Civil War Diary of P. L. Loufman

Union troops firing on approaching Confederate lines during Pickett's Charge. Source:  Warfare History Network On July 3,1864 Philip briefly mentions it being the one-year anniversary of Gettysburg and losing two men in battle. One other man was wounded, Philip’s brother James. Philip’s only reference to his brother was in his very first diary entry and he did not mention him by name. During previous searches, I had come across references to a James Loufman being wounded at Gettysburg. After renewing my Ancestry.com subscription and digging a little deeper into my maternal grandfather’s family, I confirmed that Philip had a brother James. So much has been written about Gettysburg that I knew anything I might write would just be a lame summary of events. As I was searching for information specifically about the involvement of 1st West Virginia Light Artillery, Battery C in the battle, I miraculously stumbled across an amazing first-hand account told by William Janvey. The full story...

96th Pennsylvania Infantry at Camp Northumberland, Virginia Source:  https://wqed.pbslearningmedia.org/ In today’s diary excerpt, Philip again touches on the day to day monotony of a week of camp life. The biggest event of this excerpt is the inspection and review on June 26, 1854 which he describes in more detail than usual. Drills were an important part of the camp’s daily routine and typically focused on mastering marching, weapon handling, and formations. The men spent many hours every day practicing various formations, ways to use their rifles, how to march, and how to work as a unit. They practiced changing quickly from one formation to another which could mean the difference between success and failure during battle. They typically did not practice shooting with live ammunition as supplies of ammo were limited. It was assumed that the men could shoot, although many could not. The men assigned to canons would line them and do everything except fire them. Some men never knew w...

June 17, 1864 was a very hot morning as young women sat together at long benches pulled up to a central table inside a workroom at the Washington Armory located at the present-day Fort McNair along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. They inserted lead bullets into powder-filled cylinders to form small arms cartridges for the Union Army. Young women and girls, some as young as 13, were typically selected for this work as it was believed their small hands and fingers made it easier for them to assemble the munitions. Most of the women were young, Irish immigrants dressed in long hoop skirts and long-sleeved blouses. As the morning progressed, the outside temperature climbed to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature inside the workroom was even higher. A window had been opened to provide some ventilation to the stifling room.   This image from Harper’s Weekly shows women filling cartridges in a similar workroom at an arsenal in Massachusetts. Source: Library of Congress ...

In Philip’s diary entry for June 8, 1864, he mentions the day as the second anniversary of his first battle, the Battle of Cross Keys. Unfortunately, he doesn't elaborate other than to say "A day to be remembered by me." Source: Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District The Battle of Cross Keys took place on June 8 ,  1862 in Rockingham County, Virginia and  was a key victory for the Confederate army during Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Confederate forces under the command of Richard Ewell held off a larger Union army led by General John C. Fremont, allowing the Confederate troops to move south and reinforce Robert E. Lee at the Seven Days Battles. In late May 1862, Abraham Lincoln had set a trap hoping to capture General Stonewall Jackson and his army. Jackson was near Winchester, Virginia in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and was in danger of being cut off by two Union armies moving into the ...

This week I’m focusing on Fort Farnsworth, one of the many forts in the defensive network around Washington, D.C. discussed in last week’s post. It is mentioned several times throughout Philip’s diary. The West Virginia Light Artillery, Battery C was ordered to Fort Farnsworth at the end of May 1864. Fort Farnsworth was established in 1862 as one of four redoubts in advance of Fort Lyons in the area of present day Alexandria, Virginia. All four redoubts were renamed for Union officers killed in battle. Fort Farnsworth was named for Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth, 8th Illinois Cavalry, who was killed at Gettysburg. The other three forts in this group were Fort Weed, Fort O’Rourke, and Fort Willard. Together, these five forts created a defensive line across the southern approach to Alexandria. Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth was killed in Gettysburg on July 3, 1863 during an ill-fated mounted assault on the Army of Northern Virginia in what became known as “Farnsworth’s Charge...

At the outset of the Civil War, Washington, D.C. was extremely vulnerable to attack. The Union army’s defeat at the first Battle of Bull Run in July 1861 in Manassas, Virginia convinced President Lincoln and Congress that Washington must be protected at all costs. By the end of the Civil War, it had become one of the most fortified cities in the world. The city was protected by a network of 68 forts, 93 batteries and numerous military camps.   Location of major forts around Washington in 1865. Source: National Park Service   The city’s defenses were nearly impenetrable and the well defended city did not experience much combat. One of the few attacks on the city came in July of 1864 when Lieutenant General Jubal Early assaulted Fort Stevens on the north side of Washington. Philip discusses events surrounding this attack in his diary. These entries are included in my first post on April 11. Early’s intent with this attack was not to capture Washington, but to divert Unio...