USA > Ohio > Historical sketch of the 56th Ohio volunteer infantry during the great Civil War from 1861 to 1866 > Part 7
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Captain Ben Roberts of the Fifty-sixth Ohio was captured on the John Warner, and with a later crowd of prisoners was safely imprisoned at Camp Ford, Tyler, Texas. After they had been there for some time they found among their guards a Union man, who agreed to let a squad of them out at the first opportunity, which soon came; and, by twos, ten of them passed out. Captain Roberts and his comrade were the last two out. Shortly after day they heard the bloodhounds on their tracks. Captain Roberts and his chum had followed a water course for a long distance, thereby escaping, but all the others were captured. These two who escaped disguised as rebel soldiers, and with a story of returning to their regiments up in Arkansas got along fairly well, except their long tramp. But as they came near our forces in the region of Little Rock they barely escaped being killed by our soldiers, as some of them had been bushwhacked by the rebels about the time of their arrival, and their gray clothes made things look suspicious. For a
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56TH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
time they were determined to hang them whether or not, but fortunately Captain Roberts' comrade was recognized by some old friends whom he had served with in the past. All in all they had a most desperate experience.
After leaving the Covington we saw no more of the young officer or his men. But in May, 1896, 32 years after this terrible escape, there appeared a notice in The Times-Star of Cincinnati, O., that Dr. Thomas G. Herron would deliver a patriotic address in one of the churches of the city on Memorial day, and among other thing would tell how, during the war, he blew up the United States gunboat Covington to prevent her falling into the enemy's hands. These few lines brought vividly to mind our awful experi- ence on that boat. A short note to Dr. Herron brought in answer the following thrilling letter:
"Cincinnati, O., June 7, 1896.
"Ex-Lieutenant T. J. Williams:
"My Dear Comrade-Thanks. Your very interesting letter of May 30 has been received and contents noted, and as this is Sun- day, my day for religious and patriotic duties, I devote this half hour to answering your kind letter. Yes, sir, I am the officer that had command of the Covington the last few hours of its existence. My Captain deserted the boat (Covington) when lying alongside of the United States steamer Signal, and I assumed command and fought until I had lost most of my men. The steam and hot water from the perforated boilers were scalding dead, wounded and fighters, and the gunner's mate had both legs shot off in the maga- zine door; the master's mate that had charge of the magazine was cut in two by my side; the captain of the gun's crew, by the big gun you mention, had his back shot away, and asked me to put a bullet through him to put him out of his misery. I told the brave sailor I could not, but to make his peace with God, as his moments were very few. He commenced the Lord's prayer, but before he got half way through he gave me a look and his voice ceased and he died. Several scenes like this were too much for me. and so many killed, and with the concentration of fire of General Dick Taylor's men (6,000 men), I ordered the men to arm themselves and get ashore,
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first to carry the wounded men off and hide them in the canebrake, and get up the bank. I then spiked all the guns with rat-tail files and broke them off and started ashore, but as I started I looked back, and could not bear the idea of the enemy's capturing those grand guns-30-pound Parrotts and 50-pound Dahlgrens, besides howitzers-with all the ammunition, so I went back and into the fire-room and took seven shovels of hot coals from under the boil- ers, and carried them back, over my dead boys and bloody deck, and piled them on the pine deck over the magazine. The sixth shovelful burned through the pine deck and the zinc began to melt, · and a few hot coals feli into the loose powder and it began to spit. I threw the seventh shovelful into the hole and rushed forward out of the open port and along the casemating and was about fifteen feet from the jumping-off place when the boat blew up, and I was blown up with it and turned several somersaults, circus like, badly burned, and landed in the mud and water. It was awful; my clothes and hair were on fire. I think I was dead for a few moments,. but rallied and pulled off my burned clothes and plastered myself with wet, red mud, and got on my feet and went up the bank as fast as my burnt, tired legs would carry me. I was afterward, with a few of my men, chased by bloodhounds, and seven of my men were torn to pieces by them, and I had a terrible experience with them. Tracked and captured by the dogs (five of them) and a com- pany of Johnnies, I was taken out to be hanged, and then to be made a target of afterward. The lasso was ordered and brought to hang me, and the noose made. I saw it all, and heard all the interesting conversation, but I was tired, having run fifteen miles, and so nearly dead that it had little effect upon me. But, thank God, the Johnnies could not find a tree with limbs low enough to hang me on. I, being left alone with the dogs at my feet, saw a woman-an amazon about six feet four inches high. As she drew near I felt that one to save me was near at hand. I asked her if she was a mother. She said 'Yes,' and I said, 'Would you not like to have a Yankee mother save your boy if he were in as bad a fix as I am?' 'Yes, I would,' she said, and she picked me up in her strong hands and carried me about 1,000 yards to her cabin, where I lay two days and nights, buried among a lot of old clothes,.
