USA > Indiana > Henry County > Fall Creek > Fall Creek Township, Henry County, Indiana, in the War of the Rebellion and the War with Mexico; with an app. giving a short history of the Grand Army of the Republic, Dept. of Ind., George W. Rader Post No. 119, and J. B. Gossett Camp No. 46, S. of V., U.S.A > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11
Gc 973.74 In2y 1774336
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
Go
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01081 1732
Gc 97 Ir 17
FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP,
Henry County, Indiana,
IN THE
WAR OF THE REBELLION
AND THE
WAR WITH MEXICO,
WITH AN .
APPENDIX GIVING A SHORT HISTORY OF THE , Grand Army of the Republic,
DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA,
GEORGE W. RADER POST NO. 119, AND J. B. Gossett Camp No. 46, S. of V., U. S. A., BY
J. A. YOUNG.
1774336
NEW CASTLE, IND .: Courier Co. Book and Job Printing Rooms. 1887.
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012
1
http://archive.org/details/fallcreektownshi00youn
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
At twenty minutes after 4 o'clock on Friday morning, April 12, IS61, the first gun was fired that inaugurated the war of the Great American Rebellion. The cause leading up to this event was not of recent origin; almost from the foundation of the government the slavery question had been a disturbing element in the politics of the Nation, and as early as IS20 so bitter had the feeling grown that when Missouri asked admission to the Union as a slave State, a threatened disruption was only prevent- ed by the passage of an act through Congress known as the "Missouri Compromise." This bill, which was introduced by Henry Clay, of Kentucky, provided for the admission of Missouri as a slave State, but forever prohibited slavery north of a certain latitude named in the meas- ure. The passage of this law, for a time, satisfied the extreme men of both sections; but in IS50 California demanded admission to the Union with a constitution forbidding slavery. The contest was re-opened with more determination and bitterness than had existed thirty years before. The trouble was again allayed by a series of compromise measures, car- ried through Congress by Clay.
For many years prior to 1S60. the South had practically controlled legislation in Congress, and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, and the rendition by the Supreme Court of the Dred Scott Decision, created great indignation at the North, many declaring the acts unchristian and unworthy of a civilized nation, and some of the Free States retaliated by passing what was known as Personal Liberty Acts, and when, in 1853, a bill introduced in Congress by Stephen A. Douglass, of Illinois, and passed by that body, repealing the Compromise of IS20 and re-opening the slavery question north of the line described in that act, and giving to the settlers the right to determine for themselves whether slavery should exist within the boundaries of their State when admitted, the excitement became intense and created such a diversity of political opinion that no less than four distinct political parties appeared in the field in IS60 and asked for the suffrages of the people at the national election, to be held in November of that year.
One party nominated as its candidate for President John C. Brecken- ridge, of Kentucky, then Vice-President of the United States, and de- clared in their platform of principles, that the constitution, of its own force, carried slavery into the Territories, and that it was the duty of Congress to sanction and maintain the same by appropriate legislation.
Another party, led by Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, declared that
4
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
Congress had neither the right to sanction or forbid slavery in the Ter- ritories, but that the people thereof should determine the question for themselves.
A third party presented Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, as its leader, and denounced as false the doctrine that the constitution carried slavery into the Territories; denied that they desired to interfere with the do- mestic relations of any State, but avowed their determination to resist the extension of slavery by congressional legislation.
Still a fourth party, with John Bell, of Tennessee, as its candidate. adopted the rather vague and indistinct platform of "The Union, the Constitution and the Enforcement of the Laws."
The contest for the supremacy was determined and bitter, and re- sulted in the election of Mr. Lincoln by a decided majority. As soon as the result was declared by the electoral college, South Carolina passed an ordinance of secession and withdrew from the Union. declaring that a sectional President had been elected, whose views were hostile to the institutions of the South. The action of South Carolina was followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, in the order named, and later by Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Ten- nessee.
In February, 1861, delegates from the six first named States met at Montgomery, Alabama, and organized a new government under the name of the "Confederate States of America," adopted a constitution and elected Jefferson Davis President. After the secession of Virginia the seat of government was removed from Montgomery to Richmond, and remained there until the close of the war and the collapse of the Con- federacy.
The secession movement was opposed by many of the prominent men of the South, among whom was John Bell, of Tennessee, Herchel V. Johnston and Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia, and Robert E. Lee, of Virginia; the two latter, however, after the secession of their native States, identified themselves with the cause and became prominent in its history, Stephens as Vice-President of the Confederacy, and Lee as Commander-in-Chief of the armies. James Buchanan, then President of the United States, made no effort to prevent the dissolution of the Union or to save the government property in the revolting States, preferring to leave the solving of the difficult problem presented to his successor.
