The Fellers Called Him Bill (Book Ii): The Rebellion Intensifies

By P. J. Kearns

The Fellers Called Him Bill is a story of the American Civil War by P.J. Kearns. It is a thoroughly engaging account of the Great Rebellion following one young mans incredible journey through it. The generously illustrated narrative is presented as a three volume set

Book 1 - Secession and the Outbreak of War
Book 2 - The Rebellion Intensifies
Book 3 - The Final Desperate Fighting and the Aftermath of War

The story touches on the military, social, political, and economic realities of the era while introducing the larger-than-life Americans who shaped history in the mid 19th century. Loaded with fascinating anecdotes, photos, drawings, and maps. The Fellers Called Him Bill offers the reader a compelling narrative covering the most incredible period in American history.

For a student of American History, the set of books would serve as an excellent source of material.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477176641

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by P. J. Kearns. 96659-KEAR

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011905288

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4568-9879-3

Hardcover 978-1-4568-9880-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Julian Scott’s The Vermont Brigade at Chancellorsville.

Contents

BOOK TWO – THE REBELLION INTENSIFIES

A Foreword

Still in for the Union

Starvation In The Midst of Plenty

Oh, What A Charge They Made!

It Is A Long Road That Never Turns

The Carrot And The Stick

Brother Against Brother

Nothing Left But To Proceed

Irate Citizens and Angry Mobs

The End Of A Brief Respite

Of The People, By The People, For The People

Treating Them Rightly

Of Farming, Faith, And Females

A Foreword

In 1861, eleven states seceded from the American Union. Disgruntled southern politicians were determined to form a new country–The Confederate States of America, and to that end, they called for a volunteer army to fight for their right of secession.

Just as determined to save the integrity of the United States was the newly elected President, Abraham Lincoln, who upon taking office, had sworn an oath to protect the nation. He, too, called for volunteer soldiers. Lincoln needed loyal Americans to quell the budding Rebellion, and thereby, save the country.   And so, war came.

The Fellers Called Him Bill is a true account of that terrible conflict. The narrative explores the political and military ramifications of the Great Rebellion, but it also considers the human element as it follows one particular young soldier, William Stow, through the national nightmare.

This story is told in three parts:

Book One:    The first book dealt with the causes of secession, the outbreak of Civil War, and the first two years of fighting.

Book Two:    This book continues the story of the war. It examines the third year of the Rebellion as the hostilities intensify in scope and ferocity.

Book Three:   The final volume follows the last year of brutal combat, the resolution of the national contest, and the aftermath of the war.

It has often been said that in order to know where we are going, we must know where we have been. As Americans, we cannot truly appreciate the freedoms we enjoy, without an awareness of how much previous generations have sacrificed to preserve those precious liberties for us.

To those who are not normally readers of history, let me say this: Historical events are frequently stranger than fiction, and almost always more fascinating! The author of this narrative agrees wholeheartedly with the iconic American writer Gertrude Stein who stated emphatically:

There never will be anything more interesting than that American Civil War!

P. J. Kearns

Still in for the Union

14

For right is right since God is God,

And right the day must win!

To doubt would be disloyalty,

To falter would be sin.

lines from Hard Marching Every Day: The Civil War Letters of Wilbur Fisk

_________________________________________________________________________________

J oseph Hooker was a graduate of West Point and a veteran of the Mexican War. Like most of his fellow West Pointers, he had left the military to pursue a more lucrative civilian career. When the Civil War broke out, Hooker was farming in California. He returned East and secured a commission in the army. In an era when most officers steered clear of newspapermen because of the manner in which they covered the war, (The reporters often got their facts wrong, and sometimes they fabricated stories altogether.) Joe Hooker enjoyed talking to them. He liked to have his opinions publicized, and he soon became a favorite of the newsmen who dubbed him Fighting Joe. General Hooker had a reputation for being extremely fond of women and booze, but he had performed well as a division and a corps commander. On the field of battle, Hooker had shown himself to be an aggressive fighter who handled his troops well. How he would manage taking the giant step to full command was yet to be seen. ¹

When Joe Hooker took charge, morale in the Army of the Potomac was very low. The General began by implementing steps designed to boost the mental as well as the physical condition of the worn-down soldiers. First, the most seriously ill men were shipped to northern hospitals where they could receive better medical attention. At this time, small pox had begun to rear its ugly head again. Those who came down with symptoms of the illness were isolated from the rest while a program was undertaken to vaccinate anyone who had not yet been inoculated against the dreadful disease.²

