USA > Indiana > Noble County > Counties of LaGrange and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 60
USA > Indiana > LaGrange County > Counties of LaGrange and Noble, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 60
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The six regiments required from Indiana under the first call of the Presi- dent for troops were raised so rapidly in the larger places, where the work of enlisting a company was but the thought of a day, that the more thinly popu- lated portions of the State were not represented in such regiments, save by occasional men, who were determined to smell powder at the earliest possible moment. This was the condition of Noble County. For this reason, no at- tempt was made to perfect the organization of a company, as many thought the rebellion would be quelled by the volunteers enlisted under the first call by the time their term of service had expired. There is some doubt regarding the
93
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
name of the first man of Noble County who succeeded in getting into the serv- ice. Capt. William N. Voris enlisted on the 22d of April, 1861; but Lute Duel claims to have been mustered into the service a day or two before. These two may be regarded as the first. They were in the Ninth Regiment, as were quite a number of others from the county, the exact number not being known. They were probably the only ones from the county in the three months' serv- ice. Quite a number went to Indianapolis and enlisted in the Twelfth, in the one year's service. Some enlisted in the Thirteenth, some in the Nineteenth, some in the Twenty-first, some in the Twenty-second, some in the Twenty- ninth and a great many in the Thirtieth, which regiment was organized by Col. Hugh B. Reed at Fort Wayne. This regiment was begun on the 3d of August and mustered into the service on the 24th of September, 1861. Joseph E. Braden, in August, began the organization of Company C for this regiment, with headquarters at Ligonier. William N. Voris organized Company F at Albion. These were the first two companies dispatched from Noble County to the field. Company F contained many men from Kendallville. Just before Company F left Albion for Fort Wayne, it was presented with a fine flag by the citizens of Albion, Mr. Alvord delivering an eloquent presentation speech and George W. Plants replying for the boys. There were almost three companies of men in the Thirtieth Regiment from Noble County. The Thirty-fifth, Thirty-seventh, Thirty-eighth and Forty-second Regiments contained quite a number of men from Noble County. There was scarcely a company in the Forty-fourth that did not contain men from the county. Company G was almost wholly thus represented, as was Company H to a large extent. Com- pany G was raised by Dr. William C. Williams and Peter Snyder, of Kendall- ville, the two squads being consolidated by the election of Dr. Williams, Cap- tain; Henry Shoemaker, First Lieutenant ; Daniel Cary, Second Lieutenant; both Lieutenants being from Kendallville. Capt. Williams remained such until finally, for meritorious services, he went up at one bound to the colonelcy of the Forty-fourth Regiment. He was with the regiment until the battle of Stone River, when he was taken prisoner, conveyed to Atlanta and impris- oned. About this time, Judge Marchbank, a rebel emissary to Canada, was captured by the Federal Government and declared to be a spy, which meant death. As soon as Gen. Bragg learned of this, he ordered that the highest Federal officer in rank below the grade of Brigadier General, confined at Atlanta, should be put in solitary confinement, as a hostage for the safety of Judge Marchbank. Col. Williams was the officer thus conditionally doomed. The following is his own description of succeeding events: "Each night, as I lay down in the dark on the old cot in my cell," says the Colonel, "I thought might be my last on earth, and that in the morning I would be summoned forth to answer with my life on the gallows. The days wore away in weari- ness and the long solitudes of the terrible nights, which brought but little sleep, slowly crept along, and each day and night only added to the agony of
94
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
the awful suspense that environed me. Escape there was none. My guards had strict orders to hold no communication with me under severe penalties. The dark, damp, small room in which I was confined was telling daily on my health, and I was not sure, unless they hung me up soon, that I should be able to flank Jeff. Davis and Gen. Bragg by dying a natural, although a lingering, death. Some sixteen days thus passed, and one morning I was ordered by one of my guards to come forth and report to the officer in charge of the prison. I reported to that officer at his room, and he informed me that he had orders to release me from solitary confinement, that Judge Marchbank had been sent through the lines South, and the hostage business was at an end. Weak, sick and weary as I was, I gave a bound and was at once in the midst of my room- mates across the corrider, and a rejoicing was had, dear old Gen. Willick mak- ing a speech, until his emotions choked him up so full that he broke down."
