USA > Ohio > Wood County > Commemorative historical and biographical record of Wood County, Ohio : its past and present : early settlement and development biographies and portraits of early settlers and representative citizens, etc. V. 1 > Part 25
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First Companies .- On April 27 the Perrys- burg volunteers left on the steamer " Belle " for Cleveland, under the title " Fort Meigs Rifles." Miss Ella Baird presented the flag. Seven young
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men from Hull Prairie also left for the camp, while 109 men, forming the "Gilead Worth Guards," under Capt. Carr, Lieut. J. J. Vorhes and 2nd Lieut. J. E. McGowan, left on the same day. On April 23, recruiting was carried on at Bowling Green, where fifty men were en- rolled by the night of the 24th, and, in every section of the county, the work of enlistment and preparation was carried on.
The Webster township military company, on returning from camp, in May, 1861, where there was no room for them, organized a cavalry con- pany, under Capt. M. Brewster, and encamped at Bowling Green to await orders. By the close of August there were forty-seven mounted men enrolled, and early in September sixty-five men were reported ready. In August, 1861, Lieut. McMahan entered upon the work of enlisting, and early in September opened camp at Findlay. At Perrysburg, a war-meeting was held, under' the presidency of G. E. Guyer, with J. W. Bail- ey, secretary; while throughout the county young men were preparing for the service. The Bow- ling Green meeting was addressed by Messrs. Reed, Poe and others, and the Jackson township meeting by Dr. Philo, J. R. Apger and James Ferguson. In Henry, Bloom, Perry and Mont- gomery, trade and agriculture rested, while the people discussed the war and its consequences, and expressed themselves in favor of the United States, let its policy be wrong or right.
REGIMENTAL SKETCHES.
Wood county was largely represented in nine regiments of Ohio volunteers, including the Third Cavalry and Second Heavy Artillery; fairly represented in eight Ohio commands, and sparsely in six Ohio regiments. Natives or residents of the county entered the Regular Army, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa and, even, Kentucky regiments; while, at least, one native was found in one of the most gallant of the great Louisiana commands of the Confeder- ate service.
The history of the Ohio regiments is National rather than local. It was first compiled as early as 1868, under the direction of White- law Reid, from whose work these regimental sketches have in a great measure been taken. In May, 1884, the Legislature of Ohio, by joint resolution, authorized the Roster of Ohio Soldiers, 1861-66, which has been issued in eleven large volumes. The record of individ- ual soldiers is an index to the service of the regi- ment. This record has been compiled, after the expenditure of much labor and money, and with
the following regimental sketches make up an ex- haustive history of the part taken by the men of Wood county in the War of the Rebellion.
The Twenty-first Infantry .- In this regiment there were many Wood county men, represented principally in Companies B, C, H and I. Capt. Arnold McMahan's 107 men, and Capt. Milo Caton's 102 inen, were all residents of the county. The names and records of the soldiers are given in the roster which follows.
The regiment was organized at Camp Taylor. near Cleveland, on April 27, 1861, Jesse S. Nor- ton, Col .: J. M. Neibling, Lieut. - Col. ; A. J. Tay- lor, Major; three-months' service. Then Jesse S. Norton, James M. Neibling, Arnold McMahan, Cols., successively; James M. Neibling, D. M. Stoughton, Arnold McMahan, W. B. Wicker, Lieut. - Cols., successively; Samuel A. Strong. D. M. Stoughton, Geo. F. Walker, Arnold McMahan. Isaac Cusac, John C. Martin, Majors. succes- sively. Of these officers, Jesse S. Norton, Arnold McMahan and William B. Wicker, were Wood county men.
Among other commissioned officers from Wood county in the 21st, during its term of service, were: Asher Cook, Omar C. Carr, Silas S. Canfield, James W. Knaggs, James L. Curry, Edward L. Baird, J. E. McGowan, J. J. Worhes, Ara C. Spafford, John Patterson, John S. Mahony, William Pryor, Robert Buffum, Elihu H. Mason.