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and I was safe." Thus he escaped and still lives to tell of the awful time he had.
The Fifty-sixth Ohio boys who were captured on the Red river fiasco were imprisoned at Camp Ford, near Tyler, Texas, with hun- dreds of others, among whom was the most of the Forty-eighth Ohio Infantry, captured at Sabine Cross-Roads. When their color- bearer, Isaac Scott, saw that all was lost, he tore the regimental flag from the staff and gave it to his messmate to conceal in his haversack, and after a journey of 150 miles they reached Camp Ford and he delivered the colors to the officers of his regiment. A hole was dug inside of their shanty, and in it they buried their flag. In the stockade were soldiers who had been there nearly two years, and when it was whispered about that there was a Union flag in the prison they could not withstand the pleading of the old pris- oners to let them have a glimpse of the old banner of beauty and glory. Time and again it was dug up, and under strict watch the old prisoners were allowed to go in and take a look at Old Glory, · and, rough men though they were, with tear-stained eyes they pressed the cherished folds of the old flag to their lips. In the meantime the prison commander got. information that led him to believe that there was a Union flag concealed in the prison, so one day they marched a regiment of troops into the prison stockade and made all the Union prisoners fall into line, and after that was done they searched every shanty in the prison pen, and with their bayonets dug up the floors, but did not find the flag. It was a hard matter for them now to find a safe place for the flag, as they were liable to repeat the search at any time. They that night dug the flag up and it was sewed inside the lining of Captain Gunsaulus' blouse, where it remained for about six months. The captain was around among the rebel guards, but they never found out "what a precious charge to keep he had." After seven months of imprison- ment the regiment marched to Shreveport, La., and from there by steamboat to the mouth of the Red river, to be exchanged. As the men of the Forty-eighth Ohio stepped on board the Union vessel, the excited soldiers tore the blouse from Captain Gunsaulus' back and hastily tied the flag to a pole, and as the band on our vessel struck up "The Star Spangled Banner," and the dear old flag of the
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Forty-eighth Ohio floated in the air, in the presence of the enemy's guards, Captain Birchett, the enemy's officer in command of the guards, spoke of it as being the most exciting scene he had ever witnessed, and that the Forty-eighth Ohio deserve great credit for saving their colors during their imprisonment, it being the only regimental flag that went through a rebel prison during the war. It is now deposited in the statehouse at Columbus, O.
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SERGEANT JAMES C. BINGHAM See page 139
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56TH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
CHAPTER XI.
OUR VETERAN FURLOUGH AND RETURN TO. NEW ORLEANS, LA.
The regiment had reached New Orleans on May 7, 1864, and we remained there until. May 25, 1864, when we embarked on the steamship Catawba, and at 5 o'clock p. m. we left for home by way of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean to New York. We would not be taken for the same crowd that landed from the Shreveport on May 7, stripped of everything except what we had upon our persons. Our vessel reached the gulf at 1 p. m. of the 26th, and on the 27th we passed the Dry Tortugas Islands at 4 p. m. This place was used as a prison or place for punishment for soldiers of our army, and I believe two or three of our boys were sent there for a short period. On May 28th we passed several vessels, some going in and others going our way. The Catawba was a very fast vessel for that day.
