USA > Indiana > Lawrence County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Monroe County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 32
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captain, and by Lieut. H. E. Lundy. Historical records prove that there were more regimental officers from Monroe county in the Eighty-second than in any other regiment. Among them were: Colonel Hunter, Lieutenant-Colo- nel Slocum, Adjutants A. G. Hunter and M. E. Bunger, Quartermaster J. C. Allenworth, Chaplain M. M. Campbell. Surgeon W. H. Lemon, Assistant Surgeons W. B. Harris and R. H. Campbell. On the first of September the regiment was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky. Thirty men of Company F. Ninety-third Regiment, were recruited by J. L. Winfrey, and were mus- tered in at Madison from the 15th to the 23d of August. 1862. These re- cruitments constitute a noble and lasting record for the county of Monroe, and to her credit it must be said that through her patriotic response the humil- iation of the draft was kept from within the borders of the county.
The Republican of September 13. 1862, gives tables of figures showing the exact condition of the county: The total number subject to draft was 1,824 men. exemptions 300, number of volunteers 104, and number enrolled 1,524. The applications for exemption from draft in Bean Blossom town- ship were 40, Washington 30. Marion 10. Benton 30, Bloomington 110, Richland 45, Van Buren 38, Perry 39, Salt Creek 40, Polk 42, Clear Creek 38. and Indian Creek 28. Thus it will be seen that of 499 applications for exemption in Monroe county, only 300 were acceptable to the authori- ties.
On the 6th of September. 1862, Hon. Joseph A. Wright. ex-governor of Indiana, made an eloquent address before the citizens of the county, and on the following Monday, the 8th, the Hon. Joseph E. McDonald delivered a magnificent oration pleading for a cessation of hostilities.
October 6, 1862, was the final date set for the draft to be enforced in Indiana. although September 15th had been the original date. The necessity of postponing the date was in order to give every county an opportunity to bring its enlistments to the required number. The draft commissioner was Ira Browning, the marshal, W. J. Alexander, and the surgeon, J. D. Max- well, for Monroe county. On the 19th of September the enrolling commis- sioners reported the following to the adjutant-general regarding Monroe county : Total militia, 1.828; total volunteers. 1,030: total exempts. 298: total conscientiously opposed to bearing arms. 3: total volunteers in the service. 840: total subject to draft. 1.527. On the toth of September the county lacked twenty-two men of having filled her quota, as follows : Benton 1. Salt Creek 4. Polk 12, Clear Creek 3, Indian Creek 2. This number was reduced to one man by the 6th of October. this deficiency being in Salt Creek township. Consequently a man was drafted there. but immediately after-
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wards a volunteer was reported from that township and accepted, thus clear- ing the county of Monroe from the draft.
Capt. Daniel Shrader, remembered for his work in raising Company A, Fifty-fourth Regiment, for the special three months' service of 1862, was commissioned to organize another company for the same regiment, reor- ganized for the one year's service. Accordingly he maintained a recruit- ing office in Bloomington. In this capacity he continued but a short time, on account of being appointed major of the Fifty-fourth Regiment. A flurry of excitement was caused on the 23rd of September when the news flash- ed in that Bragg's forces were approaching Louisville with the intention of destroying the city. All of southern Indiana, including Monroe county, was in a tremor, heightened by a dispatch from Governor Morton, who was then at Louisville, to organize the militia immediately and to hold the men in readiness to depart for the front at a moment's notice. A hasty meeting was held at the county court house and Judge Hughes explained the charac- ter of the situation. The meeting adjourned until evening and during the interval a full company of volunteers was raised, and at the evening meet- ing the following officers were elected; Francis Otwell, captain; Henry Eller, first lieutenant : W. H. Mccullough, second lieutenant. The next morning witnessed the arming of the company, and other preparations to march south- ward. However, it was learned that Bragg would not touch Louisville, and accordingly the company was disbanded.
With the coming of winter the active interest in enlistments subsided in a measure. The citizens watched with anxious hearts every bit of news from the armies. The Republican heroically printed every line in its columns which would carry a message to Monroe county people. Letters came thick and fast, describing the events happening in the field.