After about three months at Atlanta, Col. Williams was sent to Libby Prison, Richmond, Va., where he remained and suffered many long months, a horrified, starving victim of the slave-holders' rebellion. The Forty-fourth was organized in September and October, 1861, at Fort Wayne. The Forty-eighth and the Fifty-ninth Regiments contained Noble County men. The Seventy- fourth was organized at Fort Wayne in July and August, 1862, by William Williams, and contained something more than a company from Noble County. Company D was raised almost wholly at Kendallville. The Eighty-eighth was organized at Fort Wayne in August, 1862, by George Humphrey. Com- pany B of this regiment contained men from all parts of Noble County. A few from Noble were in Companies D and F. The One Hundredth was also organized at Fort Wayne in August and September, 1862, by S. J. Stoughton. Company E was from Noble County. A few men went into the One Hun- dred and Nineteenth regiment, which was for a time the Seventh Cavalry. The Twelfth Cavalry, which was organized at Camp Mitchell, Kendallville, from September, 1863, to March, 1864, by Edward Anderson, contained enough Noble County men to form about two companies. Nearly every man in Company B was from Noble. Many were in the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Infantry, Companies B, C, D and I, containing Noble County men, the latter being almost wholly composed of such. Company D of the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth was raised in Noble County. This regiment was organized at Indianapolis in April, May and June, 1864, by George Humphrey. Companies A, D and G of the One Hundred and Forty-second regiment were largely from Noble County. This regiment was organized at Fort Wayne by J. M. Comparet, from August to November, 1864. Compa- nies A, B, C, E, F, I and K of the One Hundred and Fifty-second Regiment contained men from the county. This regiment was enlisted for one year, and was organized at Indianapolis from December, 1864, to March, 1865. It per- haps contained more men from Noble County than any other regiment. Other regiments raised in neighboring counties of Indiana, and even in other States,
god vandenford YORK TP.
97
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
contained men from Noble. Nelson Prentiss estimates that about 1,800 men went from Noble County to engage in the war of the rebellion, and that about 300 of these never returned. The writer of this chapter, after patient and protracted inquiry and study, finds that those figures are not far from correct.
There remain to be considered the questions of public feeling or senti- ment, of loyalty and disloyalty, and of united movements to encourage or dis- courage enlistments, and to provide the families of soldiers with the necessaries of life in the county while the war was still raging. Of course there was more or less disloyalty from men who (it is not strange) do not like to talk about the war to-day. No united, nor, perhaps, prominently public effort was made to discourage enlistments or resist the draft or oppose the duties of the enrolling officers or the Provost Marshal. But threats were made in almost every locality, often quite openly, that the enlistment and the draft would be stubbornly resisted, if necessary, with force. The following is quoted from the Adjutant General's reports : "In Noble County, information was given to the Governor February 3d, 1863, that the 'Knights of the Golden Circle ' were fully ' organized and armed, and talked freely of the prospect of war here at home in case the Southern confederacy is not recognized, and " Old Abe" persists in his emancipation scheme. They publicly and boldly declare that no deserter shall be arrested here, that the Abolitionists are to be exterminated, and that the Northwestern States are to form a government by themselves.'" While, perhaps, these declarations were freely made, it is certain that, with the exception of a few knock-downs and a few mild riots caused by such declara- tions at public gatherings, no serious trouble ensued. All opposition ended with the disloyal declarations and the inevitable knock-down. Sometimes the knock-downs were reversed, as is shown from the following taken from the Noble County Journal of July, 1863 :
BRUSH COLLEGE .- Out from Rochester, Noble Co., Ind., in the woods, is a log schoolhouse, where the Union and Copporhead sentiment divides. On Sunday last came a collision in which the Delilahs figured most prominently. The Union forces we understand were rather worsted. We learn that the fight is to be renewed next Sabbath.
In November, 1864, the following appeared in the same paper referring to Kendallville :
On Monday, a company of six men were arrested, some of whom had been overheard talking about burning the town. These were sent on Tuesday night to Indianapolis. On Tues- day night five more were arrested on suspicion. The town has been patroled and precautions taken to frustrate such hellish designs. Most of these men are probably refugees and bounty- jumpers-desperate characters from Canada and elsewhere-who by their own innate wicked- ness, and incited by the every-day harangues of campaign Democratic speakers and papers, think that they have a license to lay waste loyal towns and cities. It is to be hoped that our authori- ties, both civil and military, will use the utmost diligence to detect and ferret out such designs, and be ready to inflict most summary punishment upon any such steeped criminals, when caught. Besides this no unknown characters without proper business should be tolerated in our midst.
