USA > Ohio > Four years in the saddle. History of the First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 > Part 2
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During the last days of the siege we were in such close proximity to the main entrenched lines of the enemy that our pickets, put on duty at dark, were required to keep their posts . until day-break without being relieved, as it was not possible to change the guard on the outposts without drawing the fire of the enemy. Had we been required to do this kind of duty during the late years of the war, the picket would have been dismounted, thus saving the horses, and giving the picket guard a much better opportunity of watching the movements of the enemy, and also keeping himself concealed and not drawing the fire of the enemy by the champing of bits and neighing of horses. These are mentioned as a few of the abuses of the cav- alry service before even our best Generals had learned the art of war.
Nor were our officers of high rank entitled to all the credit for the efficiency of our arm of the service, but the credit belongs largely to the rank and file, to the non-commissioned and line officers, who did the hard service, and was each one a General unto himself, and daily made suggestions to his superiors, who, profiting by them, took all the honor to themselves.
The life of a cavalryman in time of war is one of constant
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activity - hard and dangerous service. During the winter season, when the main army is snugly ensconced in winter quar- ters, the cavalry are the most active and have the hardest service to perform, as they are kept constantly patroling and scouting. It was a very usual occurrence, as is well remembered by every trooper of the regiment, that just as we would get comfortably tucked in our dog tents, after "taps," on a stormy winter's night, to hear the bugle ring out from headquarters, sounding "Boots and saddles!" and in fifteen minutes a company, squadron, or perhaps a regiment, would be in the saddle, booted and spurred ready for duty. And the order be to make a reconnaissance twenty miles to the right or left flank of the army to watch some reported movement of the enemy, and off we dashed through darkness, rain and mud, to find our way the best we could, along the miry and unfrequented roads, not knowing at what moment we would run into an ambuscade of the enemy of thrice our own number, reaching our destination perhaps at daybreak to find that it was a "contraband report." The cav- alry outpost duty was a hard and dangerous service and they were required to furnish the advance sentinels, when not con- fronted by entrenched lines. As grand guards are chiefly to watch the enemy in the front, they are never entrenched, except by barricades hastily thrown up, to repel the attack of cavalry; and it is not only the duty of the grand guard to watch the movements of the enemy, but to reconnoitre his position, and to determine the force and position of the advance posts. Small posts of picked men are sent forward to ascertain if the enemy is advancing, and we all remember well what a perilous duty this was. Marching always in silence and on the approach of the enemy to fire and fall back on the reserve, by routes selected during the day. In the day time the cavalry videttes are placed on high grounds and as much under cover as possible, and always required to carry the carbine in the hand; but, day or night, the sentinel must be sure of the presence of the enemy before firing, and then he must fire, even if surrounded, as the safety of thousands may depend upon one man. Reconnoitering parties were sent out day and night, and just before day-break the advance guards and scouts were drawn close together, as this was the hour of danger, when an attack was anticipated.
All these movements of the cavalry arm of the service re- quired vigilance, secrecy, energy, promptness and dash; and whether the command was composed of a Brigade, Regiment, Squadron, Company or Platoon, the commander must not halt or hesitate, but act immediately and supply by strategy what he lacks in numbers. During the second, third and fourth years of the war, cavalry officers were largely composed of young men who at the beginning of the war were privates or non-commis- sioned officers. The older men could not, but with rare excep-
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tions, endure the hard picket duty, routes and raids of fifty or sixty miles a day, which was of usual occurrence. Some of the most dangerous expeditions were under command of Cor- porals and Sergeants, penetrating the enemy's lines, capturing outposts and couriers with dispatches that were of vital import- ance to our army. Many instances of bravery and heroism in the rank and file could be related that would do honor to a Kilpatrick or a Custer, and instances of individual adventure and heroic deeds in the cavalry service could be multiplied by the score that would be of intense interest to every reader of this history.
