USA > Indiana > Rush County > History of Rush County, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana territory, and the State of Indiana > Part 41
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This was responded to in a brief and appropriate speech by J. S. Hibben on behalf of the company. On the following Satur- day the company left for Indianapolis with eighty-four men. As
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it had been raised with the expectation of joining the three months' volunteers first called for, some of them were unwilling to enlist for a longer period and returned home. By this means the com- pany as mustered into the service was not the same as the first en- rollment shows. Several men from Fayette County completed the company. It was assigned the position of F in the Sixteenth Regi- ment one year service. Its commissioned officers were Paul J. Beachbeard, Captain; John S. Grove and Silas D. Byram, Lieuten- ants. In this regiment Joel Wolfe was commissioned Major at the organization and Henry B. Hill, of Carthage, Quartermaster. Wolfe was promoted Lieutenant Colonel. Pleasant A. Hackle- man was the first Colonel of the regiment, and at the end of the year was promoted Brigadier General.
The company started out with sixty-three men, and was after- ward recruited with thirty-four, making a total of ninety-seven. Of these, two died in the service and eight deserted. The regi- ment was mustered into the service at Richmond, in May, 1861, and on the 23rd of July started for the front. It was the first to pass through Baltimore after the firing upon the Sixth Massachu- setts Regiment in April. In October, it served to cover the retreat of the Union Army from the fatal field of Ball's Bluff, and was the last regiment to cross the Potomac. Early in December it took up winter quarters near Frederic City. When the forward movement began in February following, the Sixteenth took a leading part, and until the expiration of its term of enlistment, did much active duty, although but little fighting. April 30th, Col. Hackleman was pro- moted Brigadier General, and was given an elegant sword by the soldiers of the Sixteenth.
After the first company was off for the war, there was consid- erable activity displayed in all parts of the county in reference to home defense. Several militia companies were organized under the laws of the State, and drilling was begun. By this means many good soldiers were prepared for the more active duties of military life. There is a certain intoxication about the evolutions of military bodies that has a strong influence over those who take part in them. This, no doubt, had much to do with the success of volunteering during the early months of the war. The first of these militia companies to be organized in this county was at Milroy. Its organization was completed early in June, and received the nec- essary arms and commissions.
When the first lull came in the excitement that followed the fall of Fort Sumter, there was yet found to be much opposition in this locality to the war policy of the Administration. Nearly every township held Union meetings, and at some of them the contention
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was strong and spirited. This was particularly so at those held in Washington and Anderson townships. At the former, two sets of resolutions were prepared and submitted to the meeting, one by Dr. Bartlett, on behalf of the Republicans, and one by William S. Hall, for the Democrats. Quite a number of the citizens of the township had been privately informed before this that they must regulate their utterances on certain of the public questions a little more in accord with the policy of the government. In consequence of this there was considerable feeling manifested among the different per- sons present. It finally ended in a resolution not to organize for protection but that they would rely upon each other as neighbors and friends for the maintenance of order. This was at Raleigh. The people in the whole county were agitated upon the subject that was then absorbing the interests of the entire Nation.
The facksonian which was then conducted by W. A. Cullen and Cy Crawford strongly opposed the invasion of the Southern States, by the Northern Army. It advocated a policy of compro- mise and reconciliation and only on failure of the Southern States to meet the North half way, was it in favor of subjugating the South. On the Republican side it was openly charged that there was trea- son in the county, as will be seen from the following extract from the Republican of June 26, 1861 :
"We have reason to believe that the secessionists of Rush County have been secretly organizing in nearly all the townships. They hold regular Dark Lantern meetings and in two instances the places and times of meetings, as well as those who have partici- pated, have leaked out. - The results of this Dark Lantern organ- ization of traitors has been seen on our streets. Sympathy for the rebels and disloyalty to the Government have been boldly avowed on the corners; members of the Rush County Guards, while here visiting their friends, have been made the subject of insolent and disparaging remarks." It is probable that this article foreshadows a state of things that then hardly existed. The time was too soon after the outbreak of the Rebellion for much of preconcerted move- ment to take place, by those who were opposed to the war. Early in the excitement the citizens of Rushville awoke one morning to find what was said to be a Rebel flag flying from the court house. It is more than likely, however, that it was only intended as a hoax and it is not sure that the flag was the true standard of the Con- federate States.
