USA > Indiana > History of the Seventy-third Indiana Volunteers in the War of 1861-65 > Part 11
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Company I, Larkinsville, Captain William C. Eaton commanding.
Company K, Camden Station, Ist Sergeant Job Bar- nard commanding.
Colonel Wade had command of the whole line of railroad from Huntsville to Stevenson, a distance of 60 miles, and in addition to the Seventy-third had de- tachments from the following regiments : One hundred and first, One hundred and sixth, One hundred and tenth, and One hundred and eleventh United States Colored Infantry, the Eighteenth Michigan Pioneers, and One hundred and second Ohio, and three com- panies of the Alabama Cavalry acting as scouts.
Lieutenant Uptigrove was appointed A. A. G.
On March 22d the enemy appeared in several places along our line. They met six members of Company C and wounded two of them, James Hall and William Brewer.
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THE FALL OF RICHMOND AND END OF THE WAR.
On April 3d the glorious news of the fall of Rich- mond reached us, and that Lee's stubborn army was fast falling back, with Sheridan in hot pursuit.
On April 8th 15 men of Company D, returning from a scout, were fired upon from ambush, Francis T. Bradberry being killed and Isaac H. Metcalf mortally wounded. Our boys returned the fire and killed three of the enemy and wounded others.
Captains Richley and Westlake returned from con- federate prisons.
The report reached us today of the surrender of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, on terms dictated by General Grant. The War Department ordered 200 guns fired at every post in the Union, and our six- pounder at Larkinsville poured out its sweet sound in commemoration of that event.
April 15th our rejoicing was turned into mourning on receipt of the news of the assassination of President Lincoln last night at Ford's Theatre, by J. Wilkes Booth. Our flag was immediately lowered to half mast.
On April 18th guns were fired every half hour from sunrise to sunset, and on the 19th, the day of President Lincoln's funeral, all work in the army was suspended by order of the War Department.
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April 24th Colonel Wade and Lieutenant Uptigrove inspected the line of defense from Huntsville to Stevenson.
At Brownsboro two companies of the One hundred and eighty-ninth Ohio, under command of Captain Dennis, with detachments from the One hundred and second Ohio and Eighteenth Michigan, were building blockhouses.
The guerrillas kept annoying the patrols and various stations until, on April 26th, Colonel Wade issued an order requiring our men to lay in ambush every other night for the bushwhackers, and on April 29th Frank Cotton's company of guerrillas attempted to capture the patrols of Company D between Woodville and Paint Rock Bridge, when a company of our boys, being in ambush, fired a volley, killing one and wounding three of the enemy.
Company H also lay in ambush for bushwhackers on the 26th, wounding one man and capturing his gun and cap.
By order of General Granger a number of citizens, with Moses A. Morgan as Captain, was authorized to form a military company for defense against the guer- rillas. The struggling bands of guerrillas soon began to break up and several came in and surrendered them- selves.
Colonel Norwood, formerly of the Fifty-fifth Ala- bama, communicated with Colonel Wade, asking for leave to come in and surrender on the same terms that were granted General Lee, and after communication with General Granger, Colonel Wade was authorized to accept his surrender on the same terms.
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May 7th General Thomas issued an order to the effect that the guerrillas could surrender on the same terms granted to General Lee, and that if they failed to accept and surrender they were henceforth to be treated as outlaws.
News was received about this time of the surrender of General Johnson's forces to General Sherman, and shortly afterwards news was received of the capture of Jeff Davis at Greenville, Ga.
Lieutenant Booher, of Company I, returned to the regiment on May 14th from his imprisonment, and on May 16th the other officers all returned, two years and thirteen days after their separation by capture in Georgia.
On May 25, Companies A, G and K were ordered to Larkinsville, it being considered unnecessary to longer garrison the places where they were stationed, save at Steven's Gap, where 12 men of Company D relieved Company A.
Captain William M. Kendall received his commission as Major, dated May 16th, and he assumed command of the post at Larkinsville, relieving Captain Eaton.