The First Ohio Cavalry was organized under the first call for the three years's service in 1861, and as the companies were recruited they rendezvoused at Camp Chase, near Columbus, Ohio, and were mustered in as a regiment on the fifth day of October, 1861. The first commission issued was to Captain J. H. Robinson, of Company "A," and was dated August 16, 1861. Company A was recruited in Fayette county; Company B in Guernsey and Muskingum counties; Company C in Fayette, Pickaway, Hamilton and Highland counties; Company D in Licking and Union counties; Company E in Pickaway county; Company F in Franklin, Fairfield and Licking counties; Com- pany G in Clermont, Warren and Hamilton counties; Company H in Highland county; Company I in Miami county; Company K in Union, Madison and Franklin counties; Company L in Washington county; and Company M in Ross county. The members of the regiment were composed largely of farmers' boys, and many of them furnished their own horses and equip- ments, and as they were accustomed to riding and training horses, they were well adapted to the cavalry arm of the service.
Of the commissioned officers of the regiment, four attained the grade of Colonel, five of Lieutenant-Colonel, sixteen of Major, four of Surgeon, two Assistant Surgeon, one Chaplain, forty-six of Captain, and one hundred and twenty-nine of Lieutenant -- making in all two hundred and seven commissions. There being originally twelve Captains, thirty-four Lieutenants were pro- moted to the rank of Captain. There were but four officers in the regiment at the close of the war that were commissioned at the organization of the regiment; all the other officers re- maining in the regiment at the close of the war having been promoted from the ranks. \ Of the Colonels of the regiment, Ransom resigned, Millikin 'was killed at Stone River, Smith was promoted to Brigadier-General, and Eggleston was also pro- moted to Brigadier-General, and died since the war, was mus- tered out with the regiment. Colonel Cupp was killed at Chick- amauga, Major Moore and Lieutenant Condit were killed at Stone River; Colonel Patten has died since the war, as has also Major Scott. Major Frankeberger, Major Buck, and Major Rob-
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inson died during the war. Captains Emery and Scott were killed in action, as was Lieutenant Allen, Lieutenant Stevens, and Lieutenant Rennick died in the service. Surgeon Cannan, Captain Pickering, Lieutenants Overly, Scott, L'Hommedieu, Ferguson, Bryson, Goodrich, Captain Conn, Captain Lawder, Lieutenant Leib, Lieutenant Hall and Captain Siverd have died since the war, and scores of our comrades of the rank and file have answered their last roll-call and passed to the camping ground on the other shore.
Colonel O. P. Ransom was a regular army officer and he at once commenced drilling the regiment dismounted, and issued the strictest orders for all routine camp duty. But few of the officers knew anything about the cavalry tactics, or any other tactics; but an officer's school was soon organized and every officer was required to get a set of cavalry tactics and devote his time to study and drill, and the company officers were re- gired to organize a school for the non-commissioned officers and give them instructions every night.
We denounced Colonel Ransom as an "old martinet and tyrant" then, but we soon learned to respect him as a disci- plinarian, and before the end of our service blessed his memory for the strict discipline inaugurated when we first went into camp.
One of our historians of the war speaks very highly of the personnel of the regiment at the organization, and uses the fol- lowing language:
"It being the first organization of its class raised in the State, there was at once manifested a great anxiety to join its ranks. This fact enabled the recruiting officers and the Sur- geon. of the regiment to discriminate largely in the selection of men. It may well be doubted whether more applicants were ever rejected from a similar organization in the service, or if a nobler band of men in physical development could possibly have been selected from the yeomanry of Ohio."*
During the month of September, 1861, and before the regi- ment was fully organized, Companies A and C, having been mounted and equipped, were ordered to Western Virginia, where they were destined to campaign in the Army of the Potomac for the next three years, participating in some of the hardest battles and some of the most daring raids of the cavalry service. Company B having been mounted and fully equipped, about the first of October was ordered to report to General Mitchell's Headquarters in Cincinnati, and in a few days it was sent on an expedition into Kentucky. At West Liberty they met the command of Colonel Humphrey Marshall and had a lively fight. Lieutenant Samuel Fordyce and a few men of the company were wounded, being the first blood shed in the regiment. The com-
·Reid's "Ohio in the War."
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pany remained in this section of Kentucky until December and joined the regiment at Louisville in the same month. As will be remembered by all members of the regiment, our camp was along the National Road at the extreme west end of Camp Chase, and we were quartered in tents, while all the other troops in camp were quartered in wooden barracks.
