This page features information on the Unionists of Richmond as well
as their wartime spying activity. See also the
Elizabeth Van Lew page.
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/3/1862; Account of arrests of J. M. Botts, Stearns & others. Confined in
“the new brick building on the extension of Fifteenth street, on the
right-hand side, beyond the auction house of Messrs. Dickinson & Hill”
(Castle Godwin) |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/3/1862; John Minor Botts,
Franklin Stearns and other Union men have been arrested and put in "a jail
situated in Lumpkin’s Alley" [Castle Godwin] |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/4/1862; John Minor Botts and Franklin Stearns
arrested; Richmond under martial law |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/4/1862; John Scully & Pryce Lewis
(Pinkerton spies) arrested and claim protection of British government. |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/4/1862; Union sympathizers sent to Castle
Godwin; John Scully sent there also |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/6/1862; list of recent arrests of Unionists including Rev. Bosserman of 1st
Independent Christian Church, Mayo St. |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/6/1862; Due to recent Unionist mischief, all
Union prisoners (500 in number) are denied access to anyone or anything from
the outside |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/6/1862; Charles Palmer and others arrested on
charges of disloyalty and locked up in Castle Godwin |
|
Richmond
Examiner |
3/6/1862; Unionists and grog-sellers
have been confined in McDaniel's jail (Castle Godwin) |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/7/1862; Charles Palmer has been released from custody |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/7/1862; Charles Palmer released from custody
for suspected unionist sympathies |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
3/7/1862; Two more unionists arrested and put
in Castle Godwin |
|
Richmond
Whig |
3/7/1862; Charles Palmer has been
released from Castle Godwin |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/22/1862; 77 Unionists from Loudon County incarcerated in “military prison
on Main street.” |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
3/24/1862; 7 Unionists arrested in Roanoke county, put in Castle Godwin |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/5/1862; Pryce Lewis and John Scully to be hanged soon at the New Fair
Grounds (Camp Lee) |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/12/1862; trial of John Minor Botts has commenced; he was taken from Castle
Godwin under guard, and returned in the same manner |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
4/18/1862; Court of Inquiry for Unionist John
Minor Botts meets, and fails to release him from prison |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
4/26/1862; Franklin Stearns, lately confined in
Castle Godwin for alleged disloyalty, has been released, and returns to his
"Tree Hill" farm |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/28/1862; Franklin Stearns has
been released from Castle Godwin, and returns home |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/29/1862; John M. Botts at Henrico residence - released from Castle Godwin |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/30/1862; Conditions upon which John M. Botts was released from Castle
Godwin: move further South and tell the War Department about it |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
4/30/1862; names of 4 men released from Castle Godwin |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/30/1862; Timothy Webster, Yankee
spy, was hung at Camp Lee yesterday |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/7/1862;
Dabney’s Battery Heavy Artillery thanks Franklin Stearns for his kindness.
Battery “quartered near his residence.” |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/24/1862; AWOL
notice for Arthur Rogers, of Dabney’s Siege Battery, who deserted from
Winder Hospital. Unit camped at Tree Hill |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
7/28/1862;
Letcher Artillery camped near Tree Hill. Absentees report – battery to leave |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
8/1/1862; Joel
Sparks, Nine Mile Road, jailed for having Yankee flag; H. B. Lipscomb of
King William County sent to Camp Winder as a conscript |
|
Richmond
Enquirer |
8/22/1862; 15 unionists put in Castle Thunder |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
8/28/1862; B.
Wardwell, ice dealer, exonerated of disloyalty & released from Castle
Thunder |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
11/10/1862;
Franklin Stearns buys Orange Co. farm for $50,000 |
|
Richmond Dispatch |
12/11/1862; 2 of
Tim Webster’s accomplices, Lewis & Scully, sent North |
|
Richmond
Whig |
4/6/1865; account of the escape of two
unionists from Castle Thunder on evacuation night |
|
National Tribune |
7/27/1899; "A Union Man in
Richmond;" description of sentiment in Richmond leading up to secession;
John Minor Botts' speech at the African Church, and the Secession Convention
in the Mechanics' Institute. |
|
National Tribune |
7/27/1899; "A Union Man in
Richmond;" description of sentiment in Richmond leading up to secession;
John Minor Botts' speech at the African Church, and the Secession Convention
in the Mechanics' Institute. |
|
National Tribune |
8/3/1899; "A Union Man in Richmond"
part three of serial account. Describes the scene in Richmond immediately
following secession. States that Gov. Letcher was often drunk; the vote to
ratify secession was held in the Old Market building (with serious voter
intimidation going on); the Hampden Sydney Battalion passing through
Richmond. |
|
National Tribune |
8/10/1899; “A Union Man in Richmond;” part four of
serial account. Describes John Minor Bott’s stay in “a negro jail in Lombard
Alley” [Castle Godwin], the economic situation in Richmond, the Battle of
First Manassas, the man who [Mr. Gretter] who tossed the first shovelful of
dirt for the Richmond defenses, the dangerous nature of “Lombard Alley”
[probably Locust Alley], and the post-war collapse of the upper floor of the
Capitol building |
|
National Tribune |
8/17/1899; “A Union Man in Richmond;” part five of
serial account. Describes the scene in Richmond in early to mid-1863.
Mentions hedonistic activity at the Exchange, Ballard and Spotswood hotels;
prostitution and gambling flourishing in Richmond around the Exchange Hotel;
trying to get a pass out of Richmond from Gen. Winder; and subsequent trip
to Staunton on the railroad |
|
National Tribune |
9/14/1899; “A Union Man in Richmond” part six of serialized account.
Describes the feeling in Richmond at the time of the Kilpatrick-Dahlgren
Raid, Pawnee Sunday (1861), a female Confederate spy at his boarding house,
and other details of life at his boarding house. |
|
National Tribune |
9/21/1899; “A Union Man in Richmond” part seven of
serialized account. Describes the tough economic conditions in Richmond in
1863 (with a nice description of the scene at the Old Market), the small-pox
epidemic in Richmond (blames Longstreet’s men for bringing it to the city),
an unreported assassination attempt on President Davis, and garroters in
Richmond. |
|
National Tribune |
9/28/1899; “A Union Man in Richmond” part eight of serialized account.
Describes the capture and execution of Timothy Webster, the Libby Prison
escape (mentions prisoners being aided by Van Lew, and good feeling amongst
the Unionsts toward her), a shooting of a prisoner at Libby, “the clerk” of
Libby being involved in trading with the prisoners (Ross), and being shot at
while near Locust Alley. St. Charles Hotel mentioned. |
|
A Chatauqua Boy, in '61 and Afterward
(1912),
pp. 54-64. |
Parker, David B. (72nd NY), Parker relates that
he was sent to the Van Lew house on April 3rd, 1865 to provide her
protection. Van Lew invites him to dinner where he meets several
"prominent Confederate officials", including Erasmus Ross, clerk
at Libby Prison. Continues with post-war details of Van Lew's service as
postmistress of Richmond. |
|
Thomas
McNiven recollections |
no date; highly dubious account of McNiven's
part in the Van Lew spy ring - names prominent Confederates as agents |