The regiment moved on May 23, passing through Columbus (where it received its arms ) to Gallipolis, where it went into camp and re- mained until July 3, when it moved to Ravens- wood, by order of Gen. McClellan. to re-enforce the 17th Ohio, then expecting an attack from O. Jennings Wise, whose forces lay at a little town called Ripley. The Federal force. under Col. Norton of the 21st Ohio. disembarked at eleven o'clock, made a forced march to Ripley, surprised the Rebels and drove them from the place. A day or two after this, Col. Norton captured forty prominent Rebel citizens as hostages for the good treatment and safe return of some loyal Virgin- ians captured by the notorious Jenkins.
On the 11th of July Gen. Cox took command of the brigade consisting of the 11th, 12th and 21st Ohio, the ist and and Kentucky, Cotter's Ist Ohio Battery of two guns, and Capt. George's cavalry, and marched to Red House, on the Kanawha river. At this place Col. Norton was ordered to make a reconnoisance for the purpose of discovering the Rebel position. Company F.
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Capt. Geo. F. Walker; Company H, Capt. A. M. Blackman, and Company G, Capt. Lovell, with a portion of Capt. George's cavalry, started under command of Col. Norton early on Sunday morn- ing, July 14, moving on three different roads, all terminating at a little village on Scarey creek. where it empties into the Kanawha river. After marching some eight miles the enemy's pickets were encountered in a church, from which they fired, and fell back on their main body. Skir- mishers were thrown out by Col. Norton, which developed the enemy in force on the opposite bank of the creek, occupying a strong position with a full battery.
After developing the strength of the Rebels, the Federal troops fell back two miles, and at twelve o'clock that night were re-enforced by the remaining companies of the 21st Ohio, and part of the 2nd Kentucky, under Lieut .- Col. En- yart; but, lacking artillery, Col. Norton thought it best to fall back and await the arrival of the main body. On the 15th the main body, under Gen. Cox, arrived, and on the morning of the 17th Col. Lowe was placed in command of a force, consisting of his own regiment; Com- pany K. Capt. S. A. Strong, and Company D, Capt. Thomas G. Allen, of the 21st; Capt. Cotter's two rifled guns, and a portion of Capt. George's cavalry, as an attacking column, and ordered to drive the enemy from his position. The fight opened at great disadvantage to the Federals, from the fact that their old United States smooth-bore muskets did not carry far enough to reach the enemy, who were stationed in the bed of the creek, and protected by high banks. Col. Norton seeing the disadvantage, de- termined to drive the enemy out of the creek with the bayonet, and. as a preliminary move- ment, sent a flanking force to turn the enemy's left, and divert his attention from the contein- plated charge in front. The charge was success- fully made by Col. Norton, with two companies of the 12th Ohio, the enemy being lifted out of the creek, and the whole Rebel force driven back. Col. Norton was painfully wounded in this affair. but remained on the field, hoping to be supported by Col. Lowe. Three messengers were dis- patched to Col. Lowe, one of whom was killed. but the needed support was not given. In the meantime the enemy received re-enforcements, and, discovering that the Federal force was not properly supported, again advanced their column and, in turn. drove them, capturing Col. Norton. and Lient. Brown of the 12th Ohio, who had remained with Col. Norton and the other wounded. The loss in this engagement was nine
killed, including Capt. Allen and Lieut. Pomeroy. of Company D, and seventeen wounded.
On the evening of the battle. Col. Woodruff. and Lieut .- Col. G. W. Neff, of the 2nd Ken- tucky; Col. Chas. A. De Villiers, of the 11th Ohio, and two Kentucky captains rode up to the battle-ground by a different road from that on which the troops were retreating, and were in- stantly made prisoners by the Rebels.