The 40th Regiment, O. V. I., and 42nd Regiment, O. V. I., were in camp - the 42nd being Garfield's regiment - and with this regiment we had a lively skirmish at one time, and after that we did not have any particular love for each other. The 40th and 42nd boys got into a fight something about Post Sut- ler's quarters. The guards of the 42nd refused to allow the 40th boys to pass the guard lines to go to the Sutlers, and this resulted in a big racket between the two regiments and a large number of soldiers of both regiments assembled at the guard line. Before the Officer of the Day arrived hostilities had com- menced, and the First Ohio re-enforced the 40th and took a hand and there were many knock-downs and bloody noses on both sides, and the 42nd was "knocked out in the first round," at least it was so claimed by the boys of the First and Fortieth. This was the "baptism of blood" for these three regiments, that were destined to fight on so many bloody fields within the next four years, and it was a little episode well remembered by every soldier of these regiments present at the time.
During our stay in Camp Chase we had a very enjoyable time, as the fall weather was beautiful, and we had hundreds of visitors from the city and surrounding country, and we were all very much in love with "playing soldier." The company drills in the facings and marching were kept up regularly, two drills each day, until the regiment had become quite proficient in the dismounted drill before the horses were issued. We re- ceived our horses in the month of October, and then the cav. alryman was in his glory, for through all the hard work of "setting up" and the many weeks of dismounted drill he had been cheered by the promise and the bright hope that he would soon be mounted on his good steed and ready to meet the enemy in his chosen arm of the service. The dismounted drill, while dis- tasteful to the trooper, was very important, as we learned, after taking the field, that it was necessary to often dismount to fight on foot, and had our horses been furnished immediately after we went into camp, much of the dismounted drill would have been omitted, and we also had more time to devote to saber drill and manual of carbine and revolver. When the horses were issued, they proved to be very fine mounts, as but few cavalry horses had been purchased in that section of the state, and having ,such a large number of fine horses to select from, many were condemned and rejected. These were the handsomest and most serviceable lot of horses we had during our service - no
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horse being accepted if he was less than five years of age, and at least one horse of that number was in service to the end of the war, and was turned in at Hilton Head, S. C., when the regiment was discharged. The horses were issued to the conl- panies and the company commanders then had two numbers made out for each horse, one was tied to the head of the halter, and the other put in a hat from which each soldier drew a num- ber and then started on a double quick for the picket line to find his horse. It is safe to say that there was more horse trad- ing done in one day, after we received our horses, than was ever done in the State of Ohio in the same time, as every soldier was anxious to get a good mount, and if his horse did not suit him on the first trial, he exchanged with the first trooper that was willing to trade, and this was kept up for some weeks.
The average cavalryman has reached the height of his ambi- tion when he is mounted and equipped, and we commenced mounted drills at once, and kept it up continuously, at least two drills each day, as long as we remained in Camp Chase. We frequently made practice marches along the National Road and into the city, with drawn sabers, and our new uniforms, fine, gaily-caparisoned horses and clanking spurs attracted a great deal of attention, especially from the fair maidens. The flirtations of these dashing troopers no doubt caused the hearts of the "girls we left behind" to sigh for their cavaliers when we were ordered to the front. As the large per cent of the boys recruited in the regiment were farmers, and as in that day a great deal of horseback riding was done, a large majority of our men were, as the saying goes, "raised on a horse's back," and were fine horsemen. To be an accomplished rider, it must be learned when the person is young and at the age when he has a certain amount of recklessness and has no fear, for a person that is timid and has no confidence in his ability to control his horse never can become a good rider.
The First Ohio had a great advantage in this regard over many cavalry regiments that were recruited in cities and in localities where there was little horseback riding, as the men were accustomed to caring for horses and understood feeding, grooming and saddling, and did not have these duties to learn after enlisting. Many of the men brought their own horses to camp and owned them throughout the war, and received forty cents a day from the Government for their service. The men who owned their own mounts usually had the best horses and cared for them the best, as they had a pecuniary interest and also understood the care of horses. With all these advantages, the regiment took up the mounted drill readily, and before we left Camp Chase in December, 1861, had become quite pro- ficient in mounted battalion and regimental drill, which attracted large crowds of visitors, and was viewed with admiration and
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envy by the infantry soldiers in camp. The manœuvres of a thousand horsemen at a trot, gallop and charge is a magnificent sight, and, once seen, is always remembered, and has a great attraction for the average young American, and we were all soon imbued with the dash and exciting attractions of the cay- alry service.
