A STANDARD HISTORY
OF
LORAIN COUNTY
OHIO
An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with
Particular
Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial Civic and
Social Development. A Chronicle of the
People, with Family Lineage
and Memoirs.
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G. FREDERICK WRIGHT
SUPERVISING EDITOR
Assisted by a Board of Advisory Editors
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ILLUSTRATED
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VOLUME I
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THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1916 CHAPTER XIII -
MILITARY MATTERS
Pg. 247
In proportion to its population, Lorain
County sent into the Union rank and file an unusually large number of
youth and men, and in no section of the state were the girls and the
women more tireless in the work of relief than those "at home." In
the raising of funds, the forwarding of provisions, clothing and medical
supplies, and hundreds of other acts which constituted war relief, the
large and more effective organizations of Cleveland absorbed many of the
activities and contributions of the people of Lorain County; but no
thought of distinctive credit entered the minds of the patriots of those
days; the all-important aim was to get the relief to the front as
rapidly as possible.
The all-pervading sentiment of patriotism so manifest
during the period of the Civil war was only to be expected from
communities which had so long been molded by strong moral and religious
influences, with a sustained sentiment of many years growth against the
institution of slavery; and Oberlin College, as the strongest force in
the propulsion and dissemination of such influences, nobly proved
her faith by her works. [Page 247]
CONTRIBUTIONS
FROM OBERLIN
COLLEGE.
In speaking of the part taken by Lorain County in the Civil war,
a special tribute must be paid the student body of Oberlin
College. The patriotic drafts upon the membership of that
institution, upon several occasions, threatened the very life of
the college. On Apr. 20, 1861, not long after the firing
of Fort Sumter , more than 430 students applied for admission to
Company C, Seventh Regiment, Ohio volunteer Infantry. Only
eighty-one, the maximum of the company, were received. A
second company was promptly organized and filled to its maximum,
and, a few months after Company C enlisted, Oberlin College and
vicinity sent another company to the Forty-first Regiment.
In the second year of the war still another company was raised
in the college and the village to join the One Hundred and Third
Regiment, and not long afterward, when Cincinnati appeared to be
threatened by the Confederate cavalry, every student in the
college able to bear arms marched to the defense of that city.
Although the services of these so-called Squirrel Hunters were
not required, their prompt action showed their manly spirit and
they returned home with honor; but hundred of Oberlin students
there were who saw actual service on the battle field, and many
cheerfully sacrificed their lives to the union. A
testimony to this patriotism is the Soldiers' Monument which
stands opposite the campus.
On the main face, which fronts West College Street, is
the inscription: "Our brave volunteers who fell in the War
for the Union."
On the opposite side of the Memorial are the names of
Lieutenant Herbert Kenaston, U. S. A., and the privates
who also fell in line of duty. Fredericksburg, Stone
River, Gettysburg, Fort Wagner, Chickamauga and Pittsburg
Landing are etched in this stony face, as they must have been in
the memories of the gallant soldiers when alive.
On the side facing South Professor Street is the sad
and gallant record of Company C, Seventh Ohio Volunteers.
There appear the names of Captain O. P. Brockway,
Lieutenant E. R. Smith and Charles F. King, and
the battles of Cross Lanes, Chattanooga, Winchester, Port
Republic, Cedar Mountain and Antietam, and on the reverse side
of the monument, Ringgold, Petersburg, Fort Harrison, Five
Forks, Cold Harbor, Olustie and Port Hudson.
There are other memorials of the Civil war than those
of stone. For instance, there is an elm nearly opposite
the Carnegie Library upon whose massive trunk is the
inscription: "Transplanted Apr. 2, 1859, by Burford
Jeakins, Oberlin College, '61; Company C, 7th Regt. O. V. I.
Mortally wounded at Ross Lanes, Aug. 26, 1861. Died at
Carnieux Ferry, W. Va., Sept. 22, 1861." [Page
249] COMPANY
C, SEVENTH
OHIO INFANTRY
Company C, Seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which
contained so many Oberlin students, was mustered into the
service at Camp Dennison, Ohio, June 20, 1861, and mustered out
at Cleveland, on the 6th of July, 1864. Following were its
commissioned officers:
Captain Giles W. Shirtliff, resigned Mar. 18,
1863.
First Lieutenant Judson N. Cross, promoted to
first lieutenant Nov. 25, 1861.
Second Lieutenant Ephraim H. Baker, promoted to
first lieutenant Nov. 25, 1861; resigned Mar. 1, 1862.
Second Lieutenant Henry W. Lincoln, promoted
from sergeant to second lieutenant, Aug. 9, 1862; to first
lieutenant, No. 6, 1862; resigned Jan. 7, 1863.
Second Lieutenant Isaac C. Jones, enrolled Mar.
1, 1863; promoted from sergeant to second lieutenant; died Nov.
30, 1863, of wounds received in the battle of Ringgold, Georgia,
Nov. 27, 1863.
Company C was with its regiment for more than three
years, and its record shows what a firm basis true grit has in
moral sentiment. The Seventh Regiment was made up entirely
of Northern Ohio men, and John S. Casement of Painesville
was its first major. He resigned after a time, and
assisted in raising other organizations. He ascended the
steps of promotion until he was brigadier-general when he left
the service. At the expiration of the term of service for
which they were mustered, the regiment re-enlisted, almost to a
man, for three years; and on June 26, 1861, it started for the
field to take part in the opening of the campaign in western
Virginia, and on the following day first set foot on Rebel soil,
near Benwood. They marched along the line of the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad to Clarksburg and went into camp. There a
beautiful stand of colors was presented to the regiment by
Captain Schulte, in behalf of the "Social Turnverein," of
Cleveland. The regiment made its first march fully
equipped. The day was aggressively hot, and before one
mile had been laboriously overcome many valuable and useful
articles, supposed to be absolutely indispensable, had become an
intolerable burden; at three miles, when a halt was ordered, the
men went deliberately to work reducing their baggage.
Blankets, dress uniforms, books, underclothing and every article
that could possibly be dispensed with, were emptied on the
ground and left there. This march terminated at Weston.
After doing considerable marching, the regiment reached Cross
Lanes on the 16th of August; and it was there, on the 25th of
the same month, that they had their first fight, which proved a
disastrous affair. The regiment was obliged to retreat,
although it held [Page 250]
its position for some time against overwhelming numbers.
Its loss was 120 in killed, wounded and prisoners. The
next battle was at Winchester on Mar. 23d. At 3 o'clock
P.M. the battle began in earnest and raged furiously until dark,
resulting in success to the Union army. Again at Port
Republic, the Seventh fought splendidly and effectively.
In that engagement, with less than 3,000 men, Stonewall
Jackson's force of 14,000 Confederates was held at bay for
five hours. The Union forces were, however, obliged to
retreat. On August 9th, at Cedar Mountain, the regiment
was again at the front and enraged in a fierce hand-to-hand
conflict. Of the 300 men engaged in the Seventh" only 100
escaped unhurt. The next battle was at Antietam, but it
would require a volume to tell of all the fighting the regiment
did. On Saturday, June 24, 1864, it took its departure for
Cleveland, where it was mustered out of the service on the 8th
day of July following, having been in the field a little more
than three years. During that time 1,800 men had served in
it, and when mustered out there were but 240 men remaining to
bring home their colors, pierced by the shot and shell of more
than a score of battles.
FATALITIES
The fatalities of Company C, which exceeded those of any other
similar command which was drawn from Lorain County, were as
follows: Killed in
battle:
First Sergeant Arthur C. Danford, promoted to
first sergeant Nov. 20, 1861; killed at Winchester, Virginia,
Mar. 23, 1862.
Corporal John J. Evers, promoted to corporal
Nov. 20, 1861; killed at Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Aug. 9, 1862.
Corporal Lewis R. Gates, promoted to corporal
Apr. 1, 1862; killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
Corporal George R. Matgary promoted to corporal
Apr. 1, 1862; killed at Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862.
Romain J. Kingsbury, killed at Port Republic,
Virginia, June 9, 1862.
Charles F. King, killed at Ringgold, Georgia,
Nov. 27, 1863.
James M. Rappleye, killed at Cedar Mountain,
Virginia, Aug. 9, 1862.
Warren F. Richmond, killed at Cedar Mountain,
Virginia, Aug 9, 1862. [Page 251]
Edward P. Sheppard, killed at Cedar Mountain,
Virginia, Aug. 9, 1862.
Charles E. Wall, killed at Ringgold, Georgia,
Nov. 27, 1863.
Daniel P. Wood, killed at Ringgold, Georgia,
Nov. 2, 1863.
Died:
Sergant William W. Parmenter, taken prisoner at
battle of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861; died in Parish
Prison, New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 18, 1861.
Sergeant John Gardner, appointed sergeant May 1,
1863; died Dec. 19, 1863, of wounds received in battle of
Ringgold, Georgia, Nov. 27, 1863.
Sergeant Oliver C. Trembly, appointed sergeant
Jan. 1, 1864; drowned in the Ohio River, June 24, 1864.
Corporal Edward W. Goodsel, died Sept. 19, 1862,
of wounds received in battle of Antietam, Maryland, Sept. 17,
1862.
