The Friends' Association Reports on the State of the Contraband Camps, June 1864

During late spring 1863, the Union Army resettled nearly nine hundred former slaves on abandoned secessionist properties across Northern Virginia. Lt. Col. Elias Greene, the Chief Quartermaster of the Department of Washington, wanted to put the contrabands to work raising crops for the Union war effort and viewed the government farms as a way to improve the condition of the freedmen and women who had fled to the nation's capital in search of freedom and opportunity. The Friends' Association for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen and other charitable organizations supplemented the government's efforts to assist the contrabands who lived in the camps. As summer 1864 fast approached, the farms were already a year old. Just how had conditions evolved since Greene launched his ambitious program to manage the contraband situation and improve the lot of the former slaves?

In June 1864, Harriet E. Stockly of the Friends' Association made a "visit of examination to the camps near Washington." (First Annual Rpt. 4.) Her final report, which was published in the Friends' Intelligencer of June 25, 1864, provides useful insights into the condition of the government farms in Northern Virginia at the time.

Camp Todd

Camp Todd sat across the Potomac from Washington in Alexandria (now Arlington) County. When the government established the camp in June 1863, Greene chose to house the freedmen and women in former army barracks near Ft. Albany. Stockly counted 280 persons a year later. [n1] Two-thirds were "adult women" because "most of the men belonging to these families [were] in 2d District regiment, stationed at Key West, Fa." (Friends' Intelligencer 249.) [n2] The noted abolitionist Emily Howland served as superintendent and teacher. Stockly described the economic activity at Camp Todd:

Those in camp are working industriously on the Hunter farm, in which there are 200 acres under cultivation. Many of the women are also working on the farm. The men receive from $8 to $10 , and the women from $6 to $8 per month. The vegetable garden belonging to government contains twenty acres. 

Here, as at all the camps, Stockly found that "[t]here seems a prevalent want . . . of a spot of ground to
belong to each family where they can raise vegetables for themselves, and also to give their homes a more attractive appearance."

Detail from 1862 Union Army map of N.E. Virginia showing properties associated with Camp Todd (courtesy of Library of Congress). Ft. Albany sat on land belonging to James Roach, a wealthy contractor with secessionist sympathies. The abandoned army huts used by the former slaves were located close to Ft. Albany, possibly on Roach's property. Today the area is bisected by I-395 near the Pentagon. According to Stockly's report, the contrabands farmed land belonging to the Hunter family, likely the property marked "Genl Hunter" on the map above. The Hunter plantation was known as Abingdon. Gen. Alexander Hunter had died by the time of the Civil War, but the plantation remained in his family through his brother and nephew, who entered the Confederate service in 1861. Today the grounds of Ronald Reagan National Airport occupy the site of Abingdon. Another possibility for the Hunter farm is the land belonging to a Mrs. Hunter situated to the west of Ft. Albany along Columbia Turnpike.

Camp Wadsworth

Stockly also visited Camp Wadsworth in Langley, where she counted "[o]ne hundred and seventy Freedmen" in the care of superintendent Philip Fowler and farmer Ephrafm Plowman. [n3] Five hundred acres were "under cultivation, worked by about 60 persons" for "10 hours a day." According to Stockly,"[t]he farm looks well, and it is supposed 30 bushels of wheat and 50 bushels of rye will be raised to the acre." On the downside, Stockly was shocked to find that "some children of only eleven years of age are put to daily labor in direct violation of Government regulations, which require that they be sent to school till they are 14." Her findings helped to spur the appointment of teacher Lydia T. Atkinson.

Stockly took stock of living situation at Camp Wadsworth, reporting that "[t]he Freedmen occupy two houses three-quarters of a mile apart." [n4] As for alternatives, Stockly observed that "[t]here are only three or four cabins and six acres appropriated to them, but the farmer promises to make a different arrangement." [n5]

Camp Rucker

At Camp Rucker near Falls Church, Stockly found "[e]ighty-six men, women and children -- 20 men, 32 women, and 34 children" under superintendent Fowler and farmer Oliver Beesley. [n6] Sarah Ann Cadwallader were serving as a teacher at the camp. All told, "there [were] at this time, on this farm, 90 acres in winter grain, 85 in corn, 50 in grass, 7 in garden, 2 1/2 in black-eyed peas, 25 of white beans, 2 1/2 of corn for horses, and 1 acre in potatoes."

