Today, 162 years ago, Saint Albans was caught in the midst of our nation's Civil War.
October 19, 1864, twenty one Confederate soldiers descended on St. Albans, robbing the local banks, taking townspeople hostage, and attempting to set the town ablaze. The raid wrote the city into Civil War history as the northernmost land action of the Civil War, making St. Albans famous—or infamous—as the site of the northernmost action on U.S. soil.
An important collection in our archives are original letters describing the Raid from the perspective of residents who witnessed it first-hand.
Newly received first-person accounts from that very day, give us an even more vivid glimpse into what St. Albans residents saw, heard, and experienced as the raid unfolded.
A recent addition to our archives includes a letter dated October 19, 1864 from Anna Beattie Pierce, a Saint Albans resident, to her son George Marshal Pierce.
Mrs. Pierce wrote: “I am feeling tonight as I never felt before in my life. This day seems to be the beginning of trouble in St. Albans and the Lord knows when it will end. There as a band of men appeared in the streets. All at once commenced their awful work. They were armed, there was supposed to be about 30 in number. They walked into the banks and demanded that all the money, with presented revolvers and of course they got it. Then all three banks were robbed of every dollar then went in to he streets to kill and slay our men. Two men were taken by surprise of ever and no army, what could they do but run to and fro, they then ran into Field's barn (Referring to Frank Field) and took all his horses, also Fullers (Stables of William & Erasmus Fuller) then they mounted them, then they cut the harnesses from horses in the street and got onto them and all this time they were firing in all directions. They shot Mr. Morrison (Elanson Morrison) just at the ____ door he had hold of f the lock as fell. He is not dead the last I hear. They think he will die. Also Mr. Bingham (Lorenzo Bingham, a blacksmith on Lake St.) slightly hurt an others slightly injured. Hey told Bessie Fuller (Eliza, wife of William Fuller) to go in to the store and get them some spurs, he said he had one in his pocket that they might have so he took out a pistol which he discharged at him, he fell but they caught him up put him on his horse held hi on and rode away” - Excerpt of letter between Anna Beattie Pierce and her son George Marshal Pierce, dated October 19, 1864, Transcribed Saint Albans Museum Volunteer RDL 2026.
Archival Research & Blog Post by Corrina King, Edits & Visual Research by Trish Denton