On June 18th Lieutenant-Colonel Wade received his commission as Colonel, and Major Kendall as Lieu- tenant-Colonel, and on June 20th orders were received for the Seventy-third to go to Nashville for the pur- pose of being mustered out, and on June 22d all the companies were concentrated at Larkinsville, the first time the whole regiment had been together for many months. The wagon train belonging to the regiment was sent overland to Huntsville in charge of Quarter-
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master Hubbard, to be turned over to the government at that post. The companies retained their arms and camp equipage until their final muster out. On June 24th tents were struck preparatory to starting home. Our train arrived late in the afternoon and we reached Huntsville before dark, laying over there until morning by reason of the crowded condition of the road, re- maining on the cars all night.
Early on the morning of the 25th we left Huntsville, and reached Nashville about 5 p. m., quartering at the barracks, where we signed muster-out rolls and were mustered out on July Ist by Captain John T. Morris, A. C. M., First Division, Fourth A. C.
The recruits were transferred to the 29th Indiana Regiment.
Lieutenant-Colonel Kendall and Lieutenant Williams went on in advance to Louisville to procure transporta - tion to Indianapolis.
On July 2d we were escorted through the streets of Nashville and left on an extra passenger train at 6.45 p. m., arriving at Louisville at five the next morning. We marched directly through Louisville, crossed the Ohio River by a ferryboat to Jeffersonville, and took train for Indianapolis, reaching there at six in the afternoon, and were quartered at the Soldiers' Home for the night.
On the 4th we went to "Camp Carrington," and re- mained there until paid off on July 8th, when the men left on the trains for their respective homes.
On July 4th Colonel Wade issued his last order, as follows :
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"Headquarters Seventy-third Indiana Vols., Indianapolis, Indiana, July 4, 1865.
"General Orders, No. II.
"Soldiers : Three years ago you responded to the call of patriotism and marched with full ranks to the field, to battle for the right, to crush the base traitors who had dared to raise a hand against our glorious flag. Today with sadly thinned ranks, reduced to less than half your original number, your mission fulfilled, you are about to lay down your arms and return to the peaceful pursuits from which you were called away.
"Your Commanding Officer cannot let this oppor- tunity pass without expressing to you his heartfelt re- gret at parting. He desires to assure you that he will ever in after life cherish the recollections that cluster around the march, bivouac, and the battlefield in those eventful three years as the dearest of his life, and to have commanded the Seventy-third Indiana will be his proudest boast.
"It were needless for him to dwell upon the scenes in which you have borne a memorable and honorable part. The names upon your banner :
Chaplin Hills, Stone River, Day's Cap, Crooked Creek, Blount's Farm, Athens, Decatur,
and the many skirmishes where death, though not as
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sweeping, was still sure. "Mill Creek," Franklin Pike," "Limestone Point," "Paint Rock," "Deep Cut," and others, speak in louder, more eloquent terms of your record than words can express, and the long list of brave and gallant spirits from your ranks who have sealed their devotion to their country with their blood, and now sleep in a soldier's grave, are silent witnesses of the part borne by the "Seventy-third" in this struggle for the integrity of our government.
"Comrades, as we part now, let each one bear with him to his home the determination to evince in his future life the same manliness, the same fixed purpose to perform your whole duty, the same cheerfulness of disposition which you have so often manifested under trying circumstances in the field, and whatever your occupation may be, success will surely attend you. To the officers, who, by their hearty cooperation have . lightened his load of responsibility, he returns sincere thanks.
"With kindest feelings and best wishes for the prosperity and happiness of all, soldiers and comrades, farewell.
"By command of
"A. B. WADE,
"Colonel Seventy-third Indiana, Commanding.
"JOSEPH HAGENBUCK, Adjutant."
On July 5th the regiment, in company with others, went to the State House, where Governor Morton made an excellent address, reading a short sketch of the
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Seventy-third, and where Chaplain Lozier sang "The Good Old Union Wagon" and "Glory Hallelujah," and Major-General Hovey also made an address, followed by Colonel Wade, who expressed his thanks for the honors and favors shown him and his command.
The officers remained at Indianapolis until the 9th, when they received their pay and disbanded, and the Seventy-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as an organization, came to an end.
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COLONEL GILBERT HATHAWAY.
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COLONEL GILBERT HATHAWAY.
Colonel Gilbert Hathaway was born at Sagg Harbor, Long Island, New York, on the 8th day of January, 1813. His father, Gilbert Hathaway, sr., was a noted shipbuilder who had distinguished himself as the con- structor of some of the finest and fastest sailing vessels of that day, and who removed to the city of New York when Gilbert, jr., was two years old.
