William was hospitalized for nine months from December 1862 to August 1863. His letters indicate that he was suffering from what we now call typhoid fever, probably as a result of poor sanitation during camp duty near Antietam. After an initial placement in St. Paul's Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia, he was eventually transferred to Fort Schuyler located on Throgs Neck at the eastern entrance to New York Harbor.

During the Civil War, Fort Schuyler held as many as 500 prisoners of war from the Confederate States Army and military convicts from the Union Army. It also included the MacDougall Hospital, which had a capacity of 2,000 beds.

Disease Among Civil War Soldiers

Union Army field hospital

Disease was the biggest killer of the war. Of the Federal dead, roughly three out of five died of disease, and of the Confederate, perhaps two out of three.

About half of the deaths from disease during the Civil War were caused by intestinal disorders, mainly typhoid fever, diarrhea, and dysentery. The remainder died from pneumonia and tuberculosis. Camps populated by young soldiers who had never before been exposed to a large variety of common contagious diseases were plagued by outbreaks of measles, chickenpox, mumps, and whooping cough.

The most significant cause of illness was the shocking filth of the army camp itself. An inspector in late 1861 found most Federal camps 'littered with refuse, food, and other rubbish, sometimes in an offensive state of decomposition; slops deposited in pits within the camp limits or thrown out; heaps of manure and offal close to the camp." As a result, bacteria and viruses spread through the camp like wildfire.

Bowel disorders constituted the soldiers' most common complaint. The Union army reported that more than 995 out of every 1,000 men eventually contracted chronic diarrhea or dysentery during the war; the Confederates fared no better.

Google Map view of Throgs Neck, the site of Fort Schuyler on New York City's East River

Commentary

Fort Schuyler, during the American Civil War, included the MacDougall Hospital which had a capacity of 2,000 beds. It can be safely assumed this is where William received his medical care.

Fort Schuyler also held as many as 500 prisoners of war from the Confederate States Army and military convicts from the Union Army. This is most likely why William felt kept like a convict at Fort Schuyler.

Aerial View of Fort Schuyler in 1924

 

Military Draft

The facility was a location where units heading to war would rendezvous and be outfitted and trained before being deployed. From January 1863 until July 1865, the Fort was garrisoned by the 20th Independent Battery, New York Volunteer Artillery, a unit originally recruited to fight in the war. Duty at the fort was reported to be a dull assignment as the men took the roles of guards and hospital stewards, not artillerymen.

The Enrollment and Conscription Act was passed by Congress on March 3, 1863. William's discussion of the military draft was probably related to that action which occurred the day before this letter was written.

There was no general military draft in America until the Civil War. The Confederacy passed its first of three conscription acts in April 1862, and scarcely a year later the Union began conscripting men. Government officials plagued with manpower shortages regarded drafting as the only means of sustaining an effective army and hoped it would spur voluntary enlistments.

But compulsory service embittered the public, who considered it an infringement on individual free will and personal liberty and feared it would concentrate arbitrary power in the military. Believing with some justification that unwilling soldiers made poor fighting men, volunteer soldiers despised conscripts. Conscription also undercut morale, as soldiers complained that it compromised voluntary enlistments and appeared as an act of desperation in the face of repeated military defeats.

Conscription nurtured substitutes, bounty-jumping, and desertion. Charges of class discrimination were leveled against both Confederate and Union draft laws since exemption and commutation clauses allowed propertied men to avoid service, thus laying the burden on immigrants and men with few resources. Occupational, only-son, and medical exemptions created many loopholes in the laws.

Rioters and Federal Troops clash in July 1863

Doctors certified healthy men unfit for duty, while some physically or mentally deficient conscripts went to the front after sham examinations. Enforcement presented obstacles of its own; many conscripts simply failed to report for duty. Several states challenged the draft's legality, trying to block it and arguing over the quota system. Unpopular, unwieldy, and unfair, conscription raised more discontent than soldiers.

Under the Union draft act men faced the possibility of conscription in July 1863 and in Mar., July, and Dec. 1864. Draft riots ensued, notably in New York in 1863. Of the 249,259 18-to-35-year-old men whose names were drawn, only about 6% served, the rest paying commutation or hiring a substitute.