William Biggs, taken prisoner at battle of Cross
Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861, and died in Parish Prison, New
Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 17, 1861.
Wallace Coburn, died Mar. 29, 1862, of wounds
received in battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.
Joseph H. Collins, died Aug. 27, 1861, of wounds
received at battle of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861.
Cyrus P. Hamilton, wounded and captured at
battle of Port Republic, Virginia, June 9, 1862; died in Rebel
hospital of wounds.
Daniel S. Judson, wounded and captured at battle
of Port Republic, June 9, 1862; died of wounds in Rebel
hospital.
Burford Jenkins, wounded and captured at battle
of Cross Lanes, Virginia, Aug. 26, 1861; died of wounds Sept. 6,
1861.
Harrison Lewis, died in Fairfax Seminary
Hospital, Virginia, Dec. 6, 1861, of fever.
Joseph McCanan, died July 22, 1863, of wounds
received at battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.
Levi Myers, died in hospital at Nashville,
Tennessee, Dec. 20, 1863, of smallpox.
Fred M. Palmer, died Apr. 7, 1862, of wounds
received in battle of Winchester, Mar. 23, 1862.
Edward G. Sackett, died Mar. 29, 1862, of wounds
received in battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.
Thomas Sweet, died Nov. 30, 1863, of wounds
received in battle of Ringgold, Nov. 27, 1863.
Orlando Worcester, died Apr. 16, 1862, of wounds
received in battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862.
[Page 252]
THE
SQUIRREL HUNTERS.
In striking contrast to the foregoing record is that of the
organization, which so promptly assembled, in the autumn of
1862, to repel the Confederate general, Kirby Smith, from
his anticipated attack upon Cincinnati. Governor Tod
had issued a proclamation calling upon all who would furnish
themselves with rations and arms to turn out, organize under
their own officers, and rendezvous at the threatened city,
transportation over the railroads to be provided by the
Government. About 350 citizens of Lorain County responded
to the call of the governor. They saw no fighting, but
their work was cheerfully performed, and they were ready for
whatever might come. Governor Tod caused
lithograph discharges to be forwarded to those whose names could
be obtained, and not a few of them have been preserved by the
descendants of the home guard, as highly prized documents.
Although those who thus gathered at Cincinnati were afterward
jocosely called Squirrel Hunters, they were always honored just
the same.
COMPANY
D, TWENTY-THIRD
REGIMENT.
Company D, of the Twenty-third Regiment, was recruited mostly
from Lorain County. It went into the service over 100
hundred strong, being organized at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, May
16, 1861. It was mustered out at Cumberland, Maryland,
July 26, 1865.
The commissioned officers of Company D were as follows:
Captain Howard S. Lovejoy; resigned Feb. 19, 1863.
First Lieutenant Abram A. Hunter, promoted to
captain Mar. 1, 1862, and assigned to Company K.
Samuel Lieutenant Henry Richardson, promoted to
first lieutenant July 24, 1861, and assigned to Company B.
FATALITIES.
Corporal John H. Lindley, promoted to sergeant; killed at
south Mountain, Maryland, Sept. 14, 1862.
Isaac W. Barker, Hiram Durkee, Frederick
Hooker and Edmund A. Sims, also killed at South
Mountain.
James V. Eldridge, killed at Antietam, Maryland,
Sept. 17, 1862.
John R. Searl died at Raleigh, North Carolina,
July 17, 1864.
Samuel Clifford, died in Confederate prison,
July 12, 1864. [Page 253]
COMPANY
K, TWENTY-THIRD
REGIMENT.
Company K, of the Twenty-third
Regiment, was organized at Elyria, and mustered into the service the
month following the organization of Company D. They were both
mustered out with their regiment, at Cumberland, Maryland, July 26,
1865.
The commissioned officers of Company K were as follows:
Captain Dewitt C. Howard, resigned July 11,
1862.
First Lieutenant Frederick H. Bacon.
Second Lieutenant Archie C. Fisk.
FATALITIES.
The fatalities of the company
during the war include the following:
Sergeant Thomas G. Wells, killed in the battle
of South Mountain, Maryland, Sept. 14, 1862.
Corporals Timothy C. Wood and Lyman W.
Carpenter, both of whom died at Charleston, West Virginia, the
former Nov. 20, 1862, and the latter, Aug. 8th of that year.
Jonathan Ring, wounded at Antietam, Sept. 17,
1862; died Sept. 14, 1862.
REGIMENTAL
HISTORY.
Companies D and K had the honor
of being units of one of the most famous regiments which ever went from
Ohio - famous, not only for its soldierly record, but for the after-fame
of its commanding officers. Their simple names are the proof to
all who have even an inkling of American history. William S.
Rosecrans was colonel, Stanley Matthews lieutenant colonel,
and Rutherford B. Hayes major, when the regiment was first
organized. Under command of Colonel E. P. Scammon, the
Twenty-third went into active service in West Virginia, meeting with the
new and exciting events common to inexperienced soldiers, which were
almost forgotten amid the sterner realities of active warfare.
The regiment participated in the battles of Carnifex
Ferry, Virginia, Sept. 10, 1861, and Giles Courthouse, May 10, 1862, and
had the honor of opening the battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862,
where it lost thirty-three men killed and eighty wounded, among the
latter Rutherford B. Hayes, afterward President of the United
States. As an incident of this battle, it is said that the Twelfth
and
[Page 254]
Twenty-third Ohio and Twelfth and Twenty-third North Carolina -
Companies B on each side - were directly engaged with each
other. The Twenty-third, under command of Lieutenant
Colonel Hayes, was in the advance on that day. It
was an early hour to advance up the mountain and attack the
enemy. From behind stone walls the Confederates poured a
destructive fire into the Federal ranks at very short range.
The command of the Twenty-third fell upon Major Comly
after Lieutenant Colonel Hayes was wounded, the latter
again making his appearance on the field, with his wound half
dressed, and fought, against the remonstrances of the whole
command, until carried off. Near the close of the day at
Antietam a change was made by the division to which the
Twenty-third belonged, and it was exposed to a large force of
the enemy posted in the rear of the left. Its colors were
shot down, and at the same time a feint was made in its front.
The colors were planted on a new line at right angles with its
former front, and teh regiment formed a line in the new
direction, and opened fire upon the enemy, who retired.
The division withdrew, but no order reached the Twenty-third,
and it remained on the field until the division commander
returned and ordered it to the rear.
The Twenty-third assisted in heading off Morgan's
command at Buffington's Island, then returned to Charleston,
West Virginia, and afterward joined General Crook's
forces for a raid on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad.
May 9, 1864, the Twenty-third fought at Cloyd Mountain.
The enemy occupied the first crest of the mountain, defended by
artillery and rudely constructed breastworks. The hill was
steep, thickly wooded, difficult of ascent, and skirted by a
stream of water two or three feet deep. At the word of
command the regiment advanced across the stream to the foot of
the mountain, under a heavy fire of musketry and artillery,
without returning the fire of the enemy. A furious assault
was made upon the enemy's works, carrying them, with two pieces
of artillery. The struggle at the guns was of the fiercest
description. The Confederate artillerymen attempted to
reload their pieces when the Federal line was ot more than ten
paces distant. The Twenty-third was with Hunter in
the attack on Lynchburg, and in numerous skirmishes and battles
in the Shenandoah Valley. At Winchester, July 24, 1864, it
lost 153 men. At the battle of Opequan, September 19th,
Hayes' brigade had the extreme right of the infantry.
Moving forward under fire, the brigade came upon a deep slough,
forty or fifty yards wide and nearly waste deep, with soft mud
at the bottom overgrown with a thick bed of moss. It
seemed impossible to get through it, and the whole line was
staggered for a moment. Just then Colonel Hayes
plunged in with his horse, and under a shower of bullets and
[Page 255]
shells he rode, waded and dragged his way through - the first
man over. The Twenty-third was ordered by the right flank
over the slough. At the same place men were suffocated and
drowned; still the regiment plunged through, re-formed, charged
forward again, driving the enemy. The division commander
was wounded, leaving Colonel Hayes in command. He
was everywhere, exposing himself as usual; men were falling all
around him, but he rode through it all as though he had a
charmed life. No reinforcements, as promised; something
must be done to stop that fire that is cutting the force so
terribly. Selecting some Saxony rifles in the
Twenty-third, pieces of seventy-one calibre, with the range of
twelve hundred yards, Lieutenant McBride was ordered
forward with them to kill the enemy's artillery horses, in plain
sight. At the first shot a horse drops, immediately
another is killed, a panic seems to seize, the artillerymen, and
they commence limbering up. The infantry take the alarm,
and a few commence running from the intrenchments, and the
cavalry, which has been hovering upon the flanks, sweeps down
upon the enemy, capturing them by regiments; and the battle is
at an end. The Twenty-third fought at North mountain,
Sept. 20, 1864, and at Cedar Creek, October 19 - a day that is a
household world throughout the land. The Twenty-third was
mustered out on the 26th day of July, 1865, at Cumberland,
Maryland, and was paid and disbanded at Camp Taylor, Cleveland.
COMPANY
H, FORTY-FIRST
REGIMENT.
