History of Crawford County and Ohio, Part 46

Author: Perrin, William Henry, [from old catalog] comp; Battle, J. H., [from old catalog] comp; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852- [from old catalog] comp; Baskin & Battey, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1034

USA > Ohio > Crawford County > History of Crawford County and Ohio > Part 46

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3. Ronne

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the brave soldiers, who, for love of country, for- sook home with all its endearments, and whose bodies lie rotting in the far distant South.

The people of Crawford County require no facts to remind them of those exciting times, or to recall the names of those who served their country by fighting the battles of the Union. Their names will live in characters as bright and imperishable as Austerlitz's sun. Many who went from this county to fight for their country came back shrined in glory ; many left limbs upon the distant battle-fields ; and many still bear the marks of the strife that raged at Gettys- burg, Shenandoah, Chickamauga, Stone River, on the heights of Lookout Mountain, where, in the language of Prentice,

" __ they burst,

Like spirits of destruction, through the clouds, And, 'mid a thousand hurtling missiles, swept Their foes before them, as the whirlwind sweeps The strong oaks of the forest."

But there were many who came not back. They fell by the wayside, or, from the prison and battle-field, crossed over and mingled in the ranks of that grand army beyond the river ; their memory is held in sacred keeping. And there are others, whose systems, poisoned by disease, came home to die, and now sleep be- side their ancestors in the village church-yard. There the violets on their mounds speak in ten- der accents of womanly sweetness, and womanly devotion and affection. Their memory, too, is immortal. Beautiful as a crown of gold, the rays of the sunset lie upon the little hillocks above them. Others still, sleep in unknown graves in the land of " cotton and cane." But the same trees which shelter the sepulchers of their foemen, shade their tombs also ; the same birds carol their matins to both ; the same flow- ers sweeten the air with their fragrance, and the same daisies caress the graves of both as the breezes toss them into rippling eddies.

But, while we weave a laurel crown for our own dead heroes, let us twine a few sad cypress

leaves and wreathe them about the memory of those who fell on the other side, and who, though arrayed against us and their country, were- OUR BROTHERS. Terribly mistaken as they were, we remember hundreds of them over whose moldering dust we would gladly plant flowers with our own hands. Now that the war is long over, and the issues that cansed it are buried past resurrection, let us extend to those upon whom the fortunes of war frowned, the hand of charity, and, knowing no " Solid South " or "Solid North," again become, what we should ever have been, " brothers all."

The President's first call for troops, in the spring of 1861, for three months, was responded to with the utmost promptness. That the Union was in danger, was sufficient cause, and the requisite number of volunteers (75,000) was soon furnished. The country, however, was not long in discovering that the " breakfast spell," as many termed it, was likely to prove more than had been anticipated. Another call for troops was soon made, and this time for 300,- 000, to serve for three years, and was filled al- most as promptly as the first call-quite so, perhaps, but, being for a larger number of men, it took a little more time to fill the quota.

Under the President's first call for troops, a company was raised in Crawford County, which became a part of the Eighth Ohio Infantry. and was mustered into the service for three months. It was known as Company C, and was officered as follows at its organization : F. W. Butter- field, Captain ; E. W. Merriman, First Lieuten- ant; and David Lewis, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Butterfield served faithfully until the ex- piration of the term of service of the regiment. when he assisted in raising the One Hundred and Ninety-second Infantry, for one year's serv- ice, and was made its Colonel. This regiment he commanded until it was mustered out of the service.

As this was the first company from Crawford County, before it left for the front, the boys com-

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posing it were invited to church, and a sermon by the Pastor preached to them, and many God- speeds tendered by the friends of the Union, who offered up prayers for their protection and preservation. This company served out its three years, and perhaps saw as much hard service as any troops during the war. A report made of Company C, from Falmouth, Va., Dec. 31, 1862, will show something of its hard service. It is as follows :

Killed in battle .. 10

Discharged of wounds received in battle. 6

Wounded and now in hospital. 8

Wounded in battle and now recovered. 12

Died of disease 1

Sick of disease and now in hospital. 9

Discharged on account of ill health. 10

Deserted 1

Enlisted in U. S. Cavalry 10

On duty Dec. 31, 1862-

Commissioned officers. 3

Non-commissioned officers 8

Privates. 16

Total fit for duty. 27

Number of miles marched 1,739

Number of battles fought 17

FALMOUTH, Va , December 31, 1862.