The first Confederate conscription law also applied to men between 18 and 35, providing for substitution (repealed Dec. 1863) and exemptions. A revision, approved 27 Sept. 1862, raised the age to 45; 5 days later the legislators passed the expanded Exemption Act. The Conscription Act of Feb. 1864 called all men between 17 and 50. Conscripts accounted for one-fourth to one-third of the Confederate armies east of the Mississippi between Apr. 1864 and early 1865.

Commentary

Andrew Scobey seemed to have done quite well in his land dealing. According to the 1860 Census, his property was worth $9,000, not a bad sum in those days. In the 1894 business directory for Schuyler County, New York he is listed as a "retired merchant farmer".

The Union experienced substantial inflation as a result of deficit financing during the war. The consumer price index rose from 100 at the outset of the war to 175 by the end of 1865. However, this less than a doubling in prices was significantly less than what the Confederacy suffered. Prices there increased almost 40 times between 1860 and 1865.

Inflation tends to fall on those who are least able to afford it. One group that tends to be vulnerable to a sudden rise in prices is wage earners. During the war years, wages adjusted for inflation declined as the goods they could purchase decreased. In the North the real wage value declined almost 20%. In the South the decline was almost 90%.

Since William had many more months yet to spend in the hospital, one might wonder whether he was being entirely honest about his health. An upset stomach won't keep you in the hospital. Maybe the dispepsia is associated with the 'bad' food. There was a family story that his early death 12 years after the war was in part due to the poor food he received while convalescing.

Interesting regarding no 'furloughs'. According to historical records, about 16% of patients at Fort Schuyler were lost by desertion and failure to return from furlough.

"Family butter at 70 cents, eh? Not so long's I've any cart-grease left!"

Greenbacks were the new paper currency put in circulation by the Union in 1862. They were originally issued directly into circulation by the U.S. Treasury to pay expenses incurred by the Union during the American Civil War.

William speaks perceptively of the difficult task that will be before the nation in the next three years. The arduous fight with the Rebels would test this country as it has never been before or since. In a little over two years, he himself would be participating in a full bore attack by the Union forces - with no half measures - upon the heartland of the South.

His advice to his sister regarding 'affections' is certainly different than the norm regarding male/female relations in many places today. I wonder how typical it was in 1862.

He says that a woman should not expect to feel affection for a man. Her affection for her children is sufficient. In describing his own disappointment in placing his affections on a woman, he appears to be saying the same for men toward women. Love between man and woman is a phenomenon not within his experience and therefore not to be achievable by others? He is quite a pessimist it would appear.

Commentary

Has the Republican Party of Lincoln weakened its support for the war? Not exactly sure to what he is referring with regard to party strife. Perhaps it is the 'conservative movement' referred to in the Harper's Weekly article, "Tweedledum and Tweedledee" of March 7, 1863. Then again he may be referring to the split in the Democratic Party. The March 21, 1863 Harper's article reported a meeting at the Cooper Institute in New York City where leaders of the Democratic Party voiced their support for vigorous prosecution of the war. These Democrats were in opposition to the Copperhead movement in their own party and its attempts to divide the North.

William believes a united North with greater sacrifice by its people is crucial to putting down the rebellion. His denouncement of the 'peace movement', then associated with the Copperheads, indicates where he stands regarding the party strife. His belief that making peace with the rebels at that time will open the North to a future of ten thousand wars is an interesting perspective. He is clearly a thoughtful and intelligent person who understands, despite his rudimentary education, the significant stakes at issue in this war.

Cartoon related to the failed Copperhead mission to Richmond

Although other patients are permitted by the doctors to return to their regiments at the front, William's doctor still does not believe his health is strong enough to give his permission. Interesting that based on his height from the enlistment document and his weight revealed here, his stature is virtually the same as mine

There is still the frustration regarding his inability to get a furlough. As it worked out, he never received one during his three years in the war. It says something about his belief in the cause, despite the lack of a furlough and delay in receiving his pay, that he was still such a strong supporter of the Union war effort.

