USA > Indiana > Newton County > Newton County a collection of historical facts and personal recollections concerning Newton County, Indiana, from 1853 to 1911 > Part 9
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On the 3d of May, it was again overtaken by the forces of General Forrest, and com- pelled to surrender. After being kept prison- ers for some time, the enlisted men were pa- roled for exchange, and went into camp at In- dianapolis in the early part of June, 1863. On the 9th of February, 1864, part of the Union officers, one hundred and nine in all-Colonel Streight among them-made their escape from Libby Prison by digging a tunnel under the prison walls. This tunnel was about sixty feet long. Of the one hundred and nine who crawled through, fifty-five were recaptured and taken back. The fifty-four, after suffering
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severely, finally reached the Union lines, after ten month's confinement in rebel prisons. The balance of the officers were not released until nearly the close of the war.
In November, 1863, the regiment was ex- changed, and joined the army at Nashville. In February, 1864, the regiment reënlisted as veterans, and during the campaign of 1864 did duty at Chattanooga. On the 15th of Decem- ber this regiment participated in the battle of Nashville, and afterward joined in the pur- suit of the retreating rebels. Going as far as Huntsville, Alabama, they remained there un- til March, 1865. About the first of May, 1865, they returned to Nashville. In June, 1865, the 5Ist was ordered to Texas, and was stationed near San Antonio until November, 1865. It was subsequently ordered north and was mus- tered out December 13, 1865.
The principal battles in which the 5Ist regi- ment engaged were Shiloh, Corinth, Perrys- ville, Stone River, Columbia, Franklin, Nash- ville and Overton's Hill.
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NEWTON COUNTY SOLDIERS
NINETY-NINTH INDIANA VOLUNTEERS
Company E, of this regiment, was organ- ized in August, 1862, and rendezvoused in South Bend, with Daniel Ash, as captain, com- missioned August 22, 1862. Samuel Moore was first lieutenant. The members from New- ton county were as follows :
William W. Downes John Brown
George W. Smith James Burns
James W. Graves Allen Catt
Stephen D. Kerns Jacob Houscheldt John Barker William Holloway
William Rinker A. B. Hosier
B. T. Roadruck Solomon Ash
E. L. Humphries
F. B. Jones
William Airhart.
Hiram W. Kelly
Charles Bartholomew Paul LaForce D. W. Lowe
Sylvester Board
Thomas C. Moore
William A. Patrick
Solomon Shriver
A. J. Saunderson
S. M. Skeggs
David F. Dunham
John C. Sarver
William Brown Cyrus Brunton Christian Enfield John Holloway
Joseph Hooks Jonas L. Horner John Johnston
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NEWTON COUNTY
Joseph Kennedy Henry S. Kramer Joseph L. Lafoon Benjamin Martin Andrew Murphey John Reynolds E. J. Shideler
Joseph Shafer
Elias W. Shaner
Carroll L. Shideler
Abraham W. Bebout
Austin M. Darroch
Clark A. Wood William F. Board
J. E. Longwell James Atkinson
W. H. Alexander
G. C. Bartholomew
Thomas Starkey Young Thompson J. Webber Levi White
Asa Yeoman
John W. Moore
John Grenfeldt
William Wilson
George O. Pumphrey John Starkey
Thomas L. Thornton
G. C. VanNatta
John D. Wyatt
Andrew S. Young
James Anderson
James Griffith
Abner Bartholomew
Of the seventy-one named above, twenty died from disease, and two were killed while in the service-nearly one-third of the whole number.
The 99th regiment was mustered into the service October 21, 1862, with Alexander Fowler as colonel. The regiment moved in
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November to Memphis and was assigned to the 3d brigade, first division, 16th army corps. During the winter of 1862-63, this regiment was placed on duty guarding the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. On May 6, 1863, it embarked on steamers and went down the river, joining the forces of General Grant, be- sieging Vicksburg on the 4th day of July, 1863. The same day Grant took possession of Vicks- burg. This regiment marched with Sherman's command for Jackson, Mississippi, and had a severe skirmish on Big Black River, reaching Jackson on July 9th. On July 16th the rebels evacuated Jackson, and Sherman's command took possession of the place. The regiment then returned to Big Black river, where it re- mained in camp until the latter part of Sep- tember. It was ordered to Chattanooga, arriv- ing there on the 24th of November, 1863. On the following day it took part in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Immediately after this bat- tle it was ordered to Knoxville to relieve Gen- eral Burnside, then besieged at that place. From Chattanooga to Knoxville there was
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fighting nearly all the time. Many of the men were barefooted, destitute of blankets, and were without regular rations or supplies. Ar- riving at Knoxville the Union forces com- pelled Longstreet to retreat, relieving General Burnside. A short time after the regiment was ordered to Scottsboro, Alabama, reaching that point on December 26, 1863.