The Eighth Infantry, to which Capt. Butter- field's Company C belonged, was originally en- listed for three months, as we have stated, under the President's call for 75,000 men. It was assembled at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, where the regiment was organized, and, on the 2d of May, 1861, sent to Camp Dennison, where it at once commenced drill, preparatory to going to the field. It soon became apparent however, that the soldiers at this camp would not be sent to the front, and efforts were at once inaugurated to re-enlist the regiment for three years. To this proposition, Company C heartily responded, as did every company in the regiment except Company I, and the regi- ment, nine companies strong, was mustered into the United States service for three years. Company I, however, reconsidered its action,

and, in the following September, joined the regiment at Grafton, Va., the other companies having been sworn into the service in June. Leaving Camp Dennison for Virginia on the 9th of July, 1861, the first service of the Eighth was along the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road, protecting it from bands of rebels prowl- ing in its vicinity. On the 24th of September, it participated in an attack on Romney, and was again engaged at the same place on the 24th of October. In January, 1862, the regi- ment was in an engagement at Blue Gap, and, on the 14th of February, it took part in a severe skirmish at Bloomery Gap, where Col. Baldwin, his staff, and a part of his command, were captured. In March, the division to which the Eighth belonged moved to the Shen- andoah Valley, where, on the 18th and 19th, sharp engagements took place at Cedar Creek and Strasburg. In these actions the regiment acted as skirmishers, a branch of duty in which it established an excellent reputation.

In the severe battle of Winchester, which took place on the 23d of March, the Eighth was deployed as skirmishers, both the evening be- fore and on the morning of the battle, and lost in killed and wounded over one-fourth of the number engaged. The companies engaged were C, E, D and HI, all of which suffered severely. During the months of March and April, the regiment followed the enemy up the valley, and engaged in skirmishes at Woodstock, Mount Jackson, Edinburg and New Market. At the latter place, Col. Kimball, who had been for some time in command of the brigade, received his commission as Brigadier General, and be- came commander of the brigade to which the Eighth belonged. It joined McDowell's corps on the 22d of May at Fredericksburg, and, on the 25th, was ordered back with its division to the valley to confront Stonewall Jackson, who had driven hence Gen. Banks. On the 30th, Front Royal was recaptured. The Eighth skirmished all the way from Rectortown, a dis-

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tance of eighteen miles, capturing among other prisoners the famous Belle Boyd. Shields' division was soon after broken up. and, on the 3d and 4th of July, the Eighth was thrown out toward the swamps of the Chickahominy, hav- ing several severe skirmishes, in which it lost a number of men. While the army lay at Harrison's Landing, the Eighth was united with the Second Corps, French's division and Kimball's brigade, with which force it contin- ued during the remainder of its service. The Second Corps acted as rear guard to the army in its retreat until after it crossed the Chicka- hominy. It then proceeded to Alexandria via Yorktown and Newport News, arriving on the 28th of July. On this march, until the troops arrived at Chain Bridge, the Eighth was under fire but once, and that at Germantown, a few miles north of Fairfax Court House. Soon after this, the battles of South Mountain and Antietam took place. In the first, the corps to which the eighth belonged was not actively en- gaged, but crossed the mountain® and skir- mished with the enemy at Boonesboro and Keedysville, where a heavy artillery duel com- menced on the morning of the 16th of Septem- ber. In almost the first discharge of the enemy's guns, W. W. Farmer, a Color Sergeant of the Eighth, was killed. In the battle of Antietam, on the following day, the regiment particularly distinguished itself, changing front together with the Fourteenth Indiana, a move- ment executed in fine style and at an oppor- tune moment, thereby saving the brigade from rout, and winning for it the title of the " Gib- raltar Brigade " from Gen. Sumner, who com- manded the Second Corps. After this battle, the regiment moved to Bolivar Heights, then to Falmouth, participating in a number of skirmishes by the way.