General John E. Wool

General John E. Wool is a most interesting figure. In the early days of the Civil War, Wool's quick and decisive moves secured Fort Monroe, Virginia, for the Union. In May 1862, Wool's troops occupied the navy yard, Norfolk, and the surrounding towns after the Confederates abandoned them, He was then promoted to the full rank of major general in the regular army.

Col. Robert Van Valkenburg

In January 1863, he assumed command of the Department of the East, and led military operations in New York City during and after the draft riots the following July. Shortly thereafter, on August 1, 1863, General Wool retired from the army following more than fifty years of service. He was the oldest general officer to execute active command in either army during the war.

Col. Robert Van Valkenburg was in command of the recruiting depot in Elmira, New York and organized a number of regiments early in the Civil War. Van Valkenburg was elected as a Republican to Congress during the war. He served as Colonel of the 107th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and was its commander at the Battle of Antietam.

Interesting that William sees Andrew Scobey's acquisition of more land as an expression of confidence in the Union forces. There is no animosity toward Scobey, who improves his circumstances during the war, while William contributes his health and the chance for a long life.

Commentary

 

Furlough

 

The subject of a furlough has come up a number of times in William's letters. This time he appears angry and quite certain that any attempt to get a furlough would fail. 

My first reaction was that William was exaggerating about the difficulties in obtaining a furlough in the Union army. A little research quickly disabused me of that belief.

Furlough requests in both the northern and southern armies were torturous affairs. Requests were subject to approval from a long line of offices, and it could take months to receive a definitive answer. Moreover, this long wait often ended in disappointment, with the request denied. Perhaps inevitably, the seeming capriciousness of commanders in determining who would and would not receive furloughs led to conspiracy theories among the rank and file. 

Sundry

 
His reference to Easter Sunday as signifying the eating of eggs is different from current custom which in its secular side usually results in egg decoration followed by children going on a egg hunt. This is the first of his letters where I recall him mentioning the attendance at a Sunday sermon.

The orders that able bodied soldiers should report to their regiment does not seem to apply to William, as he remained a resident patient at the hospital until August. He still has not given up on his relationship with Anna.

Wonder what the rings looked like that he is paying a soldier to make as presents.

This is the last letter of which I am aware written by William during his period of hospitalization. Since we know that he was hospitalized until August 1863 when he returned to his regiment, more than four months of letters from this period may still exist in the possession of unknown persons or institutions. Alternatively, they may not have survived.

Struck Down by Fever

St. Paul's Church in Alexandria while in use as a hospital in 1862. William was cared for here until transferred to Fort Schuyler.

Commentary

 

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia was under military occupation during the Civil War. The occupation of the church sanctuary occured in February 1862 after the arrest of the rector for refusing to say a prayer for President Lincoln. Immediately thereafter, the St. Paul’s sanctuary was closed and was used for the duration of the War as a hospital for Union soldiers.

Where went the 107th

The objective of the march into Virginia was to reinforce the Union lines along the Rappahannock River across from Fredericksburg, Virginia. For those that stayed on their feet, the walk would last for five days.

From near Antietam, Maryland to Fairfax Station, Virginia is about 60 miles. From there to the Fredericksburg area is a little over 40 miles further. 100 miles in five days means the army was walking 20 miles a day - not exactly a record. However, for a large army with all its baggage and the need to fortify a new camp each day - remember Virginia was enemy territory in large part - this was a pretty good pace.

Fairfax Station in 1862. Train and tracks can be seen in the right rear

As indicated in the previous post, the regiment reached Frederickburg on December 16, 1862. This was the day after General Burnside had ordered a retreat back to the east bank of the Rappahannock. The retreat recognized the thrashing Union forces had received from Lee's army entrenched on the heights behind Fredericksburg. 

The 107th Regiment would spend the next month at Fredericksburg. Near the end of January it would participate in the Mud March. After that fiasco, the regiment remained in camp at Stafford Court House until the end of April. Stafford was about 10 miles north of the Union lines on the Rappahannock River.

Camp Fever

'Camp fever' was the term used for all of the continuing fevers experienced by the army, especially typhoid fever. Camp fever was the cause of one quarter of disease deaths among soldiers. 

Ambulance similar to the vehicle that carried the sick William to Fairfax Station.
The activity portrayed is actually an ambulance crew drilling to get it right.

