USA > Michigan > Clinton County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 19
USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 19
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CLINTON COUNTY SOLDIERS IN THE FOURTEENTII.
Company d.
Ira Armstrong, disch. at end of service, March 14, 1865.
Nelson Brown, died of disease at Nashville, Tenu., Sept. 28, 1862. William Hotaling, disch. Aug. 20, 1862.
Ohney JI. R chmond, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1861; disch, hy order, July 20, 1865.
William W. Thayer, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; died in action at Bentonville, N. C., March 19, 1865.
Perry Watkins, died of disease at Nashville, Tenn., April 15, 1803,
Company C.
James Barrett, veteran, enl. Jan, 3, 1864 ; must, out July 18, 1865. Francis Hinton, died of disease at Cincinnati, Ohio, June 25, 1862.
Company D.
Ist Lient. Sylvanus Bachelder, Bath; com, March 14, 1865; pro. to 2d lieut. Dec. 29, 1864 ; must. out July 18, 1865.
Sergt. Sylvanus Bachelder, Bath ; enl. Nov. 30, 1861 ; veteran, Jan. 4, 1864 ; pro. to 2d lient.
Corp. Theron Wead, Eagle; enl. Dec. 3, 1861; disch. Ang. 27, 1862.
George Barnum, disch, March 26, 1863.
Benj. Lyman, disch. for disability, June 18, 1863.
John A. Bixby, disch. Oct. 13, 1862.
Ezra Benjamin, disch, by order, June 13, 1865,
Jonathan Burke, died of disease at Ypsilanti, Mich., Jan. 19, 1862. Samnel Carl, disch. for disability, April 16, 1862.
George S. Culver, disch, by order, May 20, 1865.
Stephen B. Crane, disch. at end of service, April 6, 1865.
William 11. Clark, disch, at end of service, April 11, 1865.
Jacob §. Clark, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must, out July 18, 1865.
Jared De Bar, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1804; must. out July 18, 1865.
William W. Fenton, disch. July 24, 1862.
George W. Howe, disch. Feb. 10, 1863. Napoleon B. Howe, disch. Oct. 8, 1862. Hanford H. Hawley, disch, at end of service, April 11, 1865. Jonathan Henderson, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864.
John B. Morgan, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864 ; must. out July 18, 1863. Samnel Mckibbin, died of discaso at Ypsilanti, April 16, 1862.
Levi Morgan, died of disease in New York harbor, April 16, 1865.
Henry W. Newsom, disch, at end of service, March 14, 1865.
John Sinclair, disch for disability, April 16, 1862.
John E. Swert, disch. Dec. 19, 1862.
Judson Smith, disch.
Wilford N. Scadin, disch. at end of service, March 14, 1865.
Andrew Sockenger, died of disease at Farmington, Miss,, Ang. 2, 1862.
Ansel Stevens, died of disease at Nashville, Teun., Dec. 19, 1862.
William Showerman, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; died in action at Atlanta, Ga ., Ang. 7, 1864.
Alfred Spragne, must. ont July 18, 1865.
Harlan P. Towner, must. out July 18, 1865.
William P. Trombly, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865.
Herman V. Trombly, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; disch. by order, July 25, 1865.
Richard Thorp, disch, by order, Sept. 18, 1865.
Samnel Talman, disch. for disability, Feb. 11, 1865.
Joshua Thuma, died of disease at Big Springs, Miss., June 26, 1862.
Company E. 2d Lient. William Il. Shiffer, St. John's, com. July 7, 1865; must. out July 18, 1865.
Oliver D. Beebe, disch. Sept. 14, 1862.
Hezekiah Marcy, died of disease near Farmington, Miss., July 17, 1862.
William A. Marsh, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864.
Company F. Corp. Ferdinand Platte, Westphalia; enl. Oct. 14, 1861 ; re-enl. as veteran, Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865.
