GPO History Talk 

January 15, 2014 
Early in the Civil War, two companies of militia were formed of GPO 

employees, given time for drill and training, and set to guard the Office at 

night. They were Company F (printers) and Company G (bookbinders) of 

the so-called Interior Department Regiment 
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT 

REGIMENT 

• Documentation is scant, but 

volunteer militia regiments 

were common throughout 

the war, in the interest of 

protecting the capital city. 

• Pictured at left are Treasury 

Regiment officers 
GPO'S OWN 

The story of Company F and 

Company G comes from the first 

published history of the agency, by 

R.W. Kerr, 18 81. 

It lists the men who comprised both . companies. 

tltc 

regular detail for guard 

complished "veterans.'' 

1 the Bindery were quite 

in was effected; but in 

e rebel General Kuly, 

etc., was promptly reA. Ensinm~r as First 

ieutenant. The binders 

formation I can obtain, 

'"-a.s mustered into the 

after having been suphns and ammunitionrchcd, on the afternoon 

of the Insane Asylum, 

day, when the rebels, 

Army Corps, retreated. 

f destruction, resumed 

was not mustered into 

lay in the muster prcld. 

ther list of Comp:111y F 

at of lhe company as it 

the binders' Company 

main, correct. 

g, and who appears in 

•rmaster of the Interior 

, who was Captain of 

ing. 

~se two companies as I 

e since died, and those 

G'overmnent Pn.ntt"ng Office. 51 

COillPANY F. 

COMlll lSSIONtm Ol'flCJ:;KS. 

Captain-James Englisli; First Licutenant-H1l/iam McLe(/d; 

Second Lieutenant-Char/es F. Lowry. 

NON-COMMISSIO:-IEO Ol'~'ICEllS. 

Sergeants-.Danid .Flarbaug/1, Norval \V. King, *Charles D. Parsons, and John Miller. 

Corporals-Richard Cronin, A. G. Seaman, * William L. Scott, arid Thomas Harper. 

ApPltby, ~1. Y. Fra,lk!in,Wm. Mortimer,H. Anwld, JI. H. h'. (/itlm,R. Mackey,~. A. Alim, C. T. Crty,.E. N. ,1/a/o,u, T. ·tDurnham, E.T. *Gordon,A. .,J/urray, C. W. *ll<.>5s, J. l'. G,-alr.am, 7o1,_,,_ Afulloy, Tho,. Y. *Ilowcu,G. W. *Gordon, George Nott,Wm.E. Br=n, 7. S. Hall,G-.W. l'ittman, 1~. C. Bnmrll,A. ('.' llur/ey, Y. *Porter, R. A. *Belt, W . . \I. *Hough, Chas. l:l. * Parsons,A. /11. * Baum, Wm. R. llough,J. M. F. RWinstm, C. IV. *Burnside,John. Hall, F. 0. Rou, Jnu. Cunningham,]. 1-1. Hinchey,James. Raser,Thos.M. Caton, c~orge *larddla, L.A. *Recd,Otiver II. *Chedal,J.D. *Jones, Wm. L. "Robinsoo, \Vm. *Claxton, K. W. *Judge,J. J. Rodgtrs, A. Co.ik,A. Judgc,J. G. *Spedden, E. M. Clements, I.. 1-" Johnson,Joscph. "Schdl, C. W. Ckarlu, Y. 7onrs, J.S. *Stitt, F. B. 01ristine, H. A. Jackson, Ba.~il. Crandall,]. *Stitt, F. U. Ketcham, 0. C. Campbell, F:. Shay, W. C. Kel!y, R. Sheer,c. CYmvn,7. H. Kelly, Wm. B. Sl'uumaktr, :J. K. Cullinan, Lott. * Laroo1u!x, John. Chew, F. *Spottswood, J.M. A. Luportt, E. Sample, D. S. *Carrier, A. L. *Lincoln, M.T. Smith,C. .U. Davi5,Madison. "i\lcNeir,G. A. R. Davis, S. A. Scholfield,Johi1. )-faloucy,W.W. Tomlinson,]. S. *Oavison, H. L. *McPherson, C. [)_ Defre(!Jj,Rolliu. 7tlylor, l?obtrt. McElwce,S. *Woodward, M. R. DtVau1;!tn, C. 7. AfaeMurray, E. *\Vaters, F.J. DcCanidry, W. A. Mdvin,J. TVilkn, :Joupk.. *Donaldson, J. A. )-fcGonegal, ~. \Vadsworth, Geo. Hdmon1ton, E. If. *)-lalone,E. *Walker,H. Fo,-bes, C. C. .!Jfurphy,M. *Watkin5,N. Fo"·ler,Wm. D. *Maher, Tho~. F. \Vall,Chas. l•'riu.cl!, \Vn1. J *Metcalf,John. Heming. Wm. *Wright,B.C. McKuin~v, Jamn. Wibtr,D. "f'eehtig. L. R. McNamara,Thos. Whalry, J.C. C. Franzoni,]. C. )-lc:'famee, Patrick. *Whitaktr,Juhu. 
• In the summer of 1864, 

Confederate General Jubal 

A. Early made an approach 

on Washington from the 

northwest, first engaging 

Union forces just south of 

Frederick, Maryland at the 

Monocacy Junction. The 

small Union force, under 

General Lew Wallace, was 

defeated and Early's troops 

moved southeast on July 10. 
• On July 11, 1864 Early's 

forces reached the 

vicinity of Fort Stevens, 

one of the 67 forts 

surrounding 

Washington, near the 

present-day site of 

Walter Reed Medical 

Center. 
• The news that Early had 

defeated Wallace's forces at 

Monocacy caused panic in 

Washington, and every 

available person, including 

the many ad hoc militia 

regiments, was called to the 

defense of Washington. 
• GPO Company F was 

mustered into service, given 

weapons, and marched 

across the Anacostia 

(probably across the Eastern 

Branch Bridge, at right) to 

"the vicinity of the insane 

asylum, " St. Elizabeth's 

Hospital in Southeast. 
They were probably at Fort Stanton, which overlooks the confluence of the 

Anacostia and Potomac, on the heights of Anacostiajust west of St. 

Elizabeth's 
By July 12, Grant's 6th Corps had arrived in Washington by boat and 

marched immediately to Ft. Stevens. Skirmishing continued through the 

heat of the day, but when night fell Early's forces retreated, crossing the 

Potomac at White's Ferry near Leesburg, VA.