On the 13th of December, at the battle of Fredericksburg, the Eighth formed the right wing of the forlorn hope, and in the movement lost twenty-eight killed and wounded. The

army remained in camp here until the 28th of April, 1863, when it crossed over the river and fought the battle of Chancellorsville, in which engagement the Eighthi lost two men killed and eleven wounded. This was the last battle in which the gallant Eighth took part. until that of Gettysburg. In this hard-fought and brave- ly contested fight, it took an honorable part, and lost one hundred and two in killed and wounded. It followed in the pursuit of Gen. Lee's army across the Potomac, participating in several skirmishes, and moved with the nation- al forces to the Rapidan. It was sent to New York City in August to quell the riots conse- quent upon the draft, after which it returned to the field and joined the army at Culpepper, on the 10th of October, where it again fronted the enemy. In November, it took part in the battle of Robinson's Cross Roads. Locust Grove and Mine Run, acting most of the time as skirmishers. It, with the troops, crossed the Rapidan, February 6, 1864, and fought the battle of Morton's Ford, having several officers and men wounded. The campaign of 1864 opened on the 3d of May, and, in the battles which followed, the Eighth bore its accustomed part, and was under fire for two days, at one time. In these several engagements its loss was upward of sixty killed and wounded. In the numerous skirmishes from Spottsylvania to Petersburg, and in the battles of North Anna, Cold Harbor, and in front of Petersburg, it was actively engaged.

The term of service of the gallant Eighth expired on the 25th of June, and it was relieved from duty, being at the time in the trenches before Petersburg. With a handful of war- worn veterans, comprising but seventy-two officers and men fit for duty, of the ten compa- nies, which had entered it three years before, the Eighth started for home. The little band was frequently greeted with tokens of respect on the way. especially at Zanesville where a collation was spread for them. It arrived at

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Cleveland on the morning of July 3, and was cordially received by the Mayor and Military Committee. On the 13th of July, 1864, the regiment was paid off, and formally mustered out of the United States service.

The Twenty-third Ohio Infantry is the next regiment in which Crawford County was repre- sented by an organized body of men. Compa- ny C was raised in and around Galion, and was known originally as the "Galion Guards." They were, many of them, railroad men, were a fine-looking body, and as good soldiers as went from the county during the war. The commis- sioned officers were John W. Skiles, Captain ; J. R. McMullin, First Lieutenant and T. P. Harding, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Skiles was an old soldier of the Mexican war, and an efficient officer. " He was wounded," says the Bucyrus Journal, " at Middletown, Md., which resulted in the loss of an arm at the elbow." lle was promoted to Major of the Eighty- eighth Ohio Infantry on the 29th of July, 1863, in which capacity he served until the close of the war, and was mustered out with the regiment. Lieut. McMullin was originally Captain of the old " Mansfield Artillery Com- pany," a position he creditably filled. He was early promoted to Quartermaster of the Twenty- third. Further information of the commis- sioned officers of Company C. we have been un- able to obtain.

The Twenty-third was a regiment that turned out many gallant officers during the late war; in fact, it was sometimes called "the regi- ment of Brigadier Generals." Among its first officers, several became noted Generals. Its first Colonel, Gen. Rosecrans, became one of the ablest Generals of the army. Scammon, Hayes (now President) and Stanley Matthews were also gallant officers. Several others be- caine Brigadiers. The regiment was organ- ized at Camp Chase in June, 1861. and before leaving for the field Col. Rosecrans. its Com- mander, was promoted to Brigadier General,

and Col. Scammon suceceded to the command of the Twenty-third. On the 25th of July, the regiment was ordered to West Virginia, where it arrived on the 27th, and the next day proceeded to Weston. For some time after its arrival in West Virginia, it operated principally against scattered bands of the enemy, being divided up into squads. On the 1st of Septem- ber, the regiment was united, and moved with the main body of Gen. Rosecrans' army, but participated in no particular engagement. During the winter its time was devoted chiefly to discipline and drill. Orders were received on the 17th of April, 1862, to quit winter quar- ters, and, accordingly, on the 22d the army moved in the direction of Princeton, the Twenty- third being in the advance. Princeton was reached May 1, but until the 8th the time was spent mostly in foraging and in slight skirmish- ing with the enemy. On the 8th, the Twenty- third was attacked by the rebel Gen. Heath, with an overwhelming force, and compelled to fall back, which it did in good order. During this expedition, the regiment suffered extreme hardships, owing to the enemy having cut off all sources of supplies. It was ordered to Green Meadows on the 13th of July, and on the 15th of August orders were received to hasten to Camp Piatt, on the Great Kanawha, where it arrived on the morning of the 18th, having marched one hundred and four miles in a little more than three days-a march, claimed by its officers to be the fastest on record made by any considerable force. The regiment embarked for Parkersburg, where it took cars for Washington City, from whence it proceeded with Gen. McClellan's army to Frederick City. It reached Middletown, Md., on the 12th, where was commenced the battle of South Mountain, which culminated in the great battle of Antie- tam, on the 17th of September, in both of which engagements the Twenty-third took an active part. At South Mountain, it was the first Infantry engaged, being under command,

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

at the time, of Lieut. Col. Hayes. In this en- gagement, Col. Hayes, Capt. Skiles (of Company C), Lieuts. Hood, Ritter and Smith, were badly wounded. Capt. Skiles was shot through the elbow and had his arm amputated. Additional to these, over one hundred were killed and wounded, out of three hundred aud fifty who went into action. During the entire day, the regiment lost nearly two hundred men, of whom one-fourth were killed on the field, or after- ward died from their wounds. The regimental colors were riddled, and the blue field almost completely carried away by shells and bullets.