Anthony Arnst, disch. at end of service, March 14, 1865.
llenry Amerheim, disch. at end of service, March 14, 1865.
Francis Blondy, disch, at end of service, March 14, 1865.
John Baker, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; disch. hy order, July 19, 1865.
Peter Fox, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865.
Sibres Miller, disch. for disability, Aug. 16, 1862.
l'eter Pung, disch. at end of service, March 14, 1865.
Henry Rochal, veteran, enl. Feb. 5, 1864; died in artion in North Carolina, March 19, 1865.
Peter Sundy, died of disease in Mississippi, Aug. 20, 1862.
Timothy Serge, trans, to Vet. Res. Corps, Jan. 10, 1865.
Jacob Stenkle, must, out July 18, 1865.
Anthony Wertz, disch. for disability, July 10, 1862.
Anthony Wehr, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; disch, July 19, 1865.
Company H.
Henry Myers, disch. Oct. 1, 1862.
Company K.
Capt. John Kelly, Westphalia; com. Nov. 18, 1861 ; res. June 4, 1863.
1st Lient. Chas, B. Rose, Westphalia ; com. Nov. 18, 1801 ; died of disease at Farmington, Miss., June 11, 1862.
Corp. Edward Brass, Duplain ; enl. Dec. 13, 18GI ; died of disease at Farming- ton, Miss,, July 18, 1862.
Corp. David Loomis, Victor ; enl. Nov. 8, 1861 ; disch. April 24, 1863.
Corp. Sapmel Kinney, Greenbush; enl. Dec. 13, 1861; veteran, Jan. 4, 1864; absent on furlongh on muster out.
Corp. Martin C. Myers, Eagle ; enl. Dec. 31, 1861; veteran, Jan. 4, 1864 ; died in action in Georgia, July 6, 1804.
Sergt. John Sly, Bengal; enl. Nov. 19, 1861; veteran, Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 18G5.
Wallace Anthony, disch, Dec. 9, 1862.
Talman Beardsley, disch. for disability, July 1, 1862.
Wm. Il. Barnes, died of disease in Ohio, Jun. 31, 1865.
Edwin Baldwin, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must, ont July 18, 1865.
Samuel S. Bennett, must, out July 18, 1805.
Fredk. Carpenter, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865.
Jacob Cook, must. out July 18, 1865.
Michael Cook, must. ont July 18, 1865.
Charles Calkins, disch. for disability, July 23, 1862,
Jacob L. Dond, died of disease May 29, 1862.
Franklin Fish, died of disease, March 25, 1862.
Zuriel Fish, disch. for disability, March 1, 1862.
John Fisler, veteran. enl. Jan. 4, 1864; disch. by order, May 15, 1865.
Deander Ferris, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864 ; disch. by order, Aug. 1, 1865.
Jasper Harrington, disch. for disability, July 24, 1862.
Richard Jones, disch. for disability, July 1, 1862.
Robert M. Jones, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must out July 18, 1865.
Marshall T. Kyte, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865.
David Loomis, disch. April 24, 1863.
Mathias Miller, must. ont July 18, 1865.
John Morolf, must. ont July 18, 1865. Henry Murphy, veteran, eul. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865.
Jeptha Owen, disch. for disability, Sept. 8, 1862.
Oscar Peck, disch. for disability, Feb. 15, 1862. llomer Parks, disch. for disability, July 10, 1802.
Orrin Parks, disch. Jan. 8, 1863.
Wm. HI. Parks, died of disease at Detroit, Aug. 5, 1862.
Albert Passage, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; died in actiou iu Georgia, July 5, 1865.
75 .
TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY.
Alpheus Passage, disch, for disability, March 22, 1865. Thos. Richmond, died of d'sease, March 12, 1862.
Chas. Robinson, died of disease at Big Springs, Miss., July 16, 1862. Edward Raby, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864 ; must. ont July 18, 1865.
Thos. Shaw, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1861 ; died in action at Jonesboro', Ga., Sept. 1, 1864.