That night the captain of the ship called the attention of some of us to the southern cross, plainly visible in the sky. For his kind- ness personally I have always been thankful. On May 29 and 30 it was stormy, and many of us had a taste of sea-sickness. We passed stormy Cape Hatteras at 8 p. m. of the 30th. May 31 was very fine and we had lots of amusement in watching the porpoises as they sported about the ship. One large one, a vard ahead, led the ship as though it was hitched to it, for miles upon miles. June 1, 1864, at 5 a. m., we reached New York. We were up early, and will always remember the grand sights on every side as on that bright morning we sailed into that great harbor. It was new and also amusing to us as we marched off the ship to feel that the ground seemed to rise up before us at every step. In New York we were quartered in the Park Barracks, which was close to Barnum's
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Museum. We remained here one day and night. June 2, 1864, we crossed to Elizabethport, N. J., and took the cars for Harrisburg, Pa., reaching there at 2 a. m. of the 3d. We left at 5 a. m. and reached Altoona, Pa., at 2 p. m., where our train circled up and over the mountains, where we saw grand and never-to-be-forgotten scenery on every side; passed Johnstown and reached Pittsburg at 10 p. m. Here a delegation met us and we were escorted by them to a hall near the station, where they had the finest supper for us that we had partaken of for over two and a half years at least, and we always feel grateful for the kindness of the good people of that loyal city. We started at midnight for Columbus, O. At some town in northern Ohio we stopped for breakfast. Twenty-minutes was the time allowed. In about nineteen minutes they set the grub before us. Pay had been exacted in advance. Before we had hardly tasted a thing "All aboard!" was called at the door. Most of the boys got out and on the train. Quite a lot of them took their breakfast, dishes and all, but a few remained and finished their meal at leisure, and took passage on the first passenger train for Colum- bus, O. The conductor tried but failed to collect any fare from them, as they gave him the choice to go on or they would put him off and take charge of the train.
We reached Columbus at noon of the 4th of June, 1864, and were assigned quarters at Tod Barracks. Here we were guarded by some home troops. The boys did not fancy being under guard in their home capital, so taking matters into their own hands, a lot of them captured the guards and went out, taking the sentinels and their arms with them.
June 6 we received our transportation to Portsmouth, Ohio, going by way of Cincinnati, Ohio, and reaching there at 4 a. m. of the 7th. Seventy-six of the boys were placed under my command from Columbus to Portsmouth. On the train to Cincinnati the boys had a jolly, but rather boisterous time of it, having taken on a little too much stimulant. But it is a pleasure to be able to say that they, one and all, instantly obeyed every order from me, and it was useless for any one else to give them orders or tender advice. At one place a truck of our car got off the rails as we crossed a bridge,.
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but the connections were of good stuff and we were soon on the track again. On the 7th we left for Portsmouth on the Bostona, and arrived there early on the morning of the 8th.
Here we separated for our homes in different directions, and as a general thing we had a pleasant time, and the thirty days seemed to pass at unusual speed to all of us. On July 6 we left Portsmouth for the field, being ordered back to New Orleans, La. The only thing of note on our return trip was the arrest of two of our boys for murder at Cincinnati, O., by a sheriff of an up-river county. The regiment was marching down through the streets to the O. & M. depot when the arrest was made, and the officer had got some distance away before many of the men learned of the transaction, but as soon as they learned of it a crowd of them dropped out of ranks and soon returned with the men arrested, and these comrades went on with us to the end of our service. The sheriff had no heart in the arrest, as he no doubt felt that our com- rades had done right under all the circumstances, which were about as follows:
These two men were cousins. The elder had been with us from the beginning, but the younger one volunteered while we were on our veteran furlough. They had gone to a city in their county one day, and as they were returning home, among others on the train was a gang of refugees or deserters from the rebel armies. And some of them took pains to raise a disturbance with our comrade. He was a veteran and with a fair show would meet any man; but being unarmed, except with his pocket knife, and the odds being so largely against him he was watchful, but paid as little apparent attention as possible. No outbreak was made until they reached the station where they were to get off the train. Our comrade was the first to step off. One of the refugees had a new clock, and the leader, who had been hunting for trouble, got off immediately after him. In his hands he had the two clock weights, and with an oath, as he stepped on the platform, he threw with all his power one of these weights at the head of our comrade, barely missing him. There was one of two things for our comrade to do-defend himself or to run; but he had faced too many better men south of the Ohio
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river to turn his back on this scoundrel so near his own home. So with his pocket knife he settled the controversy then and there at the cost of his assailant's life. In so far as heard from, the com- rades were never after disturbed, the civil authorities feeling, no doubt, that they were justified. We went on by the O. & M. R. R. and connections to Cairo, Ill., and from Cairo by steamboat to New Orleans, La.
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LIEUT. COLONEL HENRY E JONES See page 139
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CHAPTER XII.
PATROL DUTY IN NEW ORLEANS AND VICINITY-CONSOLIDATION OF VETERANS INTO THREE COMPANIES AND A ROSTER OF THE VETERANS.
