Thursday, March 20, 2025

Col. J. S. Piper, 1862





 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025


In 1862, the wife of Col. J. S. Piper of the Confederate army was arrested in Washington DC and held by the Provost Marshall. The newspapers misreported his name as Col. T. S. Piper, which made her arrest a challenge to find in period newspapers. Plus, the newspapers of 1863 misreported this event as having happened in 1861. 



 
















A similar newspaper article published in The New York Herald added the tidbit that "at the time of her arrest several letters from her husband were seized." Based on the events of 1863, this leaves no doubt that the woman arrested was Elizabeth Piper, wife of Col. J. S. Piper. This also confirms that he was with the Confederate army.












It would be interesting to know why Elizabeth Piper had fallen under enough suspicion to arrest her. By August 1862, women were no longer regarded by the military as harmless innocents. Rose O'Neal Greenhow, who operated a spy network of supposedly 48 women in Washington DC, had been released from the Old Capitol prison and sent beyond the Confederate line a couple of months earlier in May 1862. Women in her network had been attending teas and dinners throughout Washington DC, listening carefully, and sending the information they gleaned south to the Confederate army. Elizabeth Piper was certainly in a position to be one of those participants. However, information about the specific women in Greenhow's network is elusive.

To date, I have not found the Provost Marshall's records regarding Elizabeth Piper's arrest - specifically the documents that were generated in 1862. I also don't know how long she was held or the conditions of her release although she was allowed to remain in Washington DC and not sent beyond the Confederate line. 

The Washington DC City Directory of 1862 shows the Pipers still in residence at 506 E south. James S. Piper's 14 or 15-year-old son William Piper is listed as the resident. Note that James S. Piper's brother Dr. John R. Piper was living at 373 D north.














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Col. James S. Piper, 1861

        ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

The American Civil War began on 12 April 1861 when the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

Col. James S. Piper was in Alabama at the time.















When Maryland Governor Hicks answered Lincoln's call for troops, Marylanders in Alabama were aghast. Among them was Col. James S. Piper. Again, he was talking to newspapermen, and he expressed the desire to join the Confederate army. The question of whether he joined the army would play an important role two years later. 

This particular newspaper clipping makes an important connection in the chain of evidence that links the events of Capt. James S. Piper's life. It clearly, references James S. Piper as being both the Captain of Company B in the Mexican War and the Colonel who served under General Walker in Nicaragua. Additionally, it identifies him as a Confederate sympathizer willing to serve in the military. In 1861, James S. Piper would have been 43 years old. While not a young man, he was not too old to serve.

Within two days, Col. James S. Piper was back in Baltimore, Maryland, where he promptly spoke to yet another newspaperman.


 





The affray referred to is now known as the Baltimore Riot of 1861. It is also referred to as the Pratt Street Riots or the Pratt Street Massacre. In 1861, Baltimore was largely a city of southern sympathizers. On Friday, 19 April 1861, a riot broke out when members of the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania state militias, who had been called up for service, were en route to Washington DC. Their route took them through Baltimore, where they were attacked by Confederate sympathizers. A riot ensued that resulted in the first deaths of Union volunteers in the Civil War. 

Why Col. James S. Piper traveled to Baltimore instead of Washington DC is yet another question. There is reason to believe that his wife and son were still residence at 506 E south in Washington DC. Of course, at this time, Col. James S. Piper's sisters were probably still living in Baltimore, so he may have wanted to see them. Alternately, he may have preferred a city with southern sympathies as his destination.






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James S. Piper, 1859 - 1860

       ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

James S. Piper returned to Washington, DC after his time in Nicaragua. If he completed a secret mission after his time there, I don't know what that entailed.

In 1859, James returned to his work as a contractor and advertised for men to work as pavers as well as for men to haul stone and gravel. He appears to have also been hiring the horses and carts needed to haul. 







The 1860 Washington DC City Directory places the residence of Jame Piper, the bricklayer, at 506 E South. 









The quest for the exact location of 506 E south will have to wait for another post, but this Civil War era map shows its proximity to the Capital building and to the Navy Yard. There were two E streets in Washington DC. One E street was located north of the Capital building, and the other E street was located south of the Capital building. This was also true of other lettered streets.


Civil War era map of Washington DC










The 1860 census gives us a snapshot of James S. Piper's household on 1 June 1860:





This census tells us that in 1860 James S. Piper, the contractor, was 42 years old and was born in Maryland. He owned no real estate and had $200 in personal property. His wife Elizabeth was 34 years old and was also born in Maryland. James S. Piper's son William H. Piper was 12 years old and was born in DC. William H. Piper had attended school within the last year.

To date, I have not determined what Elizabeth's maiden name was. I have determined that she was probably James S. Piper's second wife. His first wife was Mary O'Hara, who he married on 2 August 1841 in Baltimore, Maryland:
























In 1845, their young son Henry Clay Piper died.

























It should be noted that Henry Clay was a Whig who ran for president in 1844, the year of little Henry Clay Piper's birth. Henry Clay lost to James K. Polk. Ironically, Clay became a strong critic of the Mexican War. 

Another son, Horatio N Piper (aka Horace) was living in his grandfather Philip Piper's household in 1850. Horace was 8 years old and was born in Maryland. In 1870, Horatio N. Piper was boarding with L M Busey in Baltimore and working as a bookkeeper. In 1880, he was still living in Baltimore but with his wife Cora and two of his elderly Piper aunts: Lizzie and Mary. He was still working as a bookkeeper. 

Horatio N Piper married Cora E. Fletch in Boston, Massachusetts on 25 July 1873. His marriage record states that he was the son of James S. and Mary Piper. Cora was the daughter of Gilman S. and Sarah Fletch. 

James S. Piper and Mary O'Hara had at least two children:

1. Horatio N. Piper, born 1842 in Maryland
2. Henry Clay Piper, born 1844 in Maryland

At this point, it is impossible to know if William H. Piper, born in 1848, was the son of Mary O'Hara or Elizabeth. It is also impossible to know if there were additional children. 

On 15 June 1849, the Daily National Intelligencer included Mrs. Elizabeth Piper in their list of letters at the post office. At this point, it is impossible to know if this same Elizabeth married James S. Piper.












Locating James S. Piper on the 1850 census would clarify some of these questions. 


















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