Henry Shiffer, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; pro. to 2d lient. Co. E. Caleb Silvers, veteran, enl Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865. Richard Silvers, disch, for disability, July 15, 1862.
John Shook, veteran, enl. Feb. 9, 1864; disch. by order, July 29, 1865. John Spears, disch. Dec. 4, 1862.
Belton Soper, disch, at end of service, March 11, 1865.
Nicholas Schernish, disch, by order, June 8, 1865.
Jerry Sullivan, died of disease in Indiana, July 17, 1862.
John Sly, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. ont July 18, 1865. Moses R. Tuttle, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; died on the field, Inly 5, 1864. Marvin Thomas, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 1865. Henry Il. Tillapangh, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; must. out July 18, 18G5. Thos, L'Irich, died of disease at Nashville, Oct. 19, 1862.
David B. Wheeler, disch. for disability, July 10, 1862.
Chas. S. Wise, veteran, enl. Jan. 4, 1864; disch. by order, July 26, 1865.
CHAPTER XI.
TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY.
Rendezvous and Organization at East Saginaw-Service in Kentucky and Ohio-March to East Tennessee and Campaign in that Section -Tbe Georgia Campaign-Pursuit of Hood-Battles of Columbia, Franklin, and Nashville-Transfer to the East and Service in North Carolina-End of the War and Return Ifome.
THE Twenty-third Regiment was made up of meu from the counties composing the Sixth Congressional District, and was raised and organized in the summer of 1862 under the President's call for volunteers, issued on the 2d of July, immediately after the close of the Seven Days' bat- tles on the Virginia peninsula. The regimental rendezvous was established at East Saginaw, and D. Il. Jerome, Esq., was designated as commandant of the camp of instruction and organization.
In this regiment the county of Clinton was represented by one full company under command of Capt. (now General ) O. L. Spaulding, and another company ( under Capt. Henry Walbridge) of which very nearly all the members were from Clinton.
Shiawassee County furnished for the Twenty-third a full company under command of Capt. John Carland,* of Corunna, and besides the above-mentioned companies sev- eral others of the regiment contained men from Shiawassee and Clinton Counties.
The headquarters of both the Clinton companies were at the village of St. John's. The first enlistment in Capt. Spaulding's company was made on the 15th of July, and on the 6th of August it had attained the minimum strength uecessary for muster. Soon afterwards it was reported at the East Saginaw rendezvous, and was incorporated in the regiment as Company A, with William Sickles as its first and James Travis as second lieutenant.
Capt. Spaulding had been assisted in the recruiting of his company by Henry Wałbridge, with the expectation that the latter would be made its first lieutenant, but when it became apparent that many more than enough men to
fill one company could be obtained here he commeneed the formation of a second company, which was filled without much difficulty, and he became its captain, with Stephen J. Wright as first and Alonzo O. Ilunt as second lien- tenant. This company was designated as G company of the Twenty-third.
The Shiawassee company was recruited by Capt. Carland, 1st Lieut. Benjamin F. Briscoe, and 2d Lieut. Marvin Miller, who were its original officers. In the organization of the Twenty-third this became Company H. The regi- ment was mastered into the United States service on the 13th of September, 1862, with eight hundred and eighty- three officers and men under command of Col. Marshall W. Chapin. The regimental surgeon was Dr. Louis Fasquelle, of St. John's.
When the Twenty-third Regiment left East Saginaw for the theatre of war it moved by detachments. The first of these-composed of Companies C, H, and K-broke camp in the morning of September 17th, and were transported on the ears of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway to Mount Morris, which was then the southern terminus of the road ; and thence were moved across the country, by way of Flint, to the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, over which they proceeded by train to Detroit. On the following day the remaining companies left the rendezvous, and moved by the same route to Detroit, where they arrived in the evening, and all were hospitably entertained by the patriotic citizens. With but little delay the ten companies were embarked on steamers, which landed them at Cleveland the next morn- ing, the weather being rainy and distal, and the condition of the men anything but comfortable. From Cleveland, the regiment moved by rail across the State of Ohio to Cincinnati, whence, after a stop of some hours, it again proceeded by railroad, and on Sunday morning, September 2Ist, reached Jeffersonville, Ind., on the north bank of the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Ky. In the afternoon of the same day the command moved to " Camp Gilbert," near by, and that night, for the first time, the tired men of the Twenty-third slept upon the soldier's bed,-the bosom of mother earth.
