USA > Ohio > The Twelfth Ohio cavalry; a record of its organization, and services in the war of the rebellion, together with a complete roster of the regiment > Part 1
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
60
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01084 2752
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THE
TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY;
A RECORD OF ITS
ORGANIZATION, AND SERVICES
IN THE
WAR OF THE REBELLION,
TOGETHER WITH A
Complete Roster of the Regiment.
BY F. H. MASON,
LATE CAPTAIN SQUADRON "L," 12TH O. V. C.
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.
CLEVELAND, OHIO : NEVINS' STEAM PRINTING HOUSE, 78 & 80 FRANKFORT STREET.
1871.
F 8349 . 635
95
1643438
PREFACE.
THE record of Ohio during the war of the Rebellion, was one in which her people may take a just pride. The bom- bardment of Fort Sumter had not ceased when twenty full companies of volunteers, composing the first and second regi- ments, were offered to the Governor for immediate service in defence of the Government. But a week had passed after the first call for volunteers, before Ohio not only had her quota full, and her regiments moving to the field, but ten extra regi- ments, anxiously waiting to be accepted for Government service. The Governor of Kentucky having refused to send any volunteers, the Governor of Ohio immediately telegraphed President Lincoln, " If Kentucky will not fill her quota, Ohio will fill it for her." Sixteen days after the President's call, enough Ohio men had offered their services to fill the entire quota of seventy-five thousand allotted to the whole country. Nor did her earnestness slacken during the progress of the war.
In the year 1861, Ohio furnished for national defence 96,473 men
" 1862,
58,325
" 1863, 1864,
35,573
16
120,283 ..
Making a grand total of 310,654 men
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4
PREFACE.
furnished the government during the entire war, which, accord- ing to the report of the Provost Marshal General, is 4,332 more than the quota of the State. This, however, does not include over ten thousand men who enlisted in organizations raised in or named after other States-men who, finding they could not be accepted from Ohio, either went to adjacent States and enlisted, or formed organizations which other States could and did adopt. Nor do these figures include the ten extra reg- iments raised in 1861, which the Government refused and which the State was obliged to take into its own pay. Nor do they include volunteers for the Navy and Gun-boat service ; nor the colored troops recruited in Ohio for regiments which were accredited to other States-so that while the above aggregate shows the number of men which the Government officially accredited to Ohio, the number which the State actually raised and to the credit of whose services she is morally entitled in history, is probably that shown in the report of the Adjutant General of Ohio for 1864, to wit, 347,326.
In her charitable efforts and prompt care for the wants of · her soldiers, Ohio occupied no second place. The first gene- ral organization in the United States for the relief of soldiers in this war, was formed, mainly by patriotic ladies, at Cleveland, Ohio, five days after the first call for troops; and not merely the veterans of Ohio, but of the Nation, bear grateful witness to the countless blessings joyfully distributed by " The Soldier's Aid Society of Northern Ohio." But these noble deeds of our generous Ohio women are but a part of the efforts, the good work, the heroism of the great unnamed people. To use the words of Mr. WHITELAW REID, in his valuable work " Ohio
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5
PREFACE.
in the War,"-"The people who filled these regiments, and made these administrations, and furnished these statesmen and these Generals, merited more praise than all the rest. They counted their sons and sent them forth. They followed them to the camps. They saw them waste in inaction and die of disease. Then they saw them led by incompetents to needless slaughter. Stricken with anguish, they still maintained their unshaken purpose. They numbered the people again, and sent out fresh thousands. They followed them with generous gifts. They cared for the stricken families, and made desolate lives beautiful with the sweet charities of a gracious christianity."
And thus the whole State-soldiers and citizens, women and men-formed one grand, complete army of patriotic vol- unteers. The motive for this uprising was two-fold. Ohio, in common with her sister States of the North, originally warred solely for the integrity of the government. But as the contest deepened, the freedom of the four million negro slaves assumed a prominent place as a war measure. The Providence of God converted the struggle into a war for human freedom; and Ohio, ever among the first in her anti-slavery feeling, seeing the new fruits which victory would bestow, fought with renewed zeal. The Emancipation Proclamation of January Ist, 1863, was hailed with delight by the loyal people of Ohio, in common with liberty-loving people throughout the civilized world-and " its author has gone hence wreathed with the immortelles of undying greatness."