The regiment remained in camp at Scotts- boro until the Ist of May, 1864, when it took part in what was known as the Atlanta cam- paign. It was in the engagement at Resaca on May 14th; at Dallas on the 28th; and on the 15th of June it participated in a charge at Big Shanty. There was continuous skirmishing every day. It also took part in the battle in front of Atlanta, which lasted from July 20th to the 28th, on different parts of the line. On October 3d, it joined in the pursuit of General Hood, and had a fight at Little River, Geor- gia, on the 26th, and after a march of two hundred miles it again reached Atlanta.
On the 15th of November the regiment started with Sherman on his great march to
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the sea. On the 15th of December it took part in the charge upon Fort McAllister which, after a desperate struggle with its garrison, surrendered, and thus opened Sherman's com- munication with the sea. After several skir- mishes at different points, the regiment finally reached Washington City on June 5, 1865, and was mustered out of the service.
The 99th regiment left for the field with 900 men, and returned from its campaign with 425 officers and men. It marched, during its terms of service, over four thousand miles.
Upon arriving at Indianapolis this regiment wa's present at a reception for returned soldiers given in the state house grounds, on June 11th, and was welcomed home by Governor Morton and others.
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHTH INDIANA VOLUNTEERS
This regiment was recruited in the winter of 1863, rendezvoused at Michigan City, and was mustered into service March 18, 1864, with Richard P. DeHart as colonel, and Jas-
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per Packard, lieutenant-colonel. Company A, of this regiment, comprised a large number of Newton county men, with James Bissell as captain, and Joseph Blessing as second lieu- tenant. At the time of his enlistment, Captain Bissell was a prominent lawyer of Kentland. He was killed about November 30, 1864, near Franklin, Tennessee.
Members of the company from Newton county were :
George D. Boyd
Jeremiah Branson
William Sherwood
Abel Lyons
A. W. Scott
M. L. Ham
S. V. Peabody William Burns
John L. Mercer
Theodore Broadfield
D. P. Brenesholtz
N. K. Carmichael
H. B. Childers
William Clark
John Corn
J. N. Drake
Daniel Dexter
George Garrison
John Glaspey
S. Green
John Glass
C. Frankenberger
N. Holt
S. Headley
George Hoffman
A. Herrington
D. Headdington
L. J. Johnson
A. L. D. Scott
Jonathan Bell
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NEWTON COUNTY SOLDIERS
Ephraim Kessler J. J. Lamb
John W. Knight
J. H. Louthain
James H. Lowe
F. M. Line
John W. Maxy
J. W. Murphey
G. M. Bridgeman
B. Mullet
Thomas Metts C. Musson
J. M. Moone
William Odel
John Reynolds
J. M. Patterson
L. Stroup
J. A. Smith
G. A. Story
G. Scramblin
W. L. Veatch
W. T. Smith
John Vaughn
J. G. Vanforason
A. Yeoman
I. Yeoman
On March 23, 1864, the 128th Regiment left Michigan City, proceeding by way of Indianapolis to Louisville and then to Nash- ville. On April 6, 1864, it left Nashville for the front, by way of Stevenson, Bridgeport and Chattanooga, reaching Charleston, East Ten- nessee, on April 21, 1864.
On May 4, 1864, it left Charleston and joined the forces under General Sherman- what was known as the "Atlanta campaign." On May 12, the army moved forward, and the
M. Ottemwaiter
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Battle of Resaca followed. Immediately fol- lowing this came the battles of Dallas, New Hope Church, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta and Jonesboro. From this time on, during the next four months, the regiment, or some portion of it, was on the skirmish line nearly every day.
On June 6, 1864, Colonel DeHart, having been disabled by wounds, Lieutenant-Colonel Packard assumed command of the regiment. All through the month of October, 1864, the regiment took part in the chase after General Hood, who was attempting to advance and capture Nashville.
On October 30, the regiment was ordered to Chattanooga, joining the forces of General Thomas at that point. From here it was taken to Nashville to oppose the forces of General Hood, then advancing in that direction. From there the regiment moved to Columbia again to meet the advances of General Hood and his forces. On November 24, the Union forces met the enemy, and for six days severe skirmishing took place, one-half of the regi-
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ment being alternately on the skirmish line. In the meantime, the Union army fell back to Franklin, where a desperate fight took place, but the enemy was finally repulsed. The regi- ment again fell back to Nashville, where a final stand was taken.
