USA > Indiana > Henry County > Hazzard's history of Henry county, Indiana, 1822-1906, Volume I > Part 40
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LIEUTENANT WILLIAM HENRY FENTRESS.
One of Henry County's most gallant soldiers, who lost his life in battle, was Lieutenant William Henry Fentress, of Company D, 36th Indiana Infantry. The Fentress family came originally from North Carolina, but leaving that State had moved into Tennessee, and it is from the name of this family that Fentress County, Tennessee, is named. Later the family moved to Henry County, Indiana, and settled near Greensboro, where the elder Fentress was first a merchant and then a farmer. The father, Josiah, was born in North Carolina, April 15, 1808, and died at Osceola, Nebraska, in 1894, where he is buried. The mother, Susannah (Hin- shaw) Fentress, was born in Stokes County, North Carolina, in November, 181I, and was married to Josiah Fentress, September 23, 1830, near Greensboro, North Carolina. She is still living at Osceola, Nebraska, at the advanced age of ninety four years.
William Henry Fentress, the subject of this sketch, was born near Greensboro, North Carolina, May 24, 1832. He accompanied his parents to Greensboro, Henry County, Indiana, and there early learned the trade of a blacksmith. At this place, June 17, 1852, he was married to Cynthia, daughter of John and Julia Cook, highly respected citizens of Henry County, residing near Greensboro. To this union four children were born, namely : Martin, married to Ella, daughter of Simeon and Margaret Wood, now residing near Anderson, Madison County, Indiana; Julia, deceased ; Frank and Estella, both of whom are married and live in Polk County, Nebraska. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. William H. Fentress was married to Jesse B. Jessup and moved to Iowa, where she died September 5, 1877. She is buried near Linnville, in that State.
When the Civil War began, William H. Fentress took an active part in recruiting what became Company D, 36th Indiana Infantry. Leaving his wife and four children, he went with his company to Camp Wayne, Richmond, Indiana, and was there mustered into the service of the United States, as a Sergeant, September 16, 1861. On June 10, 1862, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant and was mustered in as such July 14, 1862. On November 7, 1862, he was again promoted, being commisioned First Lieutenant and mustered in as suchi November 27, 1862. He was wounded at Shiloh, Tennessee, April 7, 1862, and at Dalton, Georgia, May 13, 1864, in a charge by Grose's Brigade on the enemy who were entrenched.
He was the ideal soldier of his company, patient in camp, enduring on the march, brave and steadfast in battle: ever solicitous for the welfare of his com- rades, he was always anxious to relieve, as far as possible, the needs of the weak and the sick.
In March, 1864, just before the beginning of the Atlanta Campaign, he was granted a short furlough home, and this was the only time he saw his wife and children after his first departure from home for the front.
At Dallas, Georgia, early on the morning of May 31, 1864, while looking after the welfare of his company, he was instantly killed by one of the enemy's sharp-
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shooters. It can truly be said of him that no soldier or officer of the famous 36th Regiment was more deeply mourned by his comrades, not only of Company D but of the entire regiment, of which he was a general favorite.
Albert W. Saint, of his company, was detailed to take the body of the slain soldier to Chattanooga, from which place the remains were shipped to Knightstown and thence to Greensboro, where they were buried in the Masonic Cemetery.
LIEUTENANT ALBERT WHITE SAINT.
Lientenant Albert White Saint, of Company D, 36th Indiana Infantry, was born near Greensboro, August 24, 1838. His parents were Alpheus and Irene (Hiatt) Saint, who were born in North Carolina, the father, on February 12, 1813, and the mother, in November, 1812. They were married at the old West River Monthly Meeting, near Milton, Wayne County, Indiana, in 1834, and soon there- after moved to Henry County, settling two miles west of Greensboro. They were the parents of the following children : Oliver H., deceased; Albert W .; Abner P., deceased ; Henry H., deceased; Achsah A., deceased; Julia A., now the wife of Dr. George W. Dunn, of Champaign, Illinois; Joseph Exum, living in New Mexico; Louisa, deceased ; Eunice C., now the wife of David C. Davis, of Shelby- ville, Illinois ; and Emma, now the wife of John Moffett, of Fithian, Illinois.
Up to the breaking out of the Civil War, Lieutenant Saint lived at home with his parents and received his education mainly in the school at Greensboro and at Union Seminary, three and a half miles northeast of Knightstown, over which Major Isaac Kinley presided as teacher. The last named school was famous throughout Henry County and Eastern Indiana.
