USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of Dayton, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of some of its pioneer and prominent citizens Vol. 1 > Part 32
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About this time the ladies of the German St. John's Lutheran Church organized themselves into an association for the support of the families of the German volunteers. Mrs. Trebein was the treasurer of the association, , and Mrs. Falke was the secretary. Toward the latter part of May a beautiful flag was made by the young ladies of Dayton for the First Ohio Regiment, to be borne by the color company of the regiment, the
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Dayton Light Guard. The flag was of blue silk trimmed with a yellow fringe. On each side was seen the American eagle. The inscriptions were simply "E Pluribus Unum" and the "First Regiment Ohio Volun- teers." This flag was presented to the regiment in Virginia, and accepted for them by Hon. Robert C. Schenck, who during the month of May
had been appointed brigadier-general by President Lincoln, The first battle this regiment was in was that at Vienna, Virginia, and the next was that at Bull Run in the brigade of General Schenck. Upon the expira- tion of their three months' term of enlistment, they returned to Dayton, reaching here on the 2d of August. They were received at the depot by the military companies then in the city, by the fire department, and by a vast concourse of citizens, who gave them a right royal welcome with patriotic speeches and with salvos of artillery. It was a most enthusiastic demonstration, a just tribute to their gallantry on the field of battle. For a considerable time they were the center of attraction, the heroes of the hour.
A company was organized and named the State Guard, of which the following were the officers elected: Captain, E. W. Davies; first lieuten- ant, Joseph Clegg; second lieutenant, A. Pruden; first sergeant, N. Allen; second sergeant, T. Kibby; third sergeant, N. Ells; fourth sergeant, J. M. C. Matthews; corporals, William Trebein, John Mills, A. Belden, and H. L. Warren.
The Dayton Light Guard, Company B, elected officers June 3d, as follows: Captain, John A. Dickey; first lieutenant, Lewis LaRose; second lieutenant, N. H. Watters; sergeants, William Van Doren, James Turner, T. D. Hall, D. M. Stewart, and William Harmon; treasurer, L. LaRose, and secretary, G. W. Rouzer.
The Buckeye Guard, which has been mentioned before in these pages, opened recruiting lists for three years' service on the 20th of May, and on the 30th of the same month, left Dayton for Columbus. There were fifty men in this company from Dayton, and the company was afterward transferred to the Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On the day before the Buckeye Guard left Dayton, twenty-five men left the city to serve for three years in Company A, Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The company which they joined, contained seventy men from Dayton.
The Union Guard, Captain Gunckel, had one hundred men enrolled by the 6th of May, but up to the 5th of June they could not enter the service because Montgomery County already had a full quota in the field. However, on the 19th of the month Captain Gunckel received marching orders from General Carrington, and was to report at Camp Dennison by
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the 22d of the month. His company was to join the Twelfth Regiment as Company I. It contained twenty-five Dayton men, the rest being from Montgomery, Preble, Greene, and Darke counties.
During the early part of July there were recruited in Dayton twenty men for the First Ohio Battery, who were taken to Camp Dennison, where the battery was organized. During its first year's service its equipment and duties were so peculiar that it received the cognomen, the "Jackass Battery," and, as may be readily conceded, it was known by that name to the end of the war.
There was opened in Dayton on July 25, 1861, a recruiting office for the United States regular army, which continued here throughout the war. About one hundred men enlisted in that arm of the service, the term of enlistment having been reduced by congress from five years to three.
Following is a list of the recruiting offices open in Dayton, in August, 1861: Captain Thruston's, on Main Street, near Second; Captain O'Con- nell's, over the old postoffice; Captain Gunckel's, on Main Street; Captain Kuhlman's, in Frohsinn . Hall; cavalry recruiting office, at the corner of Third and Ludlow streets; Lieutenant Denton's, in Clegg's building, on Third Street, for the Eighteenth Regulars; Lientenant Timoney's, in the Beckel building, for the Fifteenth Regulars; T. C. Mitchell's, on Main Street, for his company of sharpshooters; Captain Smith Davisson's, in the Beckel building; Captain Woodward's, in the IIuston building; Cap- tain George Mckinney's, at the Light Guard Armory; Lieutenants Smith and Steward's, on Third Street; George Pomeroy's, at the Beckel House, and F. W. Anderton's, at No. 108 Main Street.
