USA > Illinois > Cumberland County > Counties of Cumberland, Jasper and Richland, Illinois. Historical and biographical > Part 17
USA > Illinois > Richland County > Counties of Cumberland, Jasper and Richland, Illinois. Historical and biographical > Part 17
USA > Illinois > Jasper County > Counties of Cumberland, Jasper and Richland, Illinois. Historical and biographical > Part 17
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
druggist; Wooley, Horace F., Rattle Snake, Kas., farmer; Wright, Richard, Jonesville, Ind., farmer ; Waller. John T., Mattoon, Ill., locomotive engineer ; Waller, Franklin, Keokuk, Iowa, carpenter; Winkler, John, Oakland, Ill .; Bigelow, William H .; Davis. Eli, Jones- ville, Ind .; Ferguson, James ; Holbrooks, Columbus, Castle Rock, Colo .; Kinney, Oliver C. W .; McComas, Armond S .; Ziegler, Will- iam, Spring Ranch, Neb .. farmer.
Fifty-Ninth Illinois Infantry .- Of this regiment, Company F was enlisted from Cumberland County. Its first officers were Mis- sourians, and the regiment, as first organized, was known as the Ninth Missouri. The company officers were: Captains-S. W. Kel- ley, till April, 1862; G. E. Currie, till December, 1862; H. W. Hall, till September, 1864; H. C. Baughman, till mustered out. First Lieutenants-John Kelley, till September, 1862 ; Reuben Maddox, till February, 1865; Philip Stump, till mustered out. Second Lieu- tenants-J. H. Maynard, till March, 1862 ; H. C. Baughman, till October, 1862 ; George P. Ayres, rank to date, from December 8, 1865. The regiment was organized at Saint Louis, Mo., September 18, 1861. The companies composing the regiment had been raised in the State of Illinois, and mustered in at sundry times, in July, August and September. Three days after their organization as a regiment, they were ordered to Jefferson City, Mo. From thence the regiment moved to Booneville, via Syracuse to Otterville; via Warsaw and Humansville, to Springfield, where it arrived on the 3d of Novem- ber. The brigade of which this regiment formed a part marched and countermarched about Springfield, first towards Syracuse, then Lamine Bridge, thence to Tipton, Lebanon, Cassville. Sugar Creek, Osage Springs, and thence to Cross Hollows on the 22d of February. On the 12th of this month, the title of the regiment, which had hith- erto been known as the Ninth Missouri, was changed by order of the War Department to the Fifty-Ninth Illinois Infantry.
On March 6, the Fifty-Ninth moved to Pea Ridge, and on the following day was engaged with the enemy in that fierce fight, which lasted all day. On the 8th, the regiment was a part of the force that moved to reinforce Carr and Ashboth, who had been forced to fall back, and were again soon engaged. The regiment lost severely in officers and men. From this time to the last of April, the Fifty- Ninth retraced much of its previous steps, marching to Sugar Creek, Cross Timbers, and Cassville; thence to Forsythe, Bull Creek and West Plains on April 28. Capt. Ellett, three lieutenants and fifty men were ordered to report to the Ram Fleet. The regiment, forming
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a part of Jeff. C. Davis' division, was then ordered to Tennessee, where it arrived, and was placed in reserve, on the left of Gen. Pope's army, at Corinth. After the evacuation, the regiment took part in the pursuit as far as Booneville, when it returned to Clear Creek, near Corinth. On JJune 27, 1862, the Fifty-Ninth started on a long tramp, marching and countermarching through portions of Missis- sippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. It visited Holly Springs, Ripley, Jacinto, Bay Springs, where it had a skirmish with some rebel cav- alry, and Iuka, in Mississippi; thence to Eastport, Waterloo and Florence, Alabama ; thence via Lawrenceburg, Mount Pleasant, Columbia, Franklin, Murfreesboro, and thence northward with Buell's army, to Louisville, Ky., where it arrived September 26, 1862. Octo- ber 1. the Fifty-Ninth was brigaded with the Seventy-Fourth and Seventy-Fifth Illinois Infantry, and the Twenty-Second Indiana, form- ing the Thirtieth Brigade of the Army of the Ohio. In the advance, in pursuit of Bragg, the Fifty-Ninth moved by way of Bardstown, and met the enemy near Perryville, at Champlin Hills, and in the battle of October 8, was heavily engaged, losing 113 killed and wounded, out of 361 going into the action. The regiment followed in the pursuit, and on the 14th had a severe skirmish at Lancaster, Ky. Thence the regiment moved forward, via Crab Orchard, to Elgefield, near Nashville. Tenn.