Nothing that correctly relates to any part of this great struggle, is without value and interest. The services of each brigade, regiment and division, are the colors from which the
6
PREFACE.
mosaic of the future historian must be wrought. It is not that the Twelfth Ohio Cavalry was a famous regiment, the darling corps of a great city, or the pride of any leading commander, that this simple narrative of its service has been written. In the vast scheme by which the rebellion was crushed, it had a spe- cific part to perform, and that duty was performed willingly, bravely and well. The same is true of hundreds of other regi- ments-for to be brave, efficient and faithful to every duty, con- ferred no distinction in an army where good soldiership was the . rule rather than the exception. In a story of this kind, there are, of course, many details which can hardly interest any but the survivors, of whose life experiences those details form a part. It is to the veterans of the Twelfth Ohio and their families that this story of the regiment belongs, and for them it has been written. If it shall serve as a worthy record of their earnest services in a war whose termination solved the weightiest prob- lem ever fought out in the New World, and if it shall remain, with the hundreds of other regimental histories, as a ground- work for the greater history yet to be written, it will have ful- filled the purpose of those by whom it has been put in print.
At a distance of only six years from the experiences here recorded, it has been found a task of no slight difficulty to recall and arrange in proper sequence the events and dates which constitute the main features of the story. In this respect, what- ever success may have been attained, is due mainly to the unwearied efforts of LIEUT. COL. J. F. HERRICK and MAJ. E. C. MODERWELL, neither of whom have accounted any labor too great which could make clear or accurate any passage in the his-
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PREFACE.
tory of the regiment. Without their assistance this book could not have been written.
With no apology for thus adding another to the many " war books " already published, this simple record is submitted, not without many misgivings, to the men whose services it describes, and by whose order it has been written.
F. H. M.
Cleveland, January, 1871.
M
THE STORY 1
OF THE
TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY.
CHAPTER I.
ORGANIZATION.
IT was not until the spring of 1863, that the War Depart- ment at Washington became fully aroused to the vast advan- tages secured to the Confedrate army by the greater number and efficiency of its Cavalry. Up to that time the mounted troops of the Union army had played a wholly subordinate part, and with the exception of a few detached expeditions West of the Mississippi, and the flanking service performed by the cavalry of Pleasanton and Buford in the army of the Potomac, the troopers of the Federal service had been almost without a record. In 1863, however, the daring swoop of Grierson through Mississippi showed what our cavalry could do when properly mounted and led, and, in the same eventful summer, the disastrous raid of Morgan through the rich farm lands of Ohio and Indiana, demonstrated anew our need of a more effi- cient mounted service. The offspring of this climax of circum- stances, so far as Ohio was concerned, was the regiment whose services it will be the aim of this little narrative to record. As long as Ohio could be invaded by rebel cavalry, the State needed cavalry for its defense, and though the total overthrow of Morgan had already rendered another mounted invasion improbable for the immediate present, yet more cavalry would certainly be needed by the Government, so that the organiza- tion of the Twelfth Regiment could not fail to be a justifiable
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10
THE STORY OF THE
enterprise. Early in September, 1863, therefore, Governor Tod, by authority of the War Department, issued the following order, calling into service the Twelfth Cavalry Regiment :
STATE OF OHIO, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, COLUMBUS, OHIO, August 20, 1863.
To the several Military Committees :
GENTLEMEN-Herewith you have a copy of an order from the War Department, authorizing me to raise a regiment of Volunteer Cavalry, to serve for three years or during the war, designed mainly for the protection of our Southern border.
The necessity for such a force must be apparent to all, and hence I hope to have your hearty co-operation in promptly raising this regiment.
