This letter, written in Stafford and printed in a Warsaw, New York newspaper, The Wyoming Mirror confirms that gold mining activity took place in Stafford during the Civil War.

WYOMING MIRROR, WARSAW,

SEPTEMBER 2, 1863.

OUR ARMY CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE 5TH N. Y. CAVALRY.

CAMP AT GOLD MINE, NEAR UNITED STATES FORD, Stafford Co., Va., August 20, 1863.

EDITOR MIRROR—Dear Sir:—By the heading of this letter you can form some idea of our present whereabouts. We are in the gold region of Virginia. But a few rods from our camp is the quartz mill with its huge chimney, boilers and engine, its stampers and rollers for crushing the rock and all the aparatus for separating the gold that was too ponderous for soldiers to carry off or appropriate. The works were owned by New York City and Boston men — Morgan of N. Y., and Kelly of Boston being the principal owners. Citizens tell us there has been “a heap of gold taken from this mine,” and that at one time it “paid right smart.” At present the shafts are caving in and all going to ruin. We go out “prospecting” most every day. My best luck was at a Miner’s house, where I succeeded in purchasing some samples of gold-bearing quartz, to send home.