In April, 1861, Lieutenant Saint's parents moved to Champaign County, Illinois, settling near Urbana. With the coming of the war, young Saint deter- mined to enter the army and for that purpose returned to his old home at Greens- boro and enlisted in Company D, 36th Indiana Infantry. He was mustered into the service of the United States, as a private, at Camp Wayne, Richmond, Indiana. September 16, 1861, and accompanied the regiment to Kentucky and thence to Nashville, Tennessee, where, in March, 1862, he was taken ill with jaundice and chronic diarrhoea and was sent to the convalescent barracks at Nashville and from there was furloughed home, thereby missing the battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Corinth.
After recovery from his illness, he rejoined the regiment at Athens, Alabama, in June, 1862, and from this time forward, the history of the 36th Indiana Infantry, in.all of its camp life, hardships of the march and danger in battle, as set out in the preceding history of the regiment, is the military history of Lieutenant Saint.
In 1863-4, while the regiment was in Winter quarters at Whitesides, Ten- nessee, as a mark of confidence on the part of his superior officers, he was sent home on recruiting service and was absent from the front for about sixty days. He was slightly wounded at the battle of Stone's River, December 31, 1862, and again at Chickamauga, on both days of that famous engagement; so slightly, however, that he did not leave the field. Lieutenant Saint, during his service in the army, was promoted to First Sergeant and later was commissioned as First Lieutenant, as shown in the preceding roster of the company.
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After the expiration of his enlistment, Lieutenant Saint returned to Greens- boro but later went to Minnesota, where he remained several months. He returned to Henry County and on May 17, 1866, was married to Emma, daughter of George W. and Eliza Kern, of Greensboro, who were also the parents of John A. Kern, of Company D, who was killed at Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 23, 1864. John A. Kern was the twin brother of Emma. Another brother, Amos J. Kern, was also a soldier serving in Company B, 42nd Indiana Infantry. Still another brother, Thomas C. Kern, was a soldier in the 139th and 147th Indiana Infantry, as is shown in the respective rosters of those regiments.
After their marriage, Lieutenant Saint and his wife moved to Urbana, Illinois, where they lived until 1878, when he moved with his family to Lincoln, Nebraska. There Mrs. Saint died March 26, 1881, and is buried in the cemetery at Lincoln. The children of this marriage were: Fred, now City Treasurer of New Castle, Indiana, and teller in the Citizens' State Bank; Harry, who died in infancy; Grace, now Mrs. Aaron F. White, of Kenton, Ohio; and George, now a civil engineer with headquarters at Albuquerque, New Mexico.
After the death of his wife, Lieutenant Saint returned to Henry County, living at Grant City, Spiceland, and afterwards at New Castle. At Spiceland on October 26, 1882, he was married to Lida, daughter of David and Susanna Edwards, old and highly respected citizens of Spiceland Township, who have re- cently celebrated their sixty sixth wedding anniversary. The children of this second marriage are: Arthur L., who has recently gone to New Mexico to take a position with his brother; and May Pauline, now a teacher in the public schools of New Castle.
When Lieutenant Saint lived at Grant City, where he was engaged in the tile business, he was a member of the Jerry B. Mason Post No. 168, Grand Army of the Republic, Knightstown; afterwards, upon his removal to Spiceland, he became a member of Harmon Rayl Post, No. 360, Grand Army of the Republic, and was a commander of that Post. While living at Spiceland, in 1890, he was elected Treasurer of Henry County, serving a full term of two years. After leav- ing the Treasurer's office, he engaged in the insurance business for three or four years and since 1900, has been connected with the postal service at New Castle, Indiana. He is a member of George W. Lennard Post, No. 148, Grand Army of the Republic, New Castle, and takes great interest in the affairs of the Henry County Historical Society. Himself and wife are birthright members of the Friends' Church. In politics he has always been a Republican. Mrs. Saint is a member of the Women's Relief Corps and a prominent club worker. Mr. Saint has moved many times but is now anchored at New Castle for the balance of his days.
Two brothers of Albert W. Saint served in the army during the Civil War. One, Abner P., enlisted at St. Joseph, Champaign County, Illinois, as a private in Company C, 7Ist Illinois Infantry, and was mustered into the service July 22, 1862. He lost his life in the war and his name will be found in the Roll of Honor published in this History. The other, Henry H., enlisted at the same time and place with his brother Abner P., and in the same company, and was with his brother at the time of his death. Later he became a private in the 19th Indiana Battery in which he enlisted March 1I, 1864. He was mustered out of the service on June IO, 1865.