The 21st was mustered out August 12, 1861. It was again re-organized on September 19. 1861, for the three-years' campaign, and mustered into service at Findlay, Ohio. It received marching orders a few days thereafter, was supplied with arms at Camp Dennison October 2, and marched the same day for Nicholasville, Ky. It remained there ten days, and was then ordered to march to McCormick's Gap to join Gen. Nelson. then in command at that point. The affair at Ivy Moun- tain, Ky., November 9, 1861, followed. In De- cember the regiment was in Buell's army, with which it went into winter quarters on Green river. Early in 1862, it participated in the work of driving the Confederates from Bowling Green, Ky., and in the capture of Nashville, on March 13. Moving to Huntsville, the 21st furnished a quota of the twenty-four men under Andrews, known as the " Mitchell Raiders." and otherwise took a lead- ing part in the stirring affairs around Huntsville on April 11, 1862, and in the radical movements carried out by Gen. Mitchell, in which Co. C. under Capt. Arnold McMahan, and Co. F. under Capt. H. H. Alban, carried the war into Alabama, fighting at Bridgeport. The capture of Co. H. by Morgan, while returning from Nashville, was a most unfortunate affair, even as the formation of the nucleus of the Ist Alabama Loyal Regi- ment, at Athens, by Capt. McMahan, was a most conciliatory one. On September 2, 1862, the regiment arrived at Nashville, where it was at- tached to Negley's division, and where it remained until the siege was raised on November 7, being engaged meantime in the affairs of Lavergne (where the 3d Alabama Regiment was captured . White's Creek, Wilson's Bend, and Franklin Pike. and meriting special notice of Gen. Rose- crans. The advance toward Murfreesboro was commenced December 26, 1862, on the 31st the battle was begun, the 21st Regiment crossing Stone river, charging a battery and capturing three brass guns. Capt. McMahan, who was the leader in that extraordinary charge, was reported for promotion as soon as the smoke of battle cleared away, and, shortly after, was commis- sioned major. The regiment was otherwise honored by being given the advance in entering
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Murfreesboro on January 4, 1863. From that date to June 24, 1863, this command was on duty in and round the conquered city. On the date given, it moved toward Tullahoma, and followed the enemy until September 19, when it formed part of the line of battle on Chickamauga creek. There, on September 20, Lt. - Col. Stoughton was wounded, and Major Arnold McMahan took command, guiding his regiment through the thick of the fight, collecting the cartridges from the dead and wounded, and, as a last resort, charg- ing the heavy Confederate lines with the bayonet, driving back the enemy and taking nine prisoners. Immediately after, the Rebel officers realized the fact that McMahan's command was without am- munition, took courage from this knowledge, fell on the remnant of the valiant regiment, captured twelve officers and 120 men (of whom one officer and fifty-nine men died in prison), and left the remainder to escape in the darkness. During the battle the Colt's revolving rifles of the 21st played such havoc that the enemy turned atten- tion toward wiping it out of existence. This is shown by the fact that toward sun-down, on the 20th, Bragg ordered a full battery to play upon it, and, under cover of the smoke, urged on charge after charge, until the dry leaves and brush of the forest were set on fire, lapping up the life of the dying and wounded, whose com- rades were making such an heroic fight against great odds. The men who escaped from this valhalla at Horse-shoe Ridge, with Lt. - Col. Neibling, found a way to their retreating army, and thence to Chattanooga. In November fol- lowing they participated in the affair at Mission Ridge, on January 1, 1864, re-enlisted as vet- erans, were furloughed, and, on March 6, 1864, were once more at Chattanooga. From that point it moved to Ringgold, Ga., and thence, on May 7, with Sherman's army to the sea.