Company H, Forty-first Regiment
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was largely recruited from Lorain County, and
several joined Company K, of the same regiment. With other
companies of that stalwart command, they saw more than four years of
service covering every phase of warfare conceived by the brave and
ingenious soldiers of those days.
The commissioned offices of Company H included the
following:
Captain, Alonzo Pease, resigned Jan. 9, 1862.
First Lieutenant, John W. Steele, promoted to
captain, Feb. 3, 1862.
Second lieutenant, Albert McRoberts, promoted to
first lieutenant Mar. 1, 1862; resigned, May 24, 1862.
REGIMENTAL
HISTORY.
The
Forty-first was one of the famous veteran regiments of the Union
army. It was raised immediately after the battle of Bull
Run by a number of citizens of Cleveland and Capt. William B.
Hazen of
[Page 256]
the Eighth United States Infantry, was appointed colonel.
The camp was established near Cleveland, and by September 1st it
was quite full and the work of instruction commenced. An
officers' school was instituted, and the strictest discipline
enforced, and, by the time the regiment was mustered as
complete, on the 31st of October, 1861, the officers and men
were quite well drilled. On November 6th the regiment
moved by rail to Camp Dennison, where he was supplied with arms.
These consisted of the Greenwood rifle, a weapon nearly useless
and soon discarded by the Government. After a week at Camp
Dennison, the regiment proceeded to Gallipolis, taking steamer
from Cincinnati.
A few raiding excursions from this point into Virginia
was the only relief from daily drills, and in the later part of
the month, the regiment was ordered to Louisville, and reported
to General Buell then organizing the Army of Ohio.
The forty-first became a part of the Fifteenth Brigade,
Nelson's division, and during the winter remained at Camp
Wickliffe, Kentucky. There the Forty-first was made the
nucleus of a new brigade (the Nineteenth), to which were
assigned the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Indiana and the Sixth
Kentucky, commanded by Colonel Hazen.
On the 14th of February, 1862, Nelson's
division marched to West Point, which was reached after a severe
march of three days. Thence the two Indiana regiments were
sent to Grant. Nelson embarked on transports
of the Tennessee river, and arrived at Nashville on the 27th of
February, 1862. About the middle of March, the regiment
moved with the army to Savannah on the Tennessee River arriving
within two miles of that point the Saturday preceding the battle
of Pittsburg Landing. Heavy firing was heard on the
morning of the 6th of April, and at 1 o'clock P.M., after being
supplied with rations and ammunition, the regiment moved for
Pittsburg Landing, one company (G) being left to guard the camp
and garrison equipage. At 5 o'clock, the troops arrived
opposite the battlefield, and Hazen's brigade was the
second to cross the river. The regiment lay that night on
the field, in the driving rain among the dead and wounded, and
at day-light moved forward in its first engagement.
The Forty-first was on the right of Nelson's
division, and when the rebels were discovered to be advancing
Hazen's brigade was ordered to charge. The Forty-first
was placed in the front line, and advanced steadily through a
dense thicket of undergrowth, and, emerging into the more open
ground, was saluted with a murderous fire. The line still
advanced, checked the approaching Confederates, drove them back
beyond their fortifications and captured their guns. Three
officers and
[Page 257]
three men, who, at different times, carried the colors in the
charge, were either killed or wounded, and, of the 373 who
entered the engagement, 141 were put out of the fight in the
space of half an hour.
The night after the battle, Hazen's brigade, as
an outlying force, occupied the Tan Bark Road upon the left of
the army. The regiment occupied a miserable camp on the
field of battle, surrounded by the half buried bodies of men and
horses, until the army moved on Corinth. It suffered very
much from exposure, during the march and in the operations
immediately following. The Forty-first was with Buell's
army on its march to Louisville, moving, day after day, over bad
roads, with short rations and water supply, until, nearly
exhausted, ragged and dirty, it entered Louisvile on the West
Point Road, and encamped for a three days' ret. On the 2nd
of October, the regiment marched against Bragg. At
the battle of Perryville, its duties were chiefly in the line of
skirmishing.
About October 20th, the brigade commenced its return to
Nashville.
December 26th, the Forty-first, with the army, moved on
Murfreesboro. At midnight, on the 30th, the regiment took
position in the first line facing Cowan's house, and from
this time, until the cessation of hostilities, was actively
engaged. Of the 410 officers and men of the Forty-first,
the largest number it ever took into battle, 112 were killed and
wounded.
On Jan. 10, 1863, the regiment moved to Reedyville,
where it remained, in comparative quiet, until the 24th of the
following June, when the command moved to Tullahoma; but as that
place had been evacuated before they reached it, the troops
returned to Manchester and went into camp. Tents were
struck on the 15th of August, and the command, moved toward
Chattanooga, near Gordon's Mills. About 9 o'clock A.M.,
the battle commenced, and at 1 o'clock P. M. Palmer's
division (comprising the Forty-first), went into the fight,
attacking in echelon by brigades, Hazen's brigade being
the first echelon. The regiment advanced rapidly over an
open field to a strip of woods. After holding the position
two hours, and, during the time losing 100 men, the regiment was
withdrawn. It was immediately moved to the assistance of
General VanCleve, and was continually under fire.
At length the brigade was formed in columns, by regiments, and
advancing, one after the other, delivered its volley into the
dense masses of the enemy, who reeled and fell back. This
was the last fighting on Chickamauga. The next day was
spent on Mission Ridge, and on the following night the regiment
retired to Chattanooga.
In the reorganization of the army, Hazen's
brigade was composed of the First, Forty-first and Ninety-third
Ohio, Fifth Kentucky and
[Page 258]
Sixth Indiana, and was assigned to the Fourth Army Corps,
Maj. -Gen. Gordon Granger, commanding.
At 3 o'clock in the morning of October 27th, fifty-two
pontoons, bearing Hazen's brigade, pushed out silently
from Chattanooga and floated down the river. In half an
hour's time the leading pontoons were passing in front of the
enemy's pickets on the bank, 100 feet above. The
conversation of the rebels could be distinctly heard, but their
attention was not once directed to the 1,200 silent enemies
floating past, within pistol shot. Just as the first
pontoon arrived opposite its landing, it was discovered; but the
landing was effected, the pickets driven in and the hill
gained. When the morning haze cleared away, the
Confederates on Lookout saw the hills beneath them, commanding
two roads to Bridgeport, covered with Union soldiers who
occupied a position from which they could not be driven, with a
pontoon bridge to connect the with Chattanooga, almost
completed.
At noon, on the 23d of November, the brigade was
ordered to fall in for a reconnoissance. The
brigade advanced briskly, driving the enemy's skirmishers into a
dense undergrowth, on a small ridge, between
Chattanooga and Mission Ridge. The line followed, and
received a heavy fire. Nothing could be seen; but it was
too hot a fire to bear quietly. Colonel Willey
ordered the regiment to charge, and orders from Hazen, at
the time, directed the taking of the line on the hill. The
Forty-first delivered a volley, trusting to fortune for its
effect, then dashed forward through the thicket and balls into
the enemy's works, capturing the colors of the Twenty-eighth
Alabama Regiment. In this, its severest, engagement, the
Forty-first was associated with the Ninety-third Ohio, which
shared fully the danger and honor of the fight. The
position was held without trouble, and was known as Orchard
Knob. Soon after the fight, Generals Grant, Thomas
and others, passed along the new line, when Thomas,
looking at the ground within fifty paces of the rebel works,
where the fight had been fiercest and where lay the horses of
Colonel Willey and Lieutenant-Colonel Kimberly,
called for the officers of the regiment, and said
to Colonel Willey: "Colonel, I want you to express
to your men my thanks for their splendid conduct this afternoon.
It was a gallant thing, Colonel - a very gallant thing."
That, from General Thomas, was better than an hour's
speech from any other man.
On the 25th, Hazen's brigade moved across the
valley from Orchard Knob to Mission Ridge, under a heavy
artillery fire; and, at the foot of the ridge, a dash was made
and the enemies' works captured. The troops were here
exposed to canister and musketry, and to remain was impossible:
so they advanced up the steep hill, swept by an enfilading
[Page 259]
fire of artillery; up they went, and when near the top, the fire
of the Forty-first was directed to the batteries on the right.
The Confederates retired, and, with a cheer, the line occupied
the works on the ridge. A squad of the Forty-first seized
a battery almost before the enemy had left it, turned it to the
right and discharged it directly along the summit of the ridge,
where the enemy in front of Newton's division still
stubbornly held their position, with the result that they were
quickly dislodged. Eighteen captured pieces of artillery
graced General Hazen's headquarters that night, of which
the Forty-first and Ninety-third cold fairly claim six as their
trophies, while the former also captured a battleflag. The
losses were severe. One hundred and fifteen of the
Forty-first, most of them in a fight of the 23d, had fallen.
After resting scarcely long enough to bury the dead,
the regiment moved with its corps for Knoxville. Supplies
had been scarce, and before the march was half accomplished
two-thirds of the men were walking over the frozen ground
barefooted; but with their feet wrapped up in sheep-skins and
cow-hides they journeyed on and finally reached Clinch Mountain,
twenty miles above Knoxville. There the regiment
re-enlisted, 180 out of 188 becoming veterans, and on the 5th of
January, 1864, starter for Chattanooga, reaching Cleveland,
Ohio, on the 2d of February.