While no soldier can become a good cavalryman unless he is a good horseman, we soon learned that the service of a cav- alryman, with all its many attractions, was at all times laborious, and while he might be a good rider he had many other duties to learn and perform.
The trooper has his carbine to care for and keep in order, which evens him up with the infantryman in care of arms and equipments, and in addition to this he has his revolver, saber and horse equipments to keep in order and his horse to water, feed and groom every day, and the soldier who enlists in the cavalry service expecting a "soft snap" will soon learn, to his sorrow, that he has been laboring under a grievous mistake. On a campaign or march in good weather, when it is not neces- sary to pitch tents at night, the infantry stack arms, get supper and are soon at rest or asleep; but not so with the cavalryman- the company must first put up the picket rope and then the horses must be watered, fed and groomed. If there is no forage in the wagon train, he must then hunt forage for his horse, and perhaps go a mile or two for that. Then he unsaddles, gets his coffee, grooms his horse, and is ready to lie down an hour after the infantryman is asleep. In the morning, if the cavalry are to move at the same hour the infantry are to march, they must have revielle an hour earlier than the infantry, to have time to feed, groom and water their horses; and while he has the advantage on the march, it would not be considered by the average citizen a very easy task to march forty, fifty or even sixty miles a day mounted, which was a usual occurrence on our scouts and raids. We did not know all of these things when we were drilling in Camp Chase in the fall of 1861, but before the regiment was mustered out - September 13, 1865 - we learned by experience that it was a reality.
On the eighth day of December the long looked for order to "march to the front" was received, and it took a full day and night to pack up and cook rations for the anticipated campaign.
All day of the eighth was consumed in writing letters to the dear ones at home and sending a last loving message to the "girl we left behind." But little sleep was had that night by anyone, as many of the boys took advantage of the last night in camp to visit the city, and, as a result, came into camp all hours of the night, many of them in a hilarious and boisterous condition, much to the disgust of the infantry boys doing guard
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duty along the National Road, as squads of cavalrymen of from six to a dozen would dash through the guard lines under the spur yelling like a lot of savages. Thus the night of the eighth passed in a whirl of excitement, and just after day-break of the ninth the "general" was sounded, tents were struck, and the straw and debris that had accumulated during over three months' encampment was fired, and for two or three hours we were almost suffocated with the black, dense smoke from the many fires all over the camp. Each soldier of the regiment had been presented by the Sanitary Commission with a large cotton comforter in camp, but very uncomfortable to pack, as they were so large and cumbersome. Imagine a cavalry saddle with the following load mailed on the pommel and the cantel and you see the saddle of a trooper of the First Ohio Cavalry as it appeared when packed for the first time: One double blanket, one rubber talma, one overcoat, one shirt, an extra suit of under- wear, socks, etc., one feed sack, one lariat rope, curry-comb and brush, and one cotton comforter. When the saddle was packed and ready for putting on the horse's back, it was a fair rival in appearance to a Pennsylvania moving wagon.
Each trooper had sufficient baggage for three, and it took two of the boys to lift a saddle up on a horse's back in saddling, and when he mounted, the horses groaned under their heavy load. Here we had our first experience in "waiting for orders," and we had to wait two or three hours after saddling, but finally; much to our delight, we took up our line of march for the city. It was a beautiful, sunshiny December day, and every soldier who was in the regiment at that time will well remember that march from Camp Chase. One thousand cavalrymen, armed and equipped in heavy marching orders, marching by fours along the old National Road and through the streets of Columbus, was a grand spectacle and one never to be forgotten, The boys were all in high spirits and as we passed the old Four Mile House, the genial landlord of that famed hostelry, with his family, were out on the long porch waving us good-bye, and the boys were singing the "Girl I left behind me," little think- ing that many of them were leaving their sweethearts for the last time on earth.