The city of Louisville was at that time in a panic-stricken condition on account of the reported approach of the rebel general S. B. Buckner, with a strong Confederate force. In consequence of this, many people were leaving their homes in the city and crossing to the north side of the river. Large quantities of government stores were also being transferred to the Indiana side, by order of the gen- eral then in command at Louisville. The Twenty-third was placed on duty, guarding the publie property and ferry landings at Jeffersonville, and remained so employed for two days and nights, at the end of which time it crossed the river and camped in the southwestern suburbs of Louis- ville. Here the situation of the men was not the most comfortable, and it was made worse by their almost com- plete ignorance of the methods by which veteran soldiers manage to force something like comfort out of the most unfavorable surroundings. A few hours later they were ordered to move to another camping-place, and while on their way thither they passed a brigade or division of the army of Gen. Buell, which had then just entered the city
* Capt. Carland was afterwards major of the regiment, and is now an officer in the Sixth United States Infantry.
76
HISTORY OF SHIAWASSEE AND CLINTON COUNTIES, MICHIGAN.
after a fatiguing forced march from Nashville in pursuit of the Southern army under Gen. Bragg. As the Twenty- third marched past the dusty and battle-scarred veterans of Shiloh, Farmington, and Iuka, the latter indulged (as vet- erans are apt to do) in many a sneer at the expense of the fresh troops, few of whom had yet heard the whistle of a hostile bullet. An officer of the Twenty-third* says of this incident : " The contrast of their dirty, tattered, and torn garments with our men was a matter of much comment. We were surprised that they jeeringly hinted at our green- ness and inferiority, which a few months' experience in marehes and on battle-fields would change. In time we learned that they had not been mistaken in their estimate of our relative merits as soldiers."
The camp to which the regiment was moved at this time will be well recollected by those who occupied it as " the brick-yard camp," a dreary and comfortless place, where the command remained without tents or other shelter until the afternoon of the 3d of October, when the Thirty-eighth Brigade (Army of the Ohio), composed of the One Hun- dred and Second and One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio, One Ilundred and Twenty-ninth Illinois, and Twenty-third Michigan, all under command of Gen. Dumont, marched away from Louisville, on the road to Shelbyville, Ky. The weather was very hot, the road dusty, water almost impos- sible to obtain, and the men, not having yet learned the meaning of " light marching order," were overloaded with the eumbrous outfits which they brought from home ; so that when, late at night, they halted on the bank of a muddy stream known as " Floyd's Fork," the exhausted and foot- sore troops were glad enough to lie down upon the ground, with no shelter but their blankets, and no thought but that of rest from the fatigues of this, their first severe mareh. Late the next morning they arose stiff and sore in every joint, and soaked with the rain which was still falling. Coffee was made from the muddy water of the stream, in which hundreds of mules were stamping and wallowing. The rations were neither very good nor plentiful, but these were on this occasion supplemented by supplies taken from a mansion which stood near by, and from which the occu- pants had fled on the approach of the troops. " The sol- diers, impressed with the idea that all food, raiment, and other movables found in the enemy's country belonged to Uncle Sam's eleet, proceeded to ransack the premises, bringing off meat, meal, vegetables, sauces, honey, jellies, preserves, and some pretty good stock for the stable,-a portion of which we recognized the next spring grazing in Michigan."