Renewed Volunteering .- As the summer advanced the magni- tude of the war began to be somewhat better comprehended. Efforts were made to enlist men for three years instead of three months. In Rush County the volunteering had gone on rather
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slow. In August, renewed efforts were made for bringing up the quota of the county; one of the weekly papers under date of Au- gust 21st, said: " Old Rush is waking up to her duty in the present crisis. For the three-year service, she has helped to complete three companies for other counties, furnishing them men enough to make a complete company. Messrs. John McKee, E. H. Lord, John Patton and others, are now endeavoring to raise a new and complete company in Rush County for the three years' service. They commenced last Saturday, and have now some thirty names enrolled. They will hold a meeting at New Salem Thursday even- ing, and also a meeting at Richland, on Saturday, at 2 o'clock P. M., for the purpose of raising recruits. Let the good work go on, until Rush County has done her whole duty; Union speakers will be present at these meetings." The same paper contains this item : "The new volunteer company, raised by Captain Doughty, of Laurel, is ordered to rendezvous at Rushville, to-morrow, Thurs- day evening. Friday morning they will take the cars for the regi- mental camp at Lawrenceburg. The company is not yet quite full, and any wishing to volunteer, can have an opportunity. Can- not Rush County fill up the company before it leaves? We learn that our citizens are making preparations to entertain the volun- teers over night."
The second company raised in, and credited to, Rush County, was that of Capt. McKee in the Thirty-seventh Regiment, but for the sake of convenience, the companies will be spoken of in the order of their regimental numbers. In this way, some of the companies raised in the latter part of the Rebellion, will precede others that were organized earlier. . As already stated, the first full company was assigned to the Sixteenth Regiment, one year service. At the expiration of that time, the regiment was reorganized for the three years' service. In the reorganization Rush County was well represented. Company C was composed largely of the men who had served one year in the first organization. The officers were: Captains- Paul J. Bleachbeard, August 2, 1862; William A. In- gold, May 1, 1865. First Lieutenants- William L. Davis, August 2, 1862; William E. Chenowith, November 1, 1863; William A. Ingold, July 1, 1864; David C. Barnard, June 1, 1865. Second Lieutenants-George W. Marsh, August 2, 1862; Isaac N. West- erfield, June 1, 1865. Companies G and H, were also credited in full to Rush County, although some of the men belonged to ad- joining counties. The Commissioned Officers of Company G, were: Captains-Elwood Hill, August 16, 1862; Aaron McFeely, February 14, 1863. First Lieutenants-Isaac Steel, August 16, 1862; James Steel, February 14, 1863. Second Lieutenants-
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Aaron McFeely, August 16, 1862; William L. Peckham, February 14, 1863; Thomas M. Bundy, June 1, 1865. In Company H, the officers were: Captains-James M. Hildreth, August 16, 1862; Elijah J. Waddell, March' 1, 1865. First Lieutenants-James C. Glove, August 16, 1862; Elijah J. Waddell, March 4, 1864; John C. Ellis, March 1, 1865. Second Lieutenants-E. J. Waddell, August 16, 1862; John C. Ellis, March 4, 1863; James M. Houston, June 1, 1865.
Among the regimental officers the following were from Rush County: Joel Wolfe and Jas. M. Hildreth, Lieutenant Colonels; J. M. Ilildreth, Major; Henry B. Hill, Quartermaster; John C. Cul- len and John H. Spurrier, Surgeons.
The Sixteenth Regiment that was first organized for a year's service, did not see much fighting, but under the reorganization it was destined to see a great deal of active service. It was mus- tered into the service on August 19, 1862, and soon after started for Kentucky. In a fight near Richmond, on August 30th, Lieut .- Col. Wolfe was killed. He had been one of the leading citizens of Rushville, and at the outbreak of the war was one of the first to offer his services to his country as a soldier. In that fatal bat- tle, in which he laid down his life, his rallying call to his men was: "Rally around me, men of Indiana, and let us make our graves upon this spot. Let those desert the old flag and us who choose, but we must cut our way through or die, rather than be taken prisoners. Come on, follow me, my brave soldiers." In this battle the regiment lost 200 men killed and wounded, and 600 prisoners. After being paroled they were sent to Indianapolis, where they were exchanged November Ist. In December, the regiment started from Memphis on the Vicksburg campaign. The operations that attended the downfall of that important post were largely shared in by the Sixteenth. It was the first to enter fort at Arkansas Post, and lost seventy-seven men killed and wounded. After taking part in several of the battles around Vicksburg, it entered the trenches on the 19th of May, and participated in all the operations of the siege until the surrender on the 4th of July. During the siege it lost sixty men killed and wounded. After being transported to New Orleans, the regiment was mounted and distributed along the Mississippi, to guard transportation. In October, 1863, it joined in the expedition up Bayou Teche, in which locality it remained until January, when it returned to New Orleans. It was then refitted and remounted, and marched as part of the cavalry force in Bank's Red River expedition. Returning from this it did out- post duty in Louisiana, until mustered out. Concerning the three companies from Rush County, in the Sixteenth, the following
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figures will be of interest. The original enrollment of Company C was 97, recruits 12, total 109; died in the service 28, deserters 2. Company G, enrollment 100, recruits 25, total 125; died 31. Com- pany H, enrollment 83, recruits 19, total 102; died 17, deserted 3. Thus it will be seen that the county furnished for this regiment 337 men, of whom 87 died in the service and 5 deserted.