Camp Rucker had been established on property belonging to Maj. William D. Nutt, who fled to Richmond upon arrival of Union troops in September 1861. The government initially sheltered the contrabands in tents, but by the time Stockly arrived, the situation had changed. She noted:

Since last fall, all the cabins, 15 in number, have been built: with four exceptions, they are 16 feet by 14 feet, and ample in height. There are upon an average about six persons to each house. Should the Freedmen remain here, there will be more cabins erected. Government has disposed of this farm, and the people will have to be removed, but this probably may not occur for two or three years. [n7]

Camp Rucker left Stockly with am extremely positive, if not somewhat exaggerated, impression:

The condition of the Freedmen here is very satisfactory. Their cabins are whitewashed outside and in, and all neatly kept. The people are clean, tidy and highly appreciative of the improvement in their condition. Many of them escaped from severe masters, and they manifest a degree of gratitude to those who have aided them which I have never seen excelled. They are exceedingly attached to their teacher, and fear lest she should leave them. She has labored indefatigably, and in a measure successfully, for their elevation, and it is their testimony that their condition has been greatly improved since she came among them. There is a smaller number at this camp than at any other, which gives them a decided advantage. The standard of morality is high, and they are well cared for. 

Stockly concluded:

The people here will not be likely to need further supplies from us. The teacher thinks that when the present supply is exhausted they will be self-sustaining, unless an unexpected calamity shall befall them.

While at Camp Rucker, Stockly had a chance to attend a wedding ceremony:

. . . I never saw a ceremony of the kind conducted with greater dignity or propriety. They were married by a colored clergyman, who read the Episcopal service, frequently pausing to consider the words before pronouncing them. We were honored with an invitation to the supper. The order in which it was partaken by the guests was somewhat peculiar. First the bride and groom ate alone, then the first bridesmaid and groomsmen, then the second, then their white friends, then their colored friends.

Stockly also visited other contraband settlements in Washington City, Alexandria, Falls Church, Freedman's Village, and Mason's Island before returning home.

Conclusion

Thanks to Stockly's report, we have an idea about how the freedmen and women were faring in the contraband camps of Northern Virginia after a year in operation. The number of former slaves at Camps Rucker, Todd, and Wadsworth remained roughly the same. Hundreds of acres were under cultivation, providing the government with crops and the freedmen and women with an income, however modest. Conditions at Camp Rucker had progressed to a point of near self-sufficiency, and the former slaves there finally had a roof over their heads. Teachers were also holding classes for those who had never learned to read and write. Of course, the situation was far from perfect. Unlawful child labor remained prevalent at Camp Wadsworth. The former slaves also lacked opportunities to own and farm their own plots of land. And left unsaid in Stockly's report, the very existence of the camps raised questions about how long a successful transition from slavery to freedom and economic independence would take. The Friends' Association, as well as the U.S. Government, had much work left to do.

Notes

1. The Superintendent of Freemen, Rev. Danforth B. Nichols, reported 230 persons in Camp Todd on June 30, 1863.

2. This regiment was also known as the 2nd United States Colored Troops.

3. Nichols reported 178 residents in June 1863, slightly more than a year later.

4. The dwellings belonged to Lewis D. Means and Confederate Navy officer James W. Cooke, secessionists who had fled Langley at the start of the war. See my previous post for more information about the owners.

5. It is unclear who built these cabins and where they were located.

6. By contrast, there were 105 residents of Camp Rucker in June 1863.

7. According to an item in the Alexandria Gazette on March 1, 1864, Nutt's property near Falls Church was seized and sold by the U.S. Government under the Direct Tax Act.

Sources

Alexandria Gazette, Mar. 1, 1864; Assn. of Friends (ed.), Friends' Intelligencer: A Religious and Family Journal, Vol. XXI (1865); Board of Managers, Friends' Assn. for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen, First Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Friends' Assn. for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen (1865); Benjamin Franklin Cooling III & Walton H. Owen II, Mr. Lincoln's Forts: A Guide to the Civil War Defenses of Washington (2010 ed.); Alexander Hunter, Johnny Reb and Billy Yank (1905);  "The Hunter Family Marker: Abingdon Plantation," HMdb.org; D.B. Nichols, Official Report on Superintendent Nichols Freedman's Department, South Potomac, Quartermaster for the Department of Washington, July 10, 1863, in New York Times, Aug. 9, 1863 ("Official Report"); "Prospect Hill Marker," HMdb.org.

Rebel Property Returns to Lewinsville: A Priceless Relic of Northern Virginia's Civil War Past

A few weeks ago I received an email from a woman named Susan in Ohio. She was going through her father's personal effects and found an antique book from the mid-nineteenth century. Inside was written the following inscription:

Contraband Captured at the House of a Rebel near Lewinsville Va. by William A.C. Oaks Seargent of Co. C. 7th Regt P.R.V.C.

I was floored. I have blogged about the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps (P.R.V.C.) in Northern Virginia since starting this blog. The Pennsylvania Reserves arrived in Langley, Virginia in October 1861, where they established Camp Pierpont. Lewinsville was not far up the road, and Sgt. Oaks apparently found this book in one of the abandoned secessionist homes during his stay in the neighborhood. The Reserves bid farewell to Langley in March 1862.

