William Armstrong wrote these Sketches in 1862 ù 3 while recovering from an illness during the Civil War. Red-Tape and Pigeon-Hole Generals As Seen From the Ranks During a Campaign in the Army of the Potomac was written as a patriotic act. Armstrong wanted the courage of the soldiers to be written about so that despair could be changed into loyalty and determination to fight the war. Armstrong writes of the camp near Frederick City, the camp baker, the surgeon, Harper¿s Ferry, the Judge Advocate, Picket Station on the Potomac, reconnaissance, and much more.