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| George Roosa's grave sits on a hillside in the Woodstock Cemetery - A reminder of those lost during the Civil War |
When Confederate guns opened fire on Fort Sumter 150 years ago last week, the primary concern of isolated Woodstockers - some 850 miles from the cannon fire that gave start to the Civil War - centered not on emancipation or the economy of the South, but on their own economic prospects and on what living they could forge from the Catskill Mountain landscape. At the time, quarrying, tanning, coaxing vegetables from rocky soil and cutting timber from dense forests served as the primary economic engines of a small town still decades away from the arrival of a man named Whitehead and a utopian idea to be called Byrdcliffe. Slavery, however, though abolished in New York State in 1827, remained a stain on Woodstock’s collective memory - as it had for most northern cities, towns and villages. The 1790 census for Woodstock, for example, listed fourteen slaves within the township. Ten years later, the 1800 census showed twenty-six slaves held by eleven different masters. Whether enslaved in the south or the north, you were still a slave and, despite what some have posited, one did not have it “better” than the other.
Notwithstanding its relative isolation and lack of direct connection to the forces that were mobilizing far from the slopes of Overlook, Woodstock was not without commitment to the northern cause, however. As Aaron Longyear wrote home to his family following his enlistment, "we will do all we can to protect the stars and stripes and if we fall we have the consolation of doing our duty, and all we ask for those at Home is their prayers for our success, and I think God will crown us with success as our enemies fly before us in confusion."
Longyear was but one of many who heeded the call. As young volunteers eager to find the adventure they believed war offered gave way to the inscription and the payment of bounties to encourage enlistment, Woodstockers soon found themselves writing home from places that now echo through the years... Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, to name but a few. Most would return, speaking little of their experiences once they did. Others would not. Some were cut down by their Confederate counterparts as the savagery of warfare climbed to levels here-to-fore unknown by any army before them. Others, such as Longyear, would fall victim to disease as their will to live was tested by the inhumanity of Confederate prison camps such as Andersonville. Still others, wounded as they were, would succumb to their wounds, to infection or disease - while the "lucky ones" eventually returned home absent a limb or, in some cases, limbs.
As the war dragged on, as the easy victory predicted to take but a few months moved into years, those who remained at home grew weary of the war and the slaughter that had them scanning casualty lists following each reported battle. Woodstockers were not alone. In 1864, though victorious in his campaign against the Democratic nominee George McClellan, Abraham Lincoln would fail to carry Ulster County in the November election.
Today, the record of those Woodstockers who took up arms in defense of the Union and, ultimately, emancipation, rests securely in a safe in the Woodstock Town Clerk's office. The paper-bound volume compiled in 1865 by then town clerk, Edgar Snyder, accounts for the service of some seventy-nine local men whose lives were forever redirected by the war.
Titled, inside the cover, as the "COMPLETE RECORD, As Required by Chapter 690, of the Laws of 1865, Relating To Officers. Soldiers and Seamen, Composing the Quotas of the Troops Furnished to The United States, by the Town of Woodstock, County of Ulster, State of New York, In the War of the Rebellion, and covering the period from the 15th day of April, 1861, to the date of the certificate of the Town Clerk, attached to this record," the document was prepared by Snyder at the conclusion of the war.
As the reader carefully turns the well-worn pages, however, questions arise when viewing the names and the basic information provided. Instinctively, you want to know more. Each name offers an incomplete story as you wonder what these young men of Woodstock saw, what they experienced and what the feared? They were men from the quiet of the Catskills thrust into the madness of war and it is only through Snyder's brief record that we are able to connect to them as individuals – and, in doing so, with Woodstock’s role in a greater history that is central to the American story.
While space does not permit the complete listing compiled by Snyder, what follows are
reminders. Reminders, as we continue to mark the Civil War's sesquicentennial over the next
four years, that even the larger chapters in our history are built on foundations crafted by the
lives of individuals - individuals from places like Woodstock.
(Note: All spelling that follows has been left exactly as penned by Snyder.)
ALONZO SYLVESTER LEWIS, born Woodstock Jan. 21, 1843, parents William P. Lewis, Sarah Tripp. Private 120th N.Y. Enlisted at W. Aug. 15, 1862 for 3 yrs. White. Died at Richmond Va., (Feb. 20, 1864, aged 21 yrs., 1 month. per marker in Woodstock Village Cemetery). Having been in battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, and others, and in Libby Prison 4 months.
