Schenkl shell was unearthed near a historic home in Manassas. After it is disarmed, the ordnance will be showcased at 200th anniversary of Liberia House

Civil War artillery shell (left) after it was found near creek at Liberia House (City of Manassas)

On a sunny afternoon last week, contractors using heavy equipment at a creek near the historic Liberia House in Manassas, Va., unearthed something quite out of the ordinary.

Workers who are restoring eroded banks of Flat Branch Creek and safeguarding a spring house contacted city staff. Employees sprang into action, calling Manassas police. Police Sgt. Brett Stumpf said the department reached out to the Virginia State Police bomb squad.

Once on scene, experts carefully worked around a 3-inch artillery round caked in dirt but quite intact.

“It’s definitely a Schenkl shell – and it’s in really great shape,” Mary Helen Dellinger, curator for the Manassas Museum -- which manages the site -- told the Picket in an email Wednesday. “The fuse was not present when the shell was discovered.”

Map shows the Liberia House (top left) and the highlighted work area where the shell was found (City of Manassas)

The ordnance, which would have been filled with black powder, is now with Virginia State Police.

“It was determined to be a live round and was removed from the site by our agent,” said Matt Demlein, public relations coordinator for the agency. “At a later date, it will be turned over to Marine Corps Base Quantico for safe rendering and then returned to the City of Manassas.”

Rendering could include removing any explosive material inside. Stumpf said he had no timeline for the examination of the shell. It's possible it will be exploded if it cannot be rendered safe, he added.

City Manager Steve Burke mentioned the April 9 discovery during a council meeting on Monday night. His announcement was first reported by the local Patch news site.

Local officials believe the shell will be a great addition to events marking the 200^th anniversary of the city-owned house, which is notable for its large number of enslaved persons working the plantation before the Civil War and graffiti left by Union soldiers who occupied the dwelling.

The Liberia House is made of bricks fired from red clay on site (City of Manassas)

The Schenkl was primarily used by Federal artillerymen in a variety of cannons, including the Parrott..

“As far as Federal vs. Confederate shell – it’s difficult to say,” said Dellinger of this example. “We do know that during the Battle of Bull Run Bridge the 2^nd New York was stationed on the property (exact location unknown) and were firing at the Confederates at Fort Beauregard (located about ½ mile from Liberia). Because of the history of both sides being on the property during the war, it’s really hard to say which side left the shell behind.”

About 400,000 Schenkl shells were made during the Civil War. They came in several styles, including ones that contained case shot. It had a Papier-mache sabot.

Generals stayed here, and so did soldier graffiti

Before war came to Manassas and other communities in Northern Virginia, the landscape was dotted with small farms and large plantations.

Liberia House was built for William J. and Harriett Weir in 1825. Enslaved laborers did most of the construction on the two-story, Federal style brick home. They are believed to have crafted much of the stylish interior, too. Its 1,600 acres made Liberia House a large working farm and plantation.

The Prince William County property served as headquarters for Confederate and Union forces early in the war. Jefferson Davis (in 1861) and Abraham Lincoln (in 1862) came here to confer with their generals. “Proof of occupation is displayed as faded graffiti left by Union soldiers is visible on interior walls,” the city says.

Soldiers from both sides wrote graffiti in many structures in the region. Those surviving at Liberia Hall are Union.

Among the inscribers were Capt. Levin Bevins Day (left) of the 3^rd Delaware and Leverett Horatio Waldo of the 130^th New York. The inscriptions date from 1863 to 1864.

“Armed with pencils, red crayons or charcoal from a fire, graffiti was a way for soldiers to leave a piece of themselves behind as they marched into uncertain conditions,” a city website says.

Dellinger told the Picket past archaeological digs at Liberia yielded numerous Civil War-related pieces, among them buttons, bullets, small bits a pieces of metal that relate to horse equipage, other accoutrements and a sword -- “the coolest thing until this shell.”

“We’ve also found evidence of civilian life -- clay marbles, shards of dinnerware, bits of old brick, pottery and pieces of farm equipment,” the curator said.

City has long told history of the enslaved

Manassas, obviously, is associated with two major battles and numerous smaller operations and skirmishes. But the city also touts its extensive Black history by creating a trail for residents and visitors.

The Liberia House tells the story of the enslaved people on the land at the time of the war.

