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Chapter 4: William Townsend Becomes a Soldier - Write With Me Series
- Devon Noel Lee
- Jul 9
- 5 min read
Below are the excerpts from the draft of William Townsend's story. The focus is on sharing some examples of giving a chapter a job. I'm including the beginning and the end of the chapter. You can request to read the full chapter through our contact page. I welcome ANY and all feedback to make this better.
For full disclosure, I compiled the notes and thoughts for each text box. I used AI to transform the notes into a first draft. I'll be revising this draft further before final publication.
Chapter 4: Civil War Begins
Introduction
At 5 AM on Tuesday, May 3rd, Reville announced the need to rise and prepare for breakfast. Breakfast was a repeat of the previous night's fare, and a growling belly made it more appealing. This day involved waiting for orders and continuing physical examinations for those who had second thoughts about signing up.
Following breakfast, William and Milby marched a dusty five-mile route from Todd Barracks to Camp Chase. The brothers continued their transition from civilian to soldier. The Camp Chase, a broad expanse of cleared ground dotted with tents, was the staging place for units as they awaited their orders to depart.
For those with previous National Guard experience, they built on the training previously received. During the day, the Ohio 133rd established a routine of camp life based on federal Army protocols—drills, fatigue duties, and so forth. At night, William and his regiment quickly learned how to pitch a canvas tent and roll themselves in blankets, sleeping directly on the hard earth. For some, the night accommodations were quite the adjustment.
On May 4th, the Battle of Wilderness happened in the neighboring state of Virginia. The following day, assignments for the Ohio 133rd arrived, and the camp buzzed with anticipation for the order to move out. Their destination, along with the 134th, was Parkersburg, Virginia. The news traveled quickly down the lines of tents. William and Milby discussed with their company the destination that lay in contested territory, where Union supply lines and rail connections needed to be guarded. The wait at Camp Chase was nearly over, but waiting would become another regular part of military life. Throughout May 5th and 6th, while William and his brother participated in the daily army routine, Col. Gustavus Innis and his staff made further adjustments to the roster, organized supplies, studied maps, and led the men in completing the necessary paperwork and final medical exams before issuing the order to move out.
[.. story continues in the Google Docs file. If you wish to see it, send a message through our contact page.]
Introductions for Sub-Headings:
Receiving the Uniform on May 7th
After Reville was called at 5 am, crates of military clothing were assembled, and their contents were handed over to the men in a manner that was more chaotic than orderly. Overcoats, blouses, pants, drawers, shoes, and socks were tossed from the boxes with little regard for size or fit. The scene quickly turned into an impromptu marketplace, with soldiers swapping trousers that were too long for jackets that were too tight, until most had something close enough to wear.
As William stood in line, he could take stock of the patchwork origins of the regiment now forming around him. Some men were familiar faces from his service in the 74th Ohio National Guard. Others were new additions from Franklin County, while still others had come from companies raised in far-flung parts of the state. Although not numerous, the accents in the regiment included those from Germany, France, Scotland, Switzerland, and Wales. Combined with men from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and even 17 from the slave state of Virginia, Williams’ unit had to unify for 100 days to be of much use.
[.. story continues]
Help for the Homefront
As the 133rd Ohio prepared to leave Columbus, part of the 38,000 who responded to Governor John Brough's call for 100-day units, Governor Brough appealed to Ohioans to support the families left behind. For the agrarian state, while many left following the spring planting, few men remained on the home front to manage the summer growing season. The campaign would end in August in time for the harvest season, but without support while the men were away, the fall harvest would be bleak. For Gov. Brough, that was not a show of gratitude for the sacrifices the men and their families would make. “We who remain at home, protected by the patriotism and sacrifices of these noble men, must not permit their families to suffer... We must not sully it by neglecting the wants of those our gallant troops leave behind. No such stain must rest upon the fair character of our people.”
[.. story continues]
Toward Parkersburg
With uniforms fitted and arms issued, the 133rd Ohio filed into waiting boxcars for the Little Miami train link at the rudimentary Union Station. By 11 a.m. that Saturday morning, the train lurched westward, carrying William, Milby, and their regiment away from Columbus. For farm boys who had looked for work around Franklin County following the death of their parents, this journey of what should be 100 miles was farther from home than they had ever anticipated. However, with the destruction of rail lines along the B&O Railroad in Maryland, the unit traveled west towards Cincinnati and then east toward its final destination.
[.. story continues]
Closing Paragraphs
Col. Gustavus Innis was privy to the knowledge that as his regiment moved eastward, they were part of a larger scramble to reinforce vulnerable points along the railroad. By May 8th, Colonel Gustavus Innis reported his regiment was following the order to move to Parkersburg by telegraph.
For William and Milby, the past week of waiting and outfitting was now behind them. Ahead lay service in contested territory, where the sound of locomotives and the threat of Confederate raiders would shape the days to come.
** Now, I'm still in the process of improving my draft the way I did for the video that talks about giving a chapter a job. But you can get the idea of how the chapter is evolving.
More About the Write With Me Series
Instead of vague advice, I walk you through the actual process of turning genealogy research into clear, engaging family stories using real examples from my own project on William James Townsend.
This isn't about perfection.
It's about making progress, one chapter at a time.
To read previous installments of William's story:
Chapter 4: William Townsend Becomes a Soldier [Current post]
To watch videos in the Write With Me Series, check out this YouTube playlist:
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