Typhoid fever is a disease that is characterized by diarrhea and a rash along with many other symptoms ranging from severe headache to delirium. It is caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi.

This bacteria is spread by food or drink that is contaminated with fecal matter. Cooks with this disease readily pass it on to others. After the bacteria is ingested it travels to the spleen to multiply. Then the disease manifests as a fever and diarrhea which can lead to dehydration.

During the years of the war, Union records show that almost 30,000 soldiers died from this particular disease. The squalid conditions of many camps as well as lack of understanding about bacteria and disease transmission led to this high number of deaths. Fecal matter as well as dead bodies contaminated streams, causing the disease to spread.

Treatment at best consisted of the few trained doctors giving a mixture of mercury and chalk to the afflicted. America at the time lacked the proper medical professionals to handle such a large scale illness assailing so many. Opium, morphine and quinine were also used to treat the diseased.

Civil War Money

I am not completely clear as to the origin of the "Sherming Company Dollar". It probably represents one of the many ways the populace tried to deal with the currency chaos brought about by the Civil War.

US government paper dollar first issued in 1862

In 1862, day-to-day commerce became strained by a shortage of coins. At the time, paper money was not backed by gold or silver. Only faith in the central Government gave the bills any value and the Civil War put significant strain on any faith that had existed. Coins were worth more than their paper equivalent and were consequently not spent on goods that could be bought with paper.

The financial issues resulting from coin hoarding became worse when financiers found they could use paper money to buy silver coins, sell the silver coins to foreign markets for gold, and then buy paper dollars for gold at discount prices. The coin shortage could be life-threatening for a society where one cent bought a newspaper, the average salary was twelve to fifteen dollars a week, and a private in the army earned about thirteen dollars a month.

People tried many different unofficial methods to alleviate the coin shortage. Among those methods, some businesses issued promissory notes and others issued Civil War tokens.

On the March Again

Log hut on the far right in a military camp on the Tennessee River

Commentary 

Maryland Heights near Harper's Ferry overlooks the Potomac. A camp near Antietam would require moving the camp about 12 miles north.

A log hut such as described by William can be seen (as shown above) in at least one Civil War photograph. The hut is on the far right of the photograph.

Col. Alexander S. Diven

Alexander S. Diven became a Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General and a US Congressman. He was a member of the New York State Senate in 1858 and in 1861, was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving until 1863. During his term, he was commissioned as Colonel of the 107th New York Volunteer Infantry. After the war he was the vice-president of the Erie railroad and the Mayor of Elmira, New York. 
 
William's health would not improve. Shortly after this letter was written, William was sent to the hospital. Not exactly overwhelmed by the promotion to corporal - lighter work and more responsibility.

Army Food

The basic rations of both armies consisted of four items. These were hardbread, beef, beans and coffee.

Hardtack (hardbread) was a biscuit made of flour with other simple ingredients, and issued to Union soldiers throughout the war. Hardtack crackers made up a large portion of a soldier's daily ration. It was square or sometimes rectangular in shape with small holes baked into it, similar to a large soda cracker. Large factories in the north baked hundreds of hardtack crackers every day, packed them in wooden crates and shipped them out by wagon or rail.

According to army regulations for camp rations, a Union soldier was entitled to receive daily 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. 4 oz of fresh or salt beef; 1 lb. 6 oz of soft bread or flour, 1 lb. of hard bread, or 1 lb. 4 oz of cornmeal. Per every 100 rations there was issued 1 peck of beans or peas; 10 lb. of rice or hominy; 10 lb. of green coffee, 8 lb. of roasted and ground coffee, or 1 lb. 8 oz of tea; 15 lb. of sugar; 1 lb. 4 oz of candles, 4 lb. of soap; 1 qt of molasses. In addition to or as substitutes for other items, desiccated vegetables, dried fruit, pickles, or pickled cabbage might be issued.

The marching ration consisted of 1 lb. of hard bread, 3/4 lb. of salt pork or 1 1/4 lb. of fresh meat, plus the sugar, coffee, and salt. Soldiers of both armies relied to a great extent on food sent from home and on the ubiquitous Sutler - a person who followed the army and sold provisions to the soldiers. Additionally, food found in field and orchard along the road of march was fair game for hungry soldiers.