The following occurred at Albion in June, 1863 :
PEACE AT ALBION. - The " Democratic" species of Peace men met at Albion on Saturday last. The immortal Robert Lowry, of Goshen, who, in 1854, wrote and pub-
98
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
lished that it was as reasonable to talk about repealing the "ten commandments as the Missouri Compromise," but who since then has blathered and bellowed that " the repeal was the great and glorious principle upon which our fathers fought the battles of the Revolu- tion," was imported as speaker to go over his choice vocabulary of slang epithets and abuse of the army, its officers, the President, the heads of departments, and everything else but traitors, who have immerged this whole land in blood and mourning, and their sympathizers in the North. As Mr. Lowry did not come at the hour appointed, Col. Williams, being a Democrat, was called upon and made a sensible Democratic speech. While Col. Williams was speaking Mr. Lowry came upon the ground, and when Col. Williams had concluded, made such a tirade as we have spoken of above. At the conclusion of Mr. Lowry's remarks, Col. Williams was again called out, when he proceeded to administer such a castigation to the " ten commandment man " from Goshen, as we are informed men very seldom receive. Lowry then replied in coarse bil- lingsgate, Col. Williams again arose to reply, when the Democracy, fearing that their imported would be too fearfully peeled, sounded their horns, drums, fifes and "whisky tunnels," and scampered off. Notice was then given that Col. Williams would speak again on Wednesday evening of this week.
One of the most serious outbreaks in the county during the war occurred in Swan Township in 1863. One Sunday, a meeting of Dunkers was held in a barn belonging to Samuel Shadows. A discussion of war topics was indulged in by a party of men standing outside. The men became excited-mad, began calling hard names, until at last they came to blows, some ten or twelve taking part in the melee. Blood soon flowed from sundry noses, sound heads were un- ceremoniously cracked, ribs were seriously punched, and numerous men, both Copperheads and Abolitionists, like Nebuchadnezzar, went to grass. The bat- tle was bloody, but the Union troops were victorious. In a store in Ligonier a large man boldly exclaimed, " Vallandigham is just as loyal as Lincoln !" whereupon a small man publicly and loudly cried : "You are a d-d liar !" The large man said to the small man, " Come out in the street and I'll lick the stuffing out of you." The small man seemed to relish the invitation, for he followed. No sooner had the pugilistic couple reached the street than the large man suddenly fell violently on the hard walk, while the blood flowed freely from a cut in his head. He got up and went home, a wiser, and, it is hoped, a better man. Incidents of this character might be multiplied without limit. It was fashionable to wear butternut breastpins in Copperhead circles during the war. This led to frequent affrays, after which it usually became fashionable not to wear them. Soldiers home on a furlough were generally on their muscle, and instantly resented any insult offered " Old Abe," the "old flag," or the " boys in blue." During the year 1863, the darkest for the Union cause while the war continued, quite a number of men who had gone from the county to serve their country deserted, and many of them came home, where they were secreted by their friends. The arrest of these deserters afforded exciting sport for the Sheriffs and Marshals. As troops were called for from the county, all the prominent Union men, Democrats and Republicans, traversed the entire county, speaking at every schoolhouse, and making every effort to fill the coun- ty quota by means of voluntary enlistments. When it became known, in 1862, that, unless the quota was filled, a draft would be resorted to in October, hercu-
99
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
lean efforts were everywhere made to encourage volunteering. Many men who enlisted under these earnest calls were assigned to old regiments as recruits, they having their choice of regiments. In July, 1862, the County Commis- sioners ordered that $20 be paid each man who would enlist in Company "D," then being raised by W. N. Rogers for the Seventy-fourth Regiment. This was the first bounty paid by the county. In August of this year, the Commis- sioners ordered that $30 be paid each man who would volunteer in the compa- ny then being raised by Capt. Voris and Col. Tousley, the money to be paid from the county treasury upon receipt of the certificate of the Captain of the company that such man, or men, had been mustered into the service. At the same time, it was also ordered that $20 be paid each man who was subject to draft, who would volunteer in any company in the county. At this time the Commissioners began paying from the county treasury large sums of money for the relief of soldiers' families. In September, 1862, they ordered $20 to be paid each man who would enlist in the companies of Capt. McMann or Capt. Braden. A large amount of money was paid by the county during the latter half of 1862 to the boys who went into the Seventy-fourth, the Eighty- eighth and the One Hundredth Regiments. By the 5th of June, 1863, there had been paid out in county bounty $7,360.95. The first draft occurred on the 6th of October, 1862, the following being the officers : Nelson Prentiss, Draft Commissioner ; J. R. Randall, Marshal ; T. P. Bicknell, Surgeon. The draft was ordered from the following facts, which were reported on the 20th of September, 1862 :
Total militia 2,578
Total volunteers 973
Total exempts 468
Total opposed to bearing arms. 37
Total volunteers in service.