At the age of six years the subject of this sketch was placed at school, where he remained until sixteen, and then entered the store of an elder brother as a clerk, where he continued for only one year.
His early ambition was for a liberal education in order that he might choose a profession for himself which should be his vocation for life. But his father. having other plans for the boy, apprenticed him to the carpenter's trade, believing that would be a stepping stone for his ultimate independence.
There being nothing for him to do but obey his father's wishes, he entered upon his duties with that de- termined spirit that during his whole life was charac- teristic of the boy and the man. But he by no means lost his desire for an education, to be followed by a profession, and nerving himself to his daily task, he pursued his studies while learning his trade. The early morning hours found him at his books, and his evenings were spent in the same way. With the assist-
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ance and guidance of Bishop Kemper, of the Episcopal Church, he perfected himself in Latin and Greek, and in this laborious manner fitted himself for college. At the close of his apprenticeship he dropped the imple- ments of his trade and entered Kenyon College, Ohio, in 1833, in his twentieth year, where he was soon dis- tinguished for his scholarship, ranking first in talent of that noted institution.
On leaving college he studied law with the Hon. Henry B. Curtis, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, and was there admitted to the bar.
Soon after his admission to the bar he opened a law office in La Porte, Indiana, where by his ability and industry he secured a large clientage, and was profes- sionally and socially successful.
At Ogden, New York, in July, 1841, he was married to Sarah Elizabeth Kneeland, daughter of Timothy P. Kneeland, of that city. Their residence was continued at La Porte, Indiana, where five children were born to them, named Annie Ellen, Curtis Gilbert, Sarah Rose, Elizabeth Lily, and Alfred T. Hathaway.
In his family relations he was very happy, adored by his children and honored by all his dependents.
In July, 1862, he was commissioned by Governor Morton as Commandant of Camp Rose, at South Bend, as a recruiting post for the Ninth Indiana Congres- sional District, to raise troops to answer the call of President Lincoln in 1862 for 300,000 recruits to assist in crushing the rebellion.
In this camp the Seventy-third and Eighty-seventh Regiments and two companies of cavalry were recruited and mustered into the United States service.
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On the 20th of August, 1862, he was commissioned Colonel of the Seventy-third Regiment, which he im- mediately led to the field, where with but little delay it was ushered into the very front of the war.
In April, 1863, the Seventy-third was chosen as one of the regiments of the "Provisional Brigade" com- manded by Colonel A. D. Streight, of the Fifty- first Indiana, to make a raid in the far south. Colonel Hathaway entered into the work of this brigade with all of his well known energy, which was unflagging, until the 2d of May, during an engagement at Blount's Farm, Ala., he fell mortally wounded while leading his brave men against the foes of his country.
At the end of the war his remains were removed from their place of burial in Alabama and conveyed by a detail from the army, by order of the War Depart- ment, to La Porte, where he was buried with appro- priate ceremonies in Pine Lake Cemetery, with an es- cort of the Grand Army of the Republic, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a very large concourse of citizens of Northern Indiana. There he rests in the midst of a community "who knew him but to love him."
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COLONEL IVAN N. WALKER.
Ivan N. Walker, son of James and Jane ( McBride) Walker, was born February 3d, 1839, at Arlington, Rush County, Indiana. His parents moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he attended school and grew to manhood.
His first official position was that of Deputy Warden of the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City. He was serving in this capacity when the war began, and in 1862, at the age of twenty-three, entered the service in Company K, Seventy-third Indiana Infantry, and was commissioned Captain of his company August 5th, 1862. He was promoted to Major of the regiment February 13th, 1863. On March 30th, 1863, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, and resigned July 4th, 1864, on account of disability resulting from long con- finement in Libby Prison.
On October 27, 1864, he was married to Miss Anna Layton at Michigan City, Indiana.
He was one of that little band of heroic spirits that escaped by tunnelling under the walls of the prison, and he succeeded in eluding pursuit until within sight of the Union camp and flag, when, weakened with sick- ness and hunger, he was recaptured.
Colonel Walker remained in Nashville after his re- tirement from the army and served as a Volunteer Aide on the Staff of General George H. Thomas during the siege and battle of Nashville, in December, 1864.
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LIEUT. - COLONEL IVAN N. WALKER. .
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In 1870 he returned to his native state and made his home in Indianapolis, where he served as Deputy County Auditor and State Tax Commissioner for several years, and as a regent of the State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument until his death.
