- Collection
- William McCaskey Civil War Papers
- Title
- William McCaskey Civil War Letters
- Object ID
- MG0355
- Date Range
- 1862-1865
1 document
- Collection
- William McCaskey Civil War Papers
- Title
- William McCaskey Civil War Letters
- Description
- The William McCaskey Civil War Papers contain letters written by William Spencer McCaskey to his brother, Jack and sister-in-law, Ellen during his service in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. In most letters, he writes about politics, life in camp, members of his unit, their brothers, and the campaigns in Georgia and South Carolina with General Sherman. Related biographical data and images are among the contents of this collection.
- Admin/Biographical History
- William Spencer McCaskey was born near Paradise, Lancaster County, in 1843. The family moved to Lancaster in 1855, where William received his education in public schools. And in 1859, he began an apprenticeship at the printing office of the Examiner, where he worked until the outbreak of the Civil War.
- Just days after Fort Sumter was fired upon in April 1861, William joined the army and served with Company F of the 1st Pennsylvania Infantry until he mustered out in July. He joined Company B of the 79th Pennsylvania Regiment as 1st Sergeant in September of that year; this company of Lancastrians served under Col. Henry A. Hambright and Lt. Col. David Miles. They engaged in battles in Kentucky and Tennessee before they returned to Lancaster in 1864 and re-enlisted. Company B joined Gen. Sherman's army in May 1864. As they moved through Georgia and South Carolina in Sherman's March to the Sea, William wrote about the campaign, the residents, and affects that the Union Army's actions had on the South.
- Capt. McCaskey mustered out in July 1865, and in spite of the many objections he had voiced about army life, he re-enlisted in 1866 after receiving a recommendation of the commission of second lieutenant from Thaddeus Stevens. William commanded troops throughout his career on the frontiers of Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Texas, and Missouri and also during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and the Philippines. He retired at the rank of Major General in October 1907.
- John Piersol "Jack" McCaskey is better known to Lancastrians as J. P. McCaskey, a teacher and publisher. He began teaching at the Boys' High School in Lancaster in 1855, accepted the position of principal in 1865, and later became superintendent. Jack married Ellen Margaret Chase in 1860.
- Date Range
- 1862-1865
- Year Range From
- 1862
- Year Range To
- 1865
- Date of Accumulation
- 1862-1865
- Storage Location
- LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
- Storage Room
- Archives South
- Storage Wall
- Side 09
- People
- Brown, Daniel
- Brown, Mrs.
- Hambright, Henry Augustus
- Johnston, Joseph E.
- Kaufman, Innis
- Locher, Michael H.
- McBride, John S.
- McCaskey, Cyrus Davis "Cye"
- McCaskey, Ellen Margaret Chase "Ellie"
- McCaskey, John
- McCaskey, John Piersol "Jack"
- McCaskey, Joseph
- McCaskey, Walter
- McCaskey, William Spencer
- Miles, David
- Riley, George
- Riley, George, Mrs.
- Sherman, William Tecumseh
- Stevens, Thaddeus
- Subjects
- Letters
- Personal correspondence
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States. Army. Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 79th (1861-1865). Company B
- Wounds and injuries
- Search Terms
- Alexandria, Virginia
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Camp McCloud, Tennessee
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Civil War
- Correspondence
- Correspondence, Personal
- Finding aids
- Goldsboro, North Carolina
- Letters
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Manuscript groups
- Martha's Vineyard, North Carolina
- Milledgeville, Georgia
- Moorsville, North Carolina
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Richmond, Virginia
- Savannah, Georgia
- Washington, DC
- Extent
- 1 box, 6 folders, .25 cubic ft.
- Object Name
- Archive
- Language
- English
- Object ID
- MG0355
- Location of Originals
- LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Access Conditions / Restrictions
- Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
- The original letters in Folders 2 and 3 may not be used. Transcriptions have been provided in Folder 1 for patron use.
- Copyright
- Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
- Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
- Credit
- Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
- Other Numbers
- MG-355
- Classification
- MG0355
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Custodial History
- Added to database 14 January 2021.
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