“Eliza and Phillip. Frances and Nathaniel. Susan and George. These and more than 70 others, their names lost to history, were enslaved to the Weir Family of Liberia,” a Manassas Museum sign says. “Decade after decade, two generations of men, women and children, regarded as personal property, lived and toiled on this land.”

A 2015 Washington Post article on Liberia House discussed how stories of the enslaved were finally getting attention in many historic sites.

“At the Liberia Plantation … scholars and historians have engaged in an extended debate about whether the name is a reference to the nation of Liberia, where African Americans settled in 1820, or a nod to the Libra sign of the zodiac,” the article says.

The city has told the story of enslaved people at Liberia for more than two decades.(19th century photo right, Library of Congress)

Linneall Naylor, a descendant of one slave who bought his freedom, told the Post said she learned to embrace the past.

“No one talked about it – it was such a touchy subject, especially for African Americans,” she said. “Slavery was such a hardship for families, and a lot of people moved to get away from the memories.”

Celebrating Liberia House through the fall

Manassas officials hope to share the Schenkl shell with the public at the main 200^th anniversary celebration in October.

“We are also putting together a special exhibition, “Liberia: Sentry to the Ages” in honor of the 200^th,” Dellinger said. “That exhibit will open at the Manassas Museum on June 6 and remain on public view through next spring.”

Liberia House and Manassas Museum are among eight historic sites administered by the city.

Rachel Goldberg, programs and education coordinator at the museum, said a daylong event is planned for Oct. 11.

Among events leading up to that are a "basement to attic" tour this Saturday, open house days on Saturdays during the summer and a “history happy hour” in August.

Liberia House is located at 8601 Portner Ave., Manassas. The house is open for special events and tours and an annual bee festival, which is scheduled for June 21. The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. For more information, contact the Manassas Museum at 703-368-187

NW Georgia depot known for 'Great Locomotive Chase' will reopen by summer as a place where philanthropy gets on track. We got an inside look at the renovation

Work is in full swing at the Western & Atlantic Depot (Picket photos), a stop in the Great Locomotive Chase

The past few months have seen me move a bit from my customary “armchair blogger” status to getting on the road (yes!) – reporting about sites rich with history but also dreamers who are turning old spaces into something useful.

Such was the case this past Friday, when I drove to Dalton, the carpet city in Northwest Georgia. I got an inside peek at the Western & Atlantic Railroad Depot, which is being repurposed as a charming community gathering place.

The site is best known to Civil War enthusiasts for its brief part in the “Great Locomotive Chase.” Locals tend to think about the Dalton Depot, a longtime restaurant and club which operated in the long brick building until about 10 years ago.

David Aft, right, showed me around the work inside depot (Picket photos)

“Everybody has a depot story,” said David Aft, president of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, which will occupy half the historic depot. The civic engagement facilitator, clad in a blue sports coat and jeans, occasionally stopped to talk with workers about construction details as he showed me around.

After a brief brush against one wall, I was careful to stay away from fresh paint as we moved toward a central room that will be the hub for foundation. The gathering space will feature 30-foot sliding glass doors on either side, opening to several smaller nooks in which people can continue their conversations.

Aft told me he hopes his five employees of the philanthropic organization will be able to move in by the end of May. There’s still plenty to be done, and work on the exterior of the 1852 depot will begin soon, he said. Much of the wood around the brick needs to be repaired or replaced.

Why the move across town?

That’s an easy one: There will be modern furniture, more bathrooms, space to move around and idea-creation “in the center of all things Dalton.”

The depot, he previously told me, was the hub for commercial growth and the point of origin for surveys and maps in the 19^th century.

Now, its rustic exterior and historic features inside will help usher big and small ideas for the region.

A pivotal telegraph message during Andrews Raid

The Western & Atlantic Railroad line from Atlanta to Chattanooga was completed in the early 1850s; the Dalton depot opened in 1852 to provide passenger and freight service.

The large central room will be in the area with the large gray bucket (Picket photo)

The building had its moment of fame on April 12, 1862, when Northern raiders who had commandeered the locomotive General in Big Shanty, above Atlanta, were chugging toward Chattanooga, intent on destroying parts of the railroad. They were under the command of James Andrews.

The pursuing locomotive Texas picked up a 17-year-old telegraph operator who rushed to the Dalton depot and wired Confederate troops ahead in Chattanooga.