226
Total subject to draft 2,073
The following draft was ordered :
Washington Township.
10
Sparta Township. 10
Green Township 6
Jefferson Township. 8
Wayne Township 21
Allen Township
11
Albion Township
4
Total. 70
Between the 20th of September and the 6th of October, when the draft occurred, eighteen men volunteered, so that only fifty-two men were actually drafted. After this, Noble County filled her quotas until 1864. In May, 1863, the following Enrolling Board for the Tenth District were appointed : Hiram Iddings, Provost Marshal; William S. Smith, Commissioner; Stephen Morris, Surgeon. Every effort was made to avoid the draft. Township boun-
100
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
ties were offered, and, as a last resort, substitutes were hired. But again the draft came on the 6th of September, 1864, as shown by the following table.
These are the quotas and credits of Noble County, under calls of February 1, March 14 and July 18, 1864 :
NOBLE COUNTY TOWNSHIPS.
Quota under call of
Quota under call of
Quota under call of
July 18, 1864.
'First Enrollment.
Total of Quotas and
New Recruits.
Veterans.
Credits by Draft.
Total Credits by En-
One Year.
Two Years.
Three Years.
Deficiency. .
Surplus.
Wayne Township.
62
25
74
448
161
160
26
186
30
...
150
25
Orange Township.
34
14
38
227
86
71
5
..
76
12
...
64
10
Elkhart Township.
25
10
31
186
66
35
4
1
40
3
...
37
26
Perry Township.
59
24
67
403
150
85
5
2
92
13
1
78
58
Sparta Township.
27
11
29
173
67
46
9
85
1
54
12
York Township.
19
8
22
132
49
33
3
36
1
...
29
...
..
Jefferson Township.
31
12
34
204
77
51
...
21
72
26
46
5
..
Allen Township.
41
16
48
290
105
97
1
98
17
81
7
..
Swan Township.
27
11
29
173
67
41
1
...
42
5
37
25
..
Green Township.
20
8
20
121
48
35
2
4
41
8
3€
7
..
Noble Township.
21
8
20
119
49
43
3
2
48
3
45
1
..
Washington Township.
14
6
16
97
36
25
25
...
25
11
..
Totals
392
158
442 2657
992
748
64
30
872
121
1
714
175
25
This is undoubtedly an imperfect report, as the draft shown by the above table is very far from being correct. Charge the imperfection to the Adjutant General and not to the historian. The headquarters of the enrolling board of the Tenth District was at Kendallville. Here was Camp Mitchell, where many or less troops were encamped from the spring of 1863 until the close of the war. Kendallville was a military place at that time. The Twelfth Cavalry was organized there, as above stated. The following is clipped from the Jour- nal of May, 1864 :
TWELFTH CAVALRY GONE.
The Twelfth Indiana Cavalry, so long stationed at this place, moved from here on Tuesday last, and a kind of grateful quiet prevails. Just as the regiment was moving from camp, the barracks, formerly occupied by Capt. Baker's company, as also their stables standing some dis- tance from the barracks, were fired. The fire communicated to other barracks until some six in all were consumed Mr. George Moon, we understand, lost 300 bushels of corn. The loss of the barracks was probably about $2,000. Most of the regiment felt very much chagrined at such an act.
The old schoolhouse at Kendallville was turned into a hospital for the sick soldiers, while the teachers and scholars were obliged to seek other quarters. The small-pox broke out among the troops, several of whom died of it, as did also several citizens. When the schoolhouse was burned, it was thought that some of the citizens did it to prevent its being again used for school purposes, in which case the children might catch the small-pox. The draft above men- tioned, which occurred on the 6th of September, 1864, went off smoothly, as is shown by the following from the Journal of September 20:
#
..
..
35
13
..
Albion Township.
12
5
14
84
31
26
5
31
2
..