CHAPTER XVII.
INFANTRY CONTINUED.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF CAPTAIN DAVID WILLIAM CHAMBERS AND FAMILY -- CORPORAL HARVEY BROWN CHEW AND FAMILY-CORPORAL THADDEUS HAR- RISON GORDON AND FAMILY-PRIVATE WILLIAM CARTWRIGHT HALL AND FAMILY-CORPORAL JAMES IVEN NEWBY AND FAMILY-CORPORAL, NATHAN NICHOLSON AND FAMILY-CAPTAIN PYRRHUS WOODWARD AND FAMILY.
This chapter is made up entirely of biographical sketches of Henry County soldiers who served in the 36th Indiana Infantry, viz : David W. Chambers, Cap- tain of Company D; Harvey B. Chew, Corporal of Company D; Thaddeus H. Gordon, Corporal of Company F; William C. Hall, Private of Company A; James I. Newby, Corporal of Company D; Nathan Nicholson, Corporal of Company C; Pyrrhus Woodward, Captain of Company C.
Henry County was more fully represented in the 36th Indiana than in any other regiment, having four full companies in the organization, viz : Company A, from Lewisville ; Company C, from New Castle ; Company D, from Greensboro and New Castle; and Company K, from Blountsville and Knightstown. The county was also represented by a greater or lesser number of men in five other companies of the regiment, and counting soldiers from other counties of the State, who moved to Henry County after the Civil War, the county was represented in every company of the regiment.
William Grose, Colonel of the regiment, attained distinguished honors during the war, being the only Henry County soldier to reach the rank of a general officer, but the regiment furnished two colonels to the service : Adjutant George W. Len- nard, who became Colonel of the 57th Indiana Infantry, and Captain Milton Peden, who became Colonel of the 147th Indiana Infantry.
This regiment counted its dead on nearly all the great battlefields of the West and, at the end of three years' arduous service, returned home with decimated ranks but with glory enough for all. In peace our citizen soldiery have been no less distinguished, and the company rolls of the old 36th display the names of many who since the war have achieved civil honors.
1
Mchamber
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF DAVID WILLIAM CHAMBERS.
CAPTAIN, COMPANY D, 36TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, INDIANA VOLUNTEERS ;
LEGISLATOR AND LAWYER.
The Chambers family of New Castle and Henry County had its original home in Clackmananshire, Scotland, where its progenitors, Alexander Barn Chambers and Isabella Lamb, were born. the former at Alloa, in the last years of the eighteenth century, and the latter at New Sauchie, on January 1, 1800, the opening year of the marvelous nineteenth century. There, both grew to maturity and were mar- ried in the year 1825, and there were born to them two sons, namely, David. the first, and Robert Mason Chambers.
Alexander B. Chambers was, at an early age, apprenticed to learn the trade of a machinist and engine builder, and with the usual thoroughness of the Scottish character, he mastered this trade in every detail. At the end of his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman machinist, working at his trade in Scotland until his emigration to America.
The tide of emigration from the British Isles, which in the preceding century had carried many sturdy, self-reliant sons of Scotland to the new world, steadily increased in volume during the nineteenth century, and from his own shire had gone a kinsman of his wife, whose favorable reports of the new land and its won- derful opportunities, fired the imagination of young Chambers and determined him to seek a new home in America. He took passage for himself and family on a sailing vessel, June 3, 1829, and, heart beating high with hope, started for "The land of the free and the home of the brave." The voyage to New York lasted eight weeks and was uneventful but tedious beyond comparison.
From New York, Mr. Chambers and family journeyed by canal and wagon to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where they arrived in the summer of 1829. Thence they descended the Ohio River by boat, reaching Cincinnati, Ohio, in the Fall of the" same year. Into this new city and new home, the Chambers family came as strang- ers. Facing the conditions cheerfully, here they made their home and Mr. Chambers' skill in mechanics soon brought him ample employment and high pay. He con- tinued at Cincinnati until 1835, when, sufficient means having been saved by pro- verbial industry, frugality and economy, it was determined to invest his savings in land. Accordingly, Mr. Chambers purchased a farm in Union County, near Philo- math, Indiana, where he soon afterwards moved his family. In 1839 he purchased another farm near Liberty, in the same county, and soon moved his family to that point. He, however, continued to go back and forth, working at his trade in Cincinnati until 1847, having during this whole period been in the employment of a single firm. He was now the owner of nearly two hundred acres of highly improved land, the possessor of much personal property and had money safely invested.