In Company K, of the Thirty-seventh Regiment, all the men were credited to Rush County. The officers were: Captains, John McKee, September 10, 1861; John B. Reeve, October 22, 1862. First Lieutenants, Henry E. Lord, September 10, 1861; Isaac Abernathy, November 24, 1861; John B. Reeve, January 1, 1862; William R. Hunt, October 29, 1863. Second Lieutenants, John B. Reeve, September 10, 1861 ; John Patton, January 1, 1863; William R. Hunt, February 22, 1863. Of these Lieut. Abernathy was killed at the Battle of Stone River, December 31, 1862, and Lieut. John Patton died in February, of wounds received in the same battle. Although Company I, is not credited to any county, in the Adjutant General's report, yet it is known that a considera- ble number of the men were from Rush County. The first enroll- ment of Company K, was 69, recruits 13, total 82, of which 15 died in the service.
The Thirty-seventh Regiment was organized at Lawrenceburg, in September, 1861. It did guard duty most of the time, until December, 1862, when it moved with Rosecrans' Army toward Murfreesboro, and on the 3Ist of that month was engaged at Stone River. In that engagement Company K lost three men killed, the regiment losing twenty-five killed and 106 wounded. After this it encamped near Murfreesboro, until June, 1863, when it started in the Chattanooga campaign. It was engaged at Dug Gap and Chickamauga, and afterward remained in the vicinity of Chatta- nooga until the spring of 1864. During the winter, Company I re-enlisted as veterans. In the Atlanta campaign it took part in the battles at Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Chatahoochie River, Peach Tree Creek. After the Atlanta campaign, the company, being among the non-veterans, was mustered out of the service. Those in Company I went with Sherman's army to Savannah and then through the Carolinas.
The Fifty-second Regiment was the next in number that con- tained a large representation from Rush County. Nearly every company contained some men from this county, but Company G was composed almost entirely of men whose homes were in Rush County. The following were its commissioned officers during its whole term of service, with the dates of commissions: Captains, Joseph McCorkle, October 25, 1861; Ross Guffin, September 4,
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1862. First Lieutenants, Ross Guffin, October 25, 1861; Charles M. Ferree, September 4, 1862; Theodore Wilkes, February 4, 1865. Second Lieutenants, Charles M. Ferree, October 25, 1861; James H. Wright, September 4, 1862; Harrison S. Carney, No- vember 18, 1862. This company started out with eighty-eight men and received thirty-three recruits; of these twenty-eight died in the service and twenty-two deserted. In Company F, Mont- gomery C. Howard, of Rushville, became First Lieutenant and Captain. In Company H, James H. Frazee became First Lieu- tenant and Winfield S. Conde, Second Lieutenant. The former afterward became Captain in the Ninth Cavalry. Of the regi- mental officers, the following were from Rush County: Edward H. Wolfe, was commissioned Major, January 20, 1862, and was afterward promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel; William H. Smith was made Quartermaster, and Marshall Sexton and James W. Martin, were Surgeons. At the expiration of its term of ser- vice, the Fifty-second was reorganized, although but few men from this county remained in it after that. The regiment took part in the siege of Fort Donelson, battle of Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth. After this for nearly a year it was actively engaged in fighting guerrillas in Tennessee and Arkansas, with headquarters at Fort Pillow. In February, 1864, it joined Sherman's Army then advancing on Meridian. It engaged the enemy at Jackson. In March, a large portion of the regiment veteranized and came home on furlough. Those who did not veteranize joined Banks' Red River expedition. In May, the regiment was re-united and left Vicksburg with Gen. A. J. Smith's command on the Arkansas ex- pedition, and was later engaged with the Rebel Gen. Forrest's com- mand at Tupello, Miss., and again at Hurricane Creek. In September, it started for Missouri, where it defeated Price's force at Franklin, and drove him from that State. After that it pro- ceeded to St. Louis and thence to Nashville. At the latter place it took part in the battle of December 15 and 16, and then joined in the pursuit of Hood. In February, 1865, it was attached to Canby's Army at New Orleans and took part in the movement against Spanish Fort.
