For Victuals and Abraham Lincoln: Summering in Maryland in 1864

The 144th Ohio Infantry, a hundred days' regiment, arrived in Maryland in May 1864 and was promptly dispatched in detachments across the state. While Grant and the Army of the Potomac and Lee's Army of Northern Virginia hammered away at each other, Co. F found itself with light duties and time on their hands at the little town of Annapolis Junction. 

    "Our duties are light, and at their leisure the boys have reconnoitered the surrounding country on private account, and been rewarded by the discovery of the abundance of cherries and mulberries-of which we are welcome to all we choose to pick," recalled Private Henry S. Chapin. "The consequence is that some of our company keep up a continual skirmishing with the cherry trees and up to the present time the advantage has invariably been in our favor that we have all the fruit we can eat-which, by the way, is no small amount. There is also any quantity of blackberries and huckleberries within easy range of our camp, which are already beginning to ripen; peach and apple trees in this locality are also loaded with fruit. There need, therefore, be no fear of suffering for want of the necessities of life."

    Within a few short weeks, the sense of quiet in Maryland would turn to panic when General Jubal Early led his army into the state. A portion of the 144th Ohio would fight at Monocacy on July 9, 1864 to contest Early's advance, but the men of Co. F would miss out on the action. Henry S. Chapin's letter first saw publication in the June 30, 1864, edition of the Perrysburg Journal; Chapin was the editor of the newspaper. 

A familiar sight to the men of Co. F: the railroad depot at Annapolis Junction, Maryland. The company spent nearly their entire 100 day service guarding this junction, only leaving as Early's army passed within a dozen miles of town and the troops ordered back to Annapolis to guard Camp Parole. 

AnnapolisJunction, Md.

June15, 1864

 

          On Monday last, I wrote you that therewere no serious cases of sickness in Company F. At that time such was mybelief, and the general belief of the company. True, we had a couple of men inthe hospital, but we had not thought either of them to be dangerously ill.About 9 o’clock yesterday morning, however, we were startled by receiving wordthat Leonard Snyder, of this company, was dead. He had been unwell for a numberof days, but remained in camp until Friday last, when he was worse, and had tobe taken most of the way to the hospital on a stretcher.

His disease was pronounced by the physicians tobe typhoid fever, but members of the company who have seen frequent cases ofbrain fever, say that his attack and subsequent symptoms strongly resembled it.He improved however and on Sunday morning I am told he was able to sit up, andconversed with some members of the company who called to see him though hecould talk but little at a time. Since Sunday afternoon, he appeared to bederanged all the time, except perhaps a few minutes Monday morning. Early Tuesdaymorning a member of the company went to see him and found him insensible inwhich condition he remained until about 6 o’clock when he died.

          His remains were placed in a coffin bymembers of the company and at 11 o’clock this morning we followed him to asoldier’s grave. The funeral procession was formed as follows:

          MILITARY ESCORT: under command ofCorporal Stewart with arms reversed- composed of the following persons: LewisHouseholder, Harvey Phillips, Alanson Bushnell, Eli Scott, Alvin C. Austin,Thomas Shanks, John Priest, Isaac Smith.

          PALL BEARERS: Alexander Bruce, LewisSchaller, James Russell, Peter Algoner, Charles Champion, William Stein.

          Then followed members of the companyand officers.

          Arrived at the grave, the escorthalted in front of it-the company standing in line in rear of the escort. ThePall Bearers then lowered the coffin into the grave-the escort presenting arms.The Hospital Chaplain then read a portion of the Scriptures and offered up aprayer, after which the escort fired three volleys over the grave. The companythen formed in the same order as before and returned to camp, leaving the deadsoldier, so lately our associate.

          Leonard Snyder, was a resident ofWebster Township, Wood County. He was not, when we left Perrysburg, a member ofthis company, but belonged to the company from Webster and Freedom townshipswhich was broken up at Camp Chase, when he was assigned to Company F. He hasresided in Webster township for 8 or 10 years past; has been married but wasdivorced from his wife about two or three years since. I am told that he hascousins residing somewhere in Wood County but no relatives in Webster Township.His father resides near Syracuse, New York. His age was 31.

Henry S. Chapin
Editor, Perrysburg Journal

I had no acquaintance with the deceased previousto his connection with this company- since that time, however, I have known himas a kind friend and a soldier always ready and willing to do any duty requiredof him. Possibly- had he made as great an effort as some who were members ofthis company- he might have obtained an exemption and remained at home, andtoday been in his usual health, but he responded to the call of Governor Broughand has fallen in the service of his country. And I appeal to you readers,whether the memory of this dead solider-whatever may have been his past faultsor failings- in his late sickness knew no mother’s or sister’s care and whosegrave was watered by no relative’s tear, is he not a thousand times more worthyof the honor and respect of his countrymen than is the man who sneaked fromservice of his country, and remains at home-a live healthy coward?

The only member of Company F now in Hospital isRobert Emmons, who was severely bruised a day or two since, by falling from acherry tree. No bones were broken, however, and he is recovering. 