In the battle of Antietam which followed, the Twenty-third fought with the Kanawha Divi- sion, and, though for a time fully exposed, es- caped without very great loss. It returned with the Kanawha Division to West Virginia, where it arrived on the 10th of October. After considerable marching and counter-marching in the Kanawha Valley, the regiment went into winter quarters at the falls of the Great Ka- nawha. In the early part of 1863, it was ordered to Charleston, Va., when March, April, May, June and a part of July were spent in light duties. In the latter part of July, it participated in the Morgan raid, and did good service in heading off Morgan's band on the line of the Ohio River, at Buffington Bar and near Hockingport. It then returned to Charleston, Va., where it remained inactive until April 29, 1864, when it joined Gen. Crook for a raid on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. This was a long and toilsome march over the mountains, but was cheerfully performed. On the 9th of May, the battle of Cloyd Mountain was fought. In this engagement, Capt. Hunter, of Company K, and Lieut. Seaman, commanding Company D. were killed ; Capt. Rice, Company A, was slightly wounded, and Lieut. Abbott, of Com- pany I, severely, while a large number of pri- vates were killed and wounded. Another en- gagement took place next day at New River Bridge, in which artillery was mostly used. The

march was continued for many days, and the troops suffered accordingly. The Twenty- third arrived at Staunton, Va., on the 8th of June, where it joined Gen. Hunter's command.

The three-years term of the regiment expired on the 11th of June, when those not re-enlisting were sent home, also the old colors, which were no longer in a condition for service. The troops continued skirmishing in the country, and June 11 reached Lexington. Here Gen. Hunter did an act unworthy of glory. By his order, the Military Academy, Washington Col- lege and Gov. Letcher's residence were burned. Says Whitelaw Reid : "Good discipline only secured the execution of this order, which was protested against, formally, by Gens. Crook and Averill, and, tacitly, by nearly every officer and man of the entire command." Skirmishing and fighting and marching continuously was the regular routine for some time, and culmi- nated in the retreat of the National forces from Lynchburg. The hardships endured may be fitly illustrated by the following extract from the diary of an officer of the Twenty-third : "June 19 .-- Marched all day. dragging along very slowly. The men had nothing to eat, the

trains having been sent in advance. It is al- most incredible that men should have been able to endure so much, but they never faltered, and not a murmur escaped them. Often men would drop out silently, exhausted, but not a word of complaint was spoken. Shortly after dark, at Liberty, had a brisk little fight with the enemy's advance ; reached Buford's Gap about 10 A. M. of the 20th. Gen. Crook remained here with Hayes' Brigade, holding the Gap until dark, inviting an attack. The army was, how- ever, too cautious to do more than skirmish. After dark we withdrew and marched all night to overtake the command in the advance. Reached Salem about 9 A. M. Hunter had passed through Salem, and a body of the enemy's Cavalry had fallen upon his train and captured the greater part of his artillery.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

About the same time Crook was attacked in front and rear, and, after a sharp fight, pushed through, losing nothing. Heavy skirmishing all day, and nothing to eat, and no sleep. Continued the march until about 10 P. M., when we reached the foot of North Mountain and slept. At 4 A. M. next morning (22d), left in the advance, the first time since the re- treat commenced. By a mistake, a march of eight miles was made for nothing. Thus we toiled on, suffering intensely with exhaustion, want of food, clothing, etc. On the 27th, a supply train was met on Big Sewell Mountain. Men all crazy. Stopped and ate ; marched and ate ; camped about dark, and ate all night. Marched 180 miles in the last nine days, fighting nearly all the time, and with very little to eat."