Although not all his message got through, Edward Henderson’s alarm sent troops toward the track. The Andrews Raiders were captured near Ringgold when the General ran out of steam. They had accomplished little but lore surrounding the "Great Locomotive Chase" was born.

Robert Jenkins, an attorney and preservationist of area Civil War battlefields, noted the first recipients of the Medal of Honor were the majority of of the Andrews Raiders, making the depot a significant part of U.S. history.

I asked Aft about ideas for interpreting the chase and Civil War.

“At this stage, we expect to have some historical signage and a few artifacts, but I don’t have any specifics,” he said. “There are no plans for a ‘museum’ right now and no conversations about curating a collection or anything like that.  It is a possibility in the future, but what that will look like and how comprehensive it has yet to be determined.”

According to a nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places, “the depot might have been partially destroyed when Union troops entered Dalton and set fire to several buildings in 1862. It appears that the essential structure of the depot was not damaged and the restoration was confined to roof and interior repair. Since the ornamental brackets are stylistically later than the date of the rest of the building, it is likely that they replaced others lost in the destruction.”

The 12,100-square-foot brick building is “a pretty high-style example of Georgia depot architecture” and has Greek Revival features. It features stone lintels, brick pilasters and door entablatures.

Building will be a mix of old and the very new 

The old Western & Atlantic is a fixture in Dalton, Ga. (Picket photo)

The city years ago contracted with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to market the vacant and deteriorated building. Officials wanted $500,000, but eventually sold it to local Barrett Properties in 2018 for $300,000. 

The community foundation will occupy the former nightclub area. Barrett Properties is marketing the other side, which still has remnants of dining booths.

The foundation is leasing its space, spending upward of $400,000 for the renovation at 110 Depot St.

During my hour-long tour, I got an occasional look at older features, including brick, telegraph window, wood flooring and a freight scale (Picket photo, left).

For Aft, the project mixes nostalgia, history and preservation. Not everyone is interested in each of those aspects, he acknowledged. But they are interested in community needs that include mental health programs, food banks, education and other civic projects. The area’s Latino population has grown considerably. Housing affordability is a big issue, said Aft.

“We partner with you to turn your dollars into impact through grants, endowments, foundations, and donor advised funds. Your passions might include your local community or a global community, and our expertise provides guidance and coordination to match your passions with real results,” the foundation says.

The foundation currently works from the top floor of a building with a more traditional setting, about a mile from the depot. The new location will allow about 40 people to comfortably gather and the foundation, when also using the large common area at the entrance, can host up to 200 people for receptions.

The trick is making up for less government funding

Officials said the reopened depot will help buttress revitalization in downtown Dalton.

They want locals to spend their dollars there, rather than nearby Chattanooga, Tenn., and to enjoy the nearby Burr Performing Arts Park, among other venues (Picket photo, right).

The foundation worked with the late philanthropist Jeanne Burr to create the venue, demonstrating arts and culture help fuel economic development.

Aft points to other attractions in the area: Retail at the Mill at Crown Garden, the Mill Line pedestrian and bicycle trail and Rocky Face Ridge Park, scene of a major Civil War battle in May 1864.

Like other nonprofits, the foundation faces challenges from reduced government spending. “We have to roll up our sleeves” to deal with what Aft called a resource scarcity crisis.

The need for nonprofits to step in to help address critical issues is especially important, given the general distrust of government in this deeply red corner of Georgia. Aft calls himself a cheerleader and facilitator.

“Charity is an act of confidence” that someone can care for their family and someone else, he said.

That concept is being challenged these days amid economic uncertainty.

Getting folks together in a pretty cool space

Norfolk Southern and CSX have tracks running through downtown Dalton, and another depot to the south serves as a tourism stop. Trains roll by regularly, so visitors will very much know the context of this gathering spot,

For Aft (left, Picket photo), the foundation is all about convening stakeholders. The setting needs to be comfortable, with a good flow that brings people together into the central room and then into corners featuring some privacy. Large TV monitors are being built into the space.

The staff will work from upstairs and lower-floor offices at the south end of the building.

They will foster engaging conversations and collaboration zones in the building. Aft figures it will take up to a year to figure out how to effectively use the space.

The key is preserving the wealth of the region while providing substantive results to individual donors and organizations and government.

The executive says his role is to support dreams, listen closely and provide reality checks on ideas.

Aft’s mantra: “Be helpful.”