While here, the brigade received the addition of the Fifth Wis- consin Battery, and. subsequently, the Twenty-First Illinois. On Christmas. of 1862, the brigade made a reconnoisance toward Frank- lin, and skirmished with the enemy all day. The Fifty-Ninth pressed down the road from Brentwood towards Nolensville. On the 26th, the Army of the Cumberland was put in motion for the Stone River campaign, this brigade, under command of Col. Post, taking the advance towards Nolensville. The Fifty-Ninth was deployed as skir- mishers, and drove the enemy nine miles, until found in force at Nolensville. The regiment took part in the attack upon Nolens- ville, from which the enemy was driven in confusion. The regiment was engaged in the actions at Knob Gap, and pressed the enemy closely from Triune to Murfreesboro, where he was found strongly intrenched. An unsuccessful attempt was made during the night of the 30th to drive him from his position, and the regiment lay during the night within a few hundred yards of the enemy's works. Early on the morning of the 31st, the enemy turned the right flank of the Twentieth Corps. The Fifty-Ninth changed front to the rear, and, supporting the Fifth Wisconsin Battery, for a long time held the
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
enemy in check, and when withdrawn brought with it the guns of the battery, from which the horses had all been killed. It was then put in position on the Murfreesboro pike, which it held until Janu- ary 2, when the brigade crossed Stone River, the Fifty-Ninth fording the river, swollen by recent rains, and took position on the extreme left of the army, where it assisted in driving back the triumphant enemy. On January 4, the enemy evacuated Murfreesboro, and the campaign ended.
June 23, 1863, the Tullahoma campaign was begun. Col. Post's brigade moved to Liberty Gap, and engaged the enemy, from the 24th to the 27th, and thence pressed the enemy to Winchester. Here it remained till the 17th of August, when it was engaged in hauling 200 wagons up the Cumberland Mountains. The brigade then made a march to Stevenson, Sand Mountain, Lookout Valley, Stevens' Gap, Crawfish Springs, and thence to Chattanooga, a dis- tance of 122 miles from Stevenson, where it arrived on the 22d of November. During the siege of Chattanooga, the Fifty-Ninth was constantly under the fire of the enemy's batteries. November 23, the regiment started on the Lookout campaign. On the 25th, the regiment led its brigade in the assault on Mission Ridge, from which the enemy was driven in confusion, the regiment taking part in the pursuit so far as Ringgold, where it again attacked him and drove him from his position. On the 30th, the regiment was sent on to the battle-field of Chickamauga to bury the dead of the battle of September 19 and 20. In the latter part of December, the regi- ment went to Whitesides, where, on January 12, 1864. the regiment re-enlisted and was mustered as a veteran organization. The latter part of January, it marched to Chattanooga, and on the 6th of Feb- rnary, started for Springfield on veteran furlongh. arriving on the 10th.