The new life of the old regiment opened at Buzzard's Roost, May 9, 1864. It was present at Resaca, May 15, and at New Hope Church on May 28. While advancing to position on the last date, the right arm of Col. Neibling was fractured, and Major McMahan, who had just ar- rived from Libby prison, assumed command. The fighting Major pushed forward his regiment, captured a ridge that commanded the enemy's position, and held it until the enemy withdrew. On June 7, the 21st Regiment met the Confeder- ate forces at Kenesaw Mountain, held the front line at Bald Knob for twelve days and nights, later followed the retreating Rebels toward the Chattahoochie river, and on July 9, McMahan led the celebrated charge against the position
held by the 4th Mississippi and 54th Louisiana Infantry, captured the rifle-pits, thirty-three stand of new English rifles, seventeen prisoners, and drove the enemy into their principal works. The regiment lost fifteen men killed, with two officers and thirty-seven men wounded, in this affair, but won the reward of holding the pits, and, in a manner, the principal works, until the enemy withdrew on July 10. Within a day or two the Chattahoochie was crossed, and on the 19th and 20th battle was given to the Confeder- ates at Nancy's creek and Peach Tree creek. From July 22 to the night of December I, this regiment was under fire daily. At Jonesboro, Ga., it lost five killed and thirty wounded, and its total losses from May 7 to the capitulation of Atlanta, on September 2, 1864, two officers and thirty-two men killed, and five officers and 119 men wounded, many of whom died from their wounds. The pursuit of Hood led the command to Galesville, Ala., by October 20, but, returning to Atlanta by November 15, it remained there until next morning, when the advance toward Savannah was ordered. At Lumpkin Station, on December 4, the enemy was encountered, and from December 12 to 20 was on service before Savannah, formning the vanguard entering the city on December 21, 1864. The campaign in the Carolinas followed, Lt. - Col. McMahan guiding the regiment in a line of successes. The affairs at Rocky Mount, S. C., at Averysboro and Ben- tonville, N. C., brought additional laurels. Dur- ing the battle of Bentonville, McMahan was as- signed to command the brigade, and Capt. Samuel F. Cheney to command the regiment ; but the war was virtually over. On May 26, 1865, the 21st participated in the grand review at Washington, proceeded to Louisville, Ky .. where it was mustered out, and thence to Columbus, Ohio, where the men were paid and discharged July 28, 1865.
The record of the regiment is a brilliant one. The dash and spirit displayed on more than one field are remembered by the people of Ohio, and form the basis of the many stories of heroism which veterans of other regiments tell of the gal- lant 2Ist Ohio Infantry.
The Mitchell Raiders was organized in April. 1862, under J. J. Andrews, with the approval of Gen. O. M. Mitchell, to destroy the bridges on the Georgia State railroad. between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Andrews, who was then a secret- service agent, suggested the organization. volun- teered to lead it himself, and met his twenty-one select men at Shelbyville, Tenn., April ;. 1862.
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Three of the volunteers are residents of Wood county to-day. It is due to them, as well as to the other survivors and the dead, that a sketch of this daring expedition into the very heart of the enemy's country should be given, for the twenty-two Ohioans volunteered to accomplish, by secret means, what in open warfare might call for the presence of an army corps, and pos- sibly the loss of hundreds of lives on both sides.
The names of the raiders are E. H. Mason, Co. B, John M. Scott, Co. F. Robert Buffum, Co. H, William Bensinger, Co. G, Wilson W. Brown, Co. F, Robert F. Bonham, Co. F, Will- iam Knight, Co. E, John A. Wilson, Co. C, John R. Porter, Co. G, and Mark Wood, Co. C, 2Ist Ohio Infantry; Marion A. Ross, Co. A, Charles Perry Shadrick, Co. K. George D. Wil- son, Co. B, and William Pittinger, Co. G, 2d Ohio Infantry; M. J. Hawkins, Co. A, William Riddick, Co. B, John Wollam, Co. C, Samuel Robinson, Co. G, D. A. Dorsey, Co. H, and Jacob Parrott, Co. K, 33d Ohio Infantry; with William Campbell, a Kentuckian, Samuel Sla- ven and J. J. Andrews.