On January 24, 1863. there was held a meeting at the county court house, which was the opposite of the meetings hitherto held. The meeting was for the purpose of upholding the cause of the South and slavery and ridiculing Lin- coln and the North. There was a large attendance, and Judge Eckles, of Greencastle, Indiana, was the principal speaker. He delivered an enthu- siastic oration and opposed the continuance of the war, denounced the ad- ministration of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican party, declared that the South was justified in their fight for slavery, and insisted that not another man nor dollar be furnished for the maintenance of the struggle. A body of resolutions was adopted in this vein of thought, and the crowd cheered for Jeff Davis and cursed Lincoln. The State Sentinel printed editorials
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in favor of the meeting. The day was of hot debate and quarrels, and several bloody fights occurred.
A month later another court house meeting was held and was decidedly Union in spirit. Captian Epps, of eastern Tennessee, and Colonel Hawkins were the principal speakers. Jacob B. Lowe and Major James B. Mulky were respectively chairman and secretary. Resolutions were passed con- demning the Southern partisanship in the county, the efforts to frustrate the Federal cause, and the alliances with France and other foreign nations. Thanks were extended to Governor Morton for his aid in equipping and organizing troops of Indiana. Propositions for an armistice or compromise other than offered by the national government were denounced, and an oath was taken that efforts should be continued to crush out every atom of rebellion in the United States. This meeting had a most happy effect on the county. The old time spirit of patriotism was revived, and during that most hopeless year of the war, 1863, when the Union seemd to be tottering, great encouragement was lent to the loyal citizens of Monroe county. A week after this assembling, another mass meeting was held, with General Kim- ball, J. A. Matson, Colonel McCrea, Revs. Hopkins, Farmer and Hearb as the chief speakers. Although some of the speakers were Democrats, all urged the continuance of the war.
During the spring months of 1863, very little attempt was made to raise troops. It was a period of waiting and doubt as to which side the weight of victory would fall. On April 18th the Republican printed an editorial which is both interesting and curious. It was as follows :
"We learn that our old friend, A. Sutherland, sutler to the Fifty-ninth Regiment, was fined ten dollars and costs in the common pleas court the other day for bringing to this county and harboring a contraband picked up some- where in the South, and who accompanied him home on a visit some weeks since. Good enough for you, Aleck. We have niggers enough here now and we hope all who violate the laws by bringing them into the state will be com- pelled to pay the penalty."
In April, 1863. word came of the uprising near Georgetown, Brown county, and immediately meetings were held and preparations made by the citizens of Monroe county to prevent any similar act of treason within the borders of their own county. A militia company was organized to quell any such outbreak, and Francis A. Otwell was elected captain. The citizens of Van Buren township met at schoolhouse No. 3, and also organized a company of militia, John Koons being chairman of the meeting and W. M. Crossfield, secretary. The enrolling board of the third congressional district, composed
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of Simeon Stansifer, provost marshal, John R. B. Glasscock, commissioner. and Albert G. Collier, surgeon, began to enumerate the men in the various townships who were liable for military duty. James B. Mulky succeeded Stansifer as provost marshal in April. 1863, and in June Col. John McCrea was appointed to the position of provost marshal of Monroe county. The work of the enrolling officers was by no means an easy one. for in some parts of the county forcible opposition was made to their efforts. On the 19th of June W. F. Hensley, enrolling officer of Indian Creek township, was sur- rounded by an armed force of about eighty men while discharging his duties, who compelled him to surrender his enrolling papers under threat of death. Not to be thwarted by their threats, Mr. Hensley informed the authorities at Bloomington of the occurrence, and a guard was given him to protect him from the attack of his former assailants. Colonel Biddle, with six hundred men of the Seventy-first, and a company of the Third Cavalry, came to Bloomington and encamped north of town. Colonel McCrea and the cavalry troop went to Indian Creek township, and arrested sixteen persons for complicity in the outrage against Hensley. The culprits were taken to Indianapolis to appear before the United States district court. This ended the hostility in the county toward the enrolling officers. The check was reinforced by the arrival of a detachment of the Twenty-third Artillery, with two twelve-pounders at Bloomington. The "Butternuts" were forced to cease the drills and prepara- tions they had been making in different parts of the county.