March 19th, the Fifty-Ninth re-organized and left Springfield, via Nashville and Chattanooga, for Cleveland, Tenn. May 3, the Atlanta campaign began, the regiment taking part in the attack on Tunnel Hill and on Rock Faced Ridge, which the enemy abandoned on the 13th; on the 14th and 15th, the regiment was warmly engaged at Resaca, and thence to JJuly 12 was engaged in the various actions and skirmishes at Kingston, Dallas, Ackworth, Pine Top. Kenesaw Mountain, Smyrna, Camp-Meeting Ground. ete. On the 12th, the Fifty-Ninth crossed the Chattahoochie and took position before Atlanta, and from that time until the 25th of August was under fire night and day. With the army, the regiment marched around
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Atlanta in the direction of Jonesboro, and did its share in the fight- ing which followed this movement. The regiment, with its brig- ade, took part in the movement to head off' Hood from Nashville, coming into the presence of the enemy at Pine Top. Thence, with the army, it retraced its route to Chattanooga, and on the 30th of October left for Athens, Tenn., thence to Pulaski, where it remained until November 23. Evacuating the entrenchments here, it retired to Columbia ; crossed Duck River and attacked the rebel army in the flank as it was marching towards Spring Hill. The fight con- tinued all day, and at night the Fifty-Ninth marched twenty miles to Spring Hill. Resting here only an hour, the regiment proceeded to Franklin, and, during the afternoon, took part in the battle fought here. On December 1, the regiment reached Nashville, and com- menced throwing up earthworks in its front. December 15, the battle of Nashville began. Col. Post's brigade assaulted Montgom- ery Hill, and in the language of Gen. Thomas, " took the initiative in the brilliant deeds of the day." The Fifty-Ninth was in the first line of the assaulting column, and planted the first colors on the captured works. In the afternoon, it assaulted and carried the ene- my's works, near the Hillsboro pike. December 16, Col. Post's brigade made the memorable assault on Overton's Hill. In this bat- tle, the regiment lost, in killed and wounded, one-third of its num- ber engaged. On the 17th, the regiment started in pursuit of the retreating enemy, and continued to the Tennessee River. From Jan- uary, 1865, until the middle part of June, the regiment made Nash- ville its base of operations, participating in various expeditions. On the 16th of this month, the Fifty-Ninth left for New Orleans, and thence to Indianola, Texas. From thence it marched to San Anto- nio, and was stationed at New Braunfels, Tex., until December 8, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service and ordered home.
Ninety-Seventh Illinois Infantry .- Of this regiment Company B was almost wholly drawn from Cumberland County, a few men only being drawn from the adjoining counties of Coles and Jasper. The officers of this Company were : Captains-J. G. Buchanan, till October, 1864; G. D. Armstrong, till mustered out; First Lieuten- ants-J. A. Goodell, till June, 1863; Alfred Miller, till October, 1863; G. D. Armstrong, till October, 1864; JJames Rollins, till mustered out ; Second Lieutenants-Alfred Miller, till June, 1863; G. D. Armstrong, till October, 1863; Christopher Bradman, rank dated from August, 1865. The regiment was organized at Camp Butler in September, 1862, and mustered on the 16th of that month. On the 3d of October the
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
regiment moved for Cincinnati, and on the 17th marched to Nicholas- ville, where it remained until the 10th of November. It was then assigned to Gen. A. J. Smith's division and moved to Louisville, where it arrived on the 15th of the month. Two days later the regiment embarked for Memphis, where it went into camp until the middle of December. On the 20th of this month the Ninety-Seventh left Memphis to take part in the campaign against Vicksburg, and taking transports down the river landed near Walnut Hill on the Yazoo River, occupying a position on the extreme right of the lines operating against Vicksburg. On the Ist of January, 1863, it was moved towards Arkansas Post and participated in the battle which took place there on the 11th of that month. On the 15th the regi- ment was moved down the river to Young's Point, where it remained till March, moving then on the 6th to Milliken's Bend. Thence on the 15th of April, the regiment marched to Grand Gulf; took part in the engagement at Port Gibson on May 1, and at Champion Hills on the 16th, arriving in the rear of Vicksburg on the 19th of May. From this time forward to the surrender of Vicks- burg, July 4, 1863, the Ninety-Seventh was actively engaged in the work and danger of the siege. The regiment subsequently took part in Gen. Sherman's expedition to Jackson, and then returned to Vicks- burg where it remained until the 15th of August. At this date the regiment embarked, for New Orleans and went into camp at Carrolion on the 27th. This closed the active part of the regiment's service. It transferred from one point to another and found its way to Galveston, Texas, where it was mustered out of the service July 29, 1865.