An effort, which was very successful, was made during the week ending October 19, 1861, to collect and forward clothing and blankets to the First Regiment. The number of blankets furnished by the several wards of the city was as follows: First Ward, 158; Second Ward, 267; Third Ward, 186; Fourth Ward, 130; Fifth Ward, 101; Sixth Ward, 65-total from the city, 907. At the same time Miami City sent 71, making 978 in all. In addition to the blankets, there was forwarded to the soldiers a great quantity of clothing, coats, shirts, socks, etc. There was then on hand a sum of money equal to $105.48, and to expend. this amount a committee was appointed, consisting of James McDaniel and Robert W. Steele. The regiment was then at Camp Corwin. This camp had been selected on the 19th of August, and was located two and a half miles east of Dayton on the hill. On the 23d of the month the first three companies, numbering in the aggregate two hundred men, marched to this camp. September 2d, the Dayton Cavalry was ordered to Camp Cor-
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win. Two months were then devoted to organization and drill. On the 12th of October notice was received that the government could not supply the regiment with blankets, and hence the action of the citizens as noticed above. On October 31st the regiment marched through the streets of Dayton, one thousand strong, and took the cars for the field of battle on their way to join MeCook's brigade. The following numbers of Dayton men were in the regiment: Company B, one hundred men; Company C, eighty men; Company E, sixty men; Company F, one hundred men. On the 7th of August recruiting commenced for a company to join the Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which reginient they became Company H. In this company there were forty-five Dayton men. Re- cruiting was commenced August 20th for a company for the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, and the company contained about fifty Dayton men. On the same day recruiting commenced for a company of sharpshooters which was assigned to the Second Ohio Infantry, forty of the men being from Dayton. About thirty Dayton men were raised for another company for the same regiment. In September about forty Dayton men were recruited for the Thirty-fifth Indiana Regiment and about thirty-five for the Forty-fourth Ohio.
The State Guard, above referred to, was composed of men over forty-five years of age. Each ward had its own company of militia, and the Society of Turners formed themselves into the Dayton Yagers. There were two cavalry companies and one artillery company. The Ohio Guard, the Oregon Home Guard, and the Cadet Grays were reorganized. Besides these, there were the Franklin Invincibles, the Dayton Forcibles, the National Guard, the Union Reserve Guard, the Harrison Rangers, the Slemmer Guard, the MeClellan Guard, and the Franklin Zouaves, all of which companies with their parades, picnics, drills, and festivals served to enliven the duller occasions when exciting war news was not very plentiful.
Governor Tod appointed a military committee for Montgomery County on the 15th of October, 1861. . This committee was composed of the following gentlemen: E. S. Young, Daniel A. Haynes, James Turner, T. A. Phillips, Henry Fowler, Robert W. Steele, Thomas J. S. Smith, J. G. Stutsman, and Thomas B. Tilton. This committee had charge of the recruiting and organization of companies and all other military matters for the county so far as the interests of the State and government of the United States were concerned. Twenty-seven men from Dayton left here on October 17th for Benton Barracks, Missouri, where they joined a regiment of sharpshooters. During October and November, twenty- three more men from Dayton joined the same company, while several
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others also joined the same regiment from Montgomery County and the adjoining counties. After a time spent in skirmishing in Missouri, they went to Pittsburg Landing. April 1, 1862, the name of the regiment was changed to the Fourteenth Missouri, and in the fall of 1862 the name was again changed to the Sixty-sixth Illinois.
Following is a partial list of the organizations containing soldiers from Dayton that were in the service on the 1st of January, 1862: In General Rousseau's brigade at Green River, Kentucky, four companies, Captains Kuhlman, Thruston, O'Connell and Pomeroy; in camp at Wick- liffe, Kentucky, two companies, Captains George D. Mckinney and S. B. Jackson; at Somerset, Kentucky, Captain M. S. Gunckel; in the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, Captain John W. King and Lieutenant Adam Kuntz; Captain Childs, at Point Pleasant, West Virginia; Captain W. W. Wood- ward, on the Kanawha River; Captain F. Gunckel, at Charleston, West Virginia; Lieutenant George L. Croome, with a part of MeMullen's battery, at Camp Fayette, Virginia; Captain T. C. Mitchell's sharp- shooters on the Iron Mountain Railroad, one hundred miles from St. Louis. John Crowe had a company in the Thirty-fifth Indiana Regiment in Kentucky. Besides these, there were about one hundred and fifty men from Dayton in the regular army, belonging to the Fifteenth and Eighteenth regiments.
