Friday Nov. 29

Raining this morning.  Sarah and Ephe returned home.  The house has been filled nearly all day with people from Hocking and others doing business with William.  It is a hard day for him.  Annie has gone to spend the night with her Grandmother.


Peggy's comments:
Hocking, Ohio was about 75 miles west of where the Cutler's lived in Constitution, Warren Township.  I can't confirm this, but my guess is that the people from Hocking were visiting William on RailRoad business.

Annie Cutler, William and Lizzie's daughter, was probably staying with Mrs. Burgess, Lizzie's mother.

Monday Nov. 4th

A fleet of three steam boats three of them lashed together passed down this morning with flags flying having on board the 51' Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Col. Stanley Matthews, on his way to Kentucky.  They are armed with Enfield rifles.  William and Lizzie went to Mr. Burgess's to dinner.  Kate and Annie rode out to invite some friends to tea tomorrow.
I wrote to Martha A. Carter enclosing thirty dollars.


Peggy's comments:
Stanley Matthews was born in Kentucky in 1824.   He moved to Cincinnati in 1844 where he practiced law and was active in politics as a Democrat.  He held strong anti-slavery views, however, and with the outbreak of the Civil War, he became a Republican and volunteered for service with the army.

Here's a youtube video of Civil War re-enactors demonstrating loading and firing Enfield rifles.

Julia Cutler's father, Ephraim Cutler, moved to Ohio in 1795 with his first wife, Leah Atwood Cutler.  They travelled with their four children, one of whom was Nancy Cutler.  Nancy's daughter Martha A. Carter is the woman mentioned in today's journal entry.  Martha was 32 years old and unmarried in 1861.

Tuesday, Aug. 14

Lucy, Marion and little Annie went up to A. S. Bailey's.  Clara Andrews is spending the week there.  Sarah Dawes took dinner at Mrs. Burgess'.  Dr. Hart today gave William more active medicine and he has had a very sick day.  I am afraid he will have a course of typhoid fever but hope for the best.  The river has risen rapidly and is covered with drift.  In some places the fords have been guarded for fear of secession depredations.  This rise will remove all such apprehensions.  It has risen about ten feet.  Miss Bicknell who lives at Great Bend, Ohio, opposite Jackson Co., Va., says that their neighborhood has been full of Virginia refugees.  Union men fleeing with their families from secession pursuers.  As many as thirty were at one time at her father's house.  The family of Lieut. Gov. Falsey were obliged at one time to take refuge in Ohio.  Our land is in a deplorable state.  Whence will deliverance come?  God pity us and send victory to our armies.  How long must this state of things be?  Shall the oppressor go unpunished?  Is God the friend of the slaveholder to uphold him in all his ways?

Sabbath Aug. 11

Still rainy.  Lizzie, Annie and I went to meeting.  Mr. Andrews preached.  William quite unwell all day.

Wednesday July 24

This is little Annie's birthday, eight years old, just the age my Father was at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.  He retained to the day of his death a vivid recollection of many things connected with those stirring events.  So probably will she of these times of strife and trouble.  
I spent most of the day with Maggie.  Mr. Heath, the sergeant at Camp Cole, came up to see Mr. Chatfield, and staid to dinner.  Eliza Coons & Fanny Wicks were also here.
Today's papers put a better face on the Manassas fight.  Our troops fought bravely and well, until the panic began, occasioned by a rush of the teamsters, civilians &c. and by an unexpected attack of rebel cavalry.  Our loss, killed outright is less than first stated.  It is thought not to exceed 600.  The rebels themselves suffered as severely as we, perhaps more so.  Dispatches from Richmond say 2000 killed.  It was one of the severest battles ever fought in America.  The whole country is aroused.  Already reinforcements are on the way to Washington.  Gen. McClellan is summoned to the Capitol to take command of the Grand Army.
Kate received a letter from Rufus full of ardent patriotism.  He says he knows he has the love and confidence of his men.  They are resolved to stand by each other.  Each one of them would die for him as he would cheerfully for them.  They will see servie soon as the government will order forward all the regiments already equipped immediately, to repair the disastrous retreat from Manassas.