One Hundred and Twenty- Third Illinois Infantry .- To this regi- ment Cumberland County contributed more men than to any other one in the service,save, perhaps, the Fifth Cavalry. Company B was the one formed entirely in this county, and was enlisted by Capt. Talbott in the latter part of June, 1862. Mr. Talbott, while a democrat and sympathizer to some extent with the general sentiment opposed to the war, still felt that the cause of republican form of government was at stake in the issue, and deemed this the paramount interest. He was deeply engaged in business which commanded his whole time and attention and had no thought of going to the war. Enlist- ments were languid: recruiting officers were drumming up a man here and there, but there was no general disposition to join the army. But during this time, men frequently said to Mr. Talbott, ". If you would take out a company I would enlist." So frequently
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
was this said that the Captain one Sunday gave out that if a com- pany could be organized promptly he would undertake it and go to the field, On the Sunday following he reached camp at Mattoon with 101 men, and all were mustered. This became Company B of the One Hundred and Twenty-Third Infantry. The officers of the company were: Captains-Edward Talbott, till April, 1864; Mahlon Votaw, till mustered out; First Lieutenants-Lemuel Leggett, till August, 1863; Mahlon Votaw, till April, 1864; B. C. Talbott, till mustered out; Second Lieutenants-Charles Conzet, till September, 1864. This regiment was enlisted principally in Coles, Cumberland and Clark counties, and was mustered into service September 6, 1862. At this time Bragg was making his famous raid through Kentucky to reach Indiana, and the Illinois regiments were hurried to Louis- ville as fast as practicable. The One Hundred and Twenty-Third was ordered to this point as soon as mustered in, and was assigned to the Thirty-Third Brigade, Tenth Division, Army of the Ohio, Gen. Terrell commanding the brigade, Jackson the division, and McCook the corps. Here the regiment remained until Gen. Buell, on the 1st of October, began the pursuit of Bragg, who began to retire after being foiled of his main object. In the operations thus begun the regiment marched through Taylorville, Bloomfield and Mackville, and engaged in the battle of Perryville. The One Hundred and Twenty-Third virtually opened the fight. M .Cook, supposing from certain movements of the rebel cavalry that the enemy was re- treating and did not mean to fight, instructed Gen. Terrell to move his brigade cautiously toward the creek, and if no enemy was found to allow the men to stack arms and supply themselves with water, for the want of which they were suffering greatly. The One Hundred and Twenty-Third was then in the lead, but, deploying in line of battle with bayonets fixed, the brigade cautiously advanced, only to discover that the cavalry movement was only a ruse on the part of the enemy, and to be met by a terrible destructive fire from the heavy line of the enemy's infantry. Gen. Terrell was riding near the left of this regiment, and near by a new battery advancing with the general line. The first fire demoralized the battery. slaughter- ing the horses and stampeding the men. Terrell feeling the emer- gency, but forgetting the duties of his position, dismounted from his horse, and with the aid of one or two batterymen and six men detailed from Company B, seized one of the abandoned guns and brought it into position, the General sighting and firing the gun some four rounds over the prostrate Company B. At this point the
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