An effort to build two effective Confederate warships turned out to be a bust in Columbus, Ga. A talk Friday will examine how a postwar industrial boom followed

CSS Jackson in the Chattahoochee River late in the Civil War (U.S. Navy photo)

A symposium exploring the historical and environmental significance of Georgia’s waterways will feature a talk on how the production of two Confederate gunboats set the stage for new postwar industry in the Columbus area.

Logan Barrett, director of history and collections at the National Civil War Naval Museum, on Friday afternoon (April 11) will present “The Chattahoochee River Squadron: Wartime Ending, New South Beginning” at the Georgia Archives in Morrow.

“I will be arguing that although these ships had almost no military success during the Civil War, their historical significance rests as precursors to New South industry,” Barrett (below) told the Picket in an email.

Popularized by Atlanta newspaper editor Henry Grady, the term “New South” signified the move from a largely agrarian society to one with more industry. Much of this occurred in the late 19^th century following Reconstruction. But the economic modernization largely failed to benefit poor whites and blacks and kept intact the Jim Crow system.

Columbus was a critically important industrial center for the Confederacy, making a wide range of weapons and equipment.

Today, the stars of the naval museum are the remains of the ironclad CSS Jackson and twin-screw wooden ship CSS Chattahoochee. 

The Jackson (originally named the Muscogee) was designed to protect Columbus from Union navy marauders and blockaders. Construction began in early 1863 but there were numerous problems, including coming up with a worthy power system. It was built entirely in Columbus.

When it was finally launched in December 1864, the local newspaper said: “This splendid ram was successfully launched yesterday at about 11 o’clock and now sits as calmly upon the Chattahoochee as a duck upon a pond."

Engines for the Chattahoochee were made in Columbus and shipped downstream to Saffold, about 10 miles north of the Florida border, where the wooden boat was built. The ship sank after a boiler explosion, was raised and moved to Columbus, where it was being refitted at war’s end.

Both were lost in April 1865 at war’s end -- the Jackson set afire by Federal captors and the Chattahoochee scuttled by its own crew. Neither vessel fired upon the enemy in their relatively short histories. 

They were recovered from the Chattahoochee River in the 1960s.

Postcard showing the Eagle and Phenix Mills in Columbus early in the 20th century

Barrett’s PowerPoint starts with the founding of the city in 1828 and covers the advent of textile mills, the formation of the Confederate navy yard, enslaved labor, the redesign and cost overruns of the Jackson, postwar rebuilding (including the return of the Columbus Iron Works and the Eagle and Phenix Mills) and labor conditions.

Barrett is working on a larger research project for the museum's planned exhibition “Columbus: A Civil War City.” Topics will include Horace King, a remarkable bridge builder born into slavery.

“During the Civil War, Columbus supplied the Confederacy with textile products, gun carriages, cannon and shot, Indian rubber cloth, tents, military caps and uniforms, steam engines, and gun boats,” according to Historic Columbus.The Chattahoochee River city near doubled in wartime population to 17,000. 

The city fell to Union troops near the end of the war.

Much of Columbus’ heavy industry declined after the war, but it remained strong in textiles and mill products for decades. Utilizing cheap labor, industrialists made capital investments and built textile mills across town.

“Both small and large entrepreneurs immediately rebuilt their enterprises. Foundries started producing by June, and textile mills were in back in operation by December 1865. By 1870 more than 100 manufacturers operated within the city, but the small nontextile companies languished in that decade,” says the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Crucial to the New South was a diversified economy, including tobacco, and the growth of railroads and  transportation systems. But the good times didn’t last forever. Mills shuttered as international competitors grew.

Revitalization in the 1990s and Fort Benning’s strength turned things around in the core of the city. Columbus State University lofts filled vacant buildings and taverns and shops replaced wig shops.

Other talks at the free Friday-Saturday symposium include environmental protection of the Chattahoochee River, recycling of treated wastewater in Clayton County, water and wildlife diversity on the Georgia coast, maritime archaeological sites and the journeys of those using various water craft.

Barrett will speak around 2:35 p.m. Friday for about an hour. The symposium is free and open to the public, with no registration required. It will take place at the Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow. Details are here

This Model 1840 sword wields a remarkable story. A Union sergeant bestowed it at war's end to a Confederate prisoner with whom he shared the name Lemon

Model 1840 sword, blade detail and leather frog (Picket photos), Capt. Lemon during the Civil War

Capt. James Lile Lemon might have walked with a limp to shield what he was carrying in his trousers. Or perhaps he somehow covered the gift as he left Fort Delaware for freedom after serving years in Union prisons.