Applicants for recruiting commissions for this service will be required to present letters of recommendation from you. The usual pay and bounty will be allowed to the men joining this regiment. Respectfully yours,
[Signed]
DAVID TOD, Governor.
PROVOST MARSHAL GENERALS' OFFICE, ( WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 17, 1863. 1
To His Excellency the Governor of Ohio, Columbus, O .:
SIR-You are hereby authorized by the Secretary of War to raise one regiment of Volunteer Cavalry, to serve three years or during the war, the same to be recruited in the State of Ohio, and to be completed within forty days.
The said regiment is intended for the protection of the Southern border of Ohio, but the force will be liable to serve elsewhere, should the public interest so demand.
The organization must conform to that presented in the General Orders 110, current series, from the Adjutant Gener- al's Office.
All musters into service must be made in accordance with paragraph 86, Revised Mustering Regulations.
Bounties, premiums and advanced pay, to be paid in accord- ance with the requirements of General Order 163, current series, from the Adjutant General's Office.
Supplies will be furnished in accordance with Army Regu- lations.
I am sir, very respectfully, Your obedient servant. JAMES B. FRY, Provost Marshal General.
[Signed ]
Official. [Signed] THOMAS M. VINCENT,
Assistant Adjutant General.
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TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY.
It was imperative that the new regiment should be made ready for service with all possible promptness, and the leading commissions were given almost exclusively to officers already taught and disciplined by duty in the field. The Colonelcy was tendered to Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Ratliff, of the Second Ohio Cavalry, a tried officer and a man in whom Gov- ernor Tod reposed the fullest confidence. Care was taken to bestow the recruiting commissions only upon men who would recruit their quotas promptly and command them ably when recruited. In choosing the officers of the regiment, Governor Tod was guided largely by the recommendations of local mili- tary committees, which by this time had reached an excellent state of efficiency, and contributed much valuable aid to the State government in raising its quotas of men. The recruiting officers thus judiciously chosen, began their work with a degree ·of zeal and judgment which soon produced the most favorable results. On the second of October, Captain (afterwards Major) E. C. Moderwell, reported the first full company of men in Camp Cleveland, where the rendezvous of the regiment had been fixed, and other companies and detachments assembled rapidly. The second company was reported by Captain Sam'l. D. Hawley, of Salem, and soon after Captains .M. J. Collier, (another veteran of the second Ohio Cavalry.) W. H. Hunter and J. F. Herrick, were in camp with their squadrons and ready for organization. The commission of Captain Moderwell, bear- ing date of September 3d, 1863, was the first issued to a line officer, and the first field appointment was given to Major, (afterwards Lieutentant-Colonel,) J. F. Herrick. The date of muster in the various squadrous as well as the dates of all com- missions are fully set forth in the Roster appended to this nar- rative, and need not be recounted here. It should be remarked at this point, howerer, that at the time the Twelfth Cavalry was recruited, the Government bounty to enlisted men amounted to only $100, and this, though a more or less serious obstacle to the recruiting officers, was an ultimate advantage to the regiment, in keeping out of its ranks the formidable class of mercenaries which became such a disgrace to our army during the latter months of the war. What was true of the
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THE STORY OF THE
regiments of 1861 and 1862, was also true in a remarkable degree of the Twelfth Cavalry, its men enlisted because their country needed their services, and not from any pecuniary inducements that were offered. Local bounties had not then become general or generous, and a large majority of the sol- diers of the Twelfth buckled on their sabres with no other purpose than that of doing a soldiers duty for a soldiers scanty pay. There were among them a large proportion of the earliest volunteers of the war, men who in 1861 had enlisted in one and three year regiments, and having been discharged by reason of wounds, disability or expiration of terms of enlistment, now found themselves able again to enter the service and eagerly accepted the first opportunity to place themselves on the rolls of the army. They came from nearly every township and county in the State; many of the companies assembling in squads of a few men each, and finding their first rendezvous even as companies, within the guard lines of Camp Cleveland. The localities at which the different squadrons were recruited, as well as the officers by whom the work of enlistment was accomplished, will be shown by the following table.
