Summary:
Union special agent Michael Graham reports to General in Chief Henry Halleck on
February, 1863, Confederate movements and strengths in the Shenandoah Valley.
Graham details the number of troops stationed at Staunton. He warns Halleck of a
suspected Confederate spy, one Mrs. Kenedy from Staunton. Graham also discusses
the actions of speculators, many of whom, he claims, are Jewish. According to
Graham, the speculators move through Staunton and other Valley towns to sell
goods for which Graham lists going prices. He also reports that speculators buy
up Treasury notes to exchange for gold in Baltimore. In addition, Graham gives
his impression of prevailing sentiment among soldiers and civilians concerning
politics and the war.
Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK,
Commander-in-Chief, U. S.
Army, Washington:
WASHINGTON,
February 15, 1863.
SIR:
I have the honor to submit the following to you, in accordance with orders from Maj.-Gen. Banks, when he left me here, to report to you any information I might from time to time come into possession of, regarding the movements of the enemy.
My wife, Catherine Graham, who left Mount Jackson, Shenandoah County, Virginia, some three weeks since, having arrived here on last Wednesday, gives me the following account of their strength, &c., in the region of country which she last passed through. She went from Mount Jackson to New Market, where Gen. Jones' command is, consisting in part of three regiments of infantry, two batteries of artillery and a battalion of cavalry. When she left Mount Jackson, there was but a guard to regulate the hospitals.
Imboden has command of the cavalry at Harrisonsburg; there are not more than 30 men.
When Gen. Milroy's cavalry went up to Woodstock, they removed the deposits of banks in Rockingham and Staunton to Lynchburg. At that time a regiment of cavalry could have captured Staunton without meeting any resistance.
There were 800 sick in hospital at Mount Jackson; there had been sixteen cases of small-pox amongst them. Maj. Alexander Baker has charge of the hospitals; he is a relative of Ashby.
At the time of the road, Jones' command had marching orders, they taking in charge all the movable property of the inhabitants along the line of the expected advance.
At New Market they buried two pieces of heavy artillery that were gotten at Harper's Ferry, in Col. Miles' surrender, they not having any means of transporting them, as horses are getting very scarce, any kind of a horse being worth from $300 to $500.
She came through the following posts in her passage, which, from the time she remained in them, she availed herself of all the privileges of a pass which she got through the influence of a clergyman, with whom she was acquainted. New Market, Jones and Imboden, say 1,500 men; Harrisonsburg, 30 men; Mount Crawford, none; Staunton, about 300, under command of Col. Michael G. Harman; Waynesborough; about 25; Charlottesville, a very few (there are a great many fine hospitals, some fifteen); Gordonsville and Culpeper, 1,500; Mechanicsburg, none. In Richmond she remained four days, during which time she saw very few. Was told they are all gone, except what were doing garrison duty around in the works they had and were erecting; the main force having gone to North Carolina, and some 25,000 or 30,000 at Fredericksburg.
She intended to come by Fort Monroe, but was not allowed to come that way, so she had to go by way of Gordonsville, Culpeper, Woodville, Sperryville and Little Washington (there are no troops at either of last-named places or no pickets, but a few guerrillas); thence to Piedmont; thence to New Berlin, on Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, arriving in Baltimore. On her trip from Culpeper she was accompanied by two rebel spies, as she thinks from their actions, conversation, &c. They came across and took the cars with her and put up at the Fountain House in Baltimore. They called themselves Mrs. Kelley and Mrs. Kenedy, the former being from Culpeper, the latter from Staunton. Their room was 27. I believe they are there yet. They registered as from Leesburg and Kentucky. They told my wife to address a letter for them to Armstrong & Carter (Cator?), Baltimore.
She also met on her journey here a large number of Jews and others that had been over here after goods and information, they being considered the shrewdest in getting information, as they are in large with some of the same class in Baltimore, if not all of them; they dividing the profits, which are immense, as you see from a list of the necessaries of life that I mention: quinine, $100 an ounce; thread; 75 cents a spool; silk, 25 cents a skein; $25 for a pair of women's gaiters, while others are engaged in buying up Treasury notes and getting them exchanged for gold in Baltimore. Some of them cross between Poolesville and Berlin, others between Harper's Ferry and Martinsburg at Shepherdstown, while others go up on the cars and get out at New Creek and other places. They have their places of meeting on the other side. They get caught occasionally, but always get off by bringing the guards. They report to Maj. Richardson at Gordonsville. Others get from Grafton to Staunton . A great number of teams make their way that way to Staunton.
The people everywhere and soldiers expect peace shortly, for, they say, various reason; some say from dissensions among parties, others again other thoughts, but they help to keep them up in spirits. Others think that Secretary will be turned out of the Cabinet, and say that would be better than 100,000 men killed.
I find in my travels through Pennsylvania that there are a great number of deserters all through the whole State, as well as an immense lot of Government property carried home by those deserters, sutlers, and others. Almost every man in the country has a rifle, saddle, or something else belonging to the Government.
I have the honor to remain, your most obedient servant,
MICHAEL GRAHAM,
Of Gen. Banks' Secret Service.
Bibliographic Information : Letter Reproduced from The War of The Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 25, Serial No. 40, Pages 79-81, Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, 1997.