With nearly 100 recruits, the regiment joined its
division, in East Tennessee on the 26th of March, and was placed
in a battalion with the First Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel
Kimberly commanding. At Rocky Face Ride the battalion
was complimented for its steadiness under a galling fire, and at
Resaca it gained a crest within seventy-five yards of the
enemy's main line and effectually prevented the use of his
artillery. At Dallas, on May 26th, the Forty-first lost
180 men out of 260. During subsequent movements the
regiment was engaged at Peach Tree Creek, before Atlanta, in the
movement against Hood, in December, where it did noble
work it participated in the pursuit o Hood, and finally
rested at Huntsville, Alabama.
In June, 1865, the corps
embarked at Nashville, for Texas. Near Cairo the steamer collided
with a gunboat, and sank in a few minutes, with all the regimental and
company papers and most of the personal property of the officers and
men. Fortunately no lives were lost. In Texas the regiment
was stationed near San Antonio until November, when it was ordered to be
mustered out. It reached Columbus, Ohio, about the middle of the
month, and was discharged on the 26th of November, 1865, after four
years and one month of creditable service.
The fatalities of Company H, of the Forty-first
Regiment, were:
[Page 260]
First Sergeant Henry S. Dirlam,
promoted to first lieutenant Mar. 24, 1863; killed Nov. 23,
1863.
Hyman A. Brown, died at Corinth, Mississippi, in
1862.
James W. Blackwell, killed in battle, Nov. 23,
1863.
Matthews Chamberlain, killed at Shiloh, Arp. 7,
1862.
Albert I. Clark, died at Corinth, Mississippi,
1862.
Albert M. Kellogg, died 1862.
Ebenezer Kingsbury, killed in battle, Nov. 23,
1863.
Daniel Lawrence, died in 1862.
John C. Lenhart, killed at Stone River, Dec. 31,
1862
Joseph H. Lincoln, died in 1862.
William A. Mills, killed in battle, Nov. 23,
1863.
John G. Mills, killed in battle, May 27, 1864.
Franklin Pomeroy, died in 1862.
Harvey Sanderson, died at Corinth, Mississippi,
1862
Oliver H. Smith, died in 1862.
Josiah Staples, killed in battle, May 27, 1864.
Benoni B. West, died in 1864.
Henry West, killed at Shiloh, Apr. 7, 1862.
FORTY-SECOND
OHIO
VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
The band of the Forty-second
Ohio Volunteer Infantry and Company E, of that regiment, drew
much of their membership from Lorain County. The company
was mustered into the service at Camp Chase near Columbus, in
October, 1861, and the band was organized in the following
month. The forty-second was a three years regiment being
mustered out of the service in November 1862.
COMPANY E.
Commissioned officers of Company
E:
Captain Charles H. Howe, resigned May 1, 1863.
First lieutenant, George F. Brady, resigned Mar.
27, 1862.
Second lieutenant, Melville L. Benham, promoted
to captain, May 17, 1863.
The record shows the list of fatalities to be as
follows:
Frederick Brooks, died at St.
Louis, Missouri; date not given.
Christopher Dimmock, wounded in battle; died
March, 1863.
Luke Flint, died Feb. 8, 1862.
Henry Hibner, died Aug. 19, 1863.
Lyman Hawley, wounded at Vicksburg; arm
amputated; drowned Mar. 12, 1864.
[Page 261]
Martin Lilly, killed in battle Dec. 29, 1862.
George W. Lee, died Jan. 12, 1862.
Charles O'Brien, died May 18, 1862.
Sanford Phinney, died; no date given.
George Sexton, died Feb. 7, 1862.
Cornelius Springer, died of wounds, 1863.
Mason Terry, died at Baton Rouge, Louisiana;
date not given
Thomas Williams, died in Memphis.
Frederick Watson, killed at battle July 12,
1863.
John Curl, died June 30, 1863.
George Goldsmith, died Feb. 12, 1863.
Alfred Lucas, died May 6, 1863.
Friend McNeal, died Mar. 25, 1863.
Julian W. Smith, died Jan. 29, 1862.
Thomas F. Williams, died of wounds, Apr. 11,
1863.
REGIMENTAL
HISTORY.
Companies A, B. C and D of the
Forty second Regiment were mustered into the service at Camp
Chase, Sept. 25, 1861; Company E, October 30th; Company F,
November 12th, and Companies G, H. I and K, November 26th.
On the 14th of December, 1861, orders were received to
take the field, and on the following day the regiment moved by
railroad to Cincinnati, and thence by steamer up the Ohio River
to Catlettsburg, Kentucky, where it arrived the morning of
December 17th. The regiment, together with the Fourteenth
Kentucky Infantry and McLaughlin's squadron of Ohio Cavalry,
proceeded to Green Creek. Another advance was made
December 31st, and on the night of Jan. 7, 1862, the whole
command encamped within three miles of Paintville. The
next morning five companies, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Sheldon took possession of the village.
On the evening of the same day Colonel Garfield took the
Forty-second and two companies of the Fourteenth Kentucky, and
advanced against Marshall's fortified position, about
three miles south of Paintville Village. Arriving at about
9 o'clock P. M., they found the works evacuated, and everything
valuable either carried away or destroyed. Marching all
night, they reached Paintville a little after daylight.
About noon on the 9th, Colonel Garfield, with
1,100infantry from the Forty-second Ohio and other regiments,
and about 600 cavalry, started in pursuit of Marshall,
and about 9 o'clock in the evening the advance was fired upon by
Marshall's pickets, on the summit of Abbott's
[Page 262]
Hill. Garfield took possession of the hill,
bivouacked for the night and the next morning continued the
pursuit, overtaking the enemy at the forks of Middle Creek,
three miels southwest of Prestonburg. Marshall's
force consisted of about 3,500 men, infantry and cavalry, with
the three pieces of artillery. Major Pardee, with
400 men, was sent across Middle Creek to attack Marshall
directly in front, and Lieutenant-Colonel Monroe
(Twenty-second Kentucky) was directed to attack on Marshall's
right flank. The fight at once opened with considerable
spirit, and Pardee and Monroe became hotly engaged
with a force four times as large as their own. They held
their ground with great obstinacy and bravery until
reinforcements reached the field, when the enemy commenced to
fall back. The National forces slept upon their arms, and
at early dawn a reconnoissance disclosed the fact that
Marshall had burned his stores and fled, leaving a portion
of his dead upon the field. From this date, for a
considerable time, the regiment was engaged in several
expeditions against guerillas.
The arduous nature of the campaign, the exceedingly
disagreeable weather, and the want of supplies, were disastrous
to the health of the troops, and some eighty-five of the
Forty-second died of disease. On June 18, this regiment
led the advance, and was the first to plant the Union flag on
the stronghold of Cumberland Gap. When the regiment left
the Gap it numbered 750 men, and while on the march there were
issued to it 275 pounds of flour, 400 pounds of bacon, and two
rations of fresh pork: the rest of the food consisted of corn
grated down on tin plates and cooked upon them. The
distance marched was 250 miles. The weather was very dry
and the men suffered for water. They were without shoes,
and their clothing was ragged and filthy. The Forty-second
lost but one man from all causes, and it was the only regiment
that brought through its knapsacks and blankets. These
proved of great service, as the men were compelled to camp at
Portland, Jackson County, Ohio, two weeks before clothing, camp
and garrison equipage recruits, and at Memphis, whither it
arrived on November 28th, sixty-five more. It had from
time to time received a few, so that the whole number reached
200 or more, and the regiment could turn out on parade
nearly 900 men. At Memphis the division was reorganized as
the Ninth Division, Thirteenth Army Corps.
On the 20th of December the Forty-second, with other
troops, under Gen. W. T. Sherman, embarked at Memphis,
and proceeding down the river, landed at Johnston's
plantation on the Yazoo. The Forty-second led the advance
against the defenses of Vicksburg on the 27th of December, and
skirmished with the enemy until dark. The next morning the
[Page 263]
regiment resumed the attack, and by a charge, which was made with great
spirit, succeeded in gaining possession of the woods, driving the
Confederates into their works. About 9 o'clock A. M., on the 29th,
a charge was made, the Forty-second being on the extreme right of the
assaulting column. The storm of shot and shell was terrific, but
the regiment maintained its organization and came off the field in good
order. An important victory followed, in January, 1863, being the
assault upon the capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas. In this the
regiment led the advance. The spoils were 7,000 prisoners, all the
guns and small arms and a large quantity of stores. At Port Gibson
the regiment had hot work, and sustained a heavier loss than any
regiment in the corps. After the surrender of Vicksburg the
regiment marched to Jackson and participated in the reduction of that
place, and then returned to Vicksburg, where it remained until ordered
to Department of the Gulf. Companies A, B, C and D were mustered
out November 25th, and the other four companies, Dec. 2, 1864. One
hundred and one men remained whose term of service had not expired, and
they were organized into a company and assigned to the Ninety-sixth
Ohio. THE
ONE HUNDRED
AND THIRD
INFANTRY.