The adventurers arrived at Chattanooga April II, and early on the morning of the 12th at Marietta, Ga., where they represented themselves as Kentuckians, and where they were to begin in earnest the work which Andrews had designed. On the morning of the 12th, the men, except Hawkins and Porter, boarded the north-bound train for Big Shanty, where a stop was made for breakfast. Andrews, knowing that there was no telegraph office there, determined to begin the execution of his plans. Believing that three box- cars, with the engine and tender, would be enough to handle, he uncoupled the train, and with Brown, Knight and J. A. Wilson, jumped on the engine, while the other raiders took their places in the cars. Knight played engineer, while Scott looked after the important duty of cutting the telegraph wires. At the first station the self-appointed train crew took on wood and water, and began the work of track destruction. At Marengo, where the south-bound train was due, Andrews stated he was running a train of powder through to Beauregard's headquarters, and, on this explanation, received the switch key and a train-schedule from the agent. The schedule showed but one train, but the advance of Gen. Mitchell's division to Huntsville, Ala., drove tlie Confederates to preparations for entering Geor- gia. This necessitated many special trains, so that the red flag was carried on each new train, a common and unwelcome sight to the small band engaged in the large and terrible enterprise.
Hope battled against reason in their breasts; they urged the locomotive to its greatest speed. stopped at some places to remove rails and ties and load them on the box-cars, again make up time, Wilson playing fireman and Brown en- gineer, halt to destroy a culvert, push forward again, and so on until the crews of passing trains and station agents began to look upon the train- men of the so-called powder train as so many fra diavolos gone wild.
Meantime, the railroad authorities at Big Shanty awakened to the fact that a part of the train was stolen, and that the bandits had cut the telegraph lines. A hand-car crew went in pursuit, took possession of the first locomotive, and pushed on faster, repairing the track as they moved forward. Between Adairsville and King- ston, this crew gave up hope of repairing the work of the destroyers, abandoned the locomo- tive and walked until they met a down freight. They related the story to the engineer, urged him to sidetrack his cars and give them the locomo- tive. Agreeing, the pursuers jumped aboard, at Calhoun they pressed a telegraph operator and soldiers into their service, and then, with valve wide open, renewed the race after the dare- devils. Soon, they came in sight of their prey, saw it stop in the distance, for the raiders halted at intervals to remove the track, and knew that the fugitives would soon be overhauled. The raiders were also on the look-out, beheld the ap- proaching train with some alarm, but never lost an opportunity of destroying the track, until the smoke of the pursuer told them that flight was their only hope. Then began that terrible rail- road race, through Resaca, Tilton, Dalton and Ringgold. Beyond Dalton, Andrews ordered a halt, to cut the wires, but he was two minutes late, for a message had just passed on to Chat- tanooga. Fuel and oil were exhausted about the moment Ringgold was passed, and then Andrews ordered a halt, reversed the engine, so as to wreck the pursuing train, and with his volunteers fled into the forest, each man seeking safety for himself. The troops at Ringgold were put on the qui vive, infantry and cavalry scoured the coun- try for the fugitives, and, within a week. all the daring men, save Wood and Wilson, were in the hands of implacable enemies, even Hawkins and Porter, who failed to board the train at Marietta. being among the prisoners. Within three weeks Wood and Wilson were made prisoners.