Despondent soldiers continued deserting the army at an alarming rate. General Hooker found it necessary to increase the guard around each regiment. Most all the Yankee officers had, at one time or another, taken a leave of absence to travel home. Many of the officers had entertained their families in camp. The enlisted men had not been so fortunate. Like Bill and his friends, the boys who volunteered for three years had not had a break since they entered the service twenty months earlier. In accordance with General Hooker’s program of morale boosting, the army began granting furloughs. There would, by no means, be a mass exodus from the encampment, but men from each company would be allowed to go home, a few at a time. Before it was over, thousands of passes were issued. The program did a great deal to lift the spirits of the men. For the soldiers, it was a morale booster just to know that there was an actual possibility that they might be going home, if only for a short visit.³

Next, the General addressed the issue of nutrition. It was no secret that despite the ceaseless efforts of the Commissary Department, the wholesome foods designated for the troops was frequently being stolen by unscrupulous contractors who resold the products at high prices in civilian markets. The same despicable dealers would then supply the soldiers with inferior produce. They sent the army rotten fruit, worm-infested flour, beef from sick cattle, etc. With a mighty fist, Hooker came down hard on the scoundrels. By identifying, isolating, and weeding out the criminal contractors, the General improved the quality of the rations being distributed to his men. To further improve the food, Hooker ordered all regiments to supply regular cooks at the company level ensuring that those preparing the food were the men who were most proficient at the job. To everyone’s delight, General Hooker ordered many more bakeries built.⁴

Throughout the war years, Uncle Sam sent hundreds of thousands of boxes of crackers to the troops. The large 3 x 3 crackers were usually hard as rocks and often worm infested. Nevertheless, the crackers were a staple in the soldiers diets especially when other foods were unavailable. The troops called them — hardtack. When on the march, the men carried the hardtack in their haversacks. It is safe to say there was not one soldier who complained about giving up his hardtack in exchange for freshly baked bread.

During the winter months the boys could not escape their duties, but lean-tos and fires were built while standing picket and guard. Every consideration was taken to make their lives as comfortable as possible. Daily drills were curtailed, and fatigue chores were relatively light. With more time to rest, better food, and a chance at a furlough one might think that the characteristically optimistic William Stow would be feeling better, but that was not the case. Bill had just received more bad news. It came in a letter from Frankey Brown. Her brother was dead! Elijah Brown had never made it home. When Bill last saw him, Elijah was hoping to regain enough strength to be moved to a hospital in New England. As it happened, Eli had been transferred from Fairfax Seminary Hospital in Virginia to Hammond Hospital at Point Lookout in Maryland. From there, he was to be shipped to Providence, Rhode Island. He never made it farther than Hammond Hospital.⁵ Frankey was heartbroken. Bill was too.

Although Bill Stow did not mention Elijah’s death in his next letter home, he did betray his depression and his frustration with the way things were going. Despite all the efforts General Hooker was making to improve the conditions, Corporal Stow was still a devoted McClellan man, and he used his letter to review and defend the history of the army under McClellan’s leadership. Bill seemed to be searching for answers. In a rambling sort of way, he was thinking out-loud as he wrote to his parents.

Camp near White Oak Church, Va.

Feb. 23rd 1863

Dear Mother and Father

Onc(e) more I will spend a few leisure moments writing to the folks at home      my health is as good as it has been for the last year        I am hoping that this will find the folks all well at home       we have bin having a large snow storm out hear this last week as we are in the habit of having       the snow comenced to come Saturday night and continued all day Sunday till about dark       it slackend and at roll call at about eight in the evening it had come about eight or nine inches on a levil and when it stoped snowing it began to blow and it was a hard looking site for a man to keep his tent warm enough to be comfortable and so we went to bed that night and kept as warm as we could and the next day it was cold and so we kept [to] our beds most of the time and found ourselves almost buried up in the snow that had blown into our tent but the next day the sun came out and the snow went of(f) as fast as it had come the day before

I got a letter from B. P. White yesterday I see by his writing that the folks have got sick of the management of this war       he seems to think that the folks that once was in favor of Lincon and his administration are now down on him and it is my opinion that they have a right to be down on a man that has shown himself to be a partey man and nothing elce.       From the time he took his seat he has bin down on the Democrats the hardest kind       I see nothing that he removed McClellan for onley he [McClellan] dident think as he [Lincoln] did on the negro question       Lincon hasent told reasons of the removal of our leader (and the onley one that the north has got to lead this army to any victory) the man who would save the union if it was for man to save       but no the old rail spliter⁶*** had got his brusels set against McClellan and he [McClellan] must leave the armey after he had stood the slander of the northern press during his campaign on the peninsula and when we was stuck in the mud on the Potomac the press was crying on to Richmond and when the mud had dried enough to move on our armey started and we run against the enemys works at York Town and we compelled them to retreat from their works to another place of defenc(e) and nearer to their suplys        McClellan was defeated and then we retreated to a place whear we could defend our selves and then the northern papers comenced their slanders on our General and that he was a traitor and wasent fit to lead so larg(e) an armey as he was at the head of