Inscription by Sgt. William A.C. Oaks

Susan was unfamiliar with Lewinsville, and her research had led her to my blog. (Incidentally, both Langley and Lewinsville are part of present-day McLean, Virginia.) She was extremely generous and offered to send the book to me free of charge. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

The Book

The small book, entitled Sketches of Home Life, was published by the American Sunday School Union. Founded in Philadelphia in 1824, this organization was dedicated to the spread of literacy and Christianity through the establishment of Sunday schools. The book carries a copyright of 1848, although the actual date of printing remains uncertain. A blurred handwritten inscription on the inside front cover appears to say, "Lewinsville Sab. School No. 44." It is possible that the book was one of many belonging to the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church. The church may have numbered them and distributed them to children for use in Sabbath, or Sunday, school. Lewinsville Presbyterian, established in 1846, was the only church in Lewinsville at the time of the Civil War.

Title page

Inscription reading "Lewinsville Sab. School No. 44." on the inside front cover

According to the Oaks' inscription, he took this book from a "house of a Rebel" near Lewinsville. Unfortunately, the book contains no indication of which home. Several secessionist families lived in the vicinity of Lewinsville, and without additional clues, it is impossible to say where Oaks found the book. Presumably if Oaks had come across the book in the church, the inscription would have noted this fact. I assume that Oaks scribbled this information himself around the time that he took the book, but it is possible that he wrote it well after the fact, or that someone else wrote the inscription years later.

Marbled cover of Sketches of Home Life.

The Story of William A.C. Oaks

I immediately wanted to know more about William A.C. Oaks. What I found reveals a man with a varied and interesting service record who survived the war and built a life in Berks Country, Pennsylvania and beyond. Oaks was born in the Keystone State in February 1835. He joined Company C of the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves (36th Pennsylvania Infantry) in August 1861. The unit, raised in Lebanon Country, Pennsylvania, was known as the "Iron Artillery" or "Iron Artillerists." (I am unsure why an infantry company carried this nickname.)

Oaks soon joined his regiment in front of Washington on the Maryland side of the Potomac. The 7th Pennsylvania Reserves marched to Langley at the start of October 1861 and remained at Camp Pierpont until the following March. The regiment was sent to fight with the Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula in June 1862. Oaks, as a part of the 7th Reserves, likely saw intense action during the Seven Days Battles and at Second Manassas, South Mountain, and Antietam. In December 1862, Oaks was dismissed on a surgeon's certificate. Conflicting dates are provided in various military records, and no medical reason is given, so it is unclear whether Oaks participated in Fredericksburg on December 13, and whether he was wounded there.

Even a medical discharge could not keep Oaks from volunteering again. When Robert E. Lee's Confederates threatened Pennsylvania, Oaks enlisted with Co. H of the 31st Pennsylvania Militia. He served as both a First Lieutenant and Captain before being mustered out in August 1863. The 31st Pennsylvania Militia, like nearly all such militia units, never saw any action. Not one to remain away from military life for very long, Oaks was back again in February 1864, as a First Sergeant with Co. E of the 186th Pennsylvania. This regiment mainly performed provost duty in Philadelphia.

Oaks was motivated to seek even greater opportunities with the Union Army. In January 1865 he passed the examination in Washington to become an officer of African-American troops and was recommended for a captaincy. A commission did not come until after the war had ended. In June 1865, Oaks was finally appointed as a Second Lieutenant of the 29th Connecticut Infantry (Colored). He met his new regiment in City Point, Virginia and set sail for Texas on June 10, 1865.  Arriving at Brazos de Santiago on July 3,  the 29th Connecticut (Colored) marched to Brownsville and remained there until ordered to report back to Connecticut in October 1865. Oaks was mustered out and returned to civilian life in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Flag of the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves (courtesy of Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee)

In 1869, Oaks married Sarah Deysher, a widow from Reading who already had a couple children of her own. The 1870 Census listed Oaks as a machinist. It appears that two young children, ages 10 and 5, lived with William, Sarah, and her two children in Reading. (An 1880 Census returns indicates that Oaks was their father, which means that he may have been married before Sarah. Subsequent records confirm this likelihood of a prior marriage, which means that Oaks had a family when he left for war.) Oaks even dabbled in local politics. From 1873-75 he served as a councilman for Reading's First Ward.

By 1880, Oaks had moved his family to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where he worked as a foundry man. William and Sarah had two children of their own. The family experienced tragedy in 1882, when Sarah passed away. At some point in the 1880s, Oaks took a job as a mechanic in Antrim, New Hampshire. Here he met Margaret H. "Maggie" Kane, a young Irish immigrant. Oaks married her in 1887, and the couple had a son in 1890.

Oaks eventually returned to Reading. In his later years, the old veteran secured a patent for an apple-paring machine. He died in May 1917 at the age of 82 and was buried at Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading. In 1922 Maggie donated her husband's iron leg brace to the Historical Society of Berks County. According to an article in the Reading Eagle:

The leg-brace, worn by Capt. Oaks in the Civil War [after he had been wounded], enabled him to continue in command of his company. Gov. [Andrew] Curtin declined at first to commission him, but Capt. Oaks proved that with his leg and knee-cap supported by this peculiar device of the blacksmith's art, he could proceed along as well and as rapidly as most men.