.
John B. Floyd, of Virginia, was Buchanan's Secretary of War, and in full sympathy with the secession cause. During his term of office he had caused nearly all the arms and munitions of war belonging to the government to be placed in the forts and arsenals at the. South, where they were seized and held by the insurgents.
Major Robert Anderson, with eighty soldiers of the United States army, was stationed at Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor, but about the end of the year IS60, abandoned it and threw his force into Fort Sumter, a much stronger work.
The authorities of South Carolina demanded of Buchanan that he order Anderson back to Fort Moultrie, but he refused, and also refused to sell Fort Sumter to the State.
5
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
On this refusal of the President the Southern members of his Cabi- net resigned their offices and left the Capitol. Gen. Lewis Cass, of Michigan, Secretary of State, also resigned, because the President would not send reinforcements and supplies to Anderson.
In January, 1861, the steamer Star of the West, was dispatched with supplies for the garrison, but was fired upon and turned back by the Confederate batteries.
On the 4th of March, 1861, Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated President, and one of the first acts of the new administration was to send reinforce- ments and supplies to the fort.
The expedition left New York early in April, and the governor of South Carolina was notified of its departure, whereupon the Confederate government ordered Gen. Beauregard, commanding the Southern forces at Charleston, to reduce the fort, and accordingly, on the morning of April 12, the Confederate batteries opened on the work, the fort return- ing the fire. The bombardment was continued until the afternoon of the 13th, when Major Anderson agreed to evacuate, which he did on Sun- day, the 14th.
From the time of the secession of South Carolina until after the fall of Sumter, no preparatiou whatever was made for war at the North, and when the shock finally came the government was almost destitute of all that goes to equip an army; meanwhile at the South great activity was displayed in organizing, equipping and drilling their forces, so that when hostilities opened they had a large army fully ready for the field.
It required some time to convince the people of either section that there would be a war of any magnitude. At the South it was thought that the men of the North would not fight, while the people of the North did not believe that the South would dare oppose the authority of the government; but after the battle of Bull Run both were undeceived, and prepared for the great conflict that followed.
On the 15th of April the President called for 75,000 volunteers, which . was responded to with alacrity.
The Confederates concentrated their forces at advantageous points in Virginia, and the Federal troops were gathered at Washington, D. C., , under Gen. Irwin McDowell, and along the Ohio river under Gen. George B. McClellan. Hostilities opened in West Virginia, at Phillipi, on the 3d of June, Rich Mountain on the 11th of July, and at Carracks Ford on the 14th of the some month. These engagements all resulted in victories for the Federals, and in driving the Confederates from West Virginia. In July the army at Washington was advanced into Virginia; Gen. McDowell, with a force of 50,000 men, moved toward the Confede- rate's fortified camp at Manasses Junction, while Gen. Patterson, with 20,000, moved up the Valley of Virginia to prevent Gen. Johnston from reinforcing Beauregard at Manasses.
McDowell's and Beauregard's forces met at Bull Run on Sunday morning, July 21, and a desperate battle ensued, lasting until late in the afternoon. Johnston, with almost his entire command, 20,000 strong, successfully eluded Patterson and marched to Bull Run, and just at the moment when victory was in the grasp of the Union troops, his fresh
6
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
forces rushed shouting on the field. The Federals, exhausted with the struggles of the day, under an almost tropical sun, could endure no more, and victory was turned, not only into defeat, but into a panic. These men, it will be remembered, were fresh from the fields, shops and offices of the North, without drill or discipline, and nothing more could have been expected of them. Old and tried veterans have done the same when exposed to like circumstances; witness the French at Waterloo on the arrival of Blucher.
Gen. McClellan was now called to the command of the army at Washington, and set to work to repair the damages; but nothing further was done in the East during the year, except an attack by troops under Col. Baker on the Confederates at Leesburg, or Bal's Bluff, Va. Baker was killed and his forces driven from the field.
In the West Gen. Lyon, with a force of 5,000, attacked Gen. Price at Wilson's Creek, near Springfield, Mo., on the 10th of August. Lyon was killed early in the fight, and after a desperate engagement, the Federals were defeated and retreated to Springfield.
Price now turned on Lexington, Mo., and after a three days siege, compelled the garrison, under Col. Mulligan, to surrender.
On the 7th of November Gen. U. S. Grant was defeated at Belmont, Mo., and retreated to Cairo, Ill.
1862.
