William J. Stores

A 20 year old student in Hampton, he was commissioned First Lieutenant, Company I, 32nd Virginia Infantry on 27 May 1861 in Williamsburg. He was promoted to Captain on 21 May 1862.

He led his Company in action at Sharpsburg on 17 September. He later wrote of an incident there:

[while near the D. Miller barn, just west of the Hagerstown Pike] ... Genl. Stuart's Calvary was in a body of woods just to our left, for Stuart came from the woods, across an open field at full speed, to the barn & stacks where we were and asked to what Command we belonged to and inquired for Genl. Semmes. Just then a battery from the enemie's side opened fire on the barn and stacks. Anxious to hear what so distinguished a General as Stuart would have to say to our Brigade Commander, I pressed up close and heard him say, "General that battery must be taken" Semmes replied "General! My men have been in this engagement all the morning. Barksdale's brigade is through the woods there unexposed." Stuart dashed off, as if in search of Barksdale's brigade. I turned about and found that my Regt. had retired through the woods to a less exposed position & when ammunition was brought up and the cartridge boxes were refilled, we advanced no farther than the barn and stacks alluded to above ...

He was captured in action at Five Forks, VA on 1 April 1865 and sent to Point Lookout, MD, where he was released 11 June 1865 after taking the oath of allegiance.

He was superintendent of schools of York County by 1897, and served as such to at least 1909.

Basic information from the Virginia Military Dead,1 which has him as a Captain. Service and other details from Les Jensen's 32nd Virginia Infantry (roster, 1990) via the Historical Data Systems database. Birth information from family genealogists. The quote above in a letter Captain Stores wrote Ezra Carman 30 December 1899 about his unit's part in the battle. Details from the Report of the Virginia Department of Education for 1896/97. His gravesite is on Findagrave.

See Jim Buchanan's excellent annotated version of that 1899 letter on his blog Walking the West Woods.

10/15/1841; Elizabeth City County, VA

09/10/1914; York County, VA; burial in Smith-Hopkins-Cooke Cemetery, Tabb, VA