General ordered a charge, and Companies B and D sprang forward to obey the command. The right of the regiment failed to get the word, and Company D noticing the failure halted before reaching the enemy and retired. Company B, however, rushed right on over the intervening space of some 200 yards, cleared the fence of the enemy and pushed some thirty yards beyond before it delivered its first fire. Here, finding itself enfiladed by the enemy's fire and unsupported, the company rapidly retired, preserving its order, however. Arriv- ing at its original position it found the brigade broken and gone. Continuing its retreat the company formed behind some other troops and'did not see much further engagement in that fight, but losing in this short fight twenty-one men in killed, wounded and missing. Here Gens. Terrell and Jackson were both killed. From this point the regiment moved with the army, passing through Danville, Leb- anon and New Market to Mumfordsville, where it remained several weeks guarding the construction of a bridge which had been destroyed. The regiment then proceeded to the Cumberland River, going into camp at Ludlow Creek, about eight miles above Nash- ville. In December, under command of Gen. Reynolds, the One Hundred and Twenty-Third took part in the expedition after Gen. Morgan, returning to within a short distance of Mumfordsville when the pursuit was abandoned, and a return was made by forced marches to Nashville, arriving in the early part of January. 1863. The regiment was at once moved to the front, a little south and cast of Murfreesboro, where it remained until the general advance in June. In the meanwhile the One Hundred and Twenty-Third was mounted and armed with Spencer rifles, and scarcely an interval of ten days elapsed between the various expeditions in which the regiment was engaged. These lead to the towns of Lebanon, MeMinnville, Liberty, Alexandria, etc., and involved heavy skirmishes. The One Hundred and Twenty-Third was here assigned to Gen. Wilder's Brigade of Thomas' Corps, and in the general advance of the army in the latter part of JJune, led the advance of its brigade. A light force of the enemy was driven rapidly back to Hoover's Gap, where followed a brisk skirmish, and pressing on, the regiment captured a company of the rear guard of the enemy at Manchester. From June 24 to 28, the brigade moved on the flank of the Fourth Division, cutting the railroad at Dechard, and driving the enemy from the stockade. In this vicinity the brigade remained until August 16, engaged in collecting horses and mules. Company B was detached on one; occasion, and found one hundred mules gathered,
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
which they captured and brought in with safety. On another raid towards Columbia the Seventeenth Indiana and the One Hundred and Twenty-Third captured 1100 head of horses.
On the 16th of August the regiment with its brigade crossed the Cumberland Mountains and Waldron's Ridge to Poe's tavern, forded the Tennessee River, and moved in advance of Crittenden's Corps towards Ringgold; on the 11th struck the enemy at Tunnel Hill and on the following day moved back towards Gordon's Mills. Two days of light skirmishing were followed by two days of quiet, and and on the 17th the enemy began to feel the line of the Union forces. On the 18th the One Hundred and Twenty-Third was engaged at times pretty heavily. By a flank movement of the army the regi- ment was placed on the extreme right and was pretty severely handled. On the 19th and 20th though placed in reserve it was brought into the fight several times and heavily engaged. On the re- treat of the army toward Chattanooga, the One Hundred and Twenty- Third made a halt in the gorge of the mountain commanding the val- ley and Company B picketed the point that night. After this fight the One Hundred and Twenty-Third with Wilder's Brigade proceeded to Friar's Ford. On October 1, in company with the First and Second Brigades of Cavalry, the One Hundred and Twenty-Third and its brigade, under command of Gen. Crook, started in pursuit of Wheeler. Crossing Walden's Bridge the regiment moved through Sequatchie to the summit of the Cumberland Mountains on to Mc- Minnville and Farmington. Here the One Hundred and Twenty- Third came upon the enemy strongly posted and had a determined fight, driving the enemy from the field at last. From this point the expedition pursued Wheeler until he crossed the Tennessee River, when the pursuit was abandoned. The regiment then went into camp at Maysville, and remained several weeks. From this point, the regiment moved to Pulaski, Tenn., and thence to Moresville, where it served the army in collecting stores for the army at Chat- tanooga. In the last of March. 1864, the regiment was ordered to Columbia, Tenn., to get the advantage of the fine grazing in that country for their horses, Captain Talbott commanding the regiment while there.