From Floyd's Fork the regiment moved early in the follow- ing morning towards Shelbyville, which was reached the same evening, and the Twenty-third encamped in the vicinity of the village. Here the brigade remained until the morning of October 9th, when it moved through the village and on towards Frankfort, arriving in the neighborhood of that town the same night, the advance-guard of the force having already entered the city after a skirmish with the cavalry of the enemy, who had succeeded in destroying the fine
bridge of the Lexington and Frankfort Railroad, and had attempted the destruction of the turnpike-bridge, but had been driven away before accomplishing it.
Large numbers of negroes had fallen in with the column on its march from Louisville to Frankfort. Some of these had engaged as servants to the officers, but the greater part of them were following the troops without any definite ob- jeet that was apparent. So numerous were the dusky crowds that " there were found among them the names or lineal descendants of every prominent general in the rebel army." A considerable number of Kentucky horses had also " fallen in" on the line of march, and were being ridden by officers and privates ; but " on arrival at Frankfort there came for these a host of claimants, and the day was one of reckoning for those in whose possession they were found." A court-martial was instituted, and held a protracted session at Frankfort. " It must have made sad havoe among the Wolverines but for the fact that our fighting companion, Capt. Walbridge, who rode the best captured steed into the town on that eventful morning (October 10th), was the honored judge-advocate in the court."
With the exception of an expedition in pursuit of the guerrilla chief, John Morgan, the Twenty-third remained at Frankfort thirteen days. It was at this time under com . mand of Maj. B. F. Fisher, the colonel being in command of the brigade, and Lieut .- Col. Pratt being absent. It was while the regiment laid at this place that the death oc- curred of Lieut. John Earle, of " E" company, on Sunday, Oct. 19, 1862. His remains were sent home to Michigan in charge of Sergt. Lyons, and at about the same time the regi- ment received the sad news of the death of Capt. Norville, of fever, at Saginaw City, October 3d.
At a little past midnight on the morning of the day of Lieut. Earle's death, the men of the Twenty-third were startled from their sleep by the thrilling sound of the " long roll," and at one o'clock A.M. they were marching rapidly away in pursuit of the redoubtable Morgan, who was re- ported to be at Lawrenceburg. Two companies of the regiment, however (G and K), were left as guard at Frankfort. The pursuing column was, almost as a matter of course, a little too late to overtake the main body of Morgan's force, but succeeded in capturing a few men and horses belonging to his rear-guard, and with these trophies the command returned the same evening to the camp at Frankfort, having marched twenty-six miles under the usual disadvantages of choking dust and great scarcity of water.
The regiment took its final departure from Frankfort late in the afternoon of the 21st of October, and encamped that night in an oak grove, a few miles down the road towards Lawrenceburg. On the following day it passed through that town, and made its eamp for the night at Big Spring, some miles farther on. The weather had suddenly grown cold, and many of the men suffered for need of the blankets, which had been foolishly thrown away as incumbranees in the heat and dust of previous marches. In the morning of the 23d the Kentucky hills and vales were white with hoar frost. The regiment was early in line, and during this day's march passed through Harrodsburg. Here the men were not permitted to make a free exploration of the
* Capt. W. A. Lewis, of the Twenty-third, from whom all the quo- tations in this sketeh (unless otherwise noted) are made.
77
TWENTY-THIRD INFANTRY.