NAME OF CO. WHERE RAISED, BY WHOM RECRUITED.
A. Crawford County, mostly Moderwell and Dubois. B. .Salem, Columbiana County Hawley and Rolli. C. Champaign and Logan Counties Hunter and Snyder.
D Franklin County Orange Sells.
E
.Summit, Mahoning and Highland Cos .. Collier, Johnston & Heddleson.
F Cuyahoga, Lorain and Hancock Cos .... Herrick and Flaisig.
G. .Ottawa, Defiance, Allen, Putnam and
Richland Counties Monroe and Douglas.
H Guernsey and Harison Counties Parkinson.
I. . Erie and Tuscarawas Counties. Degenfield, Lohmire & Armsey
K Shelby, Miami and Montgomery Cos. .Holmes and Jackson. L. . Vinton and Highland Counties. Gage and Defigh. M. Fairfield County, mostly .. James Hicks.
Thus organized from men who were willing to volunteer, rather than leave their duty undone, or take the chances of a draft, the Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, on the 24th of November,
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TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY.
1863, was drawn up a complete organization, and formally mus- tered into the army of the Union. Its field and staff stood on its original muster roll as follows:
Colonel-Robert W. Ratliff, of Warren.
Lieut-Colonel-Robert H. Bentley, of Mansfield.
Major-J. F. Herrick, of Cleveland,
Major-Miles J. Collier, of Akron.
Major-Erastus C. Moderwell, of Bucyrus. Surgeon-George W. Brooke of Mahoning County.
Asst. Surgeon-Abram H. Hunt, of Wooster.
Asst. Surgeon-W. K. Hughes, of Mahoning County. Adjutant-Frank H. Mason, of Niles.
Quarter Master-Wm. S. Wood, of Genoa.
Commissary-Milton W. Parsons, of Cincinnati.
Chaplain-Thomas W. Roberts, of Trumbull County.
Of these officers Colonel Ratliff had already seen two years of honorable service in the Second Ohio Cavalry, Lieut-Colonel Bentley had served in the Army of the Potomac as an officer of Thirty-Second Ohio Infantry; Majors Herrick and Moderwell had shared the campaigns of Western Virginia and the Shenan- doah Valley, the former as Captain in the 87th Ohio Infantry, the latter with the same rank in the 86th ; Major Collier was a veteran of the battle-scarred 2d Ohio Cavalry, with honorable mention for services beyond the Mississippi, and Adjutant Mason had been promoted by President Lincoln from an infantry private to a staff captain, for services in the campaign and siege of Vicksburgh. So many, indeed, of the officers of all grades, were veterans with honorable records, that the story of their service is hereby put into tabular form.
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THE STORY OF THE
Table showing former Military Service of Officers of the 12th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry.
Name. Rank. Regiment of Rank in for- Locality of former service, etc.
former service. mer service.
Robert W. Ratliff. Colonel. .2d O. V. C ... .. Lieut-Col West'n Frontier and Ky.
Robert H. Bentley
Lt-Colonel ... 32d O. V. I .... Liout-Col. Shenandoah Valley.
John F. Herrick Major 87th O. V. I ... Captain Shenandoah Valley.
Miles J. Collier Major .2d O. V. C ..... Ist Lieut. West'n. Frontier and Ky.
Erastus C. Moderwell .. Major 86th O. V. I ... Captain Western Virginia.
Wallace K. Hughes ... Asst. Surg ... 38th O. V. I ... Asst. Surg. Detailed at Camp Den'sn
George W. Pease Asst. Surg ... 87th O. V. I ... Ist Lieut. Shenandoah Valley.
Frank H. Mason. . Adjutant ..... 42d O. V. I .... Capt & A.D.C13th A. C. Siege Vick'bg
William S. Wood Qr. Master ... 65th N. Y. I ... Private Army of the Potomac.
Franklin A. Du Bois. Captain.
.86th O. V. I ... Hosp. Stew ... Western Virginia.