In 1847 he sold his land and other property, in Union County and in February, 1848, moved to New Castle, Henry County, Indiana. At that place, joining with the late Alexander Michael, they together, erected and for a number of years suc- cessfully operated the first steam saw mill ever built in the county. One or two efforts to erect such a plant had been previously made but failure had been the
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result in each case. No doubt, the success of Chambers and Michael was due to the mechanical knowledge of the senior member of the firm. This mill, during its existence, stood about two hundred feet due south of the present corner of Indiana Avenue and Eleventh Street, and was for many years a landmark to the citizens of New Castle. The boiler of the mill was a very long one, taken from a sunken steamboat in the Ohio River, near Cincinnati, and brought to New Castle on a wagon hauled by a ten-horse team. Its arrival on a hot Sunday in the Sum- mertime was probably one of the most noted events in the New Castle of that time and was apparently welcomed by every man, woman and child within the corporate limits of the town. This saw mill was operated until about the close of the Civil War, when the boiler and other machinery was sold to a Mr. Wilson who moved it to Spiceland.
April 16, 1850, Mr. Chambers went overland to the goldfields of California. He returned in 1851, by the Nicaragua route, and arrived home, November 15, of that year. During his absence in California, his son, Robert M. Chambers, had managed the mill and its affairs to the entire satisfaction of his father. On Sep- tember 2, 1853, Mr. Chambers purchased the interest of his partner, Alexander Michael, and thereafter, until the sale of the mill to Mr. Wilson, it was operated by himself and his son, Robert M. After the sale of the mill, Mr. Chambers gave his whole attention to his farm property, having acquired after his arrival in New Castle, about three hundred acres of land, situate a short distance south of the town.
Alexander Barn Chambers died October 7, 1867. He was a splendid type of the blood and brawn of Bonnie Scotland, a country which he never ceased to love, and he possessed all the mental acuteness characteristic of the Scot. He had, how- ever, not only transplanted his home to the new world but his political allegiance as well, and was a loyal American, taking a deep interest in the welfare of his adopted land and keeping fully advised of current events. He was a well informed man and, when occasion demanded, could forcibly express his opinions and senti- ments upon any question in which he was interested. His wife was his meet com- panion. She was a noble, charitable, Christian woman, devoted to her husband and her family, a good friend and a good neighbor. She preceded her husband to the grave, dying June 18, 1860, and the remains of both now lie side by side in South Mound Cemetery, New Castle.
It has been mentioned that two of the children of this couple were born in Scotland. All but two of the other children were born in Union County, Indiana. They were as follows: Isabella, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, married to Seth S. Bennett, October 7, 1874, now deceased; Elizabeth, born in Cincinnati, married to James Atkinson, of Pensacola, Florida, November 18, 1888; David William, the subject of this sketch ; Mary Catharine and James Alexander, both deceased.
DAVID WILLIAM CHAMBERS.
David William Chambers, born March 19. 1836, near Philomath, Union County, Indiana, was so named after a paternal uncle who, during the Napoleonic wars, had been a soldier in the Peninsular Campaign in Spain and Portugal, under the Duke of Wellington. This uncle received a medal for valor in that campaign, which he bequeathed to his nephew and namesake, by whom it is cherished and
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carefully preserved. David W. Chambers led the usual life of a country lad, work- ing on his father's farm in Summer and attending school in Winter. He came to New Castle with his parents in 1848, being twelve years old at that time. There he became a student in the old Seminary, which afterwards became the New Castle Academy, taught by Russell B. Abbott and James S. Ferris. The school was one of the best in Henry County, or for that matter in Eastern Indiana, and young Chambers continued in the school from 1850 to 1855, coming mainly under the care of Mr. Abbott, a superior teacher, and between the two grew up a strong attachment. Under these accomplished tutors, he was so far advanced in his studies that he was able to enter the Sophomore class of Indiana State University, at Bloomington, in the second term of the years 1855-6. He graduated from that institution in July, 1858.