In 1930, Congress awarded Maggie an increase in her widow's pension to $40 per month.

Postscript

I count Oaks' book among my most cherished possessions. Over 150 years after being taken from a "Rebel house," this small volume found its way back to Lewinsville through pure happenstance. Holding the book, I wonder whether Oaks carried this with him during the bloody battles of 1862. Did he derive some degree of spiritual comfort from this Christian publication? Or was it simply a reminder of far easier days at Camp Pierpont?  This book is a gateway to the past, and ties together my strong interest in the Pennsylvania Reserves and local Civil War history in a way that no other object could. I am thankful to Susan for entrusting me with this relic and am happy to share it with my readers, who are equally as passionate about our nation's most trying ordeal.

Sources

An Act Granting pensions and increase of pensions to certain soldiers and sailors of the Civil War and certain widows and dependent children of soldiers, 71st Cong. (1930); Samuel P. Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, Vol. 1 (1869); Samuel P. Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, Vol. 5 (1871); Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the U.S. Colored Troops: Infantry Organizations, 26th Through 30th, Including 29th Conn., available at fold3.com; "Martin Deysher (1833-1860)," Find-a-Grave (website); Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Pennsylvania, available at fold3.com; C.M. Ingersoll, Catalogue of Connecticut Volunteer Organizations, (Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery,) in the Service of the United States, 1861-1865 (1869); Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, "Our History" (website); Ellen Little, Elizabeth Nesbitt Room: American Sunday School Union Resource (website of Univ. of Pittsburgh); Morton L. Montgomery, Political Hand-Book of Berks Country, Pennsylvania, 1752-1883 (1883); National Park Service, Soldiers and Sailors Database (website); New Hampshire, Marriage Records Index, 1637-1947, available at ancestry.com; New Hampshire, Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947, available at ancestry.com; Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Vol. 183 (1912); Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900, available at fold3.com; Pennsylvania Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, available at ancestry.com; Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-1999, available at ancestry.com; Phila. Press, Jan. 30, 1865; P.R.V.C. Hist. Soc., Co. C, 7th Pennsylvania Reserves Muster Roll; Reading Eagle, July 2, 1922; U.S. Census Bureau, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910 Federal Census Returns for the States of Indiana and Pennsylvania, available at ancestry.com

Civil War Photographs at the Corcoran Gallery

The other day I walked the short distance from my office to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in downtown DC to view the new exhibit, Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War from the Collection of Julia J. Norrell.  This temporary exhibit consists of a variety of photographs amassed by Norrell, a Washington lawyer and collector who only became interested in the war about six years ago.  Images by George Barnard, Matthew Brady, Alexander Gardner, Timothy H. O'Sullivan, and others line the walls of a small, intimate galley on the museum's second floor.

Those looking for well-known pictures will not be disappointed.  Among others images, visitors will find Gardner's Sharpshooter's Last Sleep from Gettysburg, a Barnard picture of Rebel works in front of Atlanta, and James Gibson's 1862 shot of the ruins of the Stone Bridge over Bull Run.  However, those looking for a deeper experience will walk away with a more nuanced and complex understanding of the war.  Although few in number, the images are presented in a thought-provoking manner.  The curator chose and arranged the photographs with obvious care.  We are asked to contemplate and reflect on the meaning behind what we see.

Ruins of Stone Bridge, Bull Run, James Gibson, 1862 (courtesy of Wikipedia).  Because photography is prohibited in the exhibit room, I was unable to take pictures and have chosen to illustrate this post with copies of the same photographs found on the Internet.

The exhibit places a particular emphasis on the participation of African-Americans in the conflict. There are photographs of United States Colored Troops, reminding visitors of the important military contribution that blacks made to the Union war effort and the fight for emancipation.  There are also photographs depicting other roles that African-Americans played.  One picture by D.B Woodbury, for instance, shows black laborers standing on a bridge across the Chickahominy River.  An 1862 image by Gardner entitled, What Do I Want, John Henry?, features a black servant waiting on a group of Union officers in Warrenton, Virginia.  The photograph reminds visitors that African-Americans still occupied a subservient  position in the eyes of most whites.  The war was being fought to secure their freedom, but it was only the start of a long road to equality.

"Ram," Baty A 2d U.S. Colrd Art'y, photographer unknown, 1865 (courtesy of Corcoran Gallery). This photograph is one of four showing the battery in various stages of drill. 