The One Hundred and Third Ohio
was composed of men from the counties of Cuyahoga, Lorain and Medina,
Companies F and H being especially representative of Lorain County.
Its service covers the period form September, 1862, to June, 1865, and
Cleveland saw both the commencement and the close of its good record.
Field and staff officers from Lorain County:
Major, Dewitt C. Howard, discharged Feb. 15, 1865.
Surgeon, Luther D. Griswold resigned Aug. 1
,1864.
Quartermaster sergeant, Clark P. Quirk promoted
a regimental quartermaster, July 21, 1863.
Hospital steward, Cyrus Durand, promoted from
sergeant in Company H.
Fife major, John Mountain, discharged May 15,
1863. COMPANY
F.
Commissioned officers of Company F:
Captain, Philip C. Haynes, promoted to colonel
of the regiment June 6 1865.
First lieutenant, Simeon Windecker, promoted to
captain, June 24, 1862.
Second lieutenant, Charles E. Morgan promoted to
captain Nov. 18, 1864.
[Page 264]
Fatalities of Company F;
Luther Bemis, died at Danville, Kentucky, July 17, 1863.
John H. Bowers, died Nov. 26, 1863, of wounds
received in battle near Knoxville, Tennessee, on the preceding
day.
Lewis Carver, died at Camp Nelson,
Kentucky, Oct. 3, 1863.
Lampson B. Franklin, died at Lexington,
Kentucky, Nov. 21, 1862.
Silas Kingsley, died at Camp Dennison,
Ohio, July 12, 1863.
David Robinson, died Nov. 28, 1863, of
wounds received in battle near Knoxville, Tennessee, three days
before.
COMPANY
H.
Commissioned
officers of Company H:
Captain, George F. Brady, resigned May 9, 1863.
First lieutenant, John Booth, promoted to
captain May 9, 1863; resigned Apr. 24, 1864.
Second lieutenant, P. B. Parsons resigned June
18, 1863.
Fatalities of Company H:
Frederick Ambrose, died Apr. 27, 1863.
Thomas Bunnell, died Jan. 14, 1863.
Benjamin F. Crippen, died Jan. 18, 1863.
Robert Dickson died Oct. 15, 1863.
Harrison Goding, died Nov 25, 1863, of wounds
received at battle of Armstrong Hill.
Martin Hudson, died Nov. 3, 1863.
William Howes, died Dec. 6,
1863, of wounds received at Armstrong Hill.
Joseph Mathews, died at Frankfort, Kentucky,
Mar. 26, 1863.
Hannibal T. Osgood, died Mar. 23, 1863.
Grosvenor Pelton, died Nov. 10, 1863.
Carey J. Winckler, died Mar. 13, 1863.
REGIMENTAL
HISTORY.
Ten companies of the One
Hundred and Third Regiment rendezvoused at Cleveland, in August,
1862, and on the 3d of September started for Cincinnati, which
they found in a state of excitement and alarm, because of the
near approach of the enemy, under Kirby Smith, upon
Lexington, Kentucky. Having received arms from Cincinnati,
the regiment crossed over to Covington, where it was furnished
with clothing and other necessaries for camp life. Thus
equipped, it marched out to Fort Mitchell, on the evening of the
6th.
Page 265 -
After a few days of suspense information was received
at headquarters that the enemy had retreated. Immediate
pursuit was ordered. The One Hundred and Third moved out
on the 18th, with other forces in pursuit, taking the pike
toward Lexington. Having followed three days, without
being able to overtake the Confederate cavalrymen, the National
forces returned as far as Snow's Pond, where they encamped for a
short time. While there sickness prostrated nearly
one-half of the regiment. It was now organized, with two
other regiments, into a brigade under the command of
Brig.-Gen. Q. A. Gillmore. The regiment, with its
brigade, moved on the 6th of October, to repress the outrages of
the enemy's cavalry, and, becoming separated from the brigade,
went into camp on the bank of the Kentucky River, at Frankfort,
where it remained until the 5th of April, 1863. At that
date, the regiment marched to Stanford.
Marauding bands of mounted men, nominally belonging to
John Morgan's command, but, in reality, independent
squads of freebooters, had kept all this region in a constant
state of excitement and alarm, and gave considerable annoyance
to the National troops - capturing parties stationed at outposts
and destroying supply trains. A large force was gathered
at Stanford, and on the 25th an advance was ordered by Gen.
S. P. Carter, then commanding. The National forces
moved forward to Somerset and Mill Springs, the enemy falling
back all the time; but there were not wanting indications of an
intention, on the part of the Confederates to concentrate their
scattered forces for the purpose of making a stand at some point
favorable for defense. The Union infantry had considerable
difficulty in crossing the Cumberland, on account of high water;
but, once over, it pushed rapidly after the enemy, preceded by
the cavalry which had crossed a little below. On the 30th,
the cavalry came up with a body of Confederates, when a smart
skirmish took place. On the 5th of May, the Federal forces
were ordered back to the Cumberland. The One Hundred and
Third took a position near Stigall's Ferry, where it was soon
visited by a body of enemy troops, who fired on them from the
southern bank. Much power was expended by both parties,
but with little result.
On the 5th of July, the regiment, with other troops,
marched toward Danville, where they remained a few days and then
fell back to Hickman Bridge. Returning to Danville shortly
after the regiment with other commands, was formed into the
Twenty-third Army Corps, and placed under the command of
Major-General Hartsuff. The Ninth Army Corps
having been added to the Union force at that point, the troops
began to move on the 18th of August under the command of Gen.
A. E. Burnside. That army suffered many hardships in
its march from [Page 266]
Danville, via Stanford, Crab Orchard, the Cumberland, Burnside's
Point, Chitwood, Montgomery, Emery's Iron Works and Lenoir, to Concord,
Tennessee. On the 19th of September, the regiment joined in the
general advance, which resulted in driving back the enemy to his
main force, then assembled at Jonesboro.
On the 4th of November, the regiment proceeded by
railroad to Knoxville, and was stationed with its brigade, on the south
side of the river. Longstreet was now advancing upon the
city, with a large force. During the investment, the Union troops
suffered much from insufficient clothing, short rations and other
privations. About noon, on the 25th, six companies of the regiment
were sent forward to relieve a company on picket-duty, and, while so
doing, a heavy charge was made by the Confederates with the intention of
capturing the entire detachment. The men, assisted by the pickets
of the Twenty-fourth Kentucky and the Sixty-fifth Illinois, poured into
the ranks of the enemy a well-directed fire; but this did not check them
in the least, for, with wild yells, they rushed upon the picket-line,
and a desperate struggle ensued. The regiments of the respective
pickets coming up, in full force, a bayonet charge was ordered, which
soon decided the contest, for the opposition broke and fled, leaving the
dead and wounded upon the field. The regiment lost, in this
engagement, some thirty-five in killed and wounded.
The One Hundred and Third Regiment finally became a
part of the grand army, with which Sherman march to the sea, and
on the 13th of May arrived in front of Resaca. The next day, the
Twenty-third Corps charged the enemy's works and carried his two lines.
The regiment lost, in this engagement, over one-third of its effective
force. Among those who fell were Captains W. W. Hutchinson
and J. T. Philpot. The regiment finally reached Decatur on
the 8th of September. It has lost heavily during this campaign.
On May 1st its effective force numbered 450 men; but when it encamped at
Decatur, it could only muster 195.
At Spring Hill, the regiment, while supporting a
battery, showed conclusively its reliable material. On the 24th of
February, 1865, with its corps, it arrived at Wilmington, and on the 6th
of March it started forward, moving through Kingston to Goldsboro, where
it again met Sherman's army. The whole army soon took up
its march, and on the 10th of June, when it started for Cleveland, Ohio,
to be mustered out. As the train, conveying the men, was descending the
western slope of the Alleghany Mountains, a truck broke loose, throwing
three of the cars down a steep embankment and causing the death of three
men,
[Page 267]
and the mutilation of a much larger number. On the 19th, the
regiment reached Cleveland, and on the 22d it was paid off and mustered
out. THE
FORTY-THIRD
INFANTRY.
The Forty-third Infantry had
quite a number of Lorain County men, Companies F and I being well
represented in that regard. Company F served from the fall of 1861
to July, 1865, and Company I was mustered in in 1862 and out, in
the last year of the war.
As a regiment, the Forty-third was organized at Camp
Andrews, Mount Vernon, Ohio, Feb. 7, 1862, and left it rendezvous for
the front on the 21st of the same month. On the 26th of February,
it reported to Brig.-Gen. John Pope, commanding the District of
Mississippi, and was at once assigned to the Ohio brigade, composed of
the Twenty-seventh, Thirty-ninth, Forty-third and Sixty-third regiments,
First Division, Army of the Mississippi.
It was but a few days before the regiment was
introduced to active service, for in March, 1862, it was under fire at
New Madrid, Missouri; and in all he operations against that post it bore
a prominent part, especially in its final bombardment and capture on the
13th and 14th of March. The loss of the regiment in killed and
wounded was quite severe.