...
...
...
...
...
...
listment and Draft.
Deficiencies.
Credits by voluntary enlistments.
February 1, 1864.
March 14, 1864.
MRS. JOEL VANDERFORD YORK TP.
-
1
103
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
-
THE DRAFT.
The draft here is passing off very quietly and satisfactorily. The urbanity and patient, fair and open deportment of the drafting board is giving satisfaction and confidence through- out the entire district. The bitterest of political partisans openly and unqualifiedly ad- mit the fairness of the whole transaction. There are a great many curious freaks occur in the way the lots fall sometimes. From Perry Township, in this county, there was a large delegation present at the time of drawing, most all of whom were drafted. The next township drawn was Benton, Elkhart County, and hardly any of the delegates from there were drawn. In most townships persons liable to draft have entered into companies to assist each other or buy substi- tutes if drafted. In this way the burden falls much lighter, and in view of the duty to their country, the patriotic able-bodied conscript will cheerfully go or send a substitute to the war. With more men and with vigorous blows upon rebellion, now so sadly tottering, a just, abiding and lasting peace will soon spread its balmy wings over the land. But give the rebels an armis- tice in which to gather up their strength again, and vote in the Mcclellan policy of dallying, hesitating, digging and wasting time in " reviews " and scares at " quaker guns," and you have wars and Mcclellan's favorite drafts interminably, without limit, and almost without end. Kill the rebellion now, and not let it up to fight you again in a long uncertain future.
The drafts of October, 1862, and September, 1864, were the only ones enforced in Noble County. A draft was ordered to fill the quota required from the county under the call of December 19, 1864, but was delayed and not carried into effect. The close of the war rendered it unnecessary. The fol- lowing order was made by the Commissioners in December, 1863:
Ordered by the Board of Commissioners, That the County Auditor is hereby authorized and required to draw an order on the County Treasurer for the sum of $50, payable to each person, being a resident of Noble County, who shall volunteer and be mustered into the service of the United States as a soldier, under the proclamation of the President of the United States, issued the 17th day of October, 1863. Such allowance to be made to each and every person who shall volunteer until the whole number of 188 men required of this county shall be raised. And before the said Auditor shall make out any such order, he shall require a properly certified muster-roll of the company in which the applicant has enlisted to be filed in his office ; and also, that the said Auditor be authorized and required to issue orders on the County Treasurer, payable to the wife of each soldier who has volunteered and is in service under any call, or shall hereafter volunteer under said call, for the sum of $8 per month and $1 in addition thereto for each child under the age of twelve years. The order to said wife shall be issued upon the certificate of the Township Trustee where she may reside, showing that she is a resident of this county and was at the time of the enlistment of her husband, also, the number, name and age of her children, which allowance to said wife and children shall commence on the 1st day of December, 1863, and be paid on the 1st of each month thereafter. The above order shall not apply to any commissioned officer, his wife or children.
This order was attended with most excellent results, as the quota (188 men) of the county under the call of October, 1863, was filled without resort- ing to a draft. Under the call of December 19, 1864, the enlistment of men from the county became so slack that the Commissioners ordered a bounty of $400 paid to men that would enlist. How much was paid out at this figure is not known. The table on the following page gives some interesting infor- mation regarding the response made by the county to the call of December 19, 1864:
-
104
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY.
NOBLE COUNTY TOWNSHIPS.
Second Enrollment.
Quota under Call of
December 19, 1864.
Total Quotas and De-
New Recruits.
One Year.
Two Years.
Three Years.
Wayne Township.
360
19
19
19
19
..
...
Orange Township.
125
17
17
14
14
..
Elkhart Township
97
26
26
12
38
...
Perry Township.
188
58
58
14
64
..
Sparta Township
120
16
16
11
24
...
...
York Township.
81
15
15
9
22
...
Albion Township
52
2
2
2
2
..
Jefferson Township.
111
21
21
15
21
Allen Township
202
17
17
29
29
1
Swan Township.
99
28
28
4
27
..
Green Township.
68
12
12
11
13
...
...
Noble Township.
72
3
3
1
1
...
..
Washington Township.
66
13
13
5
17
...
Totals
1641
247
247
146
291
1
...
The following proceedings at the Republican County Convention of 1864 will be read with interest. The Committee on Resolutions reported to the Con- vention, through Col. Williams, accompanied by some very appropriate re- marks, the following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted:
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