Much was done in Dayton in the way of supporting the families of volunteers who had gone to the field. Entertainments were given by" different companies, dramatic, musical, etc. The Soldiers' Aid Society was one of the first to occupy this field, and it was earnest and active and efficient throughout the war. Fairs and festivals were held, and every means that could be relied upon to raise money, clothing, or any needed supplies. The Second Ladies' Aid Society was organized August 7, 1862. Its officers were: President, Mrs. Preserved Smith; vice-president, Mrs. H. Wyatt; treasurer, Mrs. A. Jewett; secretary, Mrs. H. D. Carnell. It had a board of managers, consisting of sixteen ladies. The Third Sol- diers' Aid Society was organized September 3, 1862. It was afterward named the Oregon Ladies' Aid Society. Its officers were: President, Mrs. T. N. Sowers; vice-president, Mrs. J. R. Hayden; secretary, Mrs. D. L. Rike; treasurer, Mrs. E. Heathman. This society had a board of managers, consisting of twelve ladies. Besides these societies composed of adults, there were societies composed of children, which did good work in collecting articles needed by the soldiers in the tent and in the field. Their services were highly appreciated by the beneficiaries of their labors.
During the entire year 1862, recruiting was continually going on in
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Dayton. It was the great year of doubt and anxiety as to the success of the national cause. Recruiting was commenced for the Ninety-third Regiment early in July, 1862. Captains W. II. Martin, T. C. Mitchell, and William Birch were each raising a company for the regiment. Captain Martin's was to be a company of sharpshooters, and to have its place on one of the flanks of the regiment. Its other commissioned officers were P. H. Harman, first lieutenant, and George II. Phillips, second lieutenant. All three of these officers were men of experience. The inducements offered to join this regiment were a bounty of one hundred dollars, of which twenty-five dollars was to be paid in advance, one month's pay in advance, and a premium of two dollars. The regiment was organized at Hamilton on the evening of July 15th by the military commission, with the following officers: Charles Anderson, colonel; Iliram Strong, of Dayton, lieutenant-colonel; Abner A. Phillips, of Butler County, major, and Josiah Campbell, of Preble County, quarter- master. Mr. Campbell almost immediately resigned, and Joseph Eaton was appointed to the place. The name of Colonel Anderson was a potent influence in recruiting for this regiment. Great interest was taken in the filling up of the companies that were being recruited in Montgomery County, and special efforts were made by the citizens of Dayton to secure the required number of men. A meeting was held at the courthouse on Saturday night, July 19th, by the ward committees, which had been ap- pointed the Saturday evening previous, for the purpose of assisting to fill up the ranks of the companies. The ward committees were_as follows: First Ward, Alfred Pruden, Robert Chambers, and J. S. Morehouse; Second Ward, Robert R. Dickey, Robert W. Steele, and II. S. Fowler; Third Ward, H. L. Brown, G. W. Rogers, and John H. Achey; Fourth Ward, J. W. Dietrich, E. W. Davies, and W. Conover; Fifth Ward, S. Boltin, James Turner, and C. F. Kneisly; Sixth Ward, William Bom- berger, M. Burrous, and W. Eichelberger. The method used by this committee to induce men to unite their fortunes with this regiment was to raise a fund, with which to assist the families of the volunteers to live while the volunteers themselves were fighting the battles of the country. For this purpose, a meeting was held on the 29th of July at the court- house, at which about ten thousand dollars was raised. Another meeting was held next day, at which it was ordered that twenty-five per cent of the subscriptions should be paid to the treasurer of the citizens' com- mittee, George W. Rogers, and a series of resolutions adopted with reference to the appointment aud the duties, after their appointment, of an executive committee. The committee appointed consisted of Messrs. Steele, Dietrich, Davies, Dickey, and Rogers. This committee, in con-
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nection with the military committee, extended an invitation to the Hon. George E. Pugh to address the people on the subject of the war, with the view in part of assisting to complete the recruiting of the Ninety-third Regiment. Mr. Pugh delivered a powerful and patriotic address, urging upon the people the necessity of sustaining the national government in its struggle with armed rebellion. On the 11th of August, several companies of this regiment went into camp. Besides the three companies already mentioned, there were at the close of that day, the following companies: Two from Preble County, Captains Dasher and Paullus; one from Butler County, Captain H. II. Wallace, and one from Miamisburg, Captain John Allen. The regiment was placed under marching orders August 18th and departed from Dayton on the 23d of the same month. The city was full of people to witness the departure of the regiment, and the scene was both affecting and inspiring. The young ladies of Dayton presented the regiment with a handsome stand of colors, and it was the intention of the Dayton Female Bible Society to present the regiment with a Bible before it left the city, but adverse circumstances prevented this from being done. The book was, however, sent to the regiment together with a New Testa- ment for each member thereof, by W. Herr on behalf of the society. The fund, which was raised for the benefit of the families of members of the Ninety-third Regiment, was afterward converted into a military fund. Up to August 12th, about the time when the regiment went into camp, there had been subscribed a sum of twenty thousand and seventy-seven dollars and seventy-five cents, in sums ranging from ten to a thousand dollars. The thousand dollar subscriptions were by John Harshman, Thomas Parrott, and V. Winters & Son.