.Clerk Army of the Cumberland
Wm. H. Hunter Captain. ... .C. S. Dept.
John W. Johnston Captain
2d O. V. C ..... Sergeant West'n. Frontier and Ky.
Alexander A. Monroe. Captain
C. M. Degenfield. .Captain. .... 26th O. V. I ... Major
Western Armies.
Wm. A. Gage. . Captain. ... 87th O. V. I .... Ist Lieut.
John G. Rolli
Ist Lieut ..... Ist Ill. Cav ..... Ist Lieut.
Jacob Snyder Ist Lieut .....
6th Mo. Cav ... Lieut
Missouri.
Wm. C. Heddle
Ist Lieut .. ... 24th O. V. I ... 2d Lieut.
W. Va. & Army of Ohio.
Thompson S. Finch ... 2d Lieut.
.3d O. V. I ...
Privante. Western Virginia.
Eli N. Flaisig .. 2d Lieut .. .2Ist O. V. I ... West Virginia and Ky.
James J. Defigh. 2d Lieut. .... 86th O. V. I ... Sergeant Western Virginia.
Nelson Holt ... 2d Lieut .. .49th O. V. I ... Corporal
Army of the Ohio.
Thos. M. Schlabach ... 2d Lieut .. 2d O. V. C ..... West'n Frontier and Ky.
Milo L. Blanchard. 2d Lieut. .... 5th N. Y. Cav.B. Qr. M. SergShenandoah Valley.
Chas. S. Rannells 2d Lieut. 18th & 87th O.Private. Virginia and Kentucky.
David C. Pugh 2d Lieut ..... 21st O. V. I .... Ist Sergeant ... Tennessee and Alabama
Leslle N. Aylesworth .. 2d Lieut. 86th O. V. I ... Corporal. Western Virginia.
George W. Kirkland .. 2d Lieut .... .64th O. V. I ... Musician Tennessee and Kentucky.
Western Virginia.
David A. Newell. Ist Lieut ...
86th O. V. I ... Sergeant
Western Virginia.
Robert J. Stewart. 2d Lieut.
.... I Ith Ind. I ..... Sergeant
Army of the Potomac.
Archy H. Thomson ... 2d Lieut.
... 2d O. V. C ..... West'n Frontier and Ky.
Shenandoah Valley.
M. L. Saunders Captain .2Ist O. V. I .... Ist Lieut. West'n. Frontier and Ky.
39th O. V. I ... 2d Lieut. Missouri.
Of the non-commissioned officers, fully two-thirds were men who had faced the lead and steel of the rebellion for two long perilous years, and to their devotion and efficiency, the rapid growth of the Twelfth Cavalry into a thoroughly disci- phined and serviceable organization, was largely due. It was fortunate that this was so, for hardly had the men received their uniforms, and held their first regimental parade, when they were abruptly summoned to active service.
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TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY.
CHAPTER II.
THE REGIMENT CALLED TO DUTY.
Ox the night of November 10th, 1863, Col. Geo. B. Senter, at Camp Cleveland, received a telegraphic order to send at once six hundred men to reinforce the garrison of Johnson's Island. At this point a large and constantly increasing body of Con- federate prisoners had been established, and at the date referred to symptoms became apparent that the rebels in Canada had planned an expedition to capture the U. S. sloop of war Michi- gan, overpower the garrison at Johnson's Island and, rescuing the three thousand prisoners, spread devastation and ruin throughout the northern part of Ohio. The situation was desperate and called for vigorous measures. The 12th Cavalry was not ready for service ; its men were but imperfectly uniformed and not a weapon had yet been placed in their hands; but they were ready and willing; they were sol- diers in will and purpose, and when the danger was known were eager to be led to the rescue. The order reached camp on that cold winter night, the bugles blew to arms, and in fewer minutes than are required to write the story the six hundred men were in line. Six of the squadrons were chosen for the expedition and marched to an old armory near the -camp where muskets and infantry accoutrements were distri- buted to the men, a hasty ration of raw pork and hard bread issued, and before midnight, Companies A, C, D, F, I and L, under the command of Major Herrick, were on the march to the depot. Ten o'clock of the next morning found them at Sandusky, and two hours later they were improvising a bivouac under the prison walls on Johnson's Island.