On December 15, 1864, General Thomas moved upon the enemy, and, after two days of hard fighting, utterly defeated General Hood, driving his demoralized command beyond the waters of the Tennessee river. The regiment took part in pursuit of the retreating forces, which had ceased to exist as an organized army, as far as Columbia, Tennessee, where they remained until January 5, 1865.
In these battles, around Franklin and Nash- ville, Newton county had more men killed and wounded than in all the rest of the battles of the war combined-not all of the killed and wounded, however, were in the 128th Regi- ment.
The 128th left Columbia January 5, 1865, for Cincinnati. From there it went by rail to Washington, D. C., and thence to Alexandria,
16
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Va. On February 20, it sailed to Fort Fisher, North Carolina, going from there to Moore- head City, North Carolina. Early in March it marched along the Atlantic & North Car- olina railway, repairing the road as it ad- vanced. On the 8th of March, the Union forces encountered the enemy near Kingston, and for two days heavy skirmishing resulted. On the Ioth, the enemy made heavy assaults, but were repulsed and fled in great disorder. This regiment took an active part in the en- counter, losing heavily in killed and wounded. On the 20th it left Kingston and moved to Goldsboro, being assigned to duty in that city. From there it went to Raleigh, North Car- olina. Remaining at Raleigh until the spring of 1866, the regiment was ordered home and mustered out April 13, 1866.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIRST INDIANA VOL- UNTEERS
The following named, all from Newton county, served in the 15Ist Regiment : John Grant John Holliday
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NEWTON COUNTY SOLDIERS
George Archibald
John Warrington
James Coovert . Solomon Bartman Henry Garrard
Benjamin Myers John Myers
Freeland Runion
Giles Mandeville George Baker
Jesse Stanley
John Wolf
Joseph Goodale
Charles Holliday
Charles Crisler
Elijah Kenoyer
William Holliday
James Myers
James Ramey
John Smith
John Whaley
IN OTHER REGIMENTS
In the 12th Indiana Cavalry, from Newton county, were : Daniel M. Graves, a captain ; Henry E. Ash, Mahlon Fell, William Flem- ing, Albert S. Graves, Thomas Staton, Elijah M. Standridge and John Strohm.
Joseph Staton, Samuel Pierce and Thomas Staton went in an Illinois regiment.
C. E. Triplett joined the 87th Regiment Indiana Volunteers and was promoted to sur- geon.
Newton county had in the 5th Cavalry :
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Cyrus Leaming, S. Carroll, Josiah Howen- stein and A. A. Harrington.
J. A. Hatch served in the 36th Illinois as surgeon.
Joseph Ade enlisted in the 6th Ohio Infan- try, although living in Kentland at the time of his enlistment. Charles E. Ross, still a resident of Kentland, went from this county and en- listed in the 8th Illinois Cavalry. Both of them served throughout the entire war.
In addition to the above, the following served in scattering regiments :
Thomas Burton. ... 127th Indiana Regiment Joseph Zoborosky . . 48th David Honn. 54th Albert Creek 20th
Calvin Creek . Ioth
All honor to our heroes, living and dead, who saved our nation! All praise to the moth- ers, wives and sisters who so nobly did their part in the nation's struggle for existence! Words are too weak to express their anxiety and mental suffering during the long years from 1861 to 1865!
DURING WAR TIMES
TN July, 1863, Governor Morton issued a call to resist the invasion of John Morgan, commonly known as "Morgan's Raid." With- in forty-eight hours 65,000 men tendered their services. Among the volunteers was a full company of about eighty men from Newton county. This call was received at Kentland
on Friday afternoon. Men rode over the county all night, notifying all who were likely to enlist to meet at Kentland the next day, to take part in the defense of the state. Nearly every one who was notified responded, and an organization was effected, with Horace K. Warren, captain, and John Ade, first lieuten- ant.
About the middle of the afternoon this com- pany took a train for Logansport. In the meantime, communication was opened up with
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Indianapolis, notifying the authorities of the state that we were on the way. Arriving at Logansport, we received word to remain there over night. We camped in the court house, the citizens of Logansport supplying all our wants bountifully. The next day we awaited orders, finally receiving word that there were more men in Indianapolis than could possibly be used, and to allow no more to come forward. Toward evening of that day, the Pennsylvania railroad company furnished an extra train and took us back home. I am sorry no muster roll of this company was preserved, and therefore I can not give a list of its members.