Sundry

In the 1870 census there is a farmer John Ross (age 64) listed in Reading, Schuyler County with a Tyrone Post Office.

The rubber blanket probably refers to a blanket, usually in poncho form, made waterproof by being treated with rubber. During the 1850s a great deal of experimentation with various materials for military equipment led to the decision that gum rubber was quite a fine material for many purposes. Goodyear's earlier patent for the vulcanization of rubber made the gum (or gum rubber) blanket a natural for the Civil War armies. Not only are they useful as ground cloths, or to make into "shebangs" (Civil War soldier term for shelter), they are good rain-wear when draped over the body and tied or buttoned in front.

Commentary 

December 9 is a propitious date given that this would be the birth date of William's future son and great grandson.

The destination of the next day's march was Fredericksburg, Virginia where a great battle was soon to be fought. The Battle of Fredericksburg would last for five days between December 11 and 15, 1862. 

Burnside's Battle

On December 11, 1862, under the command of General Ambrose Burnside, Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock River under fire. Robert E. Lee previously had entrenched his Confederate army on the heights behind the town.

General Ambrose Burnside

On December 11 and 12 the Federal army crossed over the river into Fredericksburg. Urban combat soon enveloped the city.

On December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. In separate attacks, fifteen Union Brigades assaulted the sunken wall at the foot of Marye's Heights. The brigades were destroyed by the Confederates.

On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the campaign. Total casualties were 12,653 for the Union and 5,377 for the Confederates.

The Army of the Potomac crossing the Rappahannock River. 

William Graham's 107th Regiment arrived near Fredericksburg on the 16th of December - too late to join the slaughter. William was not with them. Despite finally receiving his new boots to ward off the winter weather, disease, a common peril of the Civil War, finally felled him.

 

Sundry

Today, Burnside is more remembered for his hair style than his capabilities as a Union general. Thanks to him, we now call that hair in front of the ear a 'sideburn'. One little known fact is that in his post-war life Burnside was named the first president of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

William's advice respecting Libbie's love life did not lead to her imminent marriage. Libbie at age 46 ultimately married a widower in 1884, long after the war had ended.  She never had children of her own.

Not sure who is the Isaac to whom he asks his sister to give special respects.  Would be interesting if he is of the Grahams from County Tyrone, Ireland which his future son Hiram would marry into in 1903. That Isaac Graham was then living in Schuyler County's Town of Orange.

The December 9, 1862 letter clearly indicates the difficulties of a Civil War soldier's life. Whether it is unreliable mail service, inadequate provision of boots and clothing, lack of sufficient sleep, few to no furloughs or the missing pay mentioned in other letters; a soldier's life was hard. Perhaps William's strong religious faith helped see him through his coming multiyear military service. Nevertheless, the December letter marked the last message William would send during active military duty with the Army of the Potomac.

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.

Antietam

The Battle of Antietam, by Kurz & Allison (1878), depicting the scene of action at Burnside's Bridge

 

Commentary

This letter was written eight days after the battle at Antietam.  

Elizabeth (Libbie) Graham is William’s only sister. For further information on Libbie Graham, see William's Letter Correspondents.

Luck of War

 

The Battle of Antietam on September 16 to 18, 1862 was the key battle of the Maryland Campaign. This was the battle in which William and the 107th NY Regiment experienced its first trial by fire. William's statement in his letter to Dr. Bell in October 1862 regarding coolness "under a good shower of shells" was based on actual experience in what was later determined to be the bloodiest day of the war - September 17, 1862.

The 107th fought near the Dunker Church during
most of the day.

At Antietam, the 12th Corps (of which the 107th Regiment was now part) entered the fight early in the morning, and carried a position near, and in front of, the Dunker Church. Luck was a factor in William's survival during this bloody battle. The 107th Regiment was detached from the rest of the Corps to support George Cothran's Battery of artillery. They dug in to protect the battery from being overrun by the enemy. 

Historically the term "battery" referred to a cluster of cannon in action as a group, either in a temporary field position during a battle or at the siege of a fortress or a city. During the American Civil War, artillery batteries often consisted of six field pieces for the Union Army and four for the Confederate States Army, although this varied.