EGBERT LEWIS, (no birthdate) parents Henry Lewis, Eliza J. Newkerk. Private 120th N.Y., Co. I. Enlisted at Woodstock Aug. 12, 1862 for 3 yrs. White. Discharged 2nd June 1865 having been in the battle of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wapping Heights, Locust Grove, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Court House, Cold Harbour, North Anna, Solopotany Creek, Seige (sic) of Peters Burgh, Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, Poplar Grove Church, Boydton Plank Road, Hacher Run, Capture of Petersburg, Amelia Springs. Died at the Surrender of Lee.
LORY JOHNSON, born Woodstock Nov. 9, 1844, parents William Johnson, Eleanor Elting. Private 20th N.Y., Co. I. Enlisted Sept. 24, 1861 at W. For 3 yrs. White. Blacksmith. Discharged 9th Feb. 1863 by reason of Surgeon's certificate of disability, having been in 7 battles, together with the battle of Bull Run. P.O., Bears Ville.
(Note: All spelling that follows has been left exactly as penned by Snyder.)
ALONZO SYLVESTER LEWIS, born Woodstock Jan. 21, 1843, parents William P. Lewis, Sarah Tripp. Private 120th N.Y. Enlisted at W. Aug. 15, 1862 for 3 yrs. White. Died at Richmond Va., (Feb. 20, 1864, aged 21 yrs., 1 month. per marker in Woodstock Village Cemetery). Having been in battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, and others, and in Libby Prison 4 months.
EGBERT LEWIS, (no birthdate) parents Henry Lewis, Eliza J. Newkerk. Private 120th N.Y., Co. I. Enlisted at Woodstock Aug. 12, 1862 for 3 yrs. White. Discharged 2nd June 1865 having been in the battle of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wapping Heights, Locust Grove, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Court House, Cold Harbour, North Anna, Solopotany Creek, Seige (sic) of Peters Burgh, Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, Poplar Grove Church, Boydton Plank Road, Hacher Run, Capture of Petersburg, Amelia Springs. Died at the Surrender of Lee.
LORY JOHNSON, born Woodstock Nov. 9, 1844, parents William Johnson, Eleanor Elting. Private 20th N.Y., Co. I. Enlisted Sept. 24, 1861 at W. For 3 yrs. White. Blacksmith. Discharged 9th Feb. 1863 by reason of Surgeon's certificate of disability, having been in 7 battles, together with the battle of Bull Run. P.O., Bears Ville.
SAMUEL McDANIEL, born Woodstock 27th Aug. 1843, parents James McDaniel, Elizabeth Booth. Seargent (sic) 156th N.Y., Co. B. Enlisted 30th Aug. 1862 at Woodstock For 3 yrs. White. Not discharged. P.O. Woodstock
Anita Smith, writing in Volume 4 (July, 1931) of the Publications of the Woodstock Historical Society noted the following about Samuel McDaniel’s mother, “Aunt Betsy,” and her contribution to the war effort: “She was best known for her skill doctoring and for many years Aunt Betsy’s concoctions comforted the neighbors. She gathered herbs and made infusions; sweet fern for fever, spearmint for the stomach, catnip for the nerves, gentian (called blue-blows- stuff) for dysentery. But best of all was her syrup of sassafras for consumptives. Two of her sons were in the Civil War and would frequently write home saying more of the soldiers were ill and would she send more of her Cholera Syrup. In response, Aunt Betsy was known to stay up all night, watching her crocks of syrup on the back of the stove, which, later, she would send to the soldiers by the case.”
ABRAM WHISPEL, born Woodstock Jan. 10th 1825, parents Jonas Whispel, Margaret Ann Lane. Private 15th N. Y., Co. F. - Enlisted at Woodstock Sept. 13th 1864 for 1 yr. White. Farmer. Died Nov. 6th 1864 of disease acquired in the Army.
The Whispell (correct spelling) family gave more to the war effort than any other family in Woodstock. In addition to the death of Abram, five other sons of Jonas and Margaret Whispell were taken by the draft. While all other sons would survive, the plight of the Whispells and the impact of an onerous draft system on families such as the Whispells, as noted by Alf Evers in Woodstock – History of an American Town, brought about “a wave of sympathy” from fellow Woodstockers.
SAMUEL GOODRICH WILBER, born Woodstock April 4th 1856 (sic) parents Abram Wilber, Sarah A. Goodrich. Private 120th. C_. C. Enlisted at W. Aug. 9th for 3 yrs. White. Farmer. Discharged June 1st 1865, having been in the battles of Gettysburg, and imprisoned 13 months, 9 days at Belle Island, Andersonville, and Richmond.