The exhibit is punctuated by a modern piece that dominates one entire wall.  Whitfield Lovell's Visitation: The Richmond Project: Battleground (2001) features a life-size portrait of a proud U.S.C.T. soldier, drawn in charcoal on wood planks.  (See here for a photograph.)  A cannonball sits at the base of the portrait.  A small, Victorian table off to the left side holds an antique copy of The Southern States of the American Union (1895).  The book is open to a couple tattered pages discussing the legitimacy of secession and the economic motives for emancipation. (If you are interested, here is a link to the book; the excerpt is at pp. 236-37.)  There is no denying the power of this contemporary installation.  The artist has dramatically presented us with a symbolic reminder of African-American participation in the war to defeat slave holding secessionists and secure freedom from bondage.

A display case in the center of the room contains a collection of cartes-de-visite.  Some of the small photographs shatter our typical notions of the war.  Placed between images of George McClellan and Jefferson Davis are photographs of a mixed race artilleryman and an Asian-American infantryman.  The visitor is left to wonder how these men were viewed by white soldiers, and how they reacted to the way white soldiers perceived them.  The diversity seen in these photographs raises questions about inclusiveness in American society that have taken many decades since the war to answer.

Some of these photographs are just plain stunning works of art.  George Barnard's scenes from the Atlanta Campaign represent artistry in black-and-white.  His image of Buen-Ventura in Savannah, Georgia depicts vestiges of the Old South, Spanish moss and all.  The photograph recalls the Southern society that Sherman's army tore asunder as it moved through Georgia.  Gardner captured scenes of destruction, like the burned out ruins of the Confederate armory building in Richmond.  Such photographs have documented and preserved for all generations the devastation that the Civil War visited on America.

Buen-Ventura, Savannah, Ga., George Barnard, c. 1864-65 (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Although off-topic for this blog, a neighboring exhibit features poignant Afghan war photographs by Tim Hetherington.  Visitors entering the room are transported from 19th century America to 21st century Afghanistan.  The photographs present a study in contrasts with the images of the Civil War hanging on the walls next door.  Yet we are also reminded that the more things change in war, the more they stay the same.

Residents of the DC area, and visitors to the nation's capital, should not miss the opportunity to view the Norrell collection at the Corcoran.  These photographs, from the famous to the obscure, have a lot to tell us about the nation's deadliest conflict.  We can thank the Corcoran, and Ms. Norrell, for putting on a truly remarkable visual history lesson.

Visiting the Exhibit

The Corcoran Gallery is located at 500 17th Street, N.W.  Shadows of History runs through May 20, 2012.  The museum charges a $10 admission fee.  For more information about the exhibit, and the museum in general, check out the Corcoran Gallery's website.  

In a future post, I will have something to say about the Corcoran family ties to the Civil War.  Stay tuned.

A Visit to President Lincoln's Cottage

My birthday falls a couple days after Christmas, so I usually have the fortune of being on vacation then and can take full advantage of the day off.  This year, I had intended to tour Ball's Bluff out near Leesburg.  Unfortunately, the forecast called for torrential downpours, and I had no desire to tromp around the battlefield in the rain and mud.  This trip would have to wait until clearer skies.  Instead, I decided on a visit to President Lincoln's Cottage in northwest DC.  My father-in-law, also known as "the Colonel," accompanied me on the outing.

The Gothic Revival style cottage, part of the Soliders' Home, served as Lincoln's residence from June to November 1862-1864.  Think of it as a Civil War-era Camp David.  The cottage was built by Washington banker George Riggs in 1842.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation spent $15 million restoring the home, which opened to the public in 2008.  The historic property is located on the campus of the current-day Armed Forces Retirement Home at the corner of Upshur St., N.W. and Rock Creek Church Rd., N.W.  The tour of the cottage requires a ticket, and advanced purchase is recommended.  I reserved our tickets on-line before going.

History of Lincoln's Cottage and the Soldiers' Home

The story of the Soldiers' Home dates to the antebellum era, when key military and political leaders pushed for the establishment of a residence for retired and disabled soldiers.  Gen. Winfield Scott, who was general-in-chief of the Union Army at the start of the Civil War, exacted a tribute of $150,000 from Mexico during the Mexican War and set aside $100,000 of this money for a soldiers' home.  Robert Anderson, future commander of the Federal garrison at Ft. Sumter, was also instrumental in the effort to provide for the nation's elderly and disabled soldiers.  Senator Jefferson Davis, who later became President of the Confederacy, was the primary mover on Capitol Hill.  He introduced legislation to create a "U.S. military asylum," which finally became law in March 1851.

North side of President Lincoln's Cottage.  A statue of Lincoln and his horse is located to the left of the photograph.

The government purchased the cottage and surrounding 256 acres from Riggs in 1851 for use as the Soldiers' Home.  Three additional buildings were constructed on the campus prior to the Civil War.  All four of these buildings survive today.  James Buchanan was the first President to reside at the Soldiers' Home.  (Incidentally, he stayed in a different cottage from Lincoln's.)  Located three miles from downtown Washington on the third highest point in the city, the Soldiers' Home offered a cool and tranquil getaway from the oppressive humidity and maddening bustle of the city.