town, on account of their rather damaging record as indis- eriminate foragers. About noon of the 24th they passed through the little village of Perryville, in the outskirts of which the armies of Buell and Bragg had fought the battle of Chaplin Hills, sixteen days before, many of the Union and Confederate wounded from that engagement being still in the village, and in the farm-house hospitals of the vi- cinity. That night the weary men of the Twenty-third made their bivouac on the banks of an abundant and toler- ably clear stream of water, called the Rolling Fork. In the march of the following day, this stream was crossed and recrossed many times in its meanderings, and late in the day the regiment reached the little half-burned village of Bradfordsville. The latter part of the day's march had been made in a cold, drenching rain, which, as night fell, turned to snow, and ou the following morning (Sunday, October 26th) the Arctic covering lay six inches deep over the ground. This was considered a remarkable event for that latitude, and it brought remembrances of their Northern homes to the minds of many whose eyes would never again look upon the whitened expanse of the Michigan hills and valleys. During all that Sabbath day the tired men en- joyed a season of rest and recreation around their comforta- ble camp fires, and while they rested the snow disappeared, so that their march of the following day was over bare roads, but free from tormenting dust. In the evening of the 27th the brigade arrived at New Market, Ky., where several commands of the rear-guard of Buell's army were found eneamped, and where the Twenty-third and its com- panion regiments also went into camp and remained for eight days, engaged in recuperation, drill, and the prepara- tion of muster-rolls, to be used upon a pay-day which all hoped might come in the near future.
The Twenty-third again moved forward with its brigade on the 4th of November, and on the following day it passed through Munfordsville, where a Union force of ten thousand men lay encamped. On the Gth it reached Dripping Springs, where it remained one day, and in the afternoon of the 8th arrived at Bowling Green, Ky., a town which " had the ap- pearance of having been visited by pestilence, famine, and the besom of destruction," as was remarked by some of the officers of the Twenty-third. " A large rebel force had wintered there, and remained until driven out by the Uniou forces under Gen. Mitchell, and they had made of the whole visible creation one common camping-ground." This place was destined to be the home of the regiment for a period of more than six months. Its camp (which was afterwards transformed into substantial and comfortable winter quarters) was pitched near the magnificent railroad- bridge crossing the Big Barren River, and the guarding of this bridge formed a part of the duty of the regiment during the winter of 1862-63; its other duties being camp rou- tine, drill, picket, provost, and railway guard, and the con- voying of railroad trains of stores over the road from Bowling Green to Nashville. While here the Twenty- third, with its brigade, formed part of the Tenth Division of the Army of the Cumberland, and they were successively under command of Gens. Granger, Manson, and Judah, as commandants of the post during the six months that they remained here.
Many notable events-some pleasant, some painful, and others ludicrous-occurred in the history of the regiment during its long stay at Bowling Green. Near the town was a pleasure-ground, many aeres in extent, with a magnificent spring of clear cold water in its centre. This seems to have been a favorite resort for both citizens and soldiers, and we are told that " here, upon many a happy occasion, the beauty and the chivalry of Bowling Green, and many inveterate Yankees, assembled to enjoy the scene of unequaled hilarity and mirth." It was several times the case that snow fell to a sufficient depth for sleighing, and those opportunities for pleasures were improved to the utmost. Private entertain- ments, too, were sometimes given by the citizens, and " there were, in several instances, strong indications of at- tachments between some of the boys in blue and the fair damsels of Bowling Green. . .. These were oases in the dreary Sahara of the war." On the morning of the mo- mentous 1st of January, 1863, the artillery on College Hill fired a salute, which was afterwards changed to target prac- tice ; and during a part of the time of its continuance the camp of the Twenty-third Michigan seems to have been the target, for several solid shots were thrown into it, doing some damage to quarters, and creating no little consternation. This was the first time the regiment had been actually under fire.
On the 6th of April, 1863, occurred one of the most dis- tressing events in the experience of the regiment at Bow- ling Green. This was the sudden death of Lieut .- Col. Pratt. He had mounted a powerful and restive horse, but was scarcely seated in the saddle when the fiery animal plunged and reared so violently as to fall backwards upou the colonel, crushing and killing him instantly. He was a good and popular officer, and was sincerely mourned by the men and officers of the regiment.
Upou the death of Lieut .- Col. Pratt, Maj. O. L. Spauld- ing (who had been advanced to that rank to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Maj. B. F. Fisher, February 3d) was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the Twenty- third, dating from the day of the gallant Pratt's death. From that time until the elose of the war Col. Spaulding was almost constantly in command of the regiment.
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