Soon our armey was obliged to leave Harrison’s Landing to save Washington and Pope and his armey McClellan then was in his glory       he had got out of the low sunken swamps of Va and was onc(e) more in his own native land       he knew the lay of the land on the banks of the Potomac and when our aremy met the enemy they drove them but after the armey had marched themselves half to death and realing around in the ranks        it was time to hold on and let them rest       but no the old rail splitter orderd them to cross the potomac and atact the rebils        but as luck would have it our armey wasent in condition to move       and when they got ready to move Lincon had got his old Republican grit up and he was going to have a man at the head of the armey that could lead them on to Richmond        and so he shoved out McClellan and put Burnside in his place       and now I ask the northerners to look at our list of victories that we have gained during his reign      Fredericksburg was one       the time the armey got stuck in the mud was as much a victory as the other       not more       But General Burnside was and is a man who couldent stand the enemy in his front and the northern press in his rear and so he resigned               and now we have got a man in comand of us who will do the best he can (I hope)      and that is but little compared with what there is to be done      and the lord onley knows who will take comand of us when Hooker plays out (I hope it will be McClellan) but I hardly think he will if he should have a chanc(e) to     

another thing that is a mistry to me and that is what Lincon was thinking of when he issued his emansipation proclamaton       some said in the time of its first issue it would carey the idear that the north was getting in earnest about the rebellion       I dont see but what that has to do with the south as long as they have the slaves in their hands.   The south are not foolish enough to give their slaves up as soon as they heard of the proclamaton and I dont see as we are like to get them onley as fast as we get their territory and that hasent bin verey fast and isent likely to so long as there is such feeling against our leading men as there is in the armey        the leading men in the south have always told their men that this was an aboliton war and now Lincon has come out and proclaimed the same thing to the world.       he has just put a feather in their caps all they have to say to their men is this……are we to have our property taken from us or [are] we not, the south are fighting for the same thing that our fathers was and that is Freedom and it is my opinion that they will have it as long as our armey is handled as it is.       the south has held out longer than I thought they could and they are no nearer their last days than the north is (as I see)        it is my opinion that the old rail spliter will be under the painful necesity of seting back in one corner of his white house and hearing to reason after the fourth of march [In the previous November election, the Republicans lost many seats in Congress. The newly elected Democrats will soon be arriving in Washington to take those seats) and all I can say is god protect the rite let it cut who it will and whear it will

You will probably think by this time that I have changed my sentiments sinc(e) I left home   but I think I have reasons to change my coat after I think I have got it on rong side out.      Dont think that I am finding fault with aney one in particular but the whole in general       I am in for the Union as ever with or without slavery       I have got this sheet most written over and shal be obliged to close soon for the want of taritory.   The Post master will think I have got the Declaraton of indipendenc(e) in hear and so I will close hoping to hear from you soon this from your son in the armey of the Potomac

Yours William Stow,

Co F 2nd Vermont Regt 1st Brigade 2nd Div

6th Corps Left Grand Division of the grand armey of the POTOMAC ⁷

Bill Stow’s letter drips with sarcasm and frustration. Everyone was feeling it. Furthermore, Bill’s writing illustrates, in devastating detail, why Lincoln had waited so long to remove McClellan. The letter underscores the prejudice which existed against Little Mac’s successor dooming Burnside’s command from the beginning. Surprisingly, Bill seems to be willing to afford General Hooker the benefit of the doubt even though he expresses little confidence in the new commander’s ability to succeed. (Perhaps, the positive changes Hooker was initiating, left Bill Stow more predisposed to give Fighting Joe a chance.)

Corporal Stow was really down on Abraham Lincoln. He believed the President had dismissed McClellan merely because the general did not agree with him politically—especially on the question of emancipation. It appears that Bill was unaware that, like McClellan, both Burnside and Hooker were registered Democrats, and that the President had Democrats in his cabinet. The fact was that Lincoln had a fine working relationship with most War Democrats, but that did not change the fact that the government was having very little success subduing the Rebellion. Since Abraham Lincoln was the national leader, Bill, like so many others, put the blame squarely on his shoulders.