The 107th Regiment was under the command of Colonel Robert Van Valkenburgh. In his official report to General George Gordon of September 21, 1862 he said the following:

"...we received an order from you to retire into the woods and again form line of battle, which I was in the act of obeying when General Gibbon ... ordered me to return and support Cothran's battery, which was doing good execution upon the right of the woods.

I obeyed the order, formed my men in line of battle in front of the enemy, marched up to the battery, occupied the position assigned to us until past 3 o'clock, when the battery and my regiment were relieved by General Slocum's division. We were under severe fire from early in the morning until about 4 o'clock. The officers and men, so far as I know, of the One hundred and seventh Regiment behaved well, and obeyed every order with alacrity.

I desire to commend the coolness and bravery of Captain Cothran, who was in command of the battery. His decision and promptness, in my opinion, contributed in a great measure to the sustaining of that position."

1862 - Dunker Church and Burnside Bridge after battle

Of the 600 present for battle in the 107th regiment; 7 were killed, 51 wounded and 5 missing; making total casualties of 63.

A soldier assigned to the 107th regiment was half as likely to become a battle casualty as the rest of the Corps. The percentage of loss being 10.5% compared to 21.8% for the 12th Corps as a whole. If we just look at the number killed, the difference was even starker; the chances of being killed being more than four times as great in the 12th Corps as a whole.

General Mansfield fell, mortally wounded, while deploying his columns, and the command of the corps during the battle devolved on General Williams. The two divisions of the Corps lost in this battle, 275 killed, 1,386 wounded, and 85 missing; total, 1,746, out of about 8,000 present in action.

Antietam Battle, Sept 17, 1862. Click to enlarge.

According to the battle history, although outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his army, enabling Lee to fight the Federals to a standstill. During the night, both armies consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan throughout the 18th, while removing his wounded south of the river. McClellan did not renew the assaults. After dark, Lee ordered withdrawal of his army.

Emancipation Proclamation

On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a preliminary warning that by January 1, 1863 he would order the emancipation of all slaves in any state that had not ended its rebellion against the Union. None of the Confederate states returned to the Union. Therefore, Lincoln's order was signed and took effect on January 1, 1863.

The Emancipation Proclamation outraged white Southerners (and their sympathizers) who envisioned a race war. It angered some Northern Democrats, energized anti-slavery forces, and undermined elements in Europe that wanted to intervene to help the Confederacy. The Proclamation lifted the spirits of both free and slave African Americans. It led many slaves to escape to Union lines to obtain their freedom, and to join the Union Army.

The Emancipation Proclamation broadened the goals of the Civil War. While slavery had been a major issue that led to the war, Lincoln's only mission at the start of the war was to maintain the Union. The Proclamation made freeing the slaves an explicit goal of the Union war effort. Establishing the abolition of slavery as one of the two primary war goals served to deter intervention by Britain and France. The Emancipation Proclamation was never challenged in court. To ensure the abolition of slavery in all of the U.S., Lincoln pushed for passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Congress passed the 13th Amendment by the necessary two-thirds vote on January 31, 1865, and it was ratified by the states on December 6, 1865, ending legal slavery.

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. William and Libbie's father James Graham was  almost 77 years old at this time. He was living on the farm of William Bell, his brother-in-law.

Commentary

Dr. Robert Bell lived in Monterey, Town of Orange, Schuyler Co., NY.  For further information on Dr. Bell, see William's Letter Correspondents.

William's report on Jackson's near presence was probably erroneous since Lee had withdrawn the battered Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac into the Shenandoah Valley.

Bounty money was simply a sum of money offered to any eligible man for volunteering. Bounties existed on the federal, state and more importantly, local levels. The bounty usually took the form of $50, $200, $300, $1000 cash amounts that would only be paid to the man after he volunteered. As Eugene Murdock notes, “It had the expected results, men volunteered, and it became the standard method of obtaining troops.

William's statements respecting "slavish fear" or that, "I feel quite as cool under a good shower of shells as anyone around me" were not idle boasting. Just a month before on September 17th he had experienced and survived a virtual cloud burst of shells while defending a battery of Union cannon in the middle of the battle at Antietam. 

Burnside's Bridge today