In April, the regiment rejoined the army at the front and took part in the Atlanta campaign. The regiment proceeded to Lafay- ette, Ga., thence through a series of movements and skirmishes to Dallas; thence to Marietta. on July 3, to Cross Keys on the 17th, to Decatur, and Atlanta. In September. it took part in the cavalry
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
movements about Atlanta, and in October, was engaged in watching the movements of Hood. In the spring of 1865, the regiment was assigned to Gen. Wilson's command, and, on the 2d of April, took part in the capture of Selma, Ala .; on the 9th, crossed the Alabama River and marched through Montgomery, Columbus, and entered Macon, Ga. In the latter part of May, it was ordered to Chatta- nooga, and thence to Nashville, and on June 28, 1865, was mustered out of the service.
One Hundred and Thirty-Fifth Illinois Infantry .- Company I of this regiment was composed principally of men from Cumberland County. Its officers were: M. A. Ewing, Captain; J. T. Ewing, First Lieutenant; T. J. Matthews, Second Lieutenant. This regiment was mustered into the service for one hundred days on June 6, 1864, and was mustered out September 28, 1864. This regiment was ordered to Little Rock, Ark., and served its term on duty there.
Fifth Illinois Cavalry .- Of this regiment, Companies A and I were enlisted in Cumberland County. The officers of Company A were: Captains-E. W. Pierson, till January, 1863; J. M. Cullers, till January, 1865; Gordon Webster, till March, 1865; Joshua Tuthill, rank dated from October, 1865. First Lieutenants-Chas. Nice- wanger, till July, 1862; Gordon Webster, till January, 1865; John D. Rawlins, till mustered out. Second Lieutenants-Gordon Web- ster, till July, 1862; J. M. Cullers, till January 1863; Lyman Clark, till May 1864; Warren Harper, rank to date from October, 1865. Of Company I the officers were: Ciptains-Bartholomew Junkins, till April, 1862; B. G.Glenn, till December, 1862; E. S. Norfolk, till March, 1863; J. A. Balch, till March. 1865; JJ. K. Brown, till mustered out. First Lieutenants-E. S. Norfolk, till December, 1862; J. K. Brown, till April, 1865. Second Lieutenants-J. F. Smith, till September, 1862; J. K. Brown, till My, 1862; W. F. Snowdon, till December, 1863; Leander Coffman, till June, 1865; R. H. Osborne, from August, 1865, but not mustered. The Fifth Cavalry regiment was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois, in November, 1861, anl Hall Wilson appointed Colonel. On February 20, 1862, the regiment moved to Benton Barracks, Saint Louis, and early in the spring to Pilot Knob. On the 27th, the Fifth marched to Doniphan, where it had its first skirmish with the enemy, capturing his camp and seven prisoners. The regiment, a few days later, marched to Pocahontas, where it remained until the latter part of June. On the 27th of this month, the regiment marched for the Mississippi River, joining Curtis' army at Helena, July 13. Here the regiment did forage and escort duty
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
the balance of the year, losing seventy-eight men and an officer, by an attack of the enemy on one of the forage trains. In January, 1863, the regiment made an expedition to Duval's Bluff, and, in April, went in pursuit of Marmaduke, who was retreating from Missouri. In the latter part of May, under orders for Vicksburg, the regiment embarked for Snyder's Bluff, and, two days after landing, made a recon- noissance to Mechanicsburg, skirmishing heavily on the way, and driv- ing the enemy ten miles. Forming a junction with the forces under General Kimball, the combined command, consisting of three regi- ments and eight pieces of artillery, made an attack upon the enemy, who was strongly posted, and defeated him, the Fifth losing eight men, killed and wounded. On the 6th of July, the regiment moved with Sherman's command to Jackson, and thence, with a strong detachment, made a march to Canton, where they destroyed the pub- lic workshops, after some fighting, and returned to the main army under General Sherman.
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