The beginning of this year found both governments with great armies in the field, and hostilities opened in the West early in the year. On the 19th and 20th of January Gen. Geo. H. Thomas defeated the Con- federates under Crittenden and Zollicoffer, at Mill Springs, Ky., Gen. Zollicoffer being among the killed.
On the 6th of February Commodore Foote captured Fort Henry, on the Cumberland River, and on the 16th Fort Donelson on the Tennes- see surrendered to Gen. Grant, after a three days battle.
On the 6th. 7th and Sth of March a great battle was fought at Pea Ridge, Ark., between the Federals commanded by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and the Confederates under Gen. Price, in which the Confede- rates were overwhelmingly defeated. While this battle was in progress, Island No. 10, in the Mississippi River, an important Confederate posi- tion, was surrendered to Gen. Pope.
After the surrender of Fort Donelson to Gen. Grant he moved up the Tennessee River and encamped at Pittsburgh Landing and Shiloh Church, and on Sunday morning, April 6, his position was furiously as- sailed by the Confederates under Gen. A. S. Johnston. The Confede- rates were successful at every point, and at nightfall the Union forces had been driven back to the Tennessee River. During the night Gen. Beull's troops, who had marched through from Nashville, began to ar- rive, and on Monday morning Gen. Grant turned on the Confederates and defeated them, both sides losing about equally, the aggregate loss being about 25,000 men. Gen. Johnston was killed in the first day's en-
7
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
gagement. Gen. Halleck now assumed command of the armies of Grant and Buell, and moved forward to lay siege to Corinth, an important railroad center in Mississippi, but on arriving before it found the enemy gone. On the 19th of September Gen. Price attacked Gen. Grant at Iuka, Miss., but was defeated, and on the 4th of October, having united his forces with Gen. Van Dorn's, Price attacked Gen. Rosecrans at Cor- inth, and was again defeated. Toward the close of the year Grant undertook an expedition against Vicksburgh, Miss. Gen. Sherman at- tacked Chicasaw Bluffs and was defeated, and the expedition proved a failure. Late in the summer the Confederates under Bragg and Kirby Smith moved round the Federal armies in Tennessee and invaded Kentucky. August 30, Smith defeated Gen. Nelson with a force of raw troops at Richmond, Ky., capturing almost the entire command. Bragg moved toward Louisville, pursued by Gen. Buell, who reached the city first. Bragg now began to retire, followed by Buell. who came up with him at Perryville or Chaplin Hills, on the 7th of October, and an undecisive battle was fought. Bragg was now permitted to retire, tak- ing with him a wagon train forty miles long loaded with plunder gath- ered in Kentucky.
In the East Gen. McClellan, with the army of the Potomac, moved on Richmond from Fortress Monroe, and after severe engagements at York- town, Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Cold Harbor, Savage Station, Fraize's Farm and Malvern Hill, he had accomplished little and lost heavily. His army was now withdrawn for the protection of Washing- ton, and ordered to report to Gen. Pope in the Valley of the Shenan- doah. Pope was defeated by Gen. Lee at Gainsville and in the second battle of Bull Run. Lec boldly crossed the Potomac and invaded Mary - land. McClellan was restored to the command and, overtaking Lec, defeated him at South Mountain on the 14th of September, and at Antietam on the 17th and ISth, Lee retreating into Virginia. McClellan was removed from the command and Gen. Burnside placed in his stead. Lee took position at Fredericksburg, at which place he repulsed Burn- side, with great loss, on the 13th of December. Burnside was relieved at his own request, and was succeeded by Gen. Hooker.
ยท
On the 21st of September President Lincoln issued a proclamation in which he declared that on and after January 1, 1863, the slaves owned and held in any State then in rebellion against the United States should be declared thenceforward and forever free, provided, however, that it before the time named the insurgents would lay down their arms and return to their allegience to the laws of the United States, then the proclamation to be void.
The promulgation of this document caused some dissatisfaction in the army, and great indignation at the North among the extreme men in op- position to the administration; but the great majority of the people, be- leving it to be a war measure, and necessary for the preservation of the Union, determined to stand by the President in his efforts to suppress the rebellion.
1863.
