Michael Graham to Henry W. Halleck, February 15, 1863

Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Commander-in-Chief, U. 8S. Army, Washington:

Sir: I have the honor to submit [the following] to you, in accordance with orders from Major-General Banks, when he left me here, to report to you any information I might from time to time come into possession of, regarding the movements of the enemy.

My wife, Catherine Graham, who left Mount Jackson, Shenandoah County, Virginia, some three weeks since, having arrived here on last Wednesday, gives me the following account of their strength, &c., in the region of country Which she has passed through. She went from Mount Jackson to New Market, where General Jones’ command is, con- sisting in part of three regiments of infantry, two batteries of artillery and a battalion of cavalry. When she left Mount Jackson, there was but a guard to regulate the hospitals. .

Imboden has command of the cavalry at Harrisonburg; there are not more than 30 men.

When General Milroy’s cavalry went up to Woodstock, they removed the deposits of banks in Rockingham and Staunton to Lynchburg. At that time a regiment of cavalry could have captured Staunton without meeting any resistance.

There were 800 sick in hospital at Mount Jackson; there had been sixteen cases of small-pox amongst them. Major Pelee Baker has charge of the hospitals; he is a relative of Ashby.

At the time of the raid, Jones’ command had marching orders, they taking in charge all the movable property of the inhabitants along the line of the expected advance.

At New Market they buried two pieces of heavy artillery that were gotten at Harper’s Ferry, in Colonel Miles’ surrender, they not having any means of transporting them, as horses are getting very scarce, any kind of a horse being worth from $300 to $500.

She came through the following posts in her passage, which, from the time she remained in them, she availed herself of all the privileges of a pass which she got through the influence of a clergyman, with whom she was acquainted. New Market, Jones and Imboden, say 1,500 men; Harrisonburg, 30 men; Mount Crawford, none; Staunton, about 300, under command of Col. Michael [G.] Harman; Waynesborough, about 25; Charlottesville, a very few (there are a great many fine hospiials, some fifteen) ; Gordonsville and Culpeper, 1,500; Mechanicsburg, none. In Richmoud she remained four days, during which time she saw very few. Was told they were all gone, except what were doing garrison duty around in the works they had and were erecting; the main force a g gone to North Carolina, and some 25,000 or 30,000 at Fredericksurg.

She intended to come by Fort Monroe, but was not allowed to come that way, so she had to go by way of Gordonsville, Culpeper, Woodville, Sperryville and Little Washington: (there are no troops at either of last-named places or no pickets, but a few guerrillas); thence to Piedmont; thence to New Berlin, on Baltimore and Vhio Railroad, arriving in Baltimore. On her trip from Culpeper she was accompanied by two rebel spies, as she thinks from their actions, conversation, &c. They came across and took the cars with her and put up at the Fountain House in Baltimore. They called themselves Mrs. Kelley and Mrs. Kenedy, the former being from Culpeper, the latter from Staunton. Their room was 27. I believe they are there yet. They registered as from Leesburg and Kentucky. They told my wife to address a letter for them to Armstrong & Carter [Cator ?], Baltimore.

She also met on her journey here a large number of Jews and others that had been over here after goods and information, they being considered the shrewdest in getting information, as they are in league with some of the same class in Bultimore, if not all of them; they dividing the profits, which are immense, as you see from a list of the necessaries of life that I mention: quinine, $100 an ounce; thread, 75 cents a spool; silk, 25 cents a skein; $25 for a pair of women’s gaiters, while others are engaged in buying up Treasury notes and getting them exchanged for gold in Baltimore. Some of them cross between Poolesville and Berlin, others between Harper’s Ferry and Martinsburg at Shepherdstown, while others go up on the cars and get out at New Creek and other places. They have their places of meeting on the other side. They get caught occasionally, but always get off by bribing the guards. They report to Major Richardson at Gordonsville. Others get from Grafton to Staunton. A great number of teams make their way that way to Staunton.

The people everywhere and soldiers expect peace shortly, for, they say, Various reasons; some say from dissensions among parties, others again other thoughts, but they help to keep them up in spirits. Others

think] that Secretary Seward will be turned out of the Cabinet, and i that would be better than 100,000 men killed.

I find in my travels through Pennsylvania that there are a great number of deserters all through the whole State, as well as an immense lot of Government property carried home by those deserters, sutlers, and others. Almost every man in the country has a rifle, saddle, or something else belonging to the Government.

I have the honor to remain, your most obedient servant,