The summer and fall of 1862 witnessed great activity in recruiting men for the war. While the Ninety-third Regiment was being filled up, and after it had gone to the field, there were numerous other organizations bidding for men. A great war meeting was held August 9, 1862, at which, in the absence of General Lew Wallace, who was expected, the meeting was addressed by a remarkably eloquent gentleman, a stranger to nearly all present, the Rev. C. B. Keyes, of New York. In the after- noon, Lieutenant-Governor Fisk, of Kentucky, delivered a speech, tracing the germ of secession back to the days of Jackson. He said that there was no such thing as conciliation. The Southern leaders spurned and spit upon Northern men as flunkies, who talked about conciliation. There was no hope for the country except in making war the business of the country. Colonel Anderson followed Lieutenant-Governor Fisk, and made a most eloquent appeal for the vigorous prosecution of the war.
The Dayton Rangers were being recruited at the courthouse in
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August. The commissioned officers were: Captain, Daniel S. Thorne; first lieutenant, A. C. Fenner; second lieutenant, Henry Guckes. One hundred dollars bounty was offered to married men. At the same time, Captain Joseph Staley, First Lieutenant F. W. Anderton, and Second Lieutenant Thomas Stewart, were recruiting a company for the Eleventh Ohio Regiment. Another company was being raised by Captain William S. Louis, First Lieutenant Henry Callihan, and Second Lieutenant Will- iam Hannon. Also one by Captain W. J. Calliflower, First Lieutenant M. T. Hill, and Second Lieutenant Ames H. Hoffman. The special inducements offered for men to join this company were two hundred and twenty-seven dollars bounty to all who had families to support. Captain W. E. Wells, First Lieutenant Smith Davidson, and Second Lieutenant R. G. Clark, were engaged in raising a company. Captain Daniel Rouzer, First Lieutenant J. D. Marshall, and Second Lieutenant Thomas Randall, were similarly engaged. Lieutenant A. Knecht, Jr., was at the same time recruiting a company for the Fifty-second Regiment, offering one hundred dollars bounty at the end of the war.
On the 19th of August the military' committee commenced making arrangements for the first draft. Formal notice was given on the 22d that it would begin on September 3d. In order to make the draft impar- tial among the several counties of the State, it had been necessary to enroll all the citizens between the ages of eighteen and forty-five. The enrollment for Dayton, and the number of volunteers up to August 29, 1862, were as follows:
WARDS.
ENROLLMENT.
VOLUNTEERS.
First ..
440
178
Second
365
161
Third
462
162
Fourth
- 583
225
Fifth
683
293
Sixth
584
246
Total
3,117
1,265
Extra inducements were offered at this time so as to render the draft unnecessary if possible. To married men, two hundred and twenty-five dollars was offered, and to single men, one hundred and forty-five dollars. Some were enlisting in obedience to the call of duty, others in order to save the county from the draft, while others were afflicted with various
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HISTORY OF DAYTON.
imaginary diseases in the hope of being thus relieved from the disagree- able duty of fighting. The difficulty in cases of this kind was that the examining officers could not see that the disease imagined to exist was sufficient reason for issuing a certificate of exemption. Meanwhile the soldiers in the field were enjoying themselves immensely at the prospect of some of their friends, who had refrained from entering the service of the government, either from personal or political motives, having to become active patriots albeit against their will. On the 1st of September, Camp Dayton was rapidly filling up, though it again became necessary for the people of Dayton to supply them with blankets and clothing, as the government was unable to prepare the quarters in the camp in time. On this day a meeting of the county commissioners was held, and it was resolved to increase the sum already authorized to be raised by the issue of conditional bonds, from fifty thousand dollars to sixty-five thousand dollars. An appeal was also made to the citizens to assist the commissioners, as there were at that time five hundred families of volunteers in the county dependent in part or wholly upon the public for means of support.