In the movements against Island No. 10, and the
crossing of the Mississippi River in the face of the enemy, the
Forty-third bore a conspicuous part, as also in the subsequent capture
of the forces of General McCall, at Tiptonville, Tennessee.
The next movement was against Fort Pillow. In all the operations
of that campaign, the Forty-third bore its part. The actions of
the 8th, 9th and 20th of May, may be particularly mentioned. At
Corinth, the Forty-third was posted immediately on the left of Battery
Robinett, and the Sixty-third on the right of the battery; and it is
said these two regiments did more to save the day than any other
organization engaged. The grand assault of the Confederates was
made at daylight on the 4th of October. They opened on Battery
Robinett with artillery at about 300 yards, and at 10 o'clock A. M., led
by Colonel Rogers, of the Second Texas, moved forward to the
assault. The Forty-third and Sixty-third Ohio stood firmly at
their posts and succeeded in staggering the assaulting column and in
hurling it back, at a time when the Union lines were broken and the
troops were seen flying from every other part of the field. The
opposing forces were but a few feet apart, and fought almost hand to
hand, and men went down on both sides in great numbers. Colonel
Smith fell mortally wounded at the first onset, while gallantly
discharging his duty.
[Page 268]
Adjutant Heyl and Captain Spangler were killed at
about the same moment. Capt. S. F. Timmons and
Lieut. S. McClaren, A. L. Howe and H. L. Prophet
received honorable wounds. The casualties among the men
were very severe. In a few minutes of fighting, over
one-fourth of those engaged of the Forty-third were either
killed or wounded. Colonel Smith died eight days
after the battle. The next movement of the Forty-third was
with Grant's army, at Oxford, Mississippi. In the
campaign against Forrest, in West Tennessee, in the
winter of 1862-63, and in General Dodge's raid in North
Alabama, in April, 1863, the Forty-third was with General
Sherman when he made his memorable march from Memphis to the
relief of the Army of the Cumberland.
In December, 1863, the regiment almost unanimously
re-enlisted as veterans, and went home on a furlough of thirty
days. Returning, the regiment assisted at the capture of
Decatur, Alabama, and lay at that point until the opening of
General Sherman's campaign against Atlanta. On the
13th, it was engaged in the advance on Resaca and suffered
severely. At Dallas, the Forty-third took an important
part; and in the advance on the enemy's position near Big
Shanty, Company D, of the regiment, participated in a most
brilliant charge of skirmishers, capturing a strong barricade
from the Twenty-ninth Tennessee and numerous prisoners.
Immediately thereafter came the siege of Kenesaw, with its
deadly skirmishing, its grand cannonading and the disastrous
repulse of the National forces on the 29th of June.
The Forty-third participated in the general movements
of the corps until the advance of the army on Decatur, when it
was detached to hold the bridge across Chattahoochee. This
was successfully accomplished, and during the remainder of the
Atlanta campaign the Forty-third shared the trials and successes
of the Sixteenth Army Corps; and on the 4th and 7th of August,
particularly, in advancing the National lines, won the thanks of
Ransom, the division commander, by splendid and steady
fighting. After the fall of Atlanta, the Forty-third
enjoyed General Shermans "full month's rest;" after
which, the regiment participated in the chase after Hood
as far as Resaca, and then hurried back to join Sherman
in his great "march to the sea." Of this campaign, the
history of one regiment is the history of all. It was a
daily succession of easy marches, with little interruption, with
plenty of forage for both man and beast and full of pleasant
adventure. Savannah was reached and besieged. In
this the Forty-third performed its full share of duty.
In January, 1865, the regiment moved to Beaufort, and
directly afterward upon Pocotaligo, where it lay until the
beginning of
[Page 269]
Sherman's march through the Carolinas. On the 2d of
February the Seventeenth Corps crossed Whippy Swamp, and was soon
confronting the enemy, strongly posted at River's Bridge. There
Colonel Swayne lost a leg by a shell. The regiment lost
in him a brave and competent leader, who had been with it from its
organization, and who had always shown the utmost devotion to its
interests. The next day, the regiment received a baptism of fire,
in a charge on a battery which commanded the bridge and the causeway
approaching it. Down this narrow causeway the regiment rushed amid
a storm of shot and shell, compelling the Confederates to withdraw their
battery and uncover the crossing. The war closing, the regiment
went to Washington and took part in the grand review; returning to Ohio,
it was mustered out of service on the 13th of July, 1865.
THE
FIFTY-FOURTH
REGIMENT.
The Fifty-fourth Regiment was
represented in the county by Company B, of which Robert Williams
was captain. He was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of his
regiment, and honorably discharged Sept. 14, 1864.
The reported fatalities were:
Samuel Glunt, died July 6, 1863.
Jesse and John Glunt, died in hospital; no
record.
Francis V. Hale, killed in the battle of Shiloh.
Recruiting for the Fifty-fourth Regiment began late in
the summer of 1861, at Camp Dennison, where it was organized and drilled
during the fall of 1861. It entered the field Feb. 17, 1862, with
an aggregate of 850 men. The regiment reached Paducah, Kentucky,
February 20th, and was assigned to a brigade in the division commanded
by General Sherman. On the 6th of April the regiment
engaged in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, its position being on the
extreme left of the army; but, on the second day, it was assigned a new
position near the center of the line.
In the two days' fighting the regiment sustained a loss
of 198 men killed, wounded and missing. It was next engaged upon
the movement upon Corinth, and, upon the evacuation of that point, was
among the first organized bodies to enter the town, and afterward
performed provost duty there. During the summer the regiment was
engaged in several short expeditions. It was engaged in the
assault on Chickasaw Bayou, December 28th and 29th, with a loss of
twenty killed and wounded. On Jan. 1, 1863, the regiment ascended
the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers and engaged in the assault and
capture of Arkansas Post. On the 6th of May, the regiment began
its march to the rear of
[Page 270]
Vicksburg, by way of Grand Gulf, and was engaged in the battles
of Champion Hills and Big Black Bridge. It was engaged in
a general assault on the enemy's works, in the rear of
Vicksburg, on the 19th and 22d of June, losing in the two
engagements forty-seven killed and wounded. It was
continually employed in skirmishing and fatigue duty during the
siege of Vicksburg. After the fall of Vicksburg, the
Fifty-fourth moved with the army upon Jackson, Mississippi, and
was constantly engaged in skirmishing from the 9th to the 14th
of July. It was engaged in the battle of Missionary Ridge,
November, 26th, and the next day marched to the relief of the
garrison at Knoxville, Tennessee. It went into winter
quarters, Jan. 12, 1864, at Larkensville, Alabama.
The regiment was mustered into the service as a veteran
organization on the 22d of January, and at once started to Ohio
on furlough. Returning, it entered on the Atlanta campaign
on the 1st of May. It participated in a general engagement
at Rasaca, and at Dallas, and in a severe skirmish at New Hope
Church, June 6th and 7th. It was in the general assault
upon Kenesaw Mountain, June 27th, losing twenty-eight killed and
wounded, and was in a battle on the east side of Atlanta, July
21st and 22d, sustaining a loss of ninety-four killed, wounded
and missing. The Forty-fourth lost eight men killed and
wounded at Ezra Chapel, July 28th; and from the 29th of July to
the 27th of August, it was almost continually engaged in
skirmishing before Atlanta, was in the march to Savannah, and
assisted in the capture of Fort McAllister, Dec. 15th. It
was closely engaged in the vicinity of Columbia, and
participated in the last battle of Sherman's army at
Bentonville, North Carolina, on Mar. 21, 1865. The
regiment marched to Richmond, Virginia, and thence to Washington
City, where it engaged in the grand review. It was
mustered out at Camp Dennison, Ohio, Aug. 24, 1865.
During its term of service the Fifty-fourth Regiment
marched a distance of 3,682 miles, participated in four sieges,
nine severe skirmishes, fifteen general engagements, and
sustained a loss of 506 men killed, wounded and missing.
THE GERMAN
ONE HUNDRED
AND SEVENTH.
The One Hundred and Seventh
Regiment was composed almost entirely of Germans and recruited
principally in Cleveland. Company G was raised to a large extent
in Lorain County. It was mustered into the service at Cleveland,
Sept. 9, 1862, and mustered out, July 10, 1865, at Charleston, South
Carolina. [Page 271]
Commissioned officers:
Captain, Anton Peterson, resigned Nov. 7, 1862.
First lieutenant, John Pfaff, resigned Nov. 23,
1863.
Second lieutenant, Charles F. Marskey, promoted
first lieutenant Nov. 25, 1862; resigned Jan. 12, 1863.
Fatalities:
Nicholas Burr, died Mar. 25, 1865.
Joseph Cramer, died of wounds,
Jan. 22, 1863.
Michael Klinshern, died prisoner, Jan. 13, 1864.
Mathias Pfeifer, died Jan. 25, 1863.
Peter Simmer, died prisoner, Jan. 7, 1864.
John Weber, killed in battle, July 1, 1863.
Martin Walls, died prisoner, Nov. 16, 1863.
Company E, which contained a few Lorain County men, had
the same length of service as Company G, and both were mustered out with
their regiment.