Whatever the circumstances, the Confederate officer was determined to bring the item back to his home in Acworth, Ga. And that’s where it is kept today – 160 years later.

I visited the Lemon house recently during events marking two new Civil War markers out front, one describing Lemon’s service and the other the Federal occupation of the town in June 1864. Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman used the residence as his headquarters for a couple days.

I asked Mark Lemon, who was sitting in a rocker on his front porch, whether I could see any of the captain’s belongings. Lemon’s second great-grandfather was remarkable for not only his military service, but his penchant for saving nearly everything he owned during the Civil War.

Most of the artifacts are in the collection of the Atlanta History Center, which purchased them in 2020 from the widow of a Macon, Ga., collector.

But one that stayed in the family is an NCO sword given to James Lemon at Fort Delaware in June 1865 after he finally took an oath of allegiance to the United States. The Confederate had earned the respect of one of the prison staff, who also had the name Lemon -- Sgt. Lemon Kline of the 215^th Pennsylvania Infantry. It’s easy to speculate whether the shared name had anything to do with their apparent friendship.

I don’t know whether the two men – who were both in their 30s during the Civil  – maintained a friendship after the war, but Mark Lemon said the story goes Kline told James Lemon, “Tell your family you once knew a good Yankee.”

Mark Lemon showed me the sword and a framed piece of paper written by James Lemon, who routinely made notes on his belongings. The note mentioned how he came to receive the sword.

(Civil War Picket photo)

One side of the blade (above) records it was made by Ames Manufacturing of Chicopee, Mass., a significant provider of weapons and tools for the Union. Some consider Ames the Cadillac of US military sword makers during the period.

The reverse has the stamp:

U.S.
ADK
1863

I am no sword expert, so I turned to the Authentic Campaigner Facebook group for help.

Built for combat, used mostly for presentation

I quickly learned the weapon is a Model 1840 sword for use largely by infantry and artillery NCOs. The initials ADK indicate the name of the manufacture inspector. The handle is made of brass.

When I examined the blade, I noticed it was quite light and not sharpened. Some commenters compared it to the spadroon, a light sword with a straight-edged blade.

One commenter said this model was mostly a symbol of rank and authority. The military used the sword, based on French and English models, for about 70 years.

So it is understandable Kline, as a sergeant, would have carried one. (At left, a Union NCO holds a Model 1840 sword, Library of Congress). Some of the weapons were issued to musician NCOs.

Another commenter presented a brief history of the weapon and a different take on its usefulness.

“Don't believe the hype where folks say that swords were unimportant to the war. This particular model sword may not have been frequently used in combat, mostly because sergeants would be using their bayonet in hand-to-hand combat before resorting to the sword.

"Regardless, this design of sword was intended for combat, with a design used for over a century, and not exclusively for presentation.”

The Model 1840 also could have been useful in “directing traffic” by keep troops and inmates in a straight line. 

Interestingly, the scabbard of Lemon's sword is made of leather. A few Authentic Campaigner commenters noted the "frog," a piece of leather which allows the wearer to carry a sword for a short time, likewise was in very good condition and at least as valuable as the sword.

Lemon items will get big play in next exhibit

Two years ago, the Atlanta History Center invited Lemon descendants to see the amazing collection, which is not currently on display. Mark Lemon showed the sword to AHC senior military historian and curator Gordon Jones.

Mark Lemon (left) brought the sword to the Atlanta History Center in 2023. (Picket photo)

The Lemon collection – which features  a captured drum, revolver, letters, canteen, photographs and much more -- will be showcased in its own case after a revamp of the center’s aged “Turning Point: The American Civil War” exhibit. (The sword will remain with the family).

“That story has a lot to say about Confederate soldiers' wartime experiences,” Jones recently told me.  

The historian said the new exhibit is set to open in June 2026. It will go deeper into “causes and results,” including slavery, politics and Reconstruction. There will still be plenty of weapons and military items on display in that space and the Goldstein gallery, Jones said.

The George Wray Jr. collection of rare Confederate weapons will be in the Goldstein space.