In April Hooker moved to Chancellorsville, Va., and here, on the
8
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
2d and 3d of May, he was defeated by Lee and driven across the Rappa- hannock River. Lee then turned on Sedgwick at Fredericksburg, and on the 4th compelled him to retire to the north side of the same stream. In the battle of Chancellorsville Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson was killed, an irreparable loss to the South. Both armies remained quiet until July, when, on the 22d of that month, Lee again crossed the Potomac, passing through Maryland into Pennsylvania. The army of the Potomac fol- lowed. Gen. Hooker resigned on the march and was succeeded by Gen. Geo. C. Meade. The two armies, of about equal strength, met at Gettys- burg, Penn., on the Ist of July, and the most terrific battle of any age was fought, lasting three days. On the night of July 4th, Lee retreated to- ward Virginia, and crossed the Potomac on the 13th and 14th without opposition from the victorious army. The loss in both armies at this battle was appalling, Meade's total being 23, IS6, and Lee's 31,621, a grand total of 54,So7. This ended the operations in the East for the year.
In the West a battle was fought on the 1st, 2d, and 3d of January, at Stone River, Tenn., between the Federal army under Gen. Rosecrans and the Confederate army under Bragg. After three days' terrible fight- ing Bragg was repulsed with fearful loss. This portion of the army re- mained comparatively quiet until fall, when Rosecrans advanced into Georgia, and was attacked by Bragg at Chicamauga on the 19th of Sep- tember and defeated on the 20th, and driven back to Chattanooga, with a loss of 15,851 men, while the Confederate loss, though victorious, was much heavier, being 17,804. Rosecrans was now sent to Missouri, and the command of the army of the Cumberland was given to Gen. Thomas. and Gen. Grant assumed command of all the Western armies, and on the 23d, 24th and 25th of November Bragg's army was defeated at Chatta- nooga, Orchard Knob and Missionary Ridge.
After Sherman's repulse at Chicasaw Bluff's, at the close of the year 1862, a portion of his forces, under Gen. McClernand, proceeded up the Arkansas River and captured the garrison at Arkansas Post. Grant, having collected any army near Vicksburg, crossed the Mississippi River below the city on the 30th of April, and on May Ist. defeated the Con- federates at Port Gibson or Thompson's Hill, and on the 14th drove John- ston from Jackson, and then turning on Pemberton, defeated him at Champion's Hill on the 16th, and again at Big Black River on the 17th. Pemberton was now shut up in Vicksburg, and Grant laid siege to the place, which surrendered on the 4th of July, after being under fire fort- seven days. A few days later Port Hudson, lower down the river, sur- rendered to Gen. Banks, and the great Mississippi was open to the Gulf.
1864,
The first half of this year was very discouraging to the Union arms, the series of reverses during these six months making the outlook for a near termination of the war somewhat gloomy.
9
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
In February the expedition of Sherman and Smith to Meridian, of which great results were expected, was brought to a sudden termination by the defeat and rout of Smith at Okolona and Sherman's retreat to Vicksburg.
In March Gen. Forrest, with a strong force, rode round the Union armies in Tennessee and captured the garrison at Union City, and even made his way as far north as Paducah on the Ohio River. From here he again turned south, and appearing suddenly before Fort Pillow, demand- ed the surrender of the garrison, promising that the men who were col- ored should be treated as prisoners of war, but no sooner had the fort capitulated than an indiscriminate butchery followed, nearly the whole garrison perishing in the massacre. For this violation of the rules of civilized warfare and the cruelties practiced by their subordinates, the names and memory of Forrest and Chalmers should be forever ostracized by the civilized world.
In April Banks' Red River expedition resulted in great loss of life and property and gained nothing; and in June Sturges was overwhel- mingly defeated at Guntown, Miss., and the remnant of his army was hurled back bleeding and broken to Memphis, with the total loss of his artillery and wagon train, and more than forty per cent. of his army.
Sherman's advance on Atlanta, Ga., had been attended with great loss of life and much less damage to his opponent than to himself.
In the East Grant's move on Richmond had met with bloody repulses at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor, and by the first of July he was no nearer Richmond than McClellan had been in 1862. Grant had lost 60,000 men out of 140,000, with which he had left the Rapidan in May.
Early, with an army of Confederates, had swept down the Valley of Virginia, crossed the Potomac, defeated Wallace at the Monacacy River and marched upon Washington, and was only deterred from capturing the Nation's Capitol by the unexpected arrival of a corps sent hurriedly from the army of the Potomac by Grant.
Thus we find, at the end of six months, nothing in the way of suc- cess had been secured to balance the severe reverses sustained; but the tide was about to turn, and the Union arms were pushing on to battle and final victory.
In July Gen. A. J. Smith defeated Gen. Lee at Tupelo, Miss .; in Sep- tember and October Sheridan almost exterminated Early's army in the Shenandoah Valley. Va., and forever ended the control of that fertile region by the Confederates.