Colonel Walker's service in the Grand Army was continuous from the date of its organization, and he filled every office in its gift, from Post Commander to Commander-in-Chief, with high fidelity and con- spicuous ability.
While serving as Commander of George H. Thomas Post, in 1887, he was appointed Assistant Adjutant- General of the Department by Commander Chase, and was reappointed by the three succeeding Department Commanders. In 1891 he was elected Department Commander, in 1893 Senior Vice-Commander-in-Chief, and two years later unanimously elected Commander- in-Chief by the National Encampment at Louisville, Kentucky. His last active service was as Assistant Adjutant-General of the Department, to which office he had been appointed for the fifth time.
Colonel Walker was held in high esteem by the Na- tional Encampment and always took a prominent part in its deliberations and in shaping its action on im- portant questions.
In his last illness he bore himself bravely and awaited in the confidence and trust that comes to all those who have often listened for the final call in times of great peril and danger, and, when it came, was ready to answer, "Here; Thy will be done," and died, as he had lived, at the post of duty.
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In this way he passed from us on the morning of the 22d of September, 1905, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.
"Halt the column, rest a moment, Let the sounds of battle cease ; An heroic soul is passing, Passing to the realms of peace."
In beautiful Crown Hill Cemetery, with the flag at half-mast, the impressive burial service of the Grand Army, and the bugle sounding taps, the mortal remains of our comrade were laid to rest.
The family left to mourn his death consists of his widow, Mrs. Anna (Layton) Walker, and his daughters, Mrs. William E. Sharpe and Mrs. Harry D. Hammond, all of whom reside at Indianapolis ; and his daughter, Mrs. Charles Caheir, of Paris, France, who has achieved a wide reputation as a vocalist, hav- ing appeared in the finest opera houses in Europe.
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COLONEL ALFRED B. WADE.
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COLONEL ALFRED B. WADE.
Colonel Alfred B. Wade, who began his service with the Seventy-third as Adjutant, was the youngest son of the late Judge Robert Wade. He was born in South Bend, Indiana, December 28, 1839. His father dying while he was yet quite young, he was reared by his mother with all the care a fond, religious parent could bestow. His early education was obtained at the old seminary of his native town. When the war broke out he enlisted as a private in the Ninth Indiana Regiment for three months, and was mustered out with his regi- ment July 29, 1861, at the expiration of term of service.
After joining the Seventy-third Indiana at Lexing- ton, Ky., he continued with it as Adjutant until after the battle of Stone River, when he was promoted to Major, and in that capacity he was with the regiment on the Streight raid, when he was captured and con- fined in Libby Prison with the other officers. Through the influence of Hon. Schuyler Colfax, then a member of Congress, his warm personal friend and former Sun- day school teacher, he was exchanged in the spring of 1864, and rejoined his regiment at Nashville, Tenn. He was the ranking officer with the regiment at that time and assumed command, and during the summer of 1864 picketed the Tennessee River between Chat- tanooga and Decatur. He was promoted to Lieu- tenant-Colonel in the latter part of 1864, and was or-
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dered with his regiment to Athens, Ala. After arriv- ing there he began at once to put the fort in better con- dition for defense and constructed a bomb-proof of his own design which served an excellent purpose. His command of 500 men was driven into the fort by a rebel force of some 4,000, under General Buford, who demanded his surrender. Colonel Wade refused to sur- render and successfully held the fort until Buford with- drew.
He was afterwards commissioned Colonel, but never mustered as such, being mustered out with the regiment as Lieutenant-Colonel in July, 1865.
He kept a diary most of the time during his service, and contemplated writing a history of the regiment, but died before he could find time to prepare it. His diary has been of great use to the committee in com- piling this book.
After the war Colonel Wade was married to Miss Jennie Bond, of Niles, Mich. He went with his wife to Ann Arbor, Mich., where he entered the law school of Michigan University. After six months' study he returned to South Bend and entered upon the practice of the law.
He was appointed Postmaster by President Grant, which position he held until his untimely death by ac- cidental drowning in the Kankakee River, while hunt- ing, February 28, 1877.