On the 1st of July, the column reached Charleston, where it took a rest until the 10th, when the Twenty-third embarked for Parkersburg. The command reached Martins- burg on the 14th, and on the 18th, moved to Cabletown, beyond Harper's Ferry. Hayes' brigade, including the Twenty-third, was sent to attack Early's army of 20,000 men in flank. The enemy had already whipped the First Di- vision, with the whole Sixth Corps to back them. After some heavy skirmishing, the Twenty-third and Twenty-sixth Ohio were sur- rounded by two divisions of the enemy's cav- alry, but fought their way out and returned to camp. In the battle of Winchester, on the 24th of July, the National forces were defeated after a well-contested fight. The Twenty-third lost in the engagement one hundred and fifty-three men. ten of whom were commissioned officers. A series of marches and counter-marches were made, and continued until the 14th of August, when Duval's brigade had quite a battle with a large rebel force. The Twenty-third was in a hard fight at Berryville on the 3d of September, which took place after dark, in which it lost Capts. Austin and Gillis, both brave and gallant officers. The battle of Opequan fol-

lowed on the 19th, and was one of the most se- vere fights of the war. The regiment suffered heavily. It also took part in the battle of North Mountain on the 20th, suffering but a slight loss. The troops now enjoyed a rest un- til the 19th of October, when the battle of Cedar Creek occurred, in which the Twenty- third participated with its accustomed bravery. It was to this battle, that Sheridan made his famous ride from Winchester, which is thus de- seribed by a chronicler of the time : " Suddenly there is a dust in the rear, on the Winchester pike ; and alnost before they are aware, a young man in full Major General's uniform, and riding furiously a magnificent black horse, lit- erally ' flecked with foam,' reins up and springs off by Gen. Crook's side. . There is a perfect roar as everybody recognized SHERIDAN! He talks with Crook a little while, cutting away at the top of the weeds with his riding-whip. Gen. Crook speaks half a dozen sentences that sound a great deal like the crack of the whip ; and by that time some of the staff are up. They are soon sent flying in all directions, etc." The regiment saw little more hard fighting after this, but was engaged mostly during the fall of 1864, as train guard. and on the 1st of January. 1865, proceeded to Cumberland, and on the 12th to Grafton. IFere it was detailed to protect the railroad until the 19th, when it returned to Cumberland, and there remained in drill and discipline until March 1. After the surrender of Gen. Lee, the regiment lay in idleness until July 26, when the welcome order was received to " go home." The Twenty-third was mus- tered out at Cumberland, and took the cars for Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, when it was paid off and discharged.

The Thirty-fourth Infantry drew a company from Crawford County. Company E was from this county, and was organized with the following officers : J. W. Shaw, Captain ; F. B. Helwig, First Lieutenant, and W. H. Carpenter, Second Lieutenant.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

Capt. Shaw was promoted to Major, October 10, 1862, to Lieutenant Colonel, July 18, 1863, and was killed July 24, 1864, at the battle of Winchester. First Lieut. Helwig was promoted to Captain, July 17, 1862, and mustered out with regiment. Second Lieut. Carpenter was discharged August 1, 1863. Isaac P. Grover was promoted to Second Lieutenant, December 3, 1862, to First Lieutenant, March 2, 1864. and to Captain, September 30, 1864. Isaiah C. Lindsey was promoted to Second Lieutenant March 16, 1864, and as such mustered out. N. P. Marvell was promoted to Second Lieutenant, September 30, 1864, to First Lieutenant, No- vember 26, 1864, and mustered out April 4, 1865.

The Thirty-fourth Regiment was organized at Camp Lucas in July and August, 1861, and on the 1st of September it moved to Camp Dennison. It was there prepared for the field, and adopted as its uniform (a license allowable at that early period of the war) a light blue Zouave dress. In compliment to their Colonel, A. S. Piatt, of Logan County, the name " Piatt Zouaves " was adopted. The regiment left Camp Dennison for Western Virginia on the 15th of September, 1861, with full ranks, and on the 20th arrived at Camp Enyart, on the Kanawha River. Its first battle was fought at Chapmansville, on the 25th, where it lost one man killed and eight wounded. During the re- mainder of autumn and winter, it was kept pretty busy in guarding the rear of Gen. Rose- crans' army. In March, 1862, it was ordered to Gauley Bridge to join Gen. Cox in his dem-

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History of Crawford County and Ohio, Part 46

Author: Perrin, William Henry, [from old catalog] comp; Battle, J. H., [from old catalog] comp; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852- [from old catalog] comp; Baskin & Battey, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1034

Author: Perrin, William Henry, [from old catalog] comp; Battle, J. H., [from old catalog] comp; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852- [from old catalog] comp; Baskin & Battey, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1034