The first call for troops was made by the president of the United States, on April 15, 1861, for 75,000 men to serve three months. This was followed by calls of May 3, 1861, 42,034 for three years; July 2, 1862, 500,000 for three years; August 4, 1862, 300,000 for nine months; October 17, 1863, 300,000 for three years; July 1, 1864, 200,000 for three years ; March 14, 1864, 200,000 for three years ; July 18, 1864, 500,000 for one, two and three
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DURING WAR TIMES
years, and December 19, 1864, 300,000 for one, two and three years.
No serious difficulty was felt in Newton county in obtaining volunteers to fill the quota, until the call made July 18, 1864, for 500,000 men. Newton county's quota, under this call, was thirty-seven men. In response to a public meeting of the citizens of the county, held in Kentland, October 14, 1864, the county commissioners met in a special session on Oc- tober 19, and made the following order :
"October 19, 1864. Ordered that there be bonds of the county issued to the amount of $18,500, for the purpose of raising means to procure 37 recruits, the number of men due from Newton county under the present call. Said bonds to be of the denomination of $25 and $50, with 6 per cent. interest, payable an- nually, principal to be due in five years, and that Nathaniel West, William Russell and E. L. Urmston be appointed a committee to dis- pose of the bonds, procure the recruits, and take such action as they may see proper to carry out the objects of this order."
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The order was signed by William Russell, Philip Hunter and Daniel Dearduff, commis- sioners.
On February 15, 1865, the commissioners passed an order to pay $250 to each accepted volunteer accredited upon the quota of the county, provided that this should be paid only where the township bounty did not exceed $200. The total amount expended for bounties was as follows :
By the county commissioners . $26,900
By Iroquois township .. 2,200
By Jackson township 2,200
By Beaver township 1,500
By Washington township
2,000
By Jefferson township 3,000
Making a total paid as bounties $37,800
This does not include amounts paid out for relief of soldiers' families, which amounted to a little more than $4,000.
Newton county, like many other parts of the state, had its disloyal element. In fact, the legislature, in February, 1862, had drafted a
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DURING WAR TIMES
law to deprive Governor Morton of his mili- tary authority over the militia of the state, and nothing prevented them from carrying out their intentions but the action of the loyal members of the legislature. During the night prior to the day when the scheme was to be carried out, these members left Indianapolis, refusing to return, thereby breaking the quo- rum and making it impossible to do anything more that term.
Again, in 1863, we had another illustration of this same feeling. One H. H. Dodd had been engaged in shipping revolvers and other arms and ammunition to disloyal parties over the state, such shipments being marked, "Sun- day school books." In September, 1863, he vis- ited this part of the state, making speeches and urging resistance to the draft and discour- aging enlistment. At Rensselaer, where he repeated the same kind of talk, he was ar- rested by the provost-marshal and placed in custody. The news soon spread all over this part of the state and the members of the Knights of the Golden Circle, or as they were
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sometimes called, "Sons of Liberty," of which there were several organizations in Newton county, were called together.
On the following morning, which was Sun- day, they started from all points in the county toward Rensselaer, with the determination of rescuing Mr. Dodd or losing their lives in the attempt. They went into camp about five miles west of Rensselaer, at a point known as Blue Grass, on the farm of Mr. Mallatt. After they arrived there, they learned, through some of their friends, that Rensselaer had organized a company, fully armed, which awaited their arrival to welcome them with "bloody hands to hospitable graves." Here their courage oozed out, and instead of being an army de- sirous of war they soon began to favor peace at any terms. Before night they followed the illustrious example of the famous king of Spain, "who marched uphill with twice five thousand men and then marched back again."
A TRIP TO VICKSBURG
I N the early part of September, 1863, the 99th Indiana Regiment was in camp on Black river, Mississippi, about twenty miles back of Vicksburg. The word came that Young Thompson, a member of that regiment, was very sick. His wife came to see me and prevailed on me to go down there and do what I could toward getting him home. Accord- ingly, I went to Indianapolis, called on Gov- ernor Morton, and secured a letter from him stating the object of my business and generally recommending the same, with the request that I be permitted to pass through the lines unless conditions made it impossible for any one to be granted that privilege. During the war I made several trips to the front, and always, before starting, I secured proper credentials from Governor Morton.