His services as Postmaster of South Bend gave general satisfaction to the community, and while serv- ing as such he invented an index book which is quite generally used in post offices. His career in civil life
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was that of a model citizen. He took an active interest in all projects for the advancement of his native state. He was wise in political counsels. His friendships were lasting, and his treatment of enemies was gen- erous. He was an affectionate and loving husband and father, and his loss was one deeply felt, not only by his family, but by the whole community.
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SEVENTY-THIRD INDIANA REGI- MENTAL ASSOCIATION.
Some five years after the regiment returned home an effort was made to form a regimental association, and a meeting was held on the 8th of September, 1870, at Plymouth, Indiana, at which sixty-one of the comrades were in attendance. A constitution was adopted, officers elected, and speeches made. Colonel Sumner made the address of welcome, and Colonel Wade made the reply in behalf of the visiting comrades. General Packard was also in attendance and addressed the meeting, as did Major Calkins, of Rochester. The meeting adjourned to meet at Logansport on December 31, 1871, having elected Captain D. H. Mull president and H. S. Murdock secretary. This organization, it seems, failed to hold regular meetings and became in- active, but at a reunion of the Soldiers' and Sailors' As- sociation of Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, held at Valparaiso, October 1, 1885, the Seventy-third men present agreed to meet at Plymouth in August, 1886, with the Ninth and Twenty-ninth Indiana, and hold a joint reunion, and at this meeting a permanent organization was effected, Major William M. Kendall being elected president and Ezra K. Barnhill secretary. A printed journal of that meeting was prepared and issued, and it was entitled, "The First Annual Reunion of the Seventy-third Regiment."
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Meetings have since been held annually, and those comrades who have preserved the records of these meet- ings can, by having the same bound into a volume, have an interesting history of the survivors of the regiment since these reunions began.
At the first annual meeting under this organization in August, 1886, at Plymouth, Colonel Walker made the address for the regiment, in response to the address of welcome delivered by Hon. H. G. Thayer. Major William M. Kendall also spoke, and Corporal Justice J. Ferris told how he lost his left arm and all the right hand except the thumb by a murderous shell at Day's Gap, while on the Streight raid.
The second annual meeting of the Association was held at Logansport, September 21 and 22, 1887, in con- nection with the Fifty-first Indiana. Colonel A. D. Streight was present at this meeting, and Captain Mc- Connell made the address of welcome, Colonel Streight and Colonel Walker each making addresses in response thereto. Major Ramsey, of the Fifty-first, Lieutenant Williams, of the Seventy-third, and Captain Wallach, of the Fifty-first, also made addressess at this meeting. At this meeting a poem was read from Private Charles H. Doing, of Company K, then living at Beltsville, Md., which was the first of a number of poems contributed by him at these annual meetings. This first contribu . tion was entitled, "Greeting to Comrades," and is as follows :
A grip and a shake of your honest hands,
Old comrades, tried and true,
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For we were together in southern lands
In the year of "Sixty-two"-
In the grand old days of "Sixty-three," And of "Sixty-four" and "Five ;"
And I bid good cheer To those who are here,
And the few who are yet alive ;
For our ranks, like our locks, are growing thin, Though our hearts are still warm to each other ;
And every brave soldier then mustered in, I greet as a comrade and brother.
When black iron hail cut gaps in our ranks, And burnt-powder-fog filled the air,
When shoulder to shoulder on Stone River's banks, We struggled the first to be there ;
When comrades lay dying on every height, And the valleys were strewn with the dead;
When fierce battles raged on our left-on our right, And the red fires of hell just ahead,
The blood that escaped from our wounds to the ground,
Depleting the fountains of life,
Only strengthened the ties by which we are bound, For our hearts were made one in that strife.
The third annual meeting was held at South Bend, September 19 and 20, 1888. Mayor Longley made the address of welcome, which was responded to by Major Kendall for the regiment. At this meeting Secretary Barnhill, who had been denominated the historian of the regiment, made his first report, calling upon mem-
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bers for suggestions, diaries, documents, etc., and for the appointment of committees to aid in the work of compiling and preparing a complete history. Major Kendall and Lieutenant Williams were appointed a committee to write up a history of prison life, to be added to the regimental history. At the close of the meeting the members all visited Camp Rose and had dress parade again on the old camp ground, a remnant of the Seventy-third band furnishing the music. After the dress parade Mrs. Colonel Hathaway and Mrs. Colonel Wade were elected honorary members of the Association, both being present and shaking hands with all the comrades.
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