William could not understand what the big fuss was over the Emancipation Proclamation. Upon reading the document, the southern planters were certainly not going to give up their slaves. As Bill pointed out, the negroes would not be free until the Union armies recaptured the seceded territory and put down the Rebellion. Corporal Stow did not see that happening anytime soon! Bill also believed that President Lincoln was only now admitting a truth which the South had known all along, which was that the war had been a fight to abolish slavery from the beginning.

Much of the public, as well as the soldiers in the field, had little appreciation of the horrendous pressures under which the President was laboring. Bill’s letter blasted Lincoln, but then, near the end, he included this tempering remark: "Don’t think I am finding fault with aney one in particular but the whole in general." Perhaps, reading over what he wrote, Bill realized that he was being a little too hard on the President. After all, the Old Rail-Splitter could not be held responsible for every disaster which had befallen the Union armies.

Bill was not a placard carrying abolitionist–very few northerners were, yet he was not against emancipation either. The prospect of millions of free black men did not frighten him. Neither did he threaten to desert. On the contrary, Bill made it clear to his parents that, with or without slavery, he was in for the Union as much as ever!

Corporal Stow was due for some good news. It came near the end of February in the form of his only surviving brother who unexpectedly paid him a visit! Theodore was still stationed in the fortifications around Washington. A month ago upon receiving word of Lorenzo’s death, Bill’s brother had applied for a pass to travel down to the main Army of the Potomac. Theodore had hoped to join William and his father in paying their last respects to Lorenzo. The pass had not been granted in time, but it had finally come. Not wishing to squander an opportunity to see his brother, Theodore hopped a transport to Belle Plain Landing, then, procuring an old broken down horse, he set out for the Vermont encampment near Falmouth, Virginia. While Theodore was visiting him, Bill wrote another letter home.

Camp near White oak Church Va.

Feb 27th 1863

Dear Father and Mother

I take this opertunity of writing you a few lines to let you know now that my health is good      hope this will find you all well at home       yesterday Theodore came out hear to our regiment to see the boys and we are going over to the rest of the Brigade to see the boys in the other regiments       it is rather a rainey time out hear now a days and so you see it is rather mudy       our orderly Sargt A. N. Benett started home a few days ago       he said he might posibly go to Calais in his travils and if he did he should go to Erastus Richards      and he said if there was aney thing that I wanted to send for that he could bring out hear he would fetch it out to me       but perhaps he will get away from his house before you get this letter and perhaps he wont go to Calais now       I will stop and let Theodore write what he wants to

William Stow

As Wm was writing I thought I might say a word        I found things heare about as I expected       I aplied for a fourelough a thinking to meat you when you was down heare       but fore some reason or other it did not come till last Satterday and so I thought I would use it        I got a horse to ride from the landing up heare or I gues that I should [have] never got heare      I wish some of the folks could have sean the horse after I got through   I mean them that are a saying why dont this armey move on      I have no news to write this time but when I git back to my camp      I will try to write again

Theodore⁸

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Always looking for diversions, the soldiers took advantage of snow storms to hold some old-fashioned snowball fights. One day the 26th New Jersey Infantry challenged the men from the 3rd and 4th Vermont Regiments, and the Vermonters accepted. Actually, not all the participants were from the 3rd and 4th Vermont. Some did not wish to join in, so boys from the other regiments took their places. It should be remembered that the five Vermont regiments (2-6) were made up predominantly of three-year volunteers. When the 26th New Jersey Regiment, consisting of nine-month men, joined them, it became the largest regiment in the Vermont Brigade. There was enormous resentment against the Jersey boys, and Vermonters never missed a chance to show their superiority. To get ready for the contest, both sides spent hours building up their arsenals with hard-packed balls of snow and ice. When the mounted officers gave the signal the fight commenced. Battling through the wet snow and freezing temperatures, no mercy was shown as the antagonists pummeled each other with all the ferocity they could muster. It wasn’t just a snowball fight, it was war! Slipping and sliding, the soldiers fought like demons to subdue their adversaries. The battle went on for hours and ended only after the out-numbered Vermonters succeeded in capturing the chief officers of the 26th New Jersey. The boys from the Green Mountains won the fight, but they did not walk away unscathed. With bloody noses, black-eyes, and sore limbs, they limped back to their huts weary and wounded but triumphant!⁹

