SOLDIER ENLISTMENT and TRAINING LETTERS
from CHICAGO'S CAMP DOUGLAS
and CAMP HANCOCK

Henry Eugene Way resided in Lena, Stephenson County, Illinois. When President Lincoln issued the call on April 15, 1861 for volunteers to enlist for a period of three years in the Union Army hundreds of men from Stephenson County sought enlistment.

Eugene, as he was known to family and friends, saw an advertisement in a local newspaper in 1862 and sent a letter dated June 14, 1862 to Chicago in an effort to join an artillery company. The envelope (front and back), letter and a transcription of the letter appear on this website.

His letter never reached its destination and was "ADVERTISED" (in one of the Chicago newspapers) on June 23, 1862 (as was the process for undeliverable mail) with the objective that the enlistment officer recipient would claim the letter. By August 25, 1862 the letter had a status of "Not Called For" by the intended recipient.

Despite the above Eugene found transportation to Chicago using a military pass and arrived on August 4, 1862 as explained in his subsequent letter dated August 10, 1862 which also states he stayed in a hotel in Chicago at "Uncle Sam's" expense for several days prior to his enlistment acceptance.

Several letters are in found under the heading Chicago's Camp Douglas 1861 – 1865 using the navigation bar Covers and Letters drop down box. There is also a letter from Camp Hancock which was a satellite camp within a quarter mile from Camp Douglas.

Why Eugene chose Chicago as his enlistment destination when many of the men in the town of Lena and Stephenson County joined Company A of the 11th Regiment and various other companies of the 15th, 26th, 46th, and 93rd Regiments is not specifically known. At the time some of his friends were already in training at Camp Douglas in Chicago and that may have been his reason for selecting Chicago.

Upon his arrival in Chicago he was not able to enlist using his own name but did enlist under the name of Stoddard Farwell.

The nonprofit organization Civil War Trust states the eligible enlistment age was 18 to 45 with the average Union soldier age 30 years. Some boys as young as 12 often served as cavalry buglers or drummer boys. Eugene was age 17 at the time of his enlistment.

In History of Stephenson County published in 1970 by the County of Stephenson, Freeport, Illinois there is reference to Thomas Sills who enlisted in Freeport at the age of thirteen and was known as the "Boy Soldier of the Rebellion". Also mentioned is Henry Luebbing who enlisted at the age of 15.

Upon Eugene's enlistment Captain Edwin C. Prior of Company H, 72nd Illinois Infantry which was known as the First Board of Trade Regiment became Eugene's mentor and after some deliberation on his part Eugene became Captain Prior's "Captains Boy".

The Illinois State Archives on the State of Illinois web site in the section Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database lists Eugene's alias as Farewell Stoddard which reverses Eugene's alias and is also misspelled. Eugene's official military alias used throughout his enlistment period during the Civil War was Stoddard Farwell. All military records available from the National Archives and Records in Washington D.C are found under the name Stoddard Farwell.

The Illinois database also indicates that Farewell Stoddard (name error) deserted on November 22, 1862 at Columbus Kentucky which misstates Eugene's military status on that date.

Eugene was in Columbus Kentucky on November 20, 1862 and his letter of that date states his unit was under marching orders to leave at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on November 20, 1862 to depart for Holly Springs Mississippi.

A subsequent letter dated December 14, 1862 was from an encampment seven miles north of Oxford and 35 miles south of Holly Springs, both in Mississippi.

His Muster-in Records under the name Stoddard Farwell provided by the National Archives and Records Service in Washington, D.C. further indicate his military service continued until 1864 with considerable time spent in 1863 during the Siege of Vicksburg Mississippi as well as guard duty in Natchez Mississippi.

The letters on this website from Eugene to his mother Emily Cecilia (Frisby) Way in Lena while he was in training at Camp Douglas and Camp Hancock are transcribed with minimal modification for spelling, punctuation or grammar and generally appear as written in their original format.