“Colonel Raynolds can in no way do such service as he can do us”

3 PM  H Ferry June 15. 1863
Gen Schenck Balto.
Colonel Raynolds Should by all means
come here & superintend all of
the artillery construction I have no
time except to give orders I
think Colonel Raynolds can in no
way do such service as he
can do us I fear when
the blow is struck we shall
have to acknowledge that our preparations
were not in accordance with the
importance of the object Signed Tyler

Tyler is getting a little snippy with General Schenck about the building of artillery installments! If this is General Daniel Tyler, the urgency comes as little surprise, since he was in command of a force that surrendered to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson less than a year earlier, also at Harpers Ferry. Control of Harpers Ferry changed hands fourteen times between 1861 and 1865 (according to the fine folks at the Civil War Trust), and it’s hard to believe there was anything left when the war ended!

Thanks to Zooniverse user SarahtheEntwife for pointing out this fascinating message!