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NEWTON COUNTY
On this trip, I proceeded to Cairo and there took a boat for Memphis. On this boat there were many persons going to the front on mis- sions somewhat similar to mine, most of them having sons in the different camps or hospitals, sick or wounded. At Cairo I secured a pass to Memphis, but now I could go no farther until I secured another. Accordingly, I went to the provost-marshal's office and stated my business. He politely told me that it would be impossible for me to secure a pass to go farther down the river as all transportation possible was needed for the demands of the army. I stated my case as urgently as I could, but to no avail, as he said there was a positive order outstanding forbidding the granting of any more passes to citizens. As a last resort I handed him my letter from Governor Mor- ton, which he read.
When he had finished reading it he re- marked, "Governor Morton can have any- thing he asks for down here."
He at once filled out a pass, which is still in my possession, and reads as follows :
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A TRIP TO VICKSBURG
No. 139 (S) OFFICE PROVOST-MARSHAL, MEMPHIS, Sept. 6, 1863.
The bearer, John Ade, has permission to go to Vicksburg, as a passenger on any steamboat not exclusively in Government service.
SWENNEY, SWAYNE,
Deputy. Col. and Provost-Marshal.
Good for two days.
Armed with this document, I had no trouble in securing passage down the river, and also was entrusted with many messages from my fellow-passengers, who had been detained at Memphis, to their friends and relatives down the river. The river was quite low and at many places the channel would run close to the bank, so that often we expected to be fired on by "bushwhackers." On landing at Vicks- burg we were not disturbed. Walking up the wharf, I happened to stop and look back to- ward the boat. There, coming off the same boat, I saw my old friend and neighbor, Thomas C. Moore. We had been on the same boat several days without meeting each other.
There was a strange condition of things
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existing at Vicksburg. Next to the river was a very high bluff. In order to transport freight to and from the river, roads had been cut through the bluff, leaving a perpendicular bank on each side of a street. During the siege citizens had dug out tunnels into these banks. On each side of these hallways they had ex- cavated rooms in which hundreds of families lived, so as to be out of danger during the long siege, which ended by the surrender of the city to the forces under General Grant, on July 4, 1863.
Thomas Moore, being a member of the 99th Regiment, had been home on a furlough and was now returning to his regiment. We took a freight train out to the Black river bridge, the end of the railroad. We then had about six miles to walk. On arriving at the camp I found that Mr. Thompson had been sent up the river on a hospital boat to the general hos- pital at St. Louis.
I remained there a few days, and as soon as I could, I got a boat from Vicksburg and started home. One little incident on the way
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A TRIP TO VICKSBURG
home illustrated the condition of things then existing. About 100 miles above Vicksburg the boat stopped at a landing to take on wood. While the wood was being put aboard, a great many of the passengers went ashore and walked around, not suspecting any danger. After the boat had gone on for two or three hundred yards and we were passing some tim- ber, we were fired on by a large band of guer- rillas. The most of the firing was directed against the pilot house, but as this was pro- tected by boiler iron, the pilot was not hurt. Many bullets passed through the cabin but no one was struck. There were a few guns on board and the firing was returned, but the enemy were hidden in the bushes so closely that we could not see them so we did not know that our fire had done any damage.
For the protection of the river, the govern- ment had gunboats stationed at points to patrol it. It also had boats, each with a company of cavalry on board, and when such boats were attacked they would run to the nearest landing point, where the cavalry would land and make
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an effort, at least, to destroy the attacking force. Usually by the time they got to the place from which the attack had been made, they would find only peaceable citizens.
Upon my arrival home I notified Mrs. Thompson of the movements of her husband and she immediately went to St. Louis, where she found him. He was too ill to be brought home, and died a few days after her arrival.
Young Thompson was a good man, re- spected by all who knew him. He went to the army for no other reason than because he felt an obligation, as a loyal citizen, to risk his life for the preservation of his country.
Something happened about this time which had no relation to the war, but which came as a great hardship in a time of general distress. In the latter part of August, 1863, a heavy frost killed all the corn in the middle west, as far south as Cairo, Illinois.
A TRIP TO CHATTANOOGA
A BOUT the 20th of December, 1863, Wil- liam Graves and I left home to go to Chattanooga, he to look up his son, Lawrence, and I to look after George W. Dearduff. Both were members of Company H, 15th Regiment Indiana Volunteers, and both had been se- verely wounded at the charge up Missionary Ridge.
Mr. Graves and I first went to Indianapolis and procured passes for the trip, crossing the Ohio river at Louisville. From there we took a train for Nashville, where we remained over- night. Next day we rode on a freight train. Arriving at Stevenson, Alabama, we tried to get accommodations at the hotel for the night, but the best we could get was the use of a couple of chairs in the hotel office. Sometime the next day we got another freight train and
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