The One Hundred and Seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, was organized at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, and lay in camp
at that place until late in September, when it moved under orders to
Covington, Kentucky. The move was made with reference to the
anticipated attack on Cincinnati by Kirby Smiths Confederate
cavalry. The regiment was next ordered to Washington and for
nearly a month was engaged in the construction of fortifications around
the national capital. In November it was assigned to the
Second Brigade, First Division, Eleventh Army Corps, Major-General
Siegel commanding. On the 2d and 3d of May it participated
in the battle of Chancellorsville, and suffered a loss of 220 officers
and men killed, wounded and captured. On July 1st is reached
Gettysburg, was at once engaged with the enemy on the right wing of the
Union army, and was obliged to fall back, through the Town of
Gettysburg, to Cemetery Hill, which it held during the remainder of the
battle. In that movement it was further decimated to the number of
250, and it also lost heavily in the second day's fight. The total
loss of the regiment in the three days' battle was over 400 out of about
550 rank and file, with which it entered; but the remnant joined in the
pursuit of the enemy. Its subsequent engagements were light, the
most important being at Sumterville, South Carolina, Mar. 23, 1865,
where it captured quite a detachment of the defeated enemy. On
Apr. 16, 1865, news was received of the surrender of Lee's and
Johnston's armies. Three weeks thereafter the regiment was
taken by steamer to Charleston, South Carolina, where it was mustered
out of the service and sent home to Cleveland, where the soldiers were
paid off and discharged.
[Page 272]
OTHER
INFANTRY
BODIES
Company C, One
Hundred and Seventy-sixth Regiment, was mustered into the
service for one year, in September, 1864. Its commissioned
officers were:
Captain, Aaron K Lindsley,
mustered out with company.
First lieutenant, Joseph A. Lovejoy, promoted
captain Apr. 8, 1865, and assigned to Company H; mustered out
with company.
Second lieutenant, Ramson Peabody, promoted to
first lieutenant Apr. 8, 1865, and assigned to Company C
mustered out with company.
Several of its members died before the muster-out of
June, 1865, as follows:
Albert Forbes, died Dec. 5, 1864.
James Foote, died May 2, 1865.
Nathan Gray, died Nov. 2, 1864.
Morris W. Plain, died Apr. 14, 1865.
Albert S. Reynolds, died Dec. 24, 1864.
Company C, One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Regiment, was
mustered in for a year in April, 1865, but its services were
only required until the following July.
BATTERY
B. LIGHT
ARTILLERY
Quite a number of the
men from Lorain county joined the light artillery service of the
state. Battery B and the Fifteenth Independent
Battery were the representative commands from Lorain County.
The former was mustered into the service Oct. 8, 1861
re-enlisted Jan. 4, 1864, and was mustered out July 22, 1865.
The Independent Battery's service commenced in January, 1862,
and ended in June, 1865.
Non-commissioned officers of Battery B:
Corporal, Alonzo Starr, died of fever at Mount
Vernon, Kentucky, Nov. 19, 1861.
Corporal, Harvey P. Fenn, died of fever at
Lebanon, Kentucky, Feb. 22, 1862.
Corp. Merwin Blanchard, discharged by reason of
severe injury caused by his horse leaping a fence while
endeavoring to escape the enemy, by whom he was captured and
paroled.
Corp. Lewis R. Penfield, promoted to sergeant
Oct. 2, 1862; re-enlisted as veteran volunteer, Jan. 4, 1864.
Besides the deaths of Corporals Starr and
Fenn, Thomas White died at Lebanon, Feb. 18, 1862, and
Leonard G. Starr, [Page 273]
who joined the battery Sept. 28, 1862, died of fever on the 27th of
November following.
Battery B, First Ohio Light Artillery, was organized at
Camp Dennison and mustered into the service Oct. 8, 1861, with an
aggregate strength of 147 men. By order of Gen. O. M. Mitchell
it left Cincinnati to report to Gen. George H. Thomas, then in
command at Camp Dick Robinson, Kentucky. The first experience it
had in the field was a brisk little affair at Camp Wild Cat, in which it
fired twelve rounds and silenced one of the enemy's guns. From
Wild Cat it marched to London, Kentucky, where it remained two weeks.
On November 5th, the battery, under orders, joined the Seventeenth
Ohio at Fishing Creek, and was engaged during the whole of that month in
skirmishes and scout duty, with headquarters at Somerset. On
January 27th, it moved to Mill Springs to re-enforce General Thomas.
It took part in the battle of Mill Springs, and performed very effective
service. On February 10th, it took up its line of march for
Louisville, Kentucky, where it embarked for Nashville; arriving there,
it was assigned to Colonel Barnett's Artillery Reserve.
On July 18, 1862, the battery reported to
Major-General Nelson at Murfreesboro, and during the months of July,
August and September was almost constantly on the march, and frequently
engaged in skirmishes with the enemy. On December 26th it moved
with its brigade and division from Nashville towards Murfreesboro,
skirmishing heavily in and about La Vergne. It was there that
John Blanchard, afterward county recorder, lost his right arm.
In the battle of Stone River Battery B was stationed on the left of
General Negley's division. It was involved in the disaster on
the right, but succeeded in withdrawing all its guns from the field.
Its bore its full part in the battle, and lost seventeen men, killed,
wounded, and missing, and twenty-one horses killed. On June 24,
1863, it joined in the advance of the National forces on Tullahoma, and
on September 19th, it engaged in the battle of Chickamauga. On the
next day it was charged by the enemy, but succeeded in beating him off.
A second charge soon followed which overwhelmed the battery, and it was
obliged to leave two of its guns in the hands of the enemy. In
this charge several members of the battery were wounded and captured.
This was at the siege of Chattanooga. On Jan. 4, 1864, sixty-five
of the original members of the battery re-enlisted as veterans, and were
furloughed home for thirty days. The battery returned to Nashville
in March, and on the 16th of that month reported at Bridgeport,
Alabama, where it remained until July, 1866. It was then sent home
to Columbus and there mustered out, being one of the last organizations
to leave the service.
[Page 274]
FIFTEENTH
OHIO INDEPENDENT
BATTERY.
Of those residing in Lorain
County James Burdick, promoted from first lieutenant, was at one
time captain of the Fifteenth Independent Battery. The members who
died were as follows:
William Berry, at Vicksburg, Mississippi, Aug. 7,
1863;
George W. Knoup, at Memphis, Tennessee, Sept. 23,
1862;
John H. Taylor, Curtis E. Thompson and Lyman W.
Smith, in the same city, during 1863;
Chester Phillips, at Collierville,
Tennessee, Feb. 7, 1863;
John H. Taft, at LaGrange, Tennessee, Jan. 23,
1863, and
Charles I. Spencer, at home (date
unknown).
The Fifteenth Ohio Independent Battery was recruited by
Capt. J. B. Burrows and First Lieut. Edward Spear, Jr.;
was mustered into the service Feb. 1, 1862; ordered to Cincinnati, where
it embarked February 16th, under orders for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
but on reaching Paducah, Kentucky, was disembarked by order of
General Sherman. Horses were drawn here and the battery
embarked to report to General Grant, at Pittsburg Landing,
Tennessee. While proceeding up the Tennessee and when near
Whitehall Landing, the boat was fired into by guerrillas from the shore.
The fire was returned with shell, under cover of which the men of the
battery landed, drove the guerrillas from their cover and captured some
prisoners and horses In this expedition, the battery lost one man
wounded. It reported to General Grant on the 20th, and was
assigned to the Fourth Division, Army of the Tennessee. The
battery was on the first line during the siege of Vicksburg, having
position on the Hall's Ferry Road, southeast of the city and
within 200 years of their line. In this, as in all engagements in
which the battery figured, most excellent service was performed.
The Fifteenth was with General Sherman and participated in his
famous "march to the sea." An incident is related that at the
battle of Chattahoochee River a bird flew upon the shoulder of
Private Seth Bowers, who was acting No. 1 on one of the guns,
where it remained during the engagement. At every discharge of the
piece, the bird would thrust its head in the man's hair. After the
recoil, it would again take its position on the man's shoulder and watch
the operations of loading. After the battle, the bird remained
around the men's quarters, but, after a few days, disappeared.
SECOND
REGIMENT, OHIO
VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
The Second Regiment of Ohio
Volunteer Cavalry was organized at Camp Wade, Cleveland, in the fall of
1861, and served for three years.
[Page 275]
A portion of the men then re-enlisted, thereby becoming veterans of the
service.
The local company H, was mustered into the service in
October, 1861, and served as a body until September, 1865.
Commissioned officers:
Captain, Aaron K. Lindsley, discharged Feb. 15,
1863, and
second lieutenant Franklin S. Case,
promoted captain.
The Second Cavalry was recruited and organized in the
summer and autumn of 1861, under the supervision of the Hon. Benjamin
F. Wade and Hon. John Hutchins, who received special
authority from the war office. The regiment rendezvoused at Camp
Wade, near Cleveland, Ohio, and the last company was mustered in on the
10th of October, 1861. Being the first cavalry regiment
raised in the northern part of the state, it drew into its ranks a large
proportion of wealth, intelligence, capacity and culture. Men and
officers were almost wholly from the Western Reserve, and represented
every trade and profession. The Second was uniformed, mounted and
partly drilled in Cleveland, and in November was ordered to Camp
Dennison, where it received sabers and continued drilling during the
month of December. Early in January, 1862, under orders from the
war department, the Second proceeded, by rail to Platte City, Missouri.