Monday, the 22nd of June, dawned, and the townspeople were aroused by the violent ringing of bells and the hurrying footsteps of the citizens rush- ing toward the center of town. The reports were that the rebel, General Morgan, with his "raiders," had crossed the line between Kentucky and Indi- ana, and was coming toward Paoli, Orange county. A company of men was hastily formed and placed under the command of Capt. I. S. Buskirk, and their services offered to the Governor by telegraph. At nightfall it was learned that the rumor was unfounded, and accordingly the company was disbanded.
President Lincoln called for one hundred thousand volunteers, six months' service, on the 15th of June, and immediate steps were taken to raise the required number of troops. An office for enlistments was opened over Fee's store, where recruiting offices had been located before. W. B. Hughes, J. Rutledge, W. C. Smith, Michael Gabbert. H. C. Gabbert and J. H. Miller were especially active in the organization of the new company, and by the 31st of July there were about seventy-five men enrolled: at this date they were taken to Indianapolis to report to the state officials. By the 15th of August they had recruited from Monroe county the number of men asked, and they
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were mustered into the service and sent to Kentucky. They were called Com- pany I, of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, six months' men, and were assigned the following officers: William B. Hughes, captain : Jechonias Rutledge, first lieutenant, and James H. Miller, second lieutenant.
The scare of General Morgan's journey toward Indiana again became existent. The information received gave the situation a black look to be sure, and it is not surprising that the people were agitated and unable to attend to the common affairs of business. They became enflamed, hysterical and desperate, and imagined all sorts of ravages which the rebel leader would com- mit against their fair county when once he gained a foothold therein. The company commanded by Captain Buskirk was again mustered, and on July 9th left for Mitchell. Indiana. Captain Wylie took a troop of cavalry to the same town, and Capt. Marion Blair left for Indianapolis with a company of militia. Ellettsville contributed a company at the same time. Two additional companies were raised in Bloomington and vicinity.
The streets of the city and towns were at fever heat, and crowds of anxious citizens were on every corner. As suddenly as it had appeared, so quickly did the excitement die. In ten days all fears were dispelled. Marion Blair's company was mustered out on the 15th of July, after just five days of service. Barton Acuff's company, from Ellettsville, also suffered the same fate. Blair's company was D of the One Hundred and Tenth Regiment ; Acuff's was G of the One Hundred and Eleventh. Captain Hughes' company was transferred to Mitchell. Indiana. and became \ of the One Hundred and Twelfth, minutemen: the company was mustered in July 9th, and mustered out July 17th. Their actual field service consisted in slight skirmish work against Morgan, who approached within a few miles of North Vernon. The major of this regiment was I. S. Buskirk. The One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment included one company from Monroe county, and this was com- manded by Capt. Henry L. McCalla. This was Company A, mustered in July 1th, and out on July 16th. Capt. J. E. Mathers also organized a com- pany of militia cavalry, and another company was commanded by Capt. David Sheeks.
In October. 1863. Lincoln called for three hundred thousand volunteers, for the three years' service, and the quota for Monroe county was fixed at one hundred and forty-three. Colonel McCrea, Captain Buskirk and Henry Eller were commissioned to raise recruits. At first there was not much interest shown, but after the big meeting held at the court house on November 28th, a large number enlisted. and were sent to Columbus to a camp of instruction. On January 14. 1864, the men were mustered into service at Camp Shanks,
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near Indianapolis, and were augmented afterward by new recruits from the county.
In April, 1864. there was a call for one hundred days' men, and on the evening of April 27th a mass meeting was held at the court house for the pur- pose of raising a company of volunteers. Governor Dunning was the speaker. Some dozen names were secured, and resolutions were passed asking the county commissioners to offer a bounty of thirty dollars for volunteers. By May 3d the company was completed, about two-thirds of the roster from Monroe county, and they were named Company K, of the One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment, one hundred days' service. They were mustered in at Indianapolis on the 17th of May, and departed immediately for Tennessee.
