Battle of Eltham After Action Reports- Part Two

-from The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. ; Series 1 - Volume 11 (part 1)

Richard Arnold

 Captain Richard Arnold, West point graduate and son of Governor Lemuel Arnold of Rhode Island, would be promoted to Brigadier General in the fall.

Battle of Eltham After Action Reports- Part One

-from The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. ; Series 1 - Volume 11 (part 1)

Providence Hall

The colonial house that used to sit in the middle of Providence Forge . . .until they boxed it up and carried it away.

Death of Braxton Garlick

-from the Alexandria Daily State Journal, September 18, 1873

Papaw and Poison

From the Executive Journals of the Council April 29, 1729

Whereas upon consideration of the many extraordinary Cures perform’d by Papaw a Negro Slave belonging to M[istress] Frances Littlepage of the County of New Kent, it was resolved that means should be used to obtain from him a discovery of the secret whereby he performs the said cures; and the said Papaw having upon promise of his freedom now made an ample discovery of the several medicines made use of by him for that purpose to the satisfaction of the Governor and the Gentlemen appointed by him to inspect the application and operation of the said medicines, It is the opinion of this board and accordingly ordered that as a reward for useful a discovery, which may be of great benefit to mankind, and more particularly to the preservation of the lives of great numbers of the Slaves belonging to the Inhabitants of this Country frequently infected with the Yaws, and other venereal distempers, the said Papaw be set free; and that the sum of £50 current money be paid to the said M[istress] Frances Littlepage out of his Majesty’s Revenue of 2 shillings per hogshead, for his freedom; but that he remain still under the direction of the Government until he made a discovery of some other secrets he has for expelling poison, and the cure of other diseases.

-from  Executive Journals of the Council of Virginia Vol. IV (October 25, 1721- October 28, 1739)

Notice to Conscripts

Notice to conscripts of New Kent Charles City, and James City counties.

--All persons in the counties of New Kent, Charles City, and James City, between the ages of eighteen and forty years, whether residents of any other portion of the state or of other States, are hereby required to report themselves to the Enrolling Officer and Examining Board for examination and enrollment on the days fixed in the annexed notice of the Examining Board.

Rendezvous for Charles City county is Charles City Court-House.

This notice includes every person between the ages specified; those who have been heretofore examined and discharged, either by the State or Confederate Surgeon; those who have at any time been discharged from the army; those who have furnished substitutes and any and all persons who may claim exemption on any ground whatever — No person's discharge, exemption or detail, from any source, will excuse from attendance at the place appointed.

Attention is called to XIII sections 2 and 3, General Orders No, 82, as follow:

2. All the laws and regulations applicable to deserters shall be applied to such conscripts as fall to repair to the place of rendezvous for enrollment, or who shall desert after enrollment.

3. All the agencies employed for the apprehension and confinement of deserters, and their transportation to the commends of their respective commanders shall be applicable to persons liable to duty as conscripts who shall fail to report to the place of rendezvous after the publication of the call.

Conscripts will come provided with at least three days rations.

Jno. A. Coke,

 Capt. and Enrolling Officer for 3d Con. Dis't.

The undersigned, one of the Examining Board for the Third Congressional District, under General Orders 82, Adjutant and Inspector-General's office, hereby given notice to all whom if may concern that he has fixed upon the 13th, 14th, and 15th days of January for the examination of conscripts who shall assemble at New Kent Court-House, from the counties of New Kent and James City; and the 20th, 21st, and 22d of January for the examination of conscripts who shall assemble at Charles City Court-House, for the county of Charles City, in pursuance of the notice from the commandant of conscripts.

O. R. Early,

Examining Surgeon.

print run ja 6--5t

-Richmond Daily Dispatch, December 13, 1862

Road Work

-from the Virginia Gazette, June 8, 1911

Jan 14, 1863- On the Pamunkey

USS Mahaska

- The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.; Series 1 - Volume 18

Brrrr . . .

