The Stocker Family Documents

The Stocker Family Documents

What I got to look at in the historical archives was the stocker family documents. The earlier of the two documents is dated October 6^th, 1862 and is a signed oath that William Stocker took as a prisoner of war under General Kirby Smith, the oath states that Stocker will not provide military information nor offer help to the Union under the penalty of death.

The later document is dated September 21^st, 1864 and is an enlistment letter sent to Mr. Stocker stating that he has been drafted and must report to London Kentucky by the 11^th of October.

These documents had such an affect on people’s lives, whether it was a document that meant you had to put your life on the line for your country or it said that you swear to not help the same cause or else you will be killed. Receiving these documents had to be trying for men and there families during this era. To have to go to war cannot be an easy pill to swallow but to watch as those who have the wealth to either pay the fee to be exempt from having to give their lives to service or to be able to hire a substitute had to intolerable. As a result the New York City Draft Riots would ensue as congress passed new drafting laws and what began as a riot would turn into a horde of mainly working class Irish immigrants attack black people. These riots would eventually be settled down when president Lincoln would divert some forces after the battle of Gettysburg with the purpose of subduing them.

After fighting in the war and taking your nations pride to heart being captured would be a devastating thing, dying for your country is one thing but to be caught and caged away is a completely different dynamic. Having the option to be released by signing an oath that would swear you against divulging anything about the enemy or giving aid to the war cause would while seemingly useless would still be a difficult thing to sign. To give your word to act against your country or to give your word with the intentions of breaking it are both disparaging things to do and could not have been done with content in ones actions.

These documents, while are not letters and do not divulge words directly from the men give instead a look at the possible stories of these men’s lives and what emotions they would feel as well as the actions they took.