On July 18th there came a call from President Lincoln for five hundred thousand men. So great was the surprise following this unexpected call, that the people were unable to do anything toward the fulfillment. As the time passed there was a decided indifference to the call for troops. The draft was threatened by the authorities, but the people paid no attention. A few scatter- ing enlistments were secured : Bean Blossom raised five men, Benton, one, Van Buren, three, but the other townships who had to furnish men failed to secure even one. Consequently, on the 23d of September the draft was put into effect at Columbus, and the following was the result : Bean Blossom, 37; Washington, 25 ; Marion, 14: Benton, 9; Van Buren, 6: Salt Creek, 19; Polk, 17; Indian Creek, 32: total, 159. These figures represent about half of the actual draft, but in taking such a large number allowance was made for those unfit for service. Volunteering gained an impetus after the draft, and numer- ous were the substitutes furnished by those who could not go to war. The drafted men were taken to Columbus and then to Indianapolis, where they were assigned to regiments, preferably the older ones.
The last call for volunteers from Abraham Lincoln occurred on Decem- ber 19. 1864, and the request was for three hundred thousand men, for one, two and three years. Every inducement was offered for volunteers, and the county paper offered bounty for recruits and called for the assistance of everyone to fill up the required quota. In the middle of January, 1865. the deputy provost marshal, Ira Browning, held meetings in each township to cor- rect the enrollment lists. Capt. S. W. Bonsall opened an enlistment office for veteran recruits for the First Veteran Army Corps, and offered government bounties of four hundred dollars, five hundred dollars and six hundred dollars, for one, two and three years. Under the county, township and government bounties volunteers began to appear, the county board appropriated five hun- dred dollars for each volunteer. The men took an added interest in the mat-
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ter of enlisting, as it was known that the Southern army was fast nearing de- feat. Major James B. Mulky was chosen recruiting officer for the third dis- trict, with his headquarters at Columbus. He called for a company from Monroe county, whose quota was then one hundred and sixty-one men. Lieut. N. E. Mathers, Lieut. J. F. Douglas, John T. Eller, James H. Miller, Ren C. Smith and others also began putting forth their efforts to recruit men. In a short time nearly a whole company was raised, the remainder being added from Brown county, and they became Company E, One Hundred and Fifty- fifth Regiment, with the following officers : John F. Douglas, captain ; James H. Miller, first lieutenant ; Ren C. Smith, second lieutenant. They were mus- tered in at Indianapolis on the 4th and 5th of February, 1864, and on the 18th left for Nashville, Tennessee. Nearly one-half of Company I, same regi- ment, was raised in Monroe county after the departure of Company E. They were mustered in on February 3d, 4th, 6th and 9th, and were commanded by these officers : John P. Cravens (of Madison), captain; Newton E. Mathers (of Bloomington), first lieutenant ; William M. Crossfield (of Smithville), second lieutenant.
A second draft took place in the county in the latter part of March. Polk and Salt Creek townships were the only townships visited, and only four or five men were drafted.
In summarizing the number of troops furnished by Monroe county to the four years' struggle it is evident that the county furnished her share of the men enlisted, and in every way aided the cause of the Union. The grand total of two thousand one hundred and twenty-eight men, over two regiments, was enough to exhaust the resources of the whole county, considering that the total enrollment in 1861 was one thousand seven hundred and twenty-seven men. This enumeration does not include the four companies which were mustered in for the Morgan campaign. These minutemen numbered about four hundred.
There is no denying of the fact that during the days of the war, especially in the earlier part, there was a great deal of Southern sentiment in Monroe county. Many of the citizens were from families south of the Mason and Dixon line, and naturally they were in sympathy with the Confederate cause and slavery.
In 1861, when, one by one, the states were seceding, and when news came that Fort Sumter had been fired upon by the Confederate batteries in Charles- ton harbor, there were many prominent citizens of Monroe county who pro- fessed their pleasure over the occurrence and expressed hearty sympathy with
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the cause of the South. As the year passed the feeling between the two fac- tions in the county became decidedly bitter, and many fights occurred, some of them of a serious nature. A rebel sympathizer who was too loud in his denunciation of the Union was felled by a cane-blow, and another who voiced his loyalty to Jeff Davis and reviled the Federal soldiers was compelled to leave town on short notice to escape the lynching threatened by the angry citizens.