-from the Virginia Gazette, January 18, 1912

A Glass of Wine with Banastre Tarleton

On the Pamunkey January 1863, part 4- Dramatis Personae

Erasmus Darwin Keyes

Foxhall Alexander Parker

On the Pamunkey January 1863, part 3

 -  

from Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. ; Series I - Volume 8: North Atlantic Blockading Squadron (September 5, 1862 - May 4, 1863)

On the Pamunkey January 1863, part 2

-from The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies. ; Series 1 - Volume 18

On the Pamunkey January 1863, part 1

The Yankee Raid on the White House.

[Correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.]

                     White House, January 9, 1863.

About 500 U.S. cavalry, and a like number of infantry, landed at West Point at 12 o'clock Wednesday night. The cavalry came to the White House. Ten crossed the river, burnt the depot two stoops, about 1,000 bushels of grain, one old Yankee barge, two pontoons, set fire to the little steamer, which soon sank, but will be raised to morrow. She is about one horse power. They also burnt Mr. Taylor's shanty, with a quantity of goods and some liquor; a house of Gen. Lee's, occupied by Captain Kimble as an eating-house; set fire to the wharf, which was soon put out by Mr. Taylor; stole several articles; waited (hid behind the bank) for the cars to arrive, which they would also have taken but for Galba Valden, engineer of the little steamer, and Capt. Gage, who went up the railroad, met the cars, and stopped them about three miles of the White House, thus serving the engine we had taken from the Yankees, and cars, worth about $25,000. They had three pieces of artillery with them, but did not use them, only firing their small arms.

Two gunboats and one came up the Pamunkey within about four miles of the White House, the same night, and returned next morning, firing as they went down. One shell fell in the New Kent Court-House yard, bursted, and knocked out part of brick in the clerk's office. Several others fell near. The Court House is about two miles from the river. 

A shell also fell near Captain Sparrow's house. The gunboats had two masts each, and carried six guns on a side; the lug had one gun. The Yankees--gunboats, cavalry, and infantry — all left West Point last night at twelve o'clock. In passing through King William county they stole all Mr. William Johnson's , carried off one of his men, and made all it a darkles (sic) they met go with them. Several made out to get away from them as West Point, and is turned to their masters. The whole of the troops nearly wore drunk, also the slaves would not have a gotten away. They stole several geese from William New, at the Point, the gallant officer killing two at a lick with his sword. And now, strange to say, we had no pickets, on the Pamunkey, nor have we had any for several weeks, to my knowledge, as I have been all the way down the river in the night, to within four miles of West Point; and also twice in the day time, and I never saw or heard of a picket. If there is one river in this State easily defended it is the Pamunkey. In several places the banks are seventy feet perpendicular above the river and a steamer is compelled to go within one hundred and fifty set of these banks. Whose fault is it that a trade of half a million bushels of grain is not protected? The Yankees said when they came up that they intended to put a stop to the grain trade.

-Richmond Daily Dispatch, January 10, 1863

Attack on our pickets — affairs on the Peninsula.

 [correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.]

White House, (on the Pamunkey,) December 6th, 1862

About 11 o'clock last night a courier arrived here from our forces below this place, stating that an Abolition force of about three hundred, from Williamsburg, had attacked our pickets, twenty-eight in number, near Barhamsville, killing or capturing all but one, who got into camp safe and made the above statement, and that the enemy were still advancing. As the reports of the pickets are not always to be relied on, it is more than probable that more of our pickets will return to camp. Our forces advanced to meet the "Hessians," and of course we have no fears for the result. The enemy, it seems, are trying to get to the York River Railroad and bar it up; but they will have a lively time before, they reach it. Some days since the notorious traitor, Lemuel J. Bowden, left Williamsburg, went to Washington, and complained that the military commander of the "Old Burg" was too lenient to our citizens, and that he ought to be removed. On his return, he was walking quietly down the street, consoles of having accomplished his ends, when some Yankees fell to and gave him such a handsome drubbing that it is thought he will, as of old, have to keep his house for several weeks.

One hundred fifty years ago . . .

Battle-field plunder.

--A large lot of battle field plunder, consisting of overcoats, fine blankets, axes, muskets, pistols, and rifles, were recovered yesterday by the detectives of the Eastern District from the house of a man in New Kent. The possessor resisted the seizure with all the force he could command. The articles were brought to Richmond and stowed in the Government warehouse. 

. . . the Richmond Daily Dispatch, November 12, 1862