Peggy's comments:

Sarah & Annie Cutler

Little Annie was Julia's niece, the daughter of William & Lizzie Cutler.  Her grandfather, Ephraim Cutler, (Julia's father), was born in Connecticut and raised by his grandfather.  Julia and her brother William later collected the journals and letters of Ephraim Cutler which were published in 1890

Ephraim Cutler

I am most interested in the political and social history of the Civil War and not so keen on learning a great deal about the battles.  Much has been written about the battles, however, and is easily discovered by a google search.  Here is a brief synopsis of the Battle of Bull Run (as the Union referred to it or the Battle at Manassas Junction as the Confederates refer to it).  The number of Union troops killed, wounded or missing was 2,950 and the number of Southern troops was estimated to be 1,750-2,000.  The following quote is from the National Park Service:

General Irvin McDowell's army of 35,000 Union troops marched from Washington, D.C. toward the railroad junction at Manassas. Here the Orange & Alexandria Railroad met the Manassas Gap Railroad, which led west to the Shenandoah Valley. Twenty-two thousand Southern soldiers under the command of General Pierre G.T. Beauregard guarded the area, waiting for an attack. On July 21, 1861, the two armies met on the fields overlooking a small stream named Bull Run. Meanwhile, on July 20th and 21st, 10,000 additional Southern troops arrived via the Manassas Gap Railroad. After hours of battle, the newly arrived southern units forced the exhausted and discouraged Union soldiers to withdraw back to Washington, D.C.

Rufus Dawes, Julia's nephew, had been working for his father in Wisconsin and had organized a company of troops, who then elected him Captain.  This company was officially mustered into the service of the United States on July 16.  Rufus' company proceeded towards Washington by way of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Rufus R. Dawes, 1861

Friday July 12

This is brother William's birthday.  God grant him every needed blessing.  "Him that honoreth me will I honor", is the promise.  God keep him always, make him useful, give him friends, influence, success.  Kate and Annie went to Marietta, also Nancy.  A missent letter from William came today dated the 3".  He was at the National Hotel.




Editor's comments:
William P. Cutler was 49 on July 12, 1861.

William P. Cutler

Washington, DC  1861

Sat. July 6

Annie and Sarah went and spent the day at their Grandmother's.  Ephe went to town to stay over Sabbath and George went home.  Lizzie sent cherry pies and cakes to the Eggleston Guards at "Camp Cole".


Editor's comments:
Annie and Sarah Cutler were the daughters of Lizzie & William Cutler.  Their grandmother, Mrs. Burgess, lived within walking distance.

The Burgess home

July 3, Wednesday

Kate went up to A. S. Bailey's to arrange about the picnic.  Lizzie baked large pound, white, and cup cakes and a large quantity of ginger cakes for the picnic.  Lucy and Annie came down on the evening train.  Lucy brought a couple of nice cakes.  For several evenings a splendid comet has been visible.  It is between Ursa Major and the north star.

Tuesday July 2

Sarah and Lucy who came down and spent the night went home on the train taking Annie with them.  Ephe took Kate in a carriage to invite the folks down the road to a picnic on the fourth.  We sent invitations in the name of A. S. Bailey and W. D. McClure as Committee to the Eggleston Guards, State Fencibles and Dayton Zouaves.  Maggie took tea here.  The papers have an account of a wonderful fight between a party of scouts sent out from Cumberland by Col. Wallace.  They consisted of thirteen mounted men, who went nearly to Frankfort town which they found full of cavalry.  They met and charged and routed a company of horsemen killing eight, and capturing seventeen horses.  Corp. Hayes was badly wounded and while attending to him, they were suddenly attacked by a party of seventy five horsemen.  Of these they killed twenty three.  They all succeeded in getting back to camp except one, J. F. Collingworth who was killed.  I think it will hardly do after this to doubt the bravery of Indianians.

Friday June 14

Kate, Lizzie and Annie went to Marietta to spend the day.  Lucy came home with them bringing Clara Andrews with her, also William from Chillicothe.  There was a drunken soldier on the cars from Harmar to Scott's landing where he was put under guard.  He frightened them by his profanity etc.  Mrs. Lucy Browning called on me.  Mr. Star, the Bible agent, was here.  It is reported that the rebels have evacuated Harper's Ferry.

Harper's Ferry (west Virginia) 1861

Harper's Ferry (west Virginia) 1861