Here in the immediate vicinity of Company Fremain in stata quo and no change of base is regarded as probable before theexpiration of our term of our service.

The health of the company is good. With theexception of Emmons-who fell from a cherry tree but is now able to get around-there is no member of the company in hospital here. I have however, failed tonotice that Caleb Miller was some time since sent to the hospital at RelayBarracks, he having been unwell ever since we left home.

It is my opinion that we are enjoying much betterthan average fare of soldiers in camp. Our duties are light, and at theirleisure the boys have reconnoitered the surrounding country on private account,and been rewarded by the discovery of the abundance of cherries andmulberries-of which we are welcome to all we choose to pick. The consequence isthat some of our company keep up a continual skirmishing with the cherry treesand up to the present time the advantage has invariably been in our favor thatwe have all the fruit we can eat-which, by the way, is no small amount. Thereis also any quantity of blackberries and huckleberries within easy range of ourcamp, which are already beginning to ripen; peach and apple trees in thislocality are also loaded with fruit. There need, therefore, be no fear ofsuffering for want of the necessities of life.

Thursday evening last President Lincoln and partypassed this place in a special train for Philadelphia-but the train did notstop. However, when he returned on Friday the train was detained for 15 or 20minutes, when the President appeared on the platform of the car, bowed to thecrowd, but didn’t “make a speech!”

President Abraham Lincoln 

On Sunday last a collision occurred on theWashington branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad about half a mile fromour camp. The two locomotives were considerably injured, the front end of apassenger car broken in and a lieutenant seriously bruised; two freight carsfilled with cavalry horses were completely wrecked and the platform of onebeing raised off its trucks, and sliding on the platform of the other,unceremoniously scattering the horses out of the other side, yet none of themwere injured, with the exception of a few slight scratches.

On Thursday morning last, in company with Lieut.Tyler and Sergts. Averill and Bates I visited Washington, and very soon afterour arrival we commenced on an exploration of the curiosities of the NationalCapital. Time and space forbid that I should attempt even the briefestdescription of what to us was interesting and seemed worthy of mention; yet Icannot forebear a brief general allusion to the most important objects ofinterest.

The Capitol building under construction during the Civil War. 

Of course, the first thing which attracts theattention of a stranger is the Capitol building-the extent and grandeur ofwhich surpassed even the idea I had formed of it from many descriptions whichhave been so freely circulated by the newspapers. The Capitol of Ohio is a finebuilding and an honor to the state, yet it would appear like an unattractivepygmy if placed beside the Capitol of the Nation.

Among other public buildings which we visitedwere the Treasury Department, Post Office Department, President’s Mansion,Smithsonian Institute, and Patent Office. The two latter are truly, in the fullest sense of the term, curiosityestablishments. At the Smithsonian may be seen specimens of almost every knownvariety of beasts and birds-stuffed of course-looking much more natural andlife-like than the sickly specimens to be seen in traveling menageries, also,specimens of fishes, rocks, minerals, & c. In fact, almost everything to befound in air, earth, or water. Our visit here was short and one glance at thevarious specimens a hasty one, yet we were convinced that the Smithsonian wasone of the interesting features of Washington. In the same catalogue howevermay be enumerated the Patent Office, where may be seen models of all themachinery, implements, & c. for which patents have been issued; also manyrare and curious articles manufactured in foreign countries, the originalDeclaration of Independence and Commission of Washington as Commander-in Chiefare to be seen- both, however, are very much faded and the signatures are veryindistinct. The printing press at which Benjamin Franklin worked when ajourneyman printer in London is also to be found there.

Washington Navy Yard in 1862. 

Friday morning we visited the Navy Yard, andpassed through a number of shops connected therewith, were we saw in process ofconstruction articles for the navy many times too numerous to publish. Amongmany other things in the relic department were two small brass guns broughtfrom Spain by Cortez and also used by him in the conquest of Mexico. There werealso a large number of implements of war which had been captured in battle.

Our visit to the President’s Mansion wasunattended by important results. We found a fellow with his feet in a chair,apparently enjoying a delightful snooze at one of the windows of the East Room-but it wasn’t “Old Abe”, we concluded it was a sleepy sentinel. Finding doorsopen and meeting with no opposition, we proceeded to usher ourselves throughsome of the apartments, but didn’t see “Father Abraham”- in fact he had fled-he couldn’t stand the descent of the “One Hundred Days’ Men” and had consequentlygone to Philadelphia to attend the Sanitary Fair. In his absence, however, oneof our crowd placed himself in a statesmanlike attitude and received thebalance of the party with “distinguished consideration.” After this wewithdrew, feeling confident that although we had not seen the President we hadseen where he had been. And this reminds me of an interesting incident whichonce happened away out in Illinois, but as I was not there when it happened, Iwill not attempt to related it, but go for my rations.

Yoursfor victuals and A. Lincoln,

H.S.C.

Source:

Letter from Private Henry S. Chapin, Co. F, 144th Ohio Infantry, Perrysburg Journal (Ohio), June 30, 1864, pg. 2