Confederate captain reluctantly took oath

Mark Lemon keeps this note by his ancestor near the Model 1840 sword (Picket photo)

James L. Lemon served with Company A, 18^th Georgia Infantry, part of John Bell Hood’s Texas Brigade. He enlisted as a second lieutenant in 1861 for a three-year term. Lemon was described as having a “light complexion, dark hair, blue eyes, [and] 6 feet” in height.

The regiment fought in numerous Eastern battles – including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Second Manassas and Chancellorsville. The farmer and merchant from Acworth had a close call at Gettysburg, when a Yankee bullet struck his canteen, causing it to strike his head.

His combat days came to a close in November 1863, when Lemon was severely wounded by a Minie ball in the pharynx and taken prison after an assault on Fort Sanders in Knoxville, Tenn. .

By the time he arrived at Fort Pulaski, Ga., in October 1864, Lemon had already been in at three Federal prisons: One in Louisville, Ky; Camp Chase in Ohio and Fort Delaware, Delaware. He kept several diaries. The officer etched his name onto a wall at Pulaski.

Capt. Lemon etched his name and regiment into a wall at Fort Pulaski (Picket photo)

In March 1865, the Rebel officers, including Lemon, were returned to Fort Delaware, where they were held until the end of the war. Shortly after their return to Delaware, the captain’s diary describes harsh conditions at Fort Pulaski and alleged mistreatment by his captors. 

“We have recently returned to this place after a most brutal & cowardly outrage against humanity. I cannot now speak of the sufferings & deprivations & humiliations we were subjected to. Many among us are now dead from starvation, disease, shot or beaten to death and the rest of us are about used up from the shameful journey forced upon us by the Yanks. I know not of the reason for this but we are told it is for some reported offense against a few of their prisoners in Charleston.”

He held off taking the oath for two months after Appomattox but finally relented.

In his journal, Lemon wrote: “I have done the unspeakable but I am now paroled & today set out for home. My duty to my country is done, mine to my family remains.”

Lemon returned to Acworth and had 11 children with his wife Eliza. He was a retail merchant and then a bank executive. He was serving as president of the bank when he died on June 12, 1907, at age 71.

Mark Lemon has lived in the house for 30 years and with the help of friends, has been restoring the home’s exterior and side buildings, with plans to turn to the interior.

The house is painted in bright yellow (a suitable color?), but he says it was clad in white for at least a short time in the 19^th century.

Illness sidelined Lemon Kline in two great battles

I have been unable to learn a great deal about Kline, beyond service and pension records. The blue-eyed farmer lived in York County before and following the Civil War.

Much of what I learned comes from a Findagrave page, which lists his birth as July 24, 1830.

Sgt. Lemon Kline's Pennsylvania veterans card via Fold3

Rosters indicate he first enlisted in the 30^th Pennsylvania Infantry

“Admitted to a Washington hospital on September 9, 1862, for illness, he almost certainly missed the battle of Antietam. He returned to duty but was again hospitalized January 18 through July 1, 1863, thus missing the battle of Gettysburg,” says the page.

He was transferred to the state’s Veteran Reserve Corps and honorably discharged in June 1864.

Kline reenlisted in late March 1865 in Lancaster, joining the 215^th Pennsylvania. Presumably at Fort Delaware, he was promoted to first sergeant on April 21. He was mustered out with his company on July 31.

He apparently got a disability pension in 1878. The 1880 census lists the veteran, his wife, Catharine, and three daughters and three sons. Kline died at age 69 in November 1899 and his widow received a pension. She died in 1904.

The York County History Center has not been able to locate a photograph of the soldier.

“However, it does seem we have some information on him and his family, including census abstracts, his marriage record, and cemetery record,” said library assistant Emma Streb.

(At right, Findagrave photo courtesy ajtarman710)

A view of the sword and scabbard on the porch of the Lemon house in Acworth, Ga. (Picket photo)

For her (and his) eyes only: Candid correspondence between brigadier general and his young bride are donated to Virginia Tech. Their honesty still resonates

A letter exchanged by the Whartons (Virginia Tech) and a 2022 book about them

The recent donation to Virginia Tech of more than 500 letters exchanged by a Confederate general and his young wife is all the more remarkable because those she sent survived.

Civil War historian and author William C. “Jack” Davis explained why in an interview about the correspondence between Brig. Gen. Gabriel C. Wharton and Anne “Nannie” Radford Wharton from early 1863 to July 1865.