In October Price's invasion of Missouri had ended in the utter rout and destruction of a corps of 25,000 men, the flower of the trans- Missis- sippi Confederate army.
Sherman had maneuvered Hood out of Atlanta, occupied the city and burned the great factories from which the Confederates derived the greater portion of their arms, clothing and munitions of war, and before the close of the year had marched through "Georgia to the Sea."
At Nashville, that grand old soldier, George H. Thomas, when ready,
.
10
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
moved out and fell upon Hood's army, and so completely destroyed it that it was never again heard of as an organization.
Grant had so invested Petersburg and Richmond that it was only a question of time when both should fall, and when the splendid army of Northern Virginia which, under Lee, had so long resisted the assaults of the Federals, would be compelled to surrender.
We now find at the end of the year that the only Confederate forces of any magnitude are the army under Lee at Richmond, Johnston's in North Carolina and the garrison at Mobile, Ala.
1865.
Nothing of any importance occurred this year until in March, when Grant again began active operations at Petersburg, and Gen. Canby laid siege to Mobile, which surrendered to him on the 9th of April.
On the ed day of April Lee evacuated Richmond and retreated to- ward Lynchburg, but was compelled to surrender to Gen. Grant at Appotomattox Court House, April 9th. A few days later Johnston sur- rendered his army in North Carolina to Gen. Sherman, and the Great War of the Rebellion was ended.
APPENDIX.
Great battles of the war, showing number of Union troops engaged, loss, and per cent. of loss to numbers engaged:
Engaged.
Loss. Per cent.
Atlanta, Ga., July 22, 1864.
45 000
3 6.41
9
Antietam, Md., Sept. 16 and 17, 1862
100 000
12 469
12
Bentonville, N. C., March, 19-21, 1864
45 000
I 646
33
Brice's Cross Roads, Miss., June 10, 1864
6 590
2 240
35
Bull Run, Va., ( Ist), July 21, 1861.
50 000
2 952
Bull Run, Va., (2d), August 28-30, IS62.
55 000
7 800
14
Cedar Creek; Va., October 19, 1864.
40 000
5 995
15
Cedar Mountain, Va .. August 9, IS62
25 000
I 400
Chattanooga, Tenn., November 23-25, 1863
52 000
5 607
IO
Champion Hills, Miss., May 16, 1863
20 000
2 458
12
Chancellorsville, Va., May 1-5, 1863. .
120 000
16 030
13
Chicamauga, Ga., September 19-23, 1863.
65 000
15 851
24
Cold Harbor, Va., June 1-12, 1864
60 000
14 931
24
Corinth, Miss., October 3-4, IS62.
35 000
2 359
7
Franklin, Tenn., November 30, 1864.
20 000
2 326
II
Fredericksburg, Va., December 13, 1862
120 000
I2
353
IO
Gettysburg, Penn., July 1-3, 1863.
So 000
23 186
29
Gainesville, Va., August 28-26. 1862
50 000
7 000
14
Kennesaw Mountain Ga., June 9-30, IS64
75 000
S 670
12
Peach Tree Creek, Ga., July 20. IS64
30 000
I 710
6
Pea Ridge, Ark., March 6-S, IS62
15 000
I 349
S
Perryville, Ky., October S, IS62
25 000
4 348
IS
Pleasant Hill, La., April 9, 1864
13 000
I 100
S
Resacca, Ga., May 13-16, 1864.
60 000
2 747
5
Sabine Cross Roads, La., April S, IS64.
13 000
2 900
22
Seven Pines, Va., May 31 and June 1, 1862
35 000
5 739
16
Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7, 1862.
54 000
13 573
25
Vicksburg, Miss., May IS to July 4, 1863.
50 000
4 536
9
Spottsylvania C. H., Va., May S-21, 1864
100 000
12 679
12
Stone River, Tenn., December 31, 1862, to Janu- ary 3, 1863
45 000
II
578
25
Wilderness, Va., May 5-7, 1864.
75 000
19 350
26
Wilson Creek, Mo., August 10, 1861
7 500
I 235
16
6
6
Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 14-16, 1862
24 000
2 329
9
FALL CREEK TOWNSHIP IN THE WAR.
At the breaking out of the war the military strength of the township, as near as can now be determined, was about two hundred and sixty, as an average during the four years of hostility.
The Roster will show an enlistment of one hundred and twenty-nine, giving the per cent. of enlistment at a fraction over 67 of all subject to military duty; but two of the above number enlisted three times and 44 enlisted the second time, thus giving an enlistment of 227 for all periods enlisted for, and making the per cent. nearly 87.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.