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Sickness and desertion had weakened the Union Army, and before long, many more soldiers would be leaving because their military commitment was up! The previous summer and early fall, thousands of volunteers had enlisted for a year. Others had signed for only nine months. The men would be receiving their discharges in the middle of the new campaign season. State governors were having a devil of a time recruiting volunteers to take their places. It was evident that the reservoir of high-spirited, patriotic men, which had flooded the recruiting stations at the beginning of the Rebellion, had substantially dried up! As a consequence. on March 3, 1863 the Congress of the United States passed the Enrollment Act (also called the Conscription Act) allowing the federal government to draft men into military service. This was a huge move! Throughout its existence, the United States had maintained only a small standing army. Up until now, in cases of emergency, the central government had relied upon the states to provide the volunteers; however, after two years of incredibly brutal Civil War, the states were no longer able to supply the number of soldiers needed. The Confederates had begun drafting men of military age a year earlier. The Yankees, had tried to avoid it, but they too would have to initiate a draft. The conscription of soldiers, although necessary to the war effort, was very unpopular on both sides.¹⁰

The war had begun with the cry of "states’ rights," but it was an inescapable fact that the longer the conflict continued the greater the power shift from state to federal authority. While Governor Brown of Georgia fought Jefferson Davis over the usurpation of state power by the central Confederate Government, Horatio Seymour, the Democratic Governor of New York, was carrying on the same battle against Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Congress. Taking for itself, the right to draft soldiers, the federal government was greatly enhancing its power and control over the individual states. In Yankeedom, many people feared and predicted that the Enrollment Act would be the cause of another rebellion–this time throughout the northern states.¹¹

The Enrollment or Conscription Act called for the drafting of men between the ages of 18 and 45 with exemptions being made for mental or physical disabilities. To ease the pain, the federal government offered a bounty of $100 for a prospective soldier who would volunteer rather than be conscripted into the army. A quota based on the population was devised for each congressional district while taking into account the amount of men a district had already provided. To fill their quotas states initiated a lottery system, but it became a common practice for localities to raise extra money on top of what the federal government was offering. By increasing the bounty, each congressional district made voluntary enlistment more enticing for prospective soldiers. The more men they could coax to volunteer meant that fewer citizens were forced into the draft. Bounties frequently reached $300 to $400, and in some cases grew as high as $600 or $700 which was as much as an average family’s yearly income.¹²

Watching from their encampments, veteran soldiers, who had been serving since the beginning of the war, were not pleased by the state of affairs. The seasoned soldiers believed it was the patriotic duty of every able-bodied Yankee male to do his part in saving the Union. Not only had Bill and his buddies volunteered, they had done so without receiving bounties. The veterans appreciated the fact that more men were needed, but it was certain that when the new soldiers arrived, whether they be "draftees or bounty boys," they would be looked down upon by the long serving volunteers of the original regiments— —at least until the newcomers could prove themselves worthy of respect.¹³

As it turned out, the vast majority of Yankee men volunteered before they were drafted. Despite the fact that they were not crazy to enlist, there existed a definite stigma attached to being a draftee. The prospective recruits hoped that they would be a little more welcomed by the veterans if they entered the service as volunteers rather than conscripted soldiers. Besides, their families could use the bounty money while the bread-winners were away. As a result, only 6% of the soldiers who served the Union during the Civil War were actually drafted; 94% were volunteers.¹⁴

With bounty money for enticement, the new system would have worked quite well except for the fact that the United States Congress made a mess of it by permitting potential draftees with money to buy their way out. In other words, a man who did not wish to serve —even with a bounty — could pay another man to take his place. Those who had the means to afford it, could simply pay a fee of $300 or hire a substitute. This ill-considered option caused a great deal of resentment by poorer and middle class families who watched as men of means bought their way out of military service.¹⁵***

Bounties and substitutions gave rise to a whole new industry called bounty jumping. It was a practice employed by dishonest, immoral men. They would volunteer, taking the bounty money, and then, desert the army at the first opportunity. There were bounty jumpers who went round and round making a lucrative living at the game. These men constituted the dregs of humanity, and were despised by every decent human being.¹⁶

Camp near White Oak Church

March 5, 1863

Dear Father & Mother

Again I will try and write you a few lines to inform you that my health is good       Hope yours is good      I wrote a letter to you the first of this month and inclosed a state order for 42 dollars for you       but as I havent aney thing to do to day I will write again        we have verey fine weather out hear now for it hasent rained nor snowed for about twelve hours        the sun has made its appearanc this morning but it looks rather cold       we had brigade drill yesterday in the afternoon for the first time sinc(e) I got back from the hospital      Colonel L A grant has command of our brigade      he was Colonel of the 5th Vermont