Among Mr. Chambers' companions and classmates at the University, was a young man of great promise, from Vandalia, Illinois, named Lucien Greathouse, who achieved distinction in the Civil War, having advanced from a private soldier, through all the intermediate ranks, to Colonel of the 48th Illinois Infantry. He was instantly killed, July 22, 1864, while leading his regiment in the Atlanta Campaign, "aged twenty two years, one month and fifteen days." At the time he was killed, he was endeavoring, with his regiment, to fill a gap made by the Confederates, at the point where General McPherson met his tragic death. Another classmate, who afterwards attained great prominence in Illinois, was William M. Springer, who, for twenty consecutive years, represented the Springfield (Illinois) district in Congress, his service ending March 3, 1895.
After graduating from the University, Mr. Chambers began to read law under the late General William Grose. He spent the Winter of 1858-9, teaching at what was known as the Union Seminary, three miles and a half northeast of Knights- town, taking the place of the now venerable Isaac Kinley, who was then absent, occupying his seat in the State Senate, at Indianapolis. Again in the Winter of 1859-60, he was teaching school at Lewisville. The remainder of his time was spent in acquiring his profession in the office of General Gross. In 1860 he took an active part in the great political campaign which resulted in the election of Abra- ham Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States, for whom he cast his first Presidential vote.
Mr. Chambers was, at that time, not only a leader of public sentiment, he was even in advance of it. He was an avowed abolitionist and advocated war as the only means of wiping out the traffic in human beings. Like word, like deed. When the war came, he was ready and, at the first call of the President for volunteers, he assisted in organizing what became Company B, 8th Indiana Infantry (three months), and was mustered into the service of the United States, as a private, April 25, 1861. He was present with his regiment at the battle of Rich Mountain, West Virginia, July 11, 1861, and was mustered out with the regiment, August 6, 1861. Soon afterwards, he joined with Isaac Kinley and others in re- cruiting and organizing what became Company D, 36th Indiana Infantry. He was enrolled as First Lieutenant of the company, August 26, 1861, and was mustered into the service of the United States, September 16, 1861. He was later pro- moted Captain of the company and mustered as such, November 27, 1862. He was mustered out with the regiment, September 21, 1864.
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The history of the "Old Thirty Sixth" is the military history of Captain David WV. Chambers. He took part in all the marches, skirmishes and battles of that famous regiment, the field of service extending from Shiloh, Tennessee, April 6-7, 1862, to the fall of Atlanta, Georgia, September 2, 1864, thus participating in the battles of Shiloh, Siege of Corinth, Perryville, Stone's River, Chickamauga, Mis- sionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain and all the battles of the Atlanta Campaign. At the battle of Shiloh, on the second day of the engagement, he was wounded by a piece of bursting shell striking him on the right side of the head, which rendered him wholly unconscious, being carried off the field. The scar from this wound still remains. At Chickamauga, Georgia, on the second day of that fierce battle, September 20, 1863, the command of the regiment devolved on Captain Chambers, after Colonel Cary, Major Trusler and two captains, ranking him, had been disabled. While in com- mand of the regiment, his horse was shot under him and he, himself, wounded in the left shoulder. Afoot and undaunted, he retained command of the regiment until it reached Chattanooga. Captain Chambers' record as a soldier is without a blemish. He was strict in the performance of duty, rigid in discipline, but earnestly solicitous for the proper care and comfort of the men in his command.
In 1864, while still in the army, Captain Chambers was nominated by the Republicans of Henry County for member of the lower house of the General Assembly of Indiana. He was elected and sat in the session which convened in January, 1865. He was a warm supporter of Governor Morton and favored all measures which aimed at the suppression of the Civil War, and was an enthusiastic supporter of the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, abolishing slavery. At the close of the session of the General Assembly, Governor Morton tendered Captain Chambers a commission as Lieutenant Colonel of the 147th Indiana Infantry.
So well were the constituents of Captain Chambers pleased with his legislative record in the session of 1865, that they elected him in 1866 to represent them in the General Assembly which convened in Indianapolis in January, 1867. At this session he voted for Oliver P. Morton for United States Senator and was a member of the committee on education, a subject in which he always took a lively interest. In 1867 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the circuit presided over by the late Judge Joseph S. Buckles, of Muncie, and later by the late Judge Joshua H. Mellett, of New Castle, which included the counties of Henry, Delaware, Grant and Hancock. At the expiration of this term, he was re-elected and because of a change in the law, abolishing annual elections, he served, in all, five years as Prosecuting Attorney, with characteristic zeal and fidelity. Since his retirement from that office, he has been a practicing attorney at New Castle.
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