Portions of the county were ruled by a majority of the Southern advo- cates, and in some places a man who upheld the North was accorded severe treatment. Certain localities were named "Secessia," the name furnishing adequate explanation for the cause. The year of 1863 was the most doubtful of the war, and consequently the period of greatest strife in Monroe county, where the two factions were in existence. In this year the rebel adherents urged men not to enlist, and even sent letters into the field asking the boys to desert from the ranks, promising at the same time immunity and protection from arrest. The "secesh" element even conducted open meetings, and had bodies of men in training for military service. Public meetings at the county court house were held, but in every case a counter meeting of loyal Unionists was held afterward, and as a further means of encouraging fidelity to the Union cause, there was organized the National Union Association of Monroe and Brown counties. David D. Griffin was elected president of this associa- tion, and John C. Headly, secretary.
A trainload of Confederate prisoners passed through Bloomington one night on the way North. Southern sympathizers boarded the train and endeavored to persuade the prisoners to make a concerted break for liberty, and they were assured that food and shelter would be theirs if they would consent to make the move. However, the rebel prisoners refused to break bounds.
In the early days of July. 1863, events so transpired that the Southerners of Monroe county were hopelessly reduced to a minority. Gettysburg had been fought, the battle covering three days of gruelling, bloody and decisive action, and Meade had been victorious over Robert E. Lee. Since the years have permitted retrospection and careful analysis, it has been determined that the fate of the Southern cause was cast in the balance of that engagement, and there the hopes of the Southland died. In point of losses and number of men engaged, Gettysburg is rivalled by Chickamauga, Shiloh and Chancellorsville, but in importance it was preeminent : it was the hinge of the four years' com- bat. Immediately following the victory of the Army of the Potomac news
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came that Vicksburg had surrendered to General Grant. These two great triumphs aroused the people throughout the county to a frenzy of joy, and everywhere enormous celebrations were planned and executed. Crowds of people assembled in Bloomington, bonfires were kindled, guns and rockets were brought out, and all the prominent men were called upon to make speeches. G. A. Buskirk fired the crowd with his glowing phrases, and F. T. Butler drew cheers and applause from his hearers. He scored the traitors to the Union with the sharpest invective and most stinging taunts, and his cleverly worded thrusts were received with spontaneous acclamation and rolls of cheering. Colonel Charles, scarcely strong enough to remain on his feet, was given new strength by the spirit of the night and made a brilliant speech.
The news that Atlanta had been captured reached Monroe county on the evening of September 3, 1864, and immediately there was a joyous celebration, as on the night of July 4th. Judge Buskirk and Doctor Sabin and others made speeches, and the whole evening was passed in demonstration. On September 1 Ith Simpson's Chapel, near Wayport, was the scene of an incident over the wearing of butternut breastpins. Two or three Federal sokliers at home on a furlough dangerously wounded several people.
On the 21st of September news arrived of Phil Sheridan's victory at Opequon Creek. Virginia, near Winchester, and again the usual demonstra- tion was repeated. By now the people were sure that the rebellion was near the close. The people of the county assembled in Bloomington on October 8. 1864, for a soldiers' picnic. Practically the entire county gathered and various demonstrations were given, including a parade. Quite a few of the soldiers were home, either on furloughs or the sick list. Colonel Burgess, of Indianapolis, and Judge Hughes made the principal addresses of the day. An immense dinner was spread on improvised tables in the court yard, and several thousand persons partook of the feast. There were toasts, songs and instru- mental music. The Republican noted that "It was the most general turn out of the citizens of the county that we have ever witnessed here." The only incident which marred the happiness of the day was the shooting of a deserter named Sherrill while he was trying to escape from custody that night at the Orchard House. Governor Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, came to Bloom- ington the following Monday and addressed the citizens.
Finally, there came the day, Tuesday, April 4. 1865, when the tidings flashed into Monroe county that Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had been crushed by Grant's Army of the Potomac, and that the city of Richmond, Virginia, was being evacuated. The joy of Monroeites reached the climax
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