In the Fifty-fourth Regiment there was one company from Rush County. This was H, and for its officers had John H. Ferree as Captain, John W. Mauzy, First Lieutenant, and William M. Brooks, Second Lieutenant. The regiment was organized in Octo- ber, 1862, and with but few exceptions was composed of drafted men or their substitutes. At Chickasaw Bluffs it made two charges on the Rebel works, losing 264 killed and wounded. It performed much arduous duty in the Vicksburg campaign and was several
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times under fire. It also took part in the engagements that were followed by the fall of Jackson. In the fall of 1863 it went on the expedition up the Teche country, and on the return was mustered out on the Sth of December.
Company D of the Sixty-eighth Regiment was also from Rush County. It was mustered into the service in August, 1862. Its officers were: Captains, James W. Innis, August 12, 1862; James H. Mauzy, June 2, 1863. First Lieutenants, James H. Mauzy, August 12, 1862; William Beale, June 2, 1863; Deliscus Lingenfelter, July 1, 1864. Second Lieutenants, William Beale, August 12, 1862; Deliscus Lingenfelter, June 2, 1862; Daniel L. Thomas, June 1, 1865. Of these, Captain Innis was promoted
Major of the regiment. Company D had an enrollment of eighty- nine members at the beginning and received eleven recruits. Ten died in the service and eight deserted. The regiment was organ- ized at Greesburg in the summer of 1862. It was engaged at Munfordsville, Ky., and after two days' fighting was captured. In June, 1863, it fought at Hoover's Gap. At Chickamauga the regi- ment lost 135 killed, wounded and missing, out of a force engaged of 356. A few days later it fought the enemy near Chattanooga. The regiment was also engaged as follows: At Dalton, Ga., Mis- sion Ridge, Decatur, Ala., Nashville. After the last named battle in December, 1864, the regiment remained in the vicinity of Chat- tanooga until mustered out in June, 1865.
Excepting the Morgan Raid troops, the next regiment that was conspicuous for Rush County men was the Ninth Cavalry (One Hundred and Twenty-first ) Regiment. Twenty-two of the men in Company E were from the vicinity of Carthage, and of this number John W. Jack was First Lieutenant, and afterward Captain. Com- pany M was entirely from Rush County. Its Captain, First and Second Lieutenants were James H. Frazee, James B. Jones and Nathan J. Leisure. Out of a total enrollment of ninety-six the company lost twenty-two by death and ten by desertion. The regiment was organized in March, 1864, but did not leave the State until in May. It was then transferred to Pulaski, Tenn., where it did post duty until November, and engaged in some skirmishing with Forrest. At Sulphur Branch Trestle the regiment lost 125 in killed, wounded and missing. In the fight at Franklin it lost twenty-six, in killed, wounded and prisoners. From that time on it was engaged in post and garrison duty until mustered out. By an explosion of the steamer Sultana, April 26, IS65, the regiment lost fifty-five men.
Company E, of the One Hundred and Twenty-third was almost wholly from Rush County. Its officers were: Captains, Franklin F.
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Swain, January 13, 1864; John Fleehart, August 24, 1864. First Lieutenants, John Fleehart, January 13, 1864; Leroy P. Aldridge, August 24, 1864; William J. Allen, March 20, 1865. Second Lieu- tenants, Leroy P. Aldridge, January 13, 1864; William J. Allen, August 24, 1864; Oliver Richey, March 20, 1865. In this same regiment Ephraim T. Allen served as First and Second Lieutenant in Company B, and in Company I, John W. Tompkins was Second Lieutenant. William A. Cullen was Lieutenant Colonel and John H. Spurrier, Surgeon of the regiment. Of its total enrollment of 103, Company E lost ten men by death and four by desertion.