To speak of the treatment of these gallant men, by tlie Confederates, is a matter of history. Confederate officers condoned acts of barbarism worthy only of the lowest mob of fanatics ever
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gathered in America, ignored the claims of the men as regular soldiers, detached for a service of which they knew nothing, flogged the youngest soldier almost to death with the hope of wring- ing from him information, and then after the leader, Andrews, stepped forward and acknowl- edged himself as leader, took the gallant fellow and six of his men to the gibbet, at Atlanta, where they were executed. The others, awaiting death in the Atlanta prison, seized their jailor, when he brought in their suppers, took the prison keys, overpowered seven armed guards, and made a way toward liberty. Six of them were re-cap- tured and confined in Libby and Castle Thunder, until March, 1863, when they were exchanged at City Point. The men executed were John M. Scott, June 18, 1862; Marion A. Ross, June 16, '62; Charles Perry Shadrick, June 18, '62; Geo. C. Wilson, June 18, '62; Samuel Robertson, June 18, '62, Samuel Slavens, William Camp- bell and J. J. Andrews, June 16, '62. The reso- lution of Congress, adopted in July, 1862, pro- vided that medals be struck for the survivors of the expedition, which medals were duly presented, Elisha H. Mason, of Pemberville, receiving the second, and young Parrott, of Hardin county, the first.
The One Hundredth Infantry-(three years). -Wood county was represented in several dif- ferent companies, Company A being almost, if not exclusively, a Wood county command. Col. Patrick Slevin and Maj. John A. Shannon were from the county, as were also some six or eight other commissioned officers of the regiment, some of whom were promoted to high positions in other regiments. The regiment was organized at Toledo during the months of July and August, 1862, and was mustered into the service Sep- tember I following. Its principal officers, suc- cessively, were: John C. Groom, Patrick Slevin, Edwin L. Hayes, Cols .; Patrick Slevin, Edwin L. Hayes, Franklin Rundell, Lieut. - Cols. ; Edwin L. Hayes, John A. Shannon, Henry D. Taylor, Franklin Rundell, Majors. On the 8th of Sep- tember the regiment moved to Cincinnati, for the defense of that city, On the 9th it went into position on Covington Heights, a few rods in front and to the left of Fort Mitchell.
1863, it moved to Frankfort. Toward the last of February it marched to Lexington to intercept a Rebel raid, and from that point marched to Crab Orchard, Mount Vernon, Somerset, and to vari- ous other points where the presence of the en- emy rendered it necessary. On the 13th of Au- gust, the regiment went into camp at Danville, preparatory for the march of East Tennessee. Upon arriving at Knoxville a portion of the regi- ment was sent up to the Virginia State line to guard the railroad. The detachment, 240 strong, was captured by the enemy on the 4th of Sep- tember, and was sent to Richmond, Va., a large per cent. of them dying in prison. The regiment participated in the defense of Knoxville, and was on active duty during its stay in East Tennessee. Early in the spring of 1864 it marched in the Twenty-third Army Corps to join Gen. Sherman, then at Tunnell Hill, Ga. It moved on the At- lanta campaign, and was present at almost every battle from Rocky Face Ridge to Atlanta. On the 6th of August it was engaged in an assault on the Rebel works in front of Atlanta, with a loss of 103 men out of 300. Thirty-six men were killed on the field, and eight more died of wounds within the next thirty days. The Colonel was disabled for life. This was the heaviest day's work experienced by the regiment. After the evacuation of Atlanta it joined in pursuit of Hood, and participated in the battles of Frank- lin and Nashville. At Franklin the rooth fought at great disadvantage, having been broken into fragments by the placing of artillery in the bat- tle line at the last moment. Notwithstanding this, some portions of the line of the Tooth were held with the most desperate tenacity. Nothing in war could excel the deadly fighting on this line, a part of which was held by the 100th. The color-bearer, Byron C. Baldwin, of Weston. Ohio, was shot, but in his death agonies rolled his body in the flag so that it might be saved from the enemy. This was only one of the pa- thetic, gallant incidents in the history of the 100th. The regiment moved with the Twenty- third Corps to Wilmington, N. C., and was there actively engaged. It marched into the interior. and moved from Goldsboro to Raleigh with Sher- man's army. It next moved to Greensboro, and from there to Cleveland, Ohio, where it was mus- tered out of the service on the ist of July. 1865. having served two years and ten months from muster-in to muster-out.
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