Father what is your opinion of the conscription act       wont it make some of the old farmers look down their mouths when the drafting officers come and tell them to lay aside their work and sholder a gun and start for Washington to join the armey       you are so old that you are safe       if I was in the land of draft you would see this child start for parts unknown but now see I am out of the draft and so I can say go on with the draft        the three years men is agoing to get out of the service as soon as the most of the rest of the men

I think some of coming home this spring on furlow       but perhaps I shal get disapointed in getting my furlow but I guess I shant       I cant tell when I shall come but before long if I come I will write to you before I start       so don’t look for me till I get on top of the hill between Riches house and the barn       how deep is the snow in Calais        I don’t want to come home and get stuck in the snow for I shall have some runing around to do       I had rather stay out hear and get stuck in the mud        if you havent done aney thing about sending a box to me you needent at the present

Father I wish you would find out what days the stage [coach] runs by Mosco(w) towards Hardwick and what days do(e)s the Worcester stage go north       I want to hit one of the two but I don’t care which      Our ordeley Sargants time is most up that he was to begin on his furlow of fifteen days       I have bin waiting for the mail to come to see if someone hadent sent a letter to me        but the mail came and I hadent the first sine of a letter from aney one and so I must wait till the mail comes in the morning        I hope that you will get the letter with the state order in it

This is a hard place to write for Stoddard [Horace Stoddard] is trying to kick my seat out from under me and Rollins [Elisha Rollins] is choping on our pine pole floor trying to make something but he wont tell what it is.       Emily you wanted me to get my picture taken and send to you       I cant get it taken out hear        Father there is eight men in this tent and you see that this tent is full just now and so I will close this time good by

Yours Ever William Stow

Co F 2nd Vert¹⁷

The soldiers read newspapers from cover to cover. (Occasionally, even Rebel newspapers found their way into camp.) Only two days after the Conscription Act was passed, Bill had written home to ask his old man’s opinion on the matter. His father, Alonzo, was nearly 53 years old—too old to be drafted as Bill so indelicately pointed out.

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Receiving letters and boxes from home was of paramount importance to the soldiers. Lincoln had chosen Montgomery Blair for the cabinet position of Post-Master General. Secretary Blair was given the herculean task of transforming the postal department into an efficient and orderly organization capable of handling the incredible demands put upon it by the enormous volume of mail that had to be delivered all across the country. To maintain the families financially while they were away, soldiers were enclosing currency or money orders in their letters home. Theft was a problem, but to the ever lasting credit of the postal department, it was thwarted to an amazing degree. (There were also several private express companies that helped carry the huge volume of boxes and letters to and from the soldiers.) Lest anyone doubt the important part the postal department (and the private agencies) played during the war, imagine how long the soldiers would have stayed in the field without communication from home. The mail was all-important because there were no cell phones, computers, or fax machines to keep the volunteers in touch with their loved ones.

About a week after Congress announced the Enrollment Act, President Lincoln proclaimed a period of grace for the return of any soldier who had deserted the army. Knowing the necessity of strict discipline in the military yet always eager to show leniency, the President declared that there would be no punishment or questions asked to any soldier who returned to his post by April 1.¹⁸

As March wore on, the snow storms continued, but the snow never seemed to linger long on the ground. Within hours after a storm, the snow would melt, leaving the walk ways throughout the encampment wet and muddy.

Camp near White Oak Church

March 10, 1863

Dear Father & Mother

Once more I will try to write a few lines to you to let you know that my health is good       I got your kind letter of the 27th when I was on pickit and now I will gladley hasten to answer it       I havent but just come in about two hours ago       I found those blanks you sent me but I got one and sent to you perhaps you have got it before this time

Our regiment has bin on pickit for the last three days       we had a good time      it wasent verey cold and dident storm much till we got readey to come in to camp and then it commenced to snow and it is snowing now but it looks like raining before long        I havent aney news to write about this time       One year ago today we started from Camp Griffin on our summers campain        I shouldn’t think strange if we started soon on another tour of the same kind        I have hird that our Corps was going on some expedition

Father what does the folks think about being drafted into the servis      aint it going to make some of them squirm some      I am feeling pretey well thinking that I am out of the draft and this government may kiss my–- anyway they cant draft me this pull

Please write soon

Yours ever

William Stow¹⁹

Four days after writing the letter, Bill responded to another one he received from his dad. They obviously had some differences of opinion–not in regard to continuing the fight but in the manner in which it was being waged. From what one can ascertain, even though Alonzo Stow was suffering the agony of losing two sons, he remained committed to the Union Cause and a staunch supporter of President Lincoln. What a shame his letters to William have not survived.