Wartime view of the south side of the cottage from Mary Todd Lincoln's personal photo album (courtesy of National Park Service).  As Mrs. Lincoln told a friend in July 1862, "We are truly delighted with this retreat."



Current view of the south side of the cottage

Lincoln visited the Soldiers' Home not long after his inauguration, but the turbulent events of the first summer of the war got in the way of staying there in 1861.  The following year, Lincoln and his family took up residence in the cottage.  At the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln sought distractions from the stresses of everyday life, and often enjoyed reading, playing with his son Tad, and entertaining visitors.  The war, however, was never very far away, and Lincoln could not escape his presidential responsibilities for long.

Close-up view of the life-sized sculpture of Lincoln and his horse in front of the cottage's north side

Historical marker in front of the Lincoln statue pictured above

Each day, Lincoln commuted to the White House in the morning and returned later in the evening.  A cavalry escort accompanied Lincoln on his daily ride, but the President objected to such protection and was sometimes uncooperative with his security detail.  The 150th Pennsylvania Regiment, Co. K, served as a presidential guard and encamped on grounds of the Soldiers' Home when Lincoln resided there.  In July 1864, Lincoln and his family were evacuated from the Soldiers' Home as Confederate Gen. Jubal Early approached Ft. Stevens, about two miles from the cottage.  This precautionary measure still did not stop Lincoln from riding out to observe the ensuing battle.

Lincoln took advantage of his time at the Soldiers' Home to reflect on the issues facing the nation, including the momentous policy of emancipation.  Lincoln likely worked on revisions to the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at the cottage over the course of the summer of 1862.  The President also held meetings at the cottage to discuss military affairs, including the removal of Gen. George B. McClellan from command.  The President apparently visited the Soliders' Home for one last time on April 13, 1865, just one day before he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.

Tour of Lincoln's Cottage

The Colonel and I started our tour of the cottage at the Visitor Education Center, which features four informative permanent exhibits covering the history of the Soldiers' Home, Lincoln as commander-in-chief, wartime Washington, and the Lincoln family at the Soldiers' Home.  Not surprisingly, the display on Lincoln's presidency places a heavy emphasis on emancipation, and the exhibits do a thorough job of walking visitors through the entire story of emancipation, including such topics as contraband, the First and Second Confiscation Acts, and the 13th Amendment.  This effort at public education goes beyond the simplistic "Lincoln freed the slaves" story that so many tourists likely learned in school.

Visitor Education Center, located across from President Lincoln's Cottage.  (Photography is prohibited inside the Visitor Education Center and Lincoln's Cottage, so I was unable to get interior shots.)

As an enthusiast of local history, I was also pleased to discover a temporary exhibit on historic prints of the nation's capital during the Civil War.  The maps and engravings offer visitors a way to visualize what Washington was like at the time of Lincoln's presidency.  (This exhibit only runs through January 15, 2012, but the National Trust should consider making it permanent.)  We did not have time to stop by "Lincoln's Toughest Decisions Gallery," which allows visitors to interact with digital letters and other documents to decide how they would have advised Lincoln as a member of his Cabinet.

After viewing a short audiovisual presentation at the Visitor Center, we headed to the cottage for our guided tour.  The building contains 34 rooms, but we saw only a fraction of them during the hour-long tour.  The National Trust has opted on a minimalist approach to furnishing, which leaves the visitor to reflect more on the spirit of the place than on historical trappings.  The guide tied the cottage into the larger picture of Lincoln's life and presidency, including his beliefs on equality of opportunity and slavery.  Once again, there was an emphasis on emancipation, and the guide even highlighted the role of U.S. Colored Troops in winning the war.  The National Trust also supplemented the tour with multimedia technology.  Unfortunately, on the day I was visiting, a glitch in a video projection distracted a bit from the flow of the tour, but overall the technology was well-integrated into the guide's narrative. 

As we left the cottage, I felt that I had come away with a better understanding of the place that the Soldiers' Home occupied in Lincoln's presidency.  The National Trust really has done the country a valuable service in preserving and interpreting this treasure for future generations.  Visitors to our nation's capital, as well as local residents, should not miss the opportunity to check out this historic site.

Sources and Additional Information

President Lincoln's Cottage maintains a website with an excellent overview of the history of the Soldiers' Home and Lincoln's time there.  Additional information, including hours of operation and directions, can also be found on the website.  Tickets for the tour can be purchased here.

Parking is located on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, a welcome relief from the challenges of parking on DC city streets.

For additional information on Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home, check out these sources:
The Lincoln Institute, "Soldiers' Home," Mr. Lincoln's White House; National Park Service, "President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home," Discover our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary: American Presidents; National Park Service, "President Lincoln's Cottage: A Retreat," Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plans; National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home.