The regiment reached New Orleans on July 20, 1864. On our passage down the river we saw the various places where we had experienced so many hardships and surmounted dangers without number. Soon after our arrival Lieutenant Colonel S. E. Varner and the men of the regiment who did not enter the veteran service rejoined us. After a few days we were assigned to perform patrol duty in the city of New Orleans. Also the First United States In- fantry, the First New Orleans Infantry (white), and the Eighty- first United States Infantry (colored) were on duty in and about the city. Here we had good quarters, but the duty was hard and there was a great deal of danger connected with it, and we had a varied and interesting experience, much of it, of course, not worth relating. Oct. 1 the yellow fever broke out near our quarters. On the 2nd a lot of the boys attended Christ church to hear General Pyle preach. Oct. 11 was election day in Ohio, for state officers, and we voted the same as if at home. On Oct. 17, 1864, the non- veterans of Company A, also Captain Manring and Lieutenant William D. Wood were mustered out. These were two very fine men and excellent officers. They and their men had served three years.
A rather unusual and funny episode took place on the 30th of October, and in this department, as well as in others, a great deal of red tape was displayed when a chance to do so offered. On this day a Major on the department staff rode into our quarters and ordered the regiment into line for inspection. As usual there was hustling around, and those that were there were soon in line. Most
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of the companies had several men in ranks and made a fair show- ing, but somehow Company K had only two men and one Sergeant in line. The inspector said nothing much at the time, but in a day or two we received his report, and company by company he passed judgment upon them until he came to Company K, and of this com- pany all he said was "Company K had two men and a dirty Ser- geant on inspection." We all thought the joke was on the Ser- geant and he was often reminded of it, and it was noticeable that he was more careful after this.
At the close of this month a lot of the young men of the regi- ment had the pleasure and privilege, under the leadership of Dr. McFarland, of attending the M. E. church on Carondolet street, to hear Dr. Newman preach. He preached a series of ten sermons to young men, which were of great profit to all who had the good for- tune to attend these services. This gifted man, who passed on to the higher life July 5, 1899, was the loved and greatly honored Bishop of the M. E. church.
Nov. 4, 1864, we were ordered to Algiers, La., which was di- rectly across the river from New Orleans. There was also an order issued directing that the veterans of the regiment be consolidated into three companies, and all surplus officers mustered out. On Nov. 7 the regiment was consolidated as ordered, and formed into a battalion of three companies, and the supernumerary officers mustered out as ordered.
A ROSTER OF THE VETERANS.
In letters of gold should be written the names of the comrades who, having taken up arms to save the Union from dissolution, and in their past service had passed through fire and brimstone, would not lay them down or halt in the contest until the last enemy had grounded his arms and bowed in submission to the Union.
THE FIELD AND STAFF.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry E. Jones . Commander Dr. P. M. McFarland Assistant Surgeon
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Lieutenant Benjamin Roberts (Promoted) Adjutant
Lieutenant Moses Rife Quartermaster
Stephen B. Thoburn (Promoted) Sergeant-Major
John H. Morris (Discharged) Sergeant-Major
William K. Sturgill Sergeant-Major
Thomas J. Williams (Promoted) Quartermaster Sergeant
John Bevan Quartermaster Sergeant John C. Gross Commissary Sergeant
John F. McGrew Hospital Steward
Company A of the battalion was composed of the following veterans: Of old Company A, 42 men; of old Company D, 21 men; of old Company F, 16 men; a total of 79 men, as follows:
Benjamin Roberts Captain
John K. Combs First Lieutenant Stephen B. Thoburn Second Lieutenant
John C. Burk. First Sergeant of Company F
James C. Bingham Sergeant of Company D Jesse Wood. Sergeant of Company D Michael Shelton Sergeant of Company A
Hiram McCarley Corporal of Company A Brittain D. Fry . Corporal of Company F William Bacon .Corporal of Company D
Thomas Fee Corporal of Company A
Henry Hunsucker
. Corporal of Company A
Gideon M. Hubbard
. Corporal of Company F
David W. Jones . Corporal of Company A
Thomas Stafford. . Corporal of Company A
E. A. Bridwell Musician of Company D
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE
Henry C. Edgington. Wagoner of Company D
Allen, Martin G. Private of Company A
Allison, Henry D Private of Company A
Bettis, William Private of Company A
Bollman, Joseph Private of Company A
Clafflin, John Private of Company A
Colly, Samuel
Private of Company A
Denny, Henry L. Private of Company A
Farrar, James Private of Company A
Gould, Isaac. Private of Company A
Hill, Joseph. Private of Company A
Hopkins, Matthew Private of Company A Johnson, Elias. . Private of Company A
Jones, Lewis. Private of Company A
Jones, William D Private of Company A
Jones, Thomas W
Private of Company A
Jones, John D. Private of Company A
Lodge, George W Private of Company A
Lodge, John.