Camp near White Oak Church, VA.

March 14th 1863

Dear Father

Your letter of the 4th was gladley received and red last night after I had gon to bed      in your letter I see that you are sorey that I am getting sick of this war      I would like to see that man that isent and that would gladley give his all to have it closed.   I see no measures taken to straighten out our leading men onley the ones who are trying to do the best for the cause of Freedom.       you said that B.P. White had painted the picture as black as possible        the naked picture itself is black as the ace of spades      he onley said that the men in the north were getting hart sick of this war and you have admited that you was.

I must confess that you are in a big busines to get up much of an engagement to a town election that is the reason this war has not bin closed before this late day       the North is divided against themselves.      I don’t care who or what a man is in politics if he does his part to put this rebilion down       what is the little pettey ofices in a town meeting to do with our National afairs but if the north is divided in their home elections they will bee in all other elections

You may differ as wildey from me on the emancipation proclamation yet I will admit that slavery is a rong You can see that the south has always told their men that this is an aboliton war and now the president has come out with his proclamaton and owned that this is an aboliton war and what could the president [have] done or said to make the south fight harder for their negros?   you spoke about if we should give the south the power we should be the same as the slaves   I ask what better of(f) I am now at the preasant day than a slave      do I have more privaledges than a slave. This isent aney thing but a government under a monarch      our congress have given him the power to rule the land and the see but thanks to my maker he hasent got comand of the sunshine and the storm.

I see nothing whear Hooker has taken the first step to straiten this armey so as to have a compleat sucess the facts of the case is as I have always said       we are two near Washington to do the first thing or to make the first moove without the rebels knowing it and our armey is getting discouraged of the management of the war      I hope you dont think I am getting sick of it all alone       I am just as fast to do my part as ever and will till the last drop of blod runs out of my vains      but when all is done that can be and thousands of lives taken the south will have their slaves and what they contended for in the first place       now you mark my word for that

My health is good pleas write soon

Yours ever

Wm Stow²⁰

Bill and his father were seeing the current situation differently. Bill was still discouraged. He was so upset with the management of the war that he had convinced himself the North had no chance of winning. Corporal Stow continued to be tough on the President. Over a month earlier, Bill, along with half the army, had been calling for a dictator. Now he was accusing the Congress of allowing Lincoln to rule as a virtual emperor, and what is more, he was not happy about it. Bill might have been less discouraged had he realized that the southern people had much the same grievances against their government, their president, and the way their armies were being managed. Despite his despair, William Stow was firm in his conviction that slavery was inherently wrong, and he reaffirmed his devotion to the Union cause. One thing he hadn’t mentioned again was traveling home on furlough. Had he given up on the idea?

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Theodore had returned to his regiment, and soon after, a curious incident took place not far from Washington where Bill’s brother was encamped. The news of the event had not yet reached the main army or surely Bill would have mentioned it in his last letter. On the night of March 8 the Rebel fighter, John Singleton Mosby, struck the town of Fairfax Court House with his band of guerillas. Mosby, a lawyer by profession, was a slender man, slight of built weighing not over 125 pounds. He did not seem to fit the role of formidable Rebel warrior, but Captain Mosby was an individual gifted with an enormous intellect. At the head of a relatively small band of men, John Mosby was becoming another major thorn in the side of the Army of the Potomac.

John Singleton Mosby possessed no military background; in fact, he was a man who seemed to be much more suited to intellectual pursuits than to war. Before the Rebellion, he had been opposed to his state of Virginia leaving the Union, but once secession became a reality, Mosby transformed himself into one of its staunchest defenders. At 27 years of age, he began the war riding with Jeb Stuart in the 1st Virginia Cavalry. In fact, it had been John Mosby who had suggested to Stuart that they could easily ride around McClellan’s army to gather information and embarrass the Yankee general. Mosby was a man of unique talents. He possessed definite leadership potential which Jeb Stuart was quick to recognize. The calculating cavalry commander, suggested to General Lee that Mosby be given a partisan command in northern Virginia behind the enemy lines. Although Lee disapproved of undisciplined guerilla groups, he too recognized Mosby’s capabilities. Based upon General Stuart’s recommendation, Lee sanctioned Captain Mosby’s quasi-independent command with the proviso that he function under a strict military code and report to Lee’s headquarters. Operating mainly, but not exclusively, in Fauquier and Loudoun Counties in northern Virginia, the partisan leader gathered useful information, raided Yankee supply lines, and created general havoc. Soon Mosby’s activities were being headlined in Yankee newspapers. He became a huge Confederate superstar, and another real headache for the Union.²¹ (Photo page 21)