Military Justice at Camp Pierpont: The Court-Martial of Colonel Taggart

During the fall of 1861, Col. John H. Taggart, head of the 12th Pennsylvania Reserves, faced the serious charge of "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman."  Taggart's court-martial got underway at Camp Pierpont on December 4, 1861.  Brig. Gen. E.O.C. Ord, who was Taggart's brigade commander, served as president of the military tribunal.  Taggart, confident that he had acted within the bounds of the law, pleaded "not guilty."  Meanwhile, the men of the 12th Pennsylvania waited anxiously for news about the fate of their commander.

Born in Georgetown, Maryland in 1821, Taggart moved with his widowed mother and sister to Philadelphia when he was eight.  The future colonel started his career in the newspaper business, first as a typesetter, and later as a reporter.  In 1860, Taggart bought a share of the Sunday Mercury.  When the Civil War erupted, he received a captain's commission and raised a militia company in Philadelphia known as the "Wayne Guards," which was accepted for service with the Pennsylvania Reserves.  Taggart took his men to an assembly point at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg in June.  While at camp, Taggart tried to discharge an enlisted man who was suffering from apparent seizures.  The disgruntled soldier lunged at Taggart with a knife, but the captain scared him away with a revolver.  The solider was later captured and sent home from the company.  The Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph added a dramatic flourish, describing the episode as a "Desperate Attempt to Assassinate an Officer."

Regimental flag of the 12th Pennsylvania Reserves (courtesy of ourancestry.com)

While at Camp Curtin, Taggart was elected as the colonel of the 12th Pennsylvania.  Following the Union defeat at First Bull Run, the 12th was dispatched to Tenallytown, D.C., where the regiment joined the rest of the Pennsylvania Reserves under Brig. Gen. George A. McCall in August.  The trip and subsequent stay in Tenallytown led to Taggart's encounter with military justice a few months later.

The charge against Taggart consisted of four specifications.  The first specification alleged that on August 11, Taggart "did shamefully beat, choke, and kick one Miner Moyer, a private in Company B. . . in a car on the Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad." (Army of the Potomac, General Orders No. 55.)  The second specification likewise accused the colonel of "brutally" beating and threatening Private George Davis of Company C  on the same day "at a water station" on the Washington Branch.  (General Orders No. 55.)  According to the third specification, Taggart on August 30 used "blasphemous and threatening language towards one George M. LeBar, teamster of Company B" at Camp Tenally.  (General Orders No. 55.)  Finally, a fourth specification alleged that at Camp Tenally on September 27, Taggart "obtain[ed] money from the company officers of his regiment by false promises, and by agreeing to conditions with which he afterwards refused to comply."  (General Orders No. 55.)

Later in December, the court-martial found Taggart "not guilty" on all specifications and "honorably" acquitted him.  (General Orders, No. 55.)  The evidence had demonstrated that the charges were unfounded and that Taggart's actions were entirely justified under the circumstances.  In one instance, soldiers were discharging their weapons on the railroad cars while traveling from Baltimore to Washington, and "it was necessary to use violent measures to reduce them to obedience of orders."  (Sypher 127.)  As to another allegation, the tribunal deduced that "some five or six of the men left the ranks to enter an orchard, and when asked to return to their companies, refused to do so, and force was employed to maintain subordination."  (Sypher 127.)  The court-martial considered all of the accusations to be "frivolous and vexatious."  (General Orders No. 55.) 

Col. John H. Taggart after the war (courtesy of Historic LaMott, PA)

Federal commander George B. McClellan reviewed the record and weighed in on the affair.  As Little Mac's adjutant wrote on December 14:

The commanding general is surprised that the charge and specifications against Colonel Taggart were ever brought to trial, resting as they do upon evidence which is so complete a vindication of his conduct. It appears that the men whom, in the enforcement of good order and military discipline, he was obliged to punish, were contumacious and insubordinate—were, some of them, engaged in pillaging and pilfering, in which they persisted after admonition, and others were guilty of firing their guns in the cars to the terror of the passengers, contrary to positive orders. In order to reduce them to obedience it was necessary to act with promptitude and energy. They resisted his authority, and if much severer punishment had been necessary to restore order, it would have been fully justified.  (General Orders No. 55.)

McClellan confirmed the results of the court-martial.  Taggart was to "resume his sword and his duties."  (General Orders, No. 55.)

Word of Taggart's acquittal spread through Camp Pierpont.  According to the December 19 , 1861 edition of the Philadelphia Press, "[t]he men under his command, on being apprised of the fact, made the welkin ring with their plaudits, the sounds reverberating through the hills and valleys of the 'sacred soil' of Virginia." Moyer, Davis, and LeBar likely refrained from the celebration.

Not long after the verdict, Taggart led his men to victory at the Battle of Dranesville.  He continued with the 12th Pennsylvania throughout the Peninsula Campaign and resigned in July 1862.  After a stint as a war correspondent with the Philadelphia Inquirer, he was appointed as the chief preceptor of the "Free Military School for Applicants for the Command of Colored Troops" in Philadelphia.  The school successfully trained whites to serve as officers in the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.).  In 1865, Taggart was appointed as the Collector of Internal Revenue for the First District of Pennsylvania.  After the war, he became a correspondent in Washington for several newspapers and went on to own the Philadelphia Sunday Morning Times (later Taggart's Times).  Taggart died in 1892.