“Typically, the woman’s letters -- wife, mother, whomever -- didn’t survive because they got carried around in a soldier’s knapsack, got wet or were read or reread until they fell apart,” Davis said in 2022. “But General Wharton kept her letters, and every few months he would send them all back to her, and he told her to put them all together into a book to preserve them.”

Virginia Tech on Monday announced the donation of the letters and other 19^th century papers by Sue Heth Bell (left), a 1988 alumna and great-great-granddaughter of Wharton. She lives in Wellesley, Mass. (Virginia Tech photo)

When Gen. Wharton passed away in 1906 (Nannie died in 1890), he left the papers in steamer trunks and boxes in his Glencoe Mansion in Radford. The family sold the property in the 1980s (it is now a museum). Bell’s mother took the boxes to Florida, unaware of their contents, according to the Roanoke Times. Sue Bell located the letters in 2012.

“Buried under what seemed like a pile of forgotten papers, were over 1,000 Civil War era documents, including deeply personal letters that offer an unfiltered glimpse into history,” Bell said in a Virginia Tech article about the correspondence, much of which was stitched together.

Bell spent years going over what was inside. She and Davis collaborated on a 2022 book, “The Whartons’ War,” featuring many of the candid letters. It covers their courtship (He was 37, she 19 when they married), the course of the war, life at home, news from the front, the general’s superiors and more. Bell and Davis spoke Saturday night at Virginia Tech about the southwest Virginia couple.

One bit of correspondence must have been particularly difficult.

According to the Roanoke Times, Gabriel wrote Nannie to say her brother, Col. John Taylor Radford, had been wounded. Radford later died.

“One of the most powerful moments came on Nov. 15, 2018, when I opened a letter from Nov. 15, 1864,” Bell told Virginia Tech. “My heart stopped as I read that Nannie’s brother Johnnie had been shot -- presumed mortally but not confirmed. I forced myself to wait until the next day to learn his fate just as his family had to wait for the news. I kept reminding myself that these people had been dead for over 160 years but in that moment, their anguish felt so real. I can still feel my own emotion as I read that terrible letter.” (Virginia Tech photo of a letter)

Bell discovered signed orders of the day from Gens. Jubal Early and John C. Breckinridge, both of whom Wharton fought alongside, and documents reflecting Confederate roll calls of troops and sick calls, according to the Roanoke newspaper.

Davis, in his interview with “America’s Civil War,” said the letters collection “opens the door on southwestern Virginia itself -- on what was going on in one of those overlooked backwaters that was, in fact, vitally important to the Confederacy, in part because it was home to the only east-west railroad, and it was a major source of lead, coal, and other such essentials.” (At right, Sue Bell with Aaron Purcell of VT University Libraries)

The article was titled “A Confederate Love Affair: Was This the Most Romantic Couple of the Civil War?”

Davis describes Nannie as shrewd and direct.

“Whereas General Wharton is all about feeling. It’s like someone today who at the drop of a hat will start gushing about how he’s feeling. I’m not saying he’s not manly. He doesn’t seem hung up in the male ethic of the time. He’s willing to be very sensitive and vulnerable, and his openness with her is pretty striking,” Davis told the magazine

The officer served in Virginia and Tennessee, and his regiments included the 45^th and 51^st Virginia Infantry. As a brigade commander he fought at New Market, Cold Harbor and during Early’s raid on Washington, D.C.

After the war, Gen. Wharton was involved in mining and became instrumental in the development of a railroad line. He served in the state legislature and with Virginia Tech boards in the 1870s. The campus is in Blacksburg.

William C. "Jack" Davis and Sue H. Bell talk about the Wharton letters (Virginia Tech)

The couple’s correspondence will be cataloged by and preserved by Virginia Tech's  Special Collections and University Archives. Some of the letters will be digitized and be made available to researchers. (The Davis and Bell book includes transcriptions of much of the correspondence).

The materials also contribute to the African American history of the region, detailing the lives and experiences of enslaved individuals associated with the Wharton family, said the school.

“Unlike official records or polished memoirs, these letters were never meant for public eyes,” Bell told Virginia Tech. “The people who wrote them were simply corresponding with loved ones, sharing their thoughts, fears and daily struggles with raw honesty. Reading them 160 years later, I don’t just see history, I meet real people. And what is most striking is how much they resemble us today.”