LETTER
FOR JOSIAH WARE FROM JAMES P. BARLOW
that
he resided in Fairfax County Virginia during the months of November and December 1862,
that during the said months of November and December 1862, General Stahel of the United
States Army, commanding a military force in the Valley of Virginia with headquarters at
Chantilly in Fairfax County, Virginia, that I am acquainted with J.W. Ware of Clarke
County, Virginia, that some time in the latter part of November or the first part of
December, 1862, the said J.W. Ware visited me at my house in Fairfax County, Virginia and
then and there the said J. W. Ware told me that the United States troops, under the
command of General Stahel, had recently taken from him (the said J.W. Ware) from his place
in Clarke County, in the Valley of Virginia, seventeen head of valuable cattle and had
driven them to his (General Stahel’s) headquarters at Chantilly, that the said J.W.
Ware, while at my house in Fairfax County, Virginia, at the time above mentioned, gave me
a paper there commonly called a “safeguard” or “guarantee of
protection” executed in his favor by some of the United States authorities. (I do not now remember the signature to the paper,)
and requested me to take the said “safeguard” to General Stahel and ask for him
(the said J.W. Ware) the return of the cattle above mentioned; that I took the said
“safeguard” from the said J.W. Ware, and, as requested, forthwith prescribed it
to General Stahel at Chantilly, demanding for the said J.W. Ware the return of the cattle
recently taken from him; that General Stahel took from me the said “safeguard”
and replied, to my demand, that the said cattle had been driven to Fairfax Courthouse and
that he would send the said “safeguard” to General Seigel at Fairfax County
Courthouse and await his reply; that during the next few days I called upon General Stahel
at Chantilly several times asking the return of the said cattle to the said J.W. Ware;
that General Stahel never gave me any further information about the matter and that the
said “safeguard,” given to General Stahel as above stated, was never returned to
me by General Stahel or by any other person. And
this affiant further and finally says that he is not in any way interested in the
prosecution of this claim.
James
P. Barlow Subscribed
and sworn to before me this 22nd day of December, A.D. 1874: and I do hereby
certify that James P. Barlow, the witness whose testimony is written above, is a
respectable and responsible man, and that his testimony is entitled to credit; and I do
further certify that I am no way interested in the prosecution of this claim.
***al"> *** Affiant: One who makes an affidavit It
would be helpful to read the article I previously wrote entitled BACKGROUND ON COMPENSATION NOTES
for a better understanding of this letter. It
is important to note the different dates in this
The entire basis for Josiah’s claim (and Barlow’s sworn statement in support of
it) can actually be found in a letter that Josiah wrote to his son James. He, himself, stated that the Union army “. . . opened
my fences & drove off all my
cattle . . .” “On my return at night
(finding my cattle gone) I went off next morning and followed them. We went to Stahel's headquarters. I put our claim
before him in writing - he replied he would refer the matter to General Siegel (another
Dutchman in command of the post) and that we would be answered in 3 hours. We waited two
days longer. Receiving no answer, we came on home - leaving
the matter in a friend's hands.”
It would seem safe to assume that James P. Barlow was the friend that Josiah left the
matter with. Barlow’s sworn statement to C.J. Brown (the notary public) was in
support of the claim Josiah was making to try and get restitution for his stolen property. Since there had been approximately twelve years
between the safeguard notes and this claim, Josiah obviously never got any response from
General Stahel or Seigel way back at the first part of the war.
The following statement made by both C.J. Brown and James Barlow (“I am no way interested in the prosecution of
this claim”) is intended to make clear that neither one of them has a vested
interest themselves in the outcome of the claim. They
won’t personally make any profit from the settlement so their statements should be
considered impartial.
Placement
of family photographs and visual graphics accompanying this piece are the fine work of
John Reagan who has been an invaluable help in setting up a website for me entitled Ware
Genealogy at www.waregenealogy.com. .
I will forever be grateful for his expertise and kindness. |
This site maintained by John Reagan and last updated |