The advance of Kirby Smith's farmy upon Cincinnati thoroughly aroused the citizens as to the danger Ohio was in of being invaded. A meeting was held at Armory Hall, September Ist, to consider the best means of defense. R. HI. Corwin was made chairman of the meeting and J. C. Healy secretary. On account of the slim attendance of citizens, those present adjourned to Beckel Hall in the evening, a committee having first been appointed to prepare business for the evening meeting. This committee consisted of Rev. Mr. Specs, E. S. Young, Judge Wood, J. A. Jordan, and G. G. Prugh. At the evening meeting it was resolved that, in view of the impending danger of invasion of the State, all able- bodied men should enroll themselves for military discipline and drill, and hold themselves in readiness to go to the front at the call of the governor, and a committee of five was appointed to prepare an address to the citizens of Montgomery County, setting forth the necessity of immediate action. ' This committee consisted of Rev. Thomas E. Thomas, John G. Lowe, Rufus King, Theodore Barlow, and Judge Haynes. The address of this committee was published September 4th. It expressed the opinion that only the uprising of the entire community could prevent invasion. Every moment was precious. But the simple array of the citizens in arms would secure safety. It was the guerrilla and the raider that were to be prevented from entering Ohio; there was not so much to be feared from the regular rebel army. Organization, drill, and arms were the great necessities. The battle with the advancing foo would have to be decided within a few days.
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The governor called out the militia of the river counties to stand guard over their homes against Kirby Smith and his approaching hordes. All armed men that could possibly be in readiness by the 4th of Septem- ber would be accepted by General Lew Wallace. Dayton was urged to send to Cincinnati by that day, every man that could possibly get away.
Under such appeals as these, meetings were held in each ward of the city, and each ward raised at least one company for the defense of the State. In the Second Ward nearly one hundred and fifty men were enrolled, and W. W. Woodward was chosen captain. In the Third Ward there were two meetings, and two companies raised. Of Company A, D. J. Rouzer was elected captain. In the Sixth Ward, W. L. Winchell was elected captain of the company: Other wards did fully as well, and in the evening of the 4th, two hundred and fifty men left Dayton for Cincinnati, to prevent Kirby Smith from-crossing the Ohio River. In the same evening, there was held a meeting of German citizens at Beckel Hall for the purpose of forming a Home Guard Battalion of Germans, and on the 5th there was a war meeting held at the same place. Of this meeting Colonel D. S. Fitch was made chairman, Robert Lehman, vice-chairman, and John P. Tolan, secretary. A committee of three was appointed on resolutions, consisting of Hon. W. II. Gillespie, C. S. Chisom, and H. Elliott. This committee reported a series of four resolutions in favor of organizing, arming and drilling the militia of the city and county; of taking the steps necessary to organize a regiment under the military law of the State, and of arming and equipping it, and tendering its services to the governor of the State; of appointing a committee of five to carry this resolution into effect; and in favor of giving this committee authority to appoint all ward committees necessary to secure the immediate organization of this regiment. The committee appointed under these resolutions, consisted of D. A. Houk, William W. Egry, Jonathan Harshman, Dennis Dwyer, and Colonel Henry Miller. The result of these and similar efforts was, that from all parts of the State, men came to the front with all kinds of arms, shot-guns, rifles, pistols, anything that came handy, and dressed in any kind of attire that happened to suit the occasion. So variously were they dressed, and so variously were they armed, that they received the name of "Squirrel Hunters," but whether Kirby Smith's soldiers would have been as easily brought down at the crack of their rifles and shot-guns as squirrels had frequently been on previous occasions, was never demonstrated, as they retreated southward without testing the valor of the "Squirrel Hunters."
That this would be the case could not be foreseen in Dayton. Here it was by no means certain that Dayton itself might not be besieged. To 21
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HISTORY OF DAYTON.
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