Wayne, William, b. 1828

Papers, 1862 May 15-1865 May 18
20 ALsS, 4 diaries

Wayne, William, b. 1828
Rank:	Captain
Regiment:	97th Pennsylvania Infantry. Co. K (1861-1865)
Service:	1862 April 19-1863 January 19

Background note:

William Wayne (born William Wayne Evans), a descendant of the Revolutionary War hero, Anthony Wayne, was an early and avid supporter of the war effort in the north. Shortly after the fall of Fort Sumpter, he helped organize a home guard unit among the farmers and other citizens of Paoli, Pa., and began regular drilling in town. By August, however, it was clear that the Union Army, not the militia, needed troops, and on September 1st, Wayne was authorized to help raise a company of recruits for the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry. Wayne began scoured the already heavily recruited neighborhoods of the southeastern part of the state, finally convincing enough men to form Company K in mid-November. He received a Captain's commission and was officially mustered in on April 19th, 1862.

In December, the 97th Pennsylvania were ordered to South Carolina to participate in the follow-up to Du Pont's Port Royal expedition. In the first six months of 1862, Wayne led his company through the operations at Warsaw Sound, Ga., Fort Clinch and Jacksonville, Fla., and Edisto, John and James Islands, S.C. On September 10th, 1862, while posted at Hilton Head, Wayne, capt. F. M. Guss and one man from each company were detailed to Harrisburg, Pa., on recruiting duty. Wayne's health was reported to have suffered through exposure, and, though he remained quite active at Harrisburg, by the end of the year, he submitted his resignation. Despite the War Department's reluctance to accept resignations, Wayne's was accepted in January, 1863. Wayne thereafter returned to Paoli and resumed farming. He continued to follow the events of the war closely, and remained an ardent Republican and strongly pro-Union. Wayne's brother-in-law, Gen. Samuel K. Zook, was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3rd. On the 5th of July, Wayne and his wife travelled to Gettysburg to attempt to find and recover the body, but discovered that Zook's aides had already recovered it.

Scope and Contents:

The Wayne Family Papers contain few letters concerning William Wayne's Civil War service. The first, written from Charleston in June, 1862, is the only one written from the south, and a majority of the war-date letters were written between October, 1862, and February, 1863, while Wayne was posted at Harrisburg. Four letters relate to his attempts at resignation written by his friend, Joseph J. Lewisn. The most interesting letter, as well as the longest, was written circa October 13th, 1862, immediately after Stuart withdrew his cavalry from the raid on Chambersburg. Wayne was dismayed at what he considered to be the Pennsylvanians' support for the southern cause, and remarked at the pluck and spirit of a Confederate soldier captured near Gettysburg. In this letter, too, are some touching comments on Wayne's feelings at being separated from his wife and family. Finally, there are five letters written by Gen. Galusha Pennypacker, most concerning his recovery from wounds received at Fort Fisher; two letters from a friend, Rees Davis, relating to Pennypacker; and a letter from Edward Eisenberg containing a sketch of Pennypacker's service record.

Wayne's diaries are continuous from 1858-1871, except for a gap from 11 November 1861­13 August 1862, the period that covers most of Wayne's assignment in the south. The diaries include daily entries with straightforward, matter of fact accounts of the major events of the war, with very little analysis or personal commentary. The best sections are those written while Wayne was posted at Hilton Head, but there are good, brief, accounts of the arrival and processing of recruits at Harrisburg, local Pennsylvania politics, the elections of 1863 and 1864, and the reaction of Philadelphians to the news of Lincoln's assassination. Also worth noting are Wayne's accounts of the Confederate cavalry raids on Chambersburg in 1862 and 1864, the Gettysburg campaign, and Wayne's attempts to recover the body of his brother-in-law after Gettysburg.

Reference:

Price, Isaiah. History of the Ninety-Seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Philadelphia, 1875.

Cataloging Notes:

In general, only those events mentioned in Wayne's diaries for which he was an eye witness or participant have been indexed, except where he comments extensively or provides personal opinions.

M-2428
Cat. 6/92 rsc

Link to subject index to the William Wayne Letters (Wayne Family Papers)

Alphabetic index to the Schoff Civil War Collections

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