On the 18th of February, Doubleday's Brigade, of which
the Second was a part, was ordered to march through the border counties
of Missouri to Fort Scott, Kansas. On the 22d of February, and
during the march, a scouting party of 120 men of the Second Ohio Cavalry
was attacked in the streets of Independence, Missouri, by an equal
force, under the command of Quantrel. As the result of the
Second's "first fight," Quantrel was routed in fifteen minutes,
losing five killed, four wounded and five captured, including one
officer. The Second lost one killed and three wounded.
Arriving at its destination about March 1st, it remained for several
months doing garrison and scouting duty. In the fall following, it
participated in the campaign ending in the victory of Prairie Grove,
Arkansas, Dec. 3, 1862. It also fought at Carthage and Newtonia,
Missouri, and at Cow Hill, Wolf Creek, and White River, Arkansas.
In November and December, the Second was transferred to the Eastern
army, moving by rail to Camp Chase, Ohio, to remount and refit for the
field. This accomplished, the regiment left early in April for
Somerset, Kentucky, and remained in camp there, with the exception of an
occasional reconnaissance, until the 27th of June.
In May and June, the Second fought twice at
Steubenville, twice at Monticello, and once at Columbia, Kentucky.
On the 1st of July it joined in the pursuit of John Morgan, and
followed the great raider.
[Page 276]
1,200 miles, through three states, marching twenty hours of the
twenty-four, living wholly upon the gifts of the people for
twenty-seven days and finally sharing in the capture at
Buffington Island. On Jan. 1, 1864, nearly the entire
regiment re-enlisted and it was mustered out at Camp Chase,
Ohio, Sept. 11, 1865.
The Second Regiment campaigned through thirteen states
and one territory. It marched an aggregate distance of
27,000 miles; fought in ninety-seven battles and engagements;
served in five different armies forming a continuous line of
armies from the headwaters of the Arkansas to the mouth of the
James.
THE
TWELFTH OHIO
CAVALRY.
Company F, of the
Twelfth Cavalry Regiment, served from October, 1863, to
November, 1865. First Lieut. Reuben H. Sardane, of
Lorain County, who had been first lieutenant, was promoted to
the captaincy.
The fatalities:
Sergt. William W. Worcester, died Oct. 19, 1864;
Sergt. Charles H. Sherburne, died from wounds
Dec. 13, 1864;
Corp. George C. Rising, died
Mar. 20, 1864;
Charles M. Hall, died from wounds, June 16,
1864.
The Twelfth Regiment, Ohio
Volunteer Cavalry, was recruited during the months of September
and October, 1863, from nearly every county in the state,
rendezvousing at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, where it was
mustered into the service on the 24th day of November, 1863.
One-half of the regiment was engaged in doing guard duty, during
the winter of 1863-64, on Johnson's Island, having been ordered
thither on the 10th of November. The regiment was mounted,
armed and equipped at Camp Dennison, and moved successively to
Louisville, Lexington and Mount Sterling, Kentucky. Little
of importance transpired until the 23d of May, when the regiment
was a portion of General Burbridge's command on the first
Saltville raid. On the arrival in the vicinity of Pound
Gap, after eight days' marching, it became evident that John
Morgan had entered Kentucky, and the command immediately
started in pursuit. After severe marching, with but little
time for eating or sleeping, the command arrived at Mount
Sterling on the 9th of June, 1864. The Twelfth was closely
engaged with the enemy at this point, behaving with so much
gallantry, as to the especially complimented by General
Bainbridge. The Twelfth again overtook Morgan
at Cynthiana and fought with him, scattering his forces in every
direction. The regiment charged through the town, crossed
the river, and pursued the retreating cavalrymen for three days.
During the second expedition to Saltville in September, it
became necessary to [Page 277]
silence a battery posted upon a hill; the Twelfth, with its brigade
Charged up the hill and drove and enemy for his works. Afterward
the regiment encamped at Lexington, until ordered to Crab Orchard to
join another Saltville expedition.
The division left Crab Orchard on the 22d of November,
during a severe snow-storm, and moved to Bean's Station. On the
night of their arrival the Twelfth made a successful reconnoissance to
Rogerville. It did its full share of duty under General
Stoneman, at Bristol, at Abingdon, at Marion, and thence as support
to General Gillam in his pursuit of Vaughn. It then
returned to Marion, where General Stoneman engaged Breckenridge
for forty hours and finally defeated him. In this engagement all
of the Twelfth bearing sabers, participated in a grand charge, driving
back the enemy's cavalry. The regiment behaved gallantly
throughout the fight, and received the praise of Generals
Stoneman and Burbridge. On the 21st of December
Saltville was captured, and the forces returned to Richmond, Kentucky,
where headquarters were established. As a result of the raid four
boats were captured, 150 miles of railroad, thirteen trains and
locomotives, lead mines, salt works, iron foundries; and an immense
quantity of stores of all sorts were destroyed. During the raid,
Company F acted as escort to General Burbridge. About the
middle of February the regiment was thoroughly armed, equipped and
mounted. It then proceeded by way of Louisville and the river to
Nashville, arriving March 6th. Thence it moved to Murfreesboro and
Knoxville, where it again formed part of a raiding expedition under
General Stoneman. The Twelfth finally rendezvoused at
Nashville, and was mustered out on the 14th of November, 1865; then
proceeded to Columbus, Ohio, where it was paid and discharged on the 22d
and 23d of the same month, after two years of incessant service.
OTHER
CIVIL
WAR ORGANIZATIONS.
Among other military
organizations which may be credited, at least in part, to Lorain County,
may be mentioned: Company E, Sixteenth Ohio Infantry, which served
more than a year of the later war period; Company G, Seventy-second
Regiment, with a record of over three years in the field; Company C,
Eighty-sixth Regiment, a six months' organization; Company D,
Eighty-seventh Regiment, which served three months; Company C, One
Hundred and Eleventh, a three years' command; Company K, One Hundred and
Fifteenth Regiment, Ohio National Guard (100 day men); company A, B, and
G, Twenty-seventh Regiment United States Colored Troops; Fifth
Independent Company
[Page 278]
of Sharp Shooters, who served from December, 1862, to July,
1865, and the so-called Hoffmans Battalion, comprising
Companies B, C, D, E, F, I, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth
regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Regiment, although
chiefly occupied in guard duty within the borders of the state,
was an organization of three years' troops, enlisted and
mustered into the United States service the same as other
volunteer troops, and was liable to service wherever required.
It attained maximum strength on the with of December, 1863, and
consisted of four companies before known as the Hoffman
Battalion raised at different times in 1862. At and before
the time of forming the regiment, the Hoffman Battalion
was under the command of a lieutenant-colonel and major.
Six new companies were mustered in at Camp Taylor, near
Cleveland, between the 8th and 15th of January, 1864. The
four old companies had been on duty at Johnson's Island nearly
all the time since their muster-in, but had frequently furnished
detachments for service elsewhere, including a short but active
campaign in pursuit of Confederate troops in West Virginia in
1862. The One Hundred and Twenty-eighth was chiefly
occupied at the frontier posts of Johnson's Island and Sandusky.
Fortune did not give the regiment an opportunity to win a battle
record, but it performed all the duties assigned to it with
faithfulness and efficiency - both essentials of military
service and success. The regiment left the island on July
10, 1865, and was mustered out at Camp Chase, on the 17th of
that month.
The fatalities reported during the forgoing period of
service, were as follows:
Company B - Privates William H. Lindman and
Amasa Squires, the former of whom died July 3, 1862, and the
latter, Nov. 8, 1864.
Company D - Sergt. Andrew Ryan, died Mar. 29,
1863; privates George Phipps (died Oct. 24, 1862),
Henry C. Royce (Feb. 15, 1863), and Andrew F. Hamlin
(Jan. 23, 1863).
Company E - George Puff died Jan. 2, 1865.
FIFTH
REGIMENT, OHIO
NATIONAL GUARD.
The Ohio National Guard, as the organization affects Lorain
County, originated in the Ely Guards, afterward changed to the
Hart Guards. They were mustered into the service of the
state in July, 1877, to serve for a period of five years.
The organization was soon afterward assigned to the Fifteenth
Regiment as Company G, with headquarters at Cleveland.
With the subsequent reorganization of the Ohio National Guard,
into nine regiments of infantry, with cavalry, artillery, signal
and engineering corps, and marine companies, to complete the
state military [Page 279]
system, the various units of the Fifth Regiment were distributed
through Northeastern Ohio. Company headquarters were
established at Cleveland, Berea, Elyria, Norwalk, Geneva, Warren
and Youngstown. Company B is stationed at Elyria, with
Capt. Roy E. Hultz in command. It was organized at
Elyria Jan. 25, 1907. Captain Hultz' predecessors
were Captains H. W. Davis, S. A. Beyland, J. L. Richey
and H. B. Clawson. The present strength of the
company is fifty, including three officers.
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