The first duty thus assigned to the men of the 12th Caval- , ry, though not a dangerous one, was still one which tested their discipline and endurance to the utmost. Winter had already set. in; the damp, muddy snow lay thick upon the ground, and the keen winds swept across the lake and howled round their rude huts bitter as midwinter. There were no
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THE STORY OF THE
tents or other camp equipage on the island; not even adequate cooking utensils; and from their warm, snug barracks in Cleveland the men were ushered without preparation to a bivouac in the open air and upon the frosty ground. A severe and protracted storm of rain and sleet set in and in the midst . of it the six companies set to work to construct the best shelter they could devise. With the help of a few old tents that were finally secured huts were erected and a reasonable degree of comfort attained. The stockade on Johnson's Island contained, at that time, about three thousand Confederate prisoners. Evidence still accumulated of a formidable plan for their release, and Governor Tod spared no effort to provide against every possibile contingency. Two regiments of Ohio Militia were sent to reinforce the garrison at the Island, and these raw troops, while adding somewhat, no doubt, to the strength of the place greatly added to its discomforts. They were mostly wholly unused to the privations of army life, and their constant complaints resulted in their securing the lion's share of what- ever comforts and supplies could be furnished. A brigade from the 5th Corps, army of the Potomac, was stationed in Sandusky but did not assist in the guard duty on the Island. The twenty-fourth Ohio Battery, commanded by Capt. Hill- . a fine soldierly organization-was also added to the force, and a section of this, supported by Company I of the 12th Cavalry, Capt. Degenfeld, was sent across the bay to Cedar Point, whence it commanded the tortuous channel by which vessels are obliged to enter Sandusky Bay.
The whole force thus collected was under the immediate command of General J. D. Cox, then commanding the depart- ment of Ohio, who arrived there during the heat of the excitement.
The keen breath of December soon covered the bay and inlets with ice, and from this time a new danger threatened the garrison. Not only could the enemy come within striking distance of the Island with his ships, but, the narrow inlet dividing the Island from the mainland being frozen, a force
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TWELFTH OHIO CAVALRY. .
could be landed at any point up the lake and marched across the ice to the attack. A heavy guard duty was, therefore, imperative; pickets, with strong reserves, lined the shores, and the guards on the prison walls were doubled. Artillery was posted at various points, not only to beat back an outward enemy but to sweep down the prisoners in case of an outbreak. In this harassing and laborious duty the six companies of the Twelfth Cavalry passed their first winter. The season proved to be one of remarkable rigor. The first, second and third days of January were an epoch in the weather record of this country. From a warm fitful rain the wind suddenly veered to the northward and brought on a gale and storm of un- exampled severity. The mercury dropped, within twelve hours, from about 50º Fahrenheit to 28° below zero. The gale increased rather than diminished, and the biting air pierced through the warmest clothing and punished the slightest indis- cretion with a frozen hand or foot. During this trying period guard duty was a work of no ordinary hazard. On the parapet of the prison the guards were doubled, and, although relieved four times every hour, many a man came out of the ordeal with nose and fingers bitten or with his health seriously impaired. The prisoners alone were secure and comfortable, and in their snug barracks they awaited the return of spring. Thus the long, weary winter wore away. The preparations for defence, and the vigilant watch kept up discouraged the raiders, and no enemy came. A few serious alarms, the turning out of the entire command whenever a frightened sentry fired his musket at an imaginary foe, and the general hard work of keeping warm, busied the men and officers until the 10th of February, when the long expected order came transferring the six companies of the Twelfth to the new rendezvous at Camp Dennison. Knapsacks were quickly packed, farewells hurriedly spoken and on the following day the detachment, commanded by Major Herrick, crossed to Sandusky and took the rail for Southern Oh io.
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