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Descendants of William and George Phelps
Testimony of Erastus Weaver, 121st NY Vol's
Testimony of Erastus C. Weaver
Sworn and examined.
By Comm. Ferriss.
Q Where do you reside?
A In 10th Street Washington.
Q Do you know Mrs Claggett?
A I use to know her.
Q Did you know her during the war?
A Yes sir.
Q Did you reside near her then?
A No sir I was with the army a portion of the time when it was camped on her place, that is the only time I ever saw her.
Q With the union army?
A Yes sir.
Q You are in no way related to her or connected with her?
A No sir, not at all.
Q Do you know anything about her loyalty?
A Nothing except by reputation.
Q What was that at the time when you were there?
A She had the reputation of being loyal: Gen Joseph I Bartlett commanding officer of our brigade had his headquarters there.
By Comm. Aldis.
Q Is Gen Bartlett living?
A I know nothing to the contrary.
Q Is he in the regular army?
A No sir: he commanded at that time the second brigade of the first division of the sixth army corps.
Q From what state was he?
A He came out originally with the 27th New York.
By Comm. Ferriss.
Q Did he occupy her house as his headquarters?
A Yes sir.
Q Did you learn that she was loyall all the time?
A Not all the time from him directly; I saw it was the general reputation that they were loyal
people.
Q Among the officers and soldiers?
A Yes sir.
Q Do you remember anybody that you heard speak about it?
A I remember only one -- I dont call to mind any except one and that was Captain Donn [?]. He was a captain of a company.
By Counsel.
Q What company was that?
A Co. K. 121st N.Y.
By Comm. Aldis.
Q Do you live here in Washington now?
A Yes sir.
Q What is your business?
A I am a justice of the peace.
Q What office did you hold in the army?
A All the company officers except that of corporal and I was at one time adjutant of the regiment. I went out as a private.
Q You jumped the corporal?
A Yes sir I slighted that, and from that up to senior captain the regiment.
By Counsel.
Q How long were you encamped -- how long was the corps to which you belonged in that vicinity?
A The main body of the corps was encamped at Warrenton five miles from there, but on the 31st day of July 1863 our brigade -- the second brigade commanded by Gen. Bartlett was cent back to New Baltimore, five miles north and encamped on her place.
Q How long did you remain there?
A Until the 15th day of September -- about a month and a half.
By Comm. Aldis
Q During the time that you were there did you say see Mrs Claggett yourself personally?
A Yes sir.
Q Was she a paralytic?
A She was an invalid of some kind: I dont know what.
Q She wasn't able to walk about?
A No sir not at the time I was there: I don't know the cause of it.
Q Did you have any conversation with her yourself?
A No sir I did not: we put up at the house: the way I came to be there was this. the paymaster came up then to pay us and we went there to the house for that purpose, and once I was summoned there as a witness for a court martial held at headquarters and that is the way I come to see her: I had no conversation with her at all though.
By counsel.
Q Whilst you were there, I will ask you the general question, for I don't know what your testimony will be, what, if anything was taken by the troops?
A I know of nothing but the fencing.
Q State about that?
A That was used by our brigade and by our regiment: I will only speak of what I know about our regiment. We were furnished with wood from the fences on her place: it was hauled and delivered in the army wagons, and issued to us in that shape as wood.
Q Do you know anything about the amount of fencing there was on that farm?
A I could not approximate the amount very nearly because I didn't pay special attention to it.
Q Do you know the size of the farm -- did that come to your knowledge?
A I don't know that.
Q Do you know the general contour of the farm?
A Yes sir.
Q I wish you to state to the commissioners how it was fenced, whether it was divided up into fields and if so how many?
A My recollection of the fence is that at the time we went
there nearly all the fences on the turnpike from the village of New Baltimore
towards Warrenton were there -- some of them were gone perhaps but most of the
fences were there and none of them were there when we left. I could not speak
positively of the length of the fence now but from my recollection now i think
it must have been something like 100 rods long, on that line or the turnpike
and the n lines running along near the foot of the rise
on which the house is built -- it stands 50 or 60 rods from the turnpike -- on
the side of that hill the fence ran perhaps the same length and perhaps not
quite as long as that. Then there were 3 fences running the other way from the
road west - running east and west -- cross fences: There might have been more
but I dont recollect any more than those three: one was near a piece of pine
that was on the south of us, one near the wagon road and another on the branch,
that ran down there.
By Commander Ferriss.
Q Were all these fences taken?
A There were none of them left when we went away.
Q You were not in the habit of leaving much fence.
A no sir, not if we staid any length of time.
By Counsel.
Q Do you recollect anything about any corn on her place?
A Yes sir I know there was a corn field there, we bought some of the green corn and some of the people came in and traded roasting ears with us for sugar pork; and some we didn't trade anything for. I never got any in her field, and don't know anybody who did. I never inquired particularly where such things came from. I was at that time orderly sergeant of the company and did not go out on foraging expeditions at all I received many presents of corn but don't know that any of it came from her place.
By Commissioner Ferriss
Q Do you know anything of the timber that was cut while you were there?
A I do not know about the cutting of it.
Q And the barn taken away?
A I do not know anything about its being taken down.
Q Her hay and harness, and oats, and horses were taken: do you know anything about them?
A No sir I had no knowledge of anything of that kind.
Q Fat cattle?
A No sir.
Q Bacon?
A No sir.
By Counsel
Q Was there a barn there?
A There was a barn there and I don't know that it was there when we went away I don't remember anything about that: I hadn't anything to do with that.