On the dark, overcast evening of March 8, under a cool drizzling rain, John Mosby rode 25 miles to the Yankee encampments around Fairfax Court House. Shrouded in the obscurity of the night, Mosby, accompanied by only 29 Rebels, sneaked past the Yankee outposts. Making their way to Fairfax, Mosby’s men brazenly rode into the heavily garrisoned town. The Rebel guerillas generally did not carry sabers nor carbines, rather each man depended upon a pair of Colt revolving pistols furnished, they were proud to say, by the U. S. Government. As Mosby’s Rebels walked along the streets, there were plenty of Yankee sentinels posted about, but Mosby figured correctly that the pitch darkness of the rainy night would make it nearly impossible for anyone to distinguish his men from the other inhabitants. John Mosby’s objectives were to obtain fresh horses for the Rebel Army, and to capture a certain Union Colonel who Mosby personally disliked. Upon entering the town, most of his men headed directly for the stables while a few others accompanied their leader to the officer’s quarters.²²

Sir Percy Wyndham was a British soldier of fortune commissioned as a colonel in the Union Army. He was in command of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry stationed at Fairfax Court House. Lately, Wyndham and his men had been kept busy chasing after Mosby’s Rangers. Sir Percy had sent Mosby a message calling him nothing more than a common horse thief! That phrase was a despicable slur to use against a gentleman in those days. Captain Mosby, like every other Rebel, believed he was serving an honorable cause. He took great offense at Wyndham’s attack on his character. Mosby answered the Englishman by saying that all the horses he had stolen had riders upon them who were carrying carbines, sabers, and pistols. Colonel Wyndham had become a significant irritation to the partisan commander, and so John Mosby decided to teach the British officer a lesson. In a stroke of luck, Wyndham had been called to Washington the day Mosby went looking for him and had not returned by the time of the Rebel attack. As a consequence of his good fortune, Sir Percy Wyndham escaped the infamy of being taken prisoner. The guerillas did, however, capture two of his staff officers, his horses, and his dress uniform. Disappointed at not having found Colonel Wyndham in camp, the Rebel leader concentrated his efforts on Brigadier-General, Edwin H. Stoughton, the officer who had been left in charge. Mosby headed to Stoughton’s quarters where the General was snoring loudly. He was sleeping off the effects of a drunken champagne party he had hosted earlier that evening.²³ (See photos) Major Mosby told the story this way:

We dismounted and knocked loudly at the door. Soon a window above was opened, and someone asked who was there. I answered, Fifth New York Cavalry with a dispatch for General Stoughton. The door was opened and a staff officer, Lieutenant Prentiss, was before me. I took hold of his night shirt, whispered my name in his ear, and told him to take me to General Stoughton’s room. Resistance was useless, and he obeyed.

A light was quickly struck and on the bed we saw the general sleeping….. There was no time for ceremony, so I pulled up the bedclothes, pulled up the general’s shirt, and gave him a spank on his bare back, and told him to get up. As his staff officer was standing by me, Stoughton did not realize the situation and thought that somebody was taking a rude familiarity with him. He asked in an indignant tone what all this meant. I told him that he was a prisoner and that he must get up quickly and dress.

I then asked him if he had ever heard of Mosby, and he said he had. I am Mosby, I said. Stuart’s cavalry has possession of the Court House; be quick and dress. ²⁴

Of course, neither Jeb Stuart nor his celebrated cavalry were anywhere in the vicinity. Captain Mosby was alone with only 29 men in the midst of thousands of Yankee soldiers. Mosby’s bluff had to work if he intended to get out of town alive!²⁵

The Rebels rendezvoused in the yard adjacent to the actual Court House building.²⁶ Although there were several discrepancies in the accounts, reports later indicated that the guerillas had captured the commanding general, two captains, 30 privates, 59 excellent horses, and sundry arms and equipment.²⁷

Upon leaving the village an incident occurred which nearly brought disaster to the whole Rebel raid. An officer (Colonel Johnstone) opened a second story window and demanded to know what the cavalry was doing in the street. Indiscreetly, Mosby’s Rebels began to laugh making it clear to the Yankee colonel that the riders outside his quarters were not Union cavalrymen. Recognizing the danger, Mosby immediately sent a couple of his troopers into the house to capture Johnstone before he could spread the alarm. Unfortunately, the men met formidable resistance in the form of Colonel Johnstone’s wife who refused to let them pass. The guerillas finally managed to