Sources
Martin D. Hardin, History of the Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps (1891); Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph (Harrisburg, Pa.), June 24, 1861; Philadelphia Press, Dec. 19, 1861; J.R. Sypher, History of the Pennsylvania Reserves (1865); U.S. Army of the Potomac, Index of General Orders 1861 (1862).

Update on Alexandria National Cemetery

The City of Alexandria has posted a reportconcerning the Freedmen's Cemetery in Alexandria during the Civil War and after.  The report contains the story of the petition of black troops for the right to be buried at the Soldier's Cemetery, which was mentioned in my last post.  It turns out that a white officer, the U.S. Quartermaster for Alexandria, forwarded the petition from the African American soldiers at the L'Ouverture Hospital to the Quartermaster General of the United States.  Based on what was written in the forwarding letter, the Contraband Superintendent in Alexandria appears to have opposed any effort to allow such burials.  Unfortunately, the report does not contain a copy of the actual decision by the War Department to allow soldiers of the U.S.C.T. to be buried at the Soldier's Cemetery, but we do know that the Alexandria Quartermaster prevailed in his quest to secure approval to bury all soldiers, whether black and white, at the cemetery.

Alexandria National Cemetery and Memorial Day

My wife and I had been planning an overnight trip to Virginia horse country (also known as "Mosby's Confederacy") this weekend, but she is getting a bit uncomfortable with the pregnancy.  We opted instead to make a day trip to Old Town Alexandria.  We used to live nearby, so finding an unexplored site can be a bit of a challenge.  I examined my guide to Civil War Alexandria and before long found something that I had not yet visited, and that was a perfect fit for the Memorial Day weekend.  So, before hitting the stores along King Street, we headed to Alexandria National Cemetery, hidden on Wilkes Street, away from the main commercial strip and the bustle of the weekend crowds.

Alexandria National Cemetery, known during the Civil War as the "Soldier's Cemetery," was one of the original fourteen national cemeteries established in 1862 according to an act of Congress.  The first burials consisted of soldiers who had died during training or of disease.  Many of the dead came from the Union hospitals located in Union-occupied Alexandria.  By 1864, the five and a half acres was nearly full, prompting plans for a larger cemetery on the grounds of General Lee's Arlington House.  That cemetery became the Alexandria National Cemetery's famous brother. At the end of the conflict, the Alexandria National Cemetery contained 3,500 Union war dead.

Sign at entrance to cemetery

Ornate Union shield on wrought-iron entrance to the cemetery.  A Marine Corps Junior ROTC cadet attending a Memorial Day picnic at the cemetery informed me that his friend had repainted the entrance gate with more authentic paint as part of his Eagle Scout project.  (Nice to see youth involved in historic preservation!)

Most of the Civil War headstones are plain, marked by plot number, name, and state.  New York and Pennsylvania seemed to be well represented.  A few headstones were more ornate, perhaps purchased and supplied by the families of the deceased at some point during or after the war.  Scattered among the graves were some unknown soldiers.  A few soldiers from the world wars were also interred here.  Because it was just before Memorial Day, American flags had been placed at each grave, making for a very patriotic and moving scene.

Headstones, Section A. Based on period photographs, the original markers were made of wood.  I have been unable to determine when headstones were installed.

Plain headstone of a Pennsylvania solider

A more elaborate headstone

Grave of an unknown soldier

The cemetery also contains the graves of 229 African American soldiers.  Many of these dead were originally buried in the Alexandria Freedmen's Cemetery for contraband.  In 1864, African American soldiers petitioned the War Department for permission to be buried alongside their white comrades in arms, arguing that they had shared equally in the dangers and hardships of the war and should therefore share the same privileges and rights concerning burial.  Interestingly, the War Department granted the request, and the African American soldiers were re-interred in the Soldier's Cemetery.  (It would be fascinating to examine the documentation of the approval decision, which was rather forward-looking for the time, given the attitudes of many whites in the military ranks towards black soldiers.)

Row of United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) graves, Section B

Example of individual U.S.C.T. headstone

 The Soldier's Cemetery also contains the remains of four soldiers from the U.S. Quartermaster Corps who drowned in the Potomac on April 24, 1865 while in pursuit of President Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth.  In July 1922, the U.S. Government erected a granite boulder to commemorate the service of Booth's pursuers.

The four graves of Booth's pursuers and the granite memorial

Inscription on memorial to Booth's pursuers

Overall, the Soldier's Cemetery is an interesting detour from the more famous colonial sites in Old Town.  It is a well-maintained example of a Civil War national cemetery and has a few interesting stories to tell visitors.