Private of Company A
Louks, William A Private of Company A
McPhail, Andrew J.
Private of Company A
Manring, William J.
Private of Company A
Manring, Lewis A. Private of Company A
Morris, James Private of Company A
Norman, John. Private of Company A
Owenz, John Private of Company A
Ray, George W Private of Company A
Reesman, William N. Private of Company A
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56TH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
Slack, Thomas J. Private of Company A
Sturgill, James E Private of Company A
Sturgill, Henry H Private of Company A
Ward, Craton. Private of Company A
White, Thomas Private of Company A
Williams, David R. Private of Company A
Wintersteen, John Q Private of Company A
Bacon, William G Private of Company D
Bacon, William Private of Company D
Badger, William Private of Company D
Clifford, Morgan Private of Company D
Cross, Thomas L Private of Company D
Cross, Wilson Private of Company D
Golliger, John . Private of Company D
Keyser, Abner Private of Company D
Lamb, Benoni Private of Company D
Martin, Charles S Private of Company D
Odle, James Private of Company D
Page, Lorenzo D Private of Company D
Simpson, William H. H. Private of Company D
Snively, John Private of Company D
Veach, Francis Private of Company D
Venatti, Hezekiah.
Private of Company D
Carrothers, James Private of Company F
Cool, William H. Private of Company F
Fout, Jasper Private of Company F
Henry, John. Private of Company F
Hedgmier, Fred Private of Company F
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE
Jones, Uriah Private of Company F
Joice, Michael Private of Company F
Lair, William Private of Company F
Lingenfelter, Christopher Private of Company F
Lord, Ezra F Private of Company F
Martin, Hiram Private of Company F
· Spencer, Charles . Private of Company F Sturgill, William R. Private of Company F
Truman, Joseph Private of Company F
Company B of the battalion was composed of the following veterans: Of old Company B, 3 men; of old Company E, 30 men; of old Company G, 25 men; of old Company H, 17 men; a total of 75 men, as follows:
James C. Stimmell. Captain of Company G
Thomas J. Williams First Lieutenant of Company C
David W. James. First Sergeant of Company E
David E. Jones. Sergeant of Company E
Lorenzo D. Dalrymple Sergeant of Company E
Nicholas D. Main. Sergeant of Company G
Daniel L. Bondurant. Sergeant of Company G
Nathan M. Kent Sergeant of Company G
Peter Brown .. Sergeant of Company H
Robert M. Fulton Corporal of Company E
George Grindley Corporal of Company E
Charles H. Bing
Corporal of Company E
William Hughes
Corporal of Company E
Thomas J. Williams Corporal of Company E
James Rees Corporal of Company E
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56TH OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY.
Francis M. Seth .. . Corporal of Company G Calvin Mcknight. . Corporal of Company H
Henry C. Marshall Corporal of Company G
Samuel Nickel Corporal of Company B
Samuel Clinger Wagoner of Company E
Herder, Jacob.
Private of Company B
Reininger, George Private of Company B
Bing, Joseph M. . Private of Company E
Bing, Joseph E . Private of Company E
Daniels, David Private of Company E
Davis, Charles H. Private of Company E
Evans, Evan E . Private of Company E
Evans, John E
Private of Company E
Evans, Evan O Private of Company E Griffith, Rees Private of Company E
Hickson, Benjamin
Private of Company E
Hughes, George
Private of Company E
Hughes, James
Private of Company E
James, Alfred, Jr.
Private of Company E
Jones, Thomas J. . Private of Company E
Jones, Dennis Private of Company E
Logue, Ellis.
Private of Company E
Radcliff, William H. Private of Company E
Roush, Newton J Private of Company E Thomas, Rees. Private of Company E
Thomas, Thomas D Private of Company E
Williams, Daniel Private of Company E
Allen, William. Private of Company G
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Baker, Charles H. Private of Company G Brown, William C Private of Company G Carpenter, Aaron Private of Company G
Chaffin, George W. Private of Company G
Comer, Lewis. Private of Company G
Crabtree, Gillen Private of Company G
Crabtree, Stephen Private of Company G
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