Union Army Camp Sackett (Site)

These coordinates mark the estimated location of the field artillery battery and camp. No visible remains exist.


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Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

A Union Field Artillery battery was located here on top of the hill. Elements from the Thirty-eighth and Fortieth New York Volunteer Infantry are known to be at this battery location in the winter of 1861 and 1862.

A UNION PRIVATE'S SAD EPISODE IN THE FRANCONIA AREA!
Camp Sackett was a Union campground established by the Thirty-eighth and Fortieth New York Infantry, in early 1861, at the outbreak of the American Civil War. It was located at the top of Frobel's Hill, near where Fort Drive is today, in the Wilton Woods neighborhood, just off the Old Fairfax Road. That road is now called Franconia.

After researching the regimental history for the Fortieth New York Infantry (or the Mozart Regiment), I found a sad episode occurred at Camp Sackett, on the afternoon of December 16, 1861, that would forever change the future course of one of its youthful infantrymen.

On that date, Private William Moffitt was "drummed out of the regiment," for absence without leave, and for returning to camp arrayed in a suit of white linen cloth. Moffitt had taken the suit from the deserted residence of Confederate Commodore French Forrest. His home was known as "Clermont," located in the Franconia area, only a few miles from Camp Sackett. Forrest had left his mansion, with all of its belongings still intact, after Virginia voted to secede from the Union.

A large portion of the furniture in Forest's mansion had already been appropriated to adorn and make comfortable the quarters of some of the Union officers, in Moffitt's regiment. Subsequently, Moffitt himself visited the abandoned site also seeking some prized items. And then he saw what he sought, a white linen outfit. Casting aside his United States uniform, he donned the civilian clothing formerly belonging to Commodore Forrest and was quite pleased with his appearance. He had intended it as a joke, not realizing to discard his uniform was tantamount to desertion. Thus, the ignorant Moffitt marched boldly into Camp Sackett and paraded down various streets making quite a sensation, which is what he desired to accomplish in the first place. Word of his escapade reached Colonel Edward J. Riley, who did not see the humor of Moffitt's frolicsome prank, and ordered a Corporal to grab him and send him to regimental conduct. He was immediately sent to the guard house where he remained still clad in white until he was drummed out of the regiment the very next day.

Moffitt with his head partially shaved had a placard pinned upon his back marked "Deserter," and was paraded in front of the regiment several times, back and forth, with the tune playing "Poor Old Soldier." He was then liberated and told to disappear.

Sergeant Frederick Clark Floyd stated "It was more in pity than in anger that we witnessed this disgrace, and instead of scoffing and deriding him, there was perfect silence, and after he departed, the parade was dismissed. Moffitt was entirely worthless as a soldier, because his whole nature was depraved, and at variance with the qualities which characterize the soldier. he was thoroughly unreliable, and could not be depended upon to the slightest degree, to perform the duties of a soldier, consequently he could not be trusted on guard or picket, for he was as liable to leave his post, as to stay on duty. He was not worthy of wearing the uniform of a soldier, and his dismissal was undesirable. It appeared, however, that the method adopted to dispose of him was not effective. Moffitt became a camp-follower, and securing a cast-off uniform, attached himself to the wagon train as a helper, and remained with the army until the following July, at Harrison's Landing, when he departed, and upon the official records in Washington his name appears as a "deserter."

The Union service records verify that William Moffitt, age nineteen, enlisted in New York City, and mustered in on June 27th 1861, at Yonkers as a private in Company H, Fortieth New York Infantry. He deserted July 1, 1862 at Harrison's Landing. However, it would not be wrong to say that the immature young man would forever lament his brief stay in the Franconia area, and whatever happened to him after the war is completely unknown by this author.