JOHN THEODORE VAN GASBECK, born Woodstock Feb. 1st 1847, parents Abram Hasbrouck Van Gasbeck, Cynthia Bishop. Private 120th. Co. I. Enlisted Aug. 18 1862 at Kingston. Mustered Aug. 24th. White. Wounded October 10th. Died in December.
JOHN VANDEBOGART, born Woodstock 6th Aug. 1838, parents John Vandebogart, Mary Vandebogart. Private 20th Reg. Enlisted at Kingston for 3 months April 25, 1861. Mustered April 30, 1861. White. Discharged 2nd Aug. 1861, having served the time of enlistment. Reenlisted at Kingston 12th Sept. 1861 for 3 yrs. Private 20th Reg. Discharged 24th April 1862 under certificate of surgeon, having been in service 7 months. Reenlisted at Kingston for 3 yrs. or during war, Private Battery K., U. S. Artillery. Discharged on 24th April 1865, having been in the battles of Gettysburg, Union Mills, Mine Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Petersburg.
JOHN BARNET HOYT, born Woodstock Apr. 13, 1847, parents John Hoyt, Eliza Anna
Short. Private 15th N.Y., Co. E. Enlisted at W. Jan. 13, 1864 for 3 yrs. White. Discharged
June 30, 1865. P.O., Lake Hill.
Hoyt, who lied about his age, was the youngest Woodstocker to serve in the war. Sixteen at the time he enlisted, he went on to serve as a drummer boy.
JOHN WHITEBACK DAVIS, born Woodstock Apr. 17, 1844, parents John W. Davis, Caroline Longyear. Private 120th. Enlisted in 14th Aug. 1862 for 3 yrs. Mustered 24th Aug. 1862 at W. White. Single. After serving 18 months and taking part in the Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania, at which place he was taken prisoner, sent to Andersonville, G(a)., and remained at this prison until the Rebellion was ended.
At the time of his death in the 1930s, Davis was the last of the Civil War veterans in Woodstock.
In November 1863, Abraham Lincoln offered at Gettysburg, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Despite Lincoln’s sentiments, as one wanders through the Woodstock Cemetery on Rock City Road today, we are almost surprised when we note the year on a gravestone. 1861. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. In many ways, it seems so far away - as distant to us today as Fort Sumter must have seen seemed to villagers in 1861. And yet, Woodstock was there. Fighting under - and against - men with names such as Grant, Lee, Sherman, Pickett. Fighting at places like Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Cold Harbor and Spotsylvania. Wasting away in prisons such as Andersonville.
In the summer of 1873, then President Grant arrived in Woodstock for a brief stay at the Overlook Mountain House. As he made his way towards his destination, past crowds of cheering Woodstockers, he would have passed the cemetery where those taken by the war rested. Young men all, they served their nation – they served Woodstock. Young men, as Oliver Wendell Holmes once offered, whose hearts were “touched by fire.”
Richard Heppner, Woodstock Town Historian
Hoyt, who lied about his age, was the youngest Woodstocker to serve in the war. Sixteen at the time he enlisted, he went on to serve as a drummer boy.
JOHN WHITEBACK DAVIS, born Woodstock Apr. 17, 1844, parents John W. Davis, Caroline Longyear. Private 120th. Enlisted in 14th Aug. 1862 for 3 yrs. Mustered 24th Aug. 1862 at W. White. Single. After serving 18 months and taking part in the Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania, at which place he was taken prisoner, sent to Andersonville, G(a)., and remained at this prison until the Rebellion was ended.
At the time of his death in the 1930s, Davis was the last of the Civil War veterans in Woodstock.
In November 1863, Abraham Lincoln offered at Gettysburg, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” Despite Lincoln’s sentiments, as one wanders through the Woodstock Cemetery on Rock City Road today, we are almost surprised when we note the year on a gravestone. 1861. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. In many ways, it seems so far away - as distant to us today as Fort Sumter must have seen seemed to villagers in 1861. And yet, Woodstock was there. Fighting under - and against - men with names such as Grant, Lee, Sherman, Pickett. Fighting at places like Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Cold Harbor and Spotsylvania. Wasting away in prisons such as Andersonville.
In the summer of 1873, then President Grant arrived in Woodstock for a brief stay at the Overlook Mountain House. As he made his way towards his destination, past crowds of cheering Woodstockers, he would have passed the cemetery where those taken by the war rested. Young men all, they served their nation – they served Woodstock. Young men, as Oliver Wendell Holmes once offered, whose hearts were “touched by fire.”
Richard Heppner, Woodstock Town Historian