Many of the boys in the regiment had enlisted from Colum- bus and from Franklin, Madison, Union, Licking, Fairfield, Pickaway and other adjoining counties, and as the word had gone forth that we were to march on that day, scores of relatives and friends had been attracted to the camp to bid their fathers, brothers, sons and sweethearts good-bye and to see them off for the war, and as was usual in all regiments that left for the "front," there were many sad farewells, and "Good-bye, God bless and protect you" came from many a bleeding heart.
There were some amusing and exciting incidents, even in
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this quiet march to the city, as the loads were so heavy that many of the saddles turned and the horses would become fright- ened and run, and in some instances broke away from their riders, after they were thrown or dismounted, and some of the . well packed saddles were kicked to pieces by the frightened horses, and the big cotton comforters were badly demoralized. The streets were lined by thousands of people, and as we · marched across High Street and out Broadway the regiment was greeted by shouts and by waving of flags and handkerchiefs all along the line, and hundreds of people followed to the stock- yards, east of the depot, to see us on board the train.
It took all the afternoon to load horses and baggage aboard the cars, and we were ready to pull out just about dark, and the men were marched down to the depot to take the passenger coaches in waiting, and we were soon steaming toward the Queen .City with long trains of freight cars loaded with horses and bag. gage following close behind. We arrived in Cincinnati about daybreak on the morning of the tenth sleepy, tired and hungry. The work of unloading horses and baggage was commenced at once and consumed the greater part of the forenoon, and, as will be remembered, we marched through the market, and the boys both amused themselves and replenished their haversacks by - running their sabers into the piles of fruit exhibited for sale, much to the anxiety of the market venders. We marched to the wharf, where several transports were steamed up waiting, and by 3 o'clock P. M. we were all safely on board, with horses on the lower decks, ready to start down the beautiful Ohio for Louisville.
The horses were closely crowded together, and the hissing of the steam, the noise of the machinery, and the dashing of the waves against the sides of the boat frightened the horses so that some of them became almost wild and unmanageable, and it was necessary to keep a very strong stable guard on all the time to look after them. The floors were very slippery and at times the swaying of the boat would cause them to slip and fall and it was almost worth a man's life to go in among those wild, stamping horses, and we were all very happy when we landed at Louisville, Ky., on the morning of the eleventh -- the first cavalry regiment to enter that department excepting Wolford's Kentucky regiment.
Reid says in his "Ohio in the War": "The First Ohio was the nucleus of that host of cavalry which, under the leadership . of Stanley, Crook, Long, Kilpatrick, Minty, Millikin, Garrard, Mitchell and Wilson achieved such triumphs for the country and fame for themselves."
We went into camp at Oakland, a fine park just outside of the city limits, south west, and named it Camp Buell, in honor of General Don Carlos Buell, Commander of the "Army of Ohio."
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It was a beautiful camp with good drill grounds, and we resumed drills and regular camp duties at once, with mounted "dress parades" and practice marches on the pikes leading out from the city. Soon after our arrival at Camp Buell measles, that · disease much more to be dreaded among soldiers than smallpox, broke out in the regiment, and as it was quite severe winter weather, many of those taken down with the disease caught cold and died, and with many others disease of throat and lungs resulted, which followed them through their army service, and in some cases through life.
" 1:The regiment remained at Camp Buell, with nothing to break the monotony of camp-life, only one incident, that many members of the regiment will recall with a smile. By the order of some one in authority, and we understood at the time that it was from Lieutenant-Colonel T. C. H. Smith in the absence of Colonel Ransom, we were directed to have our sabers ground, · and we marched into the city, one company at a time, to a machine shop, and had a razor edge put on our sabers, and we then imagined that we were ready to go to chopping off heads in the most approved order of modern warfare. Colonel Ransom, on his return, was very indignant, and ordered us to dull the edges by saber exercise and fencing, as they were very dangerous in drilling with the saber when mounted, and besides it was against the rules of civilized warfare. During the service of the regi- ment we had many a laugh over our experience with our razor- edged sabers at Camp Buell.
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