Some recollections of Charles Town in summer 1863:
-Hundreds of lovely women greeted us with waving handkerchiefs, with abundance of meat, bread, buttermilk, cakes, custards, etc. (Reminiscence of Chaplain Charles H. Dobbs, 12th Mississippi)
-Place made famous by the hanging of John Brown. (Diary of G. W. Bynum, Company A, 2nd Mississippi)
-Quite pretty, the ladies turned out in large numbers to see us. I scarcely ever before heard such cheering as the boys gave. (War Talks of George S. Bernard, 12th Virginia)
-11 a.m., June 23, just passed Charleston [sic] and met such a hearty reception by the ladies and citizens of the place that we felt very much cheered. Flags waved from every window nearly and the ladies turned out in mass to salute us; provisions, tacks, and bouquets were distributed in great profusion. (Letter of Joel Blake, Company K, 5th Florida)
Fall of 1863:
-Courthouse, jail and other buildings in the center of town, all loop-holed for musketry – defended by the Federals in October 1863. Major Locke, Imboden’s Commissary, had his residence in Charles Town. (Four Valiant Years in the Lower Shenandoah Valley, by Laura V. Hale)