The One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment was recruited during the winter of 1863 and 1864, from the Fourth and Seventh Congressional Districts, rendezvoused at Greensburg and mustered into service on the 9th day of March, 1864, with John C. McQuiston as Colonel. On the ISth day of May, the Regiment left for Nash- ville, Tennessee, and upon arriving there were assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division Twenty-third Army Corps. On the 4th of April it was ordered to Charleston, Tennessee, and May the 3rd marched with its corps on the campaign against At- lanta, participating in an engagement at Rocky Face Ridge, on the 9th of said month. On the 14th the regiment marched with its division through Snake Creek Gap, and on the following day moved to the extreme left of Sherman's Army, arriving in time to take part in the battle of Resacca, and received and repulsed a dashing assault of the enemy. The regiment followed in pursuit of the enemy, skirmishing almost constantly with the rear guard for several days. On the 24th the regiment advanced to the support of General Hooker, near Dallas. During the last of May a de- tachment of Rebel cavalry captured a portion of the division sup- ply train and several men belonging to the regiment. The month of June was rainy and from much exposure, hard marching and scarcity of provision, there was much sickness. The enemy had gained a position near Lost Mountain, and on the 17th of June the second division was ordered to dislodge him. Early in the morn- ing the command advanced in line of battle and when within range of the enemy's artillery, received a most furious fire of grape and canister, but, with a yell, the line charged and drove the enemy from its position and captured many prisoners. The regiment lost one killed and twelve wounded. On the 23rd the regiment with Hascall's division participated in an engagement with Hood's corps, sustaining a loss of one killed. The regiment next participated in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, where after much hard fighting it lost six in killed and forty wounded. On the 28th the regiment followed in pursuit, skirmishing all day, and at night lay down to
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rest having been under fire for four days and nights and without rations for thirty hours. The next encounter with the enemy was at Decatur, which was soon followed by the seige of Atlanta, in which the regiment with its division on the 6th of August, was ordered by General Schofield, to dislodge the enemy who commanded the extreme right; in this engagement the regiment did its hardest fighting during the war, and lost in this charge twenty-seven killed and wounded, in this action Capt. Franklin F. Swain fell mortally wounded. During the entire campaign the One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment lost twenty-eight killed and 105 wounded.
After two months the regiment was ordered to report to Gen. Thomas, at Nashville. In November while en route to Nashville it came up with Gen. Forrest's Rebel Cavalry 15,000 strong, but by silent and rapid marching for sixty hours, it reached Nashville in safety. On the 15th and 16th of December, they participated in the battle of Nashville. The regiment went into camp, at Colum- bia, 'Tennessee, and January 3, 1865, went to Washington via Cincin- nati and sailed on steamship Alexandria to Ft. Anderson, N. C .; marched thence to Raleigh encountering Bragg at Wise's Forks, on the 7th of March, which was the last engagement in which the regiment participated. It was mustered out at Raleigh on the 25th of August, 1865.
In the one year regiments raised in the early part of 1865, Rush County was represented. The first of these was the One Hun- dred and Forty-sixth, in several companies of which there were men from this county, the most being in Company F. In that, Lauriston B. Ingold was First Lieutenant. Allen Hill was Adju- tant of the regiment. The Twenty-second Battery, Light Artil- lery, was largely composed of men from Rush County.
Public Opinion in 1863 and 1864 .- At the State election in the fall of 1862, the Democrats were successful in many of the northern States. This fact, alone, gave renewed impulse to the campaigns of 1863. The Republicans construed the result adversely to their conduct of the war, and on the testimony of no less authority than General Grant, they were determined to make a better showing on the field of battle. In Rush County there was but little, if any, abatement in the tension of public opinion. During the summers of 1863 and 1864 mass meetings were held in all portions of the county at which the leading speakers made addresses, and resolu- tions covering the various phases of the public questions were discussed and adopted. As the Administration adopted the emanci- pation theory the Democrats became more hostile toward its meth- ods of conducting the war. They were in for preserving " the Union as it was" and were opposed to the abolition of slavery.
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They did not want to disturb the "domestic relations" of any of the States. But it was impossible to fight out the war on any other grounds. Slavery had been the prime cause of the conflict and it was an element that was doomed to overthrow if the Union of the States was to be preserved with stability. There was no mean ground to be occupied between the Union without slavery and disunion. Fortunately the sentiment of Union without slavery, prevailed.
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