History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 51

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

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to, that the Eighty-second was enabled to leave Camp Chase on the 16th of June, for the seat of war. Upon its arrival in West Virginia, it was stationed at Grafton, where it was occupied in guard duty. On the 27th of July, four compa- nies of the Eighty-sixth, under Lieut. Col. Hunter, were ordered to Parkersburg by Gen. Kelley, in anticipation of a raid upon that point. It re- mained here until August 21, when it returned to Clarksburg, in consequence of the whole regi- ment having received orders from Gen. Kelley to proceed to Beverly, to prevent a rebel force under Col. Jenkins from crossing Cheat Mountain for the purpose of destroying the railroad. The rebel chieftain not making his appearance at that point, the Eighty-second was ordered back to Clarksburg. The force at Clarksburg then consisted of the Eighty-sixth Ohio, and a detachment of the Sixth Virginia, placed at different points around town, so as to make a vigorous defense in case of an attack. The term of service of the regiment hav- ing now expired, it was placed under orders for Camp Delaware, and started for that place on the 17th of September, where it arrived the next day. On the 25th it was paid in full, and mustered out of the United States service.

Two companies of the Ninety-sixth Infantry* were raised in Delaware County, viz., Company F and Company G. The original commissioned officers of Company F were : S. P. Weiser, Cap- tain; J. N. Dunlap, First Lieutenant, and H. C. Ashwell, Second Lieutenant. Dunlap died at Young's Point, La., March 17, 1863. Ashwell resigned March 17, 1863. Levi Siegfried was commissioned First Lieutenant, but illness, from which he afterward died, prevented his being mus- tered. John A. F. Cellar, of Company F, was promoted to First Lieutenant, and transferred to Company A by consolidation, November 18, 1864. Lieut. E. M. Eastman, of Company G, was pro- moted to Captain, and transferred to the command of Company F April 1, 1863. The original com- missioned officers of Company G. were ; J. H. Kimball, Captain; H. J. Jarvis, First Lieutenant (died at Memphis, Tenn., December 2, 1862); E. M. Eastman, Second Lieutenant, promoted to First Lieutenant, December 2, 1862, afterward to Captain, and transferred as above ; O. W. Cham- berlain, promoted to First Lieutenant, died at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, while on leave of absence, August 22, 1863; L. S. Huntley, promoted to First Lieutenant, January 19, 1864; Peter Marmon, promoted * The sketch of this regiment was written by Maj. C. H. Mc.Elroy.

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to Second Lieutenant, November, 1864, and trans- ferred from Company H. E. L. Baird, First Lieutenant, Company H, was promoted to Captain, November 18, 1864, and transferred to the com- mand of Company G. The regiment went out with Joseph W. Vance, Colonel, Mt. Vernon; A. H. Brown, Lieutenant Colonel, Marion, and C. H. McElroy, Major, Delaware.

A camp was established for this regiment on the Fuller farm, one aird a half miles south of the city, known as Camp Delaware, the ground occupied lying between the Columbus road and the river. On the 1st day of September, 1862, the Ninety-sixth left camp 1,014 strong, for . Cincinnati, and, on the evening of the same day of its arrival there, crossed over the river, and went into camp at Covington, Ky. From that time until the close of the war, it was on continuously active, and most of the time hard, service. In the fall of 1862, the regiment, in the brigade of Gen. Burbridge, and under command of Gen. A. J. Smith, marched from Covington to Falmouth, thence to Cynthiana, to Paris, Lexing- ton, Nicholasville; through Versailles, Frankfort, Shelbyville to Louisville ; leaving Covington on the 8th of October, and going into camp at Louis- ville on the 15th. From Louisville it proceeded to Memphis, and, on the 27th of December, with the forces under command of Gen. Sherman, left for "down the river" to Chickasaw Bayou. From there it went to Fort Hyndman, or Arkansas Post, where it was in the left wing, under command of Gen. Morgan. Sergt. B. F. High, Joseph E. Wilcox and W. P. Wigton, of Company F., were killed here ; and Isaac Pace, David Atkinson of Company G., were wounded and soon after died. After the battle of Arkansas Post, the regiment was at the siege of Vicksburg, where it formed a part of the Thirteenth Army Corps. Then fol- lowed the battle of Grand Coteau, La., a desperate struggle against fearful odds. After this the regi- ment was sent into Texas on an expedition of short duration. Returning to Brashear City, La., it en- tered upon the famous Red River campaign, under Gen. Banks. The battles of Sabine Cross Roads (where Col. Vance was killed), Peach Orchard Grove, and Pleasant Hill, followed. The regiment had, by continued losses, become so reduced in numbers that a consolidation became necessary and was effected under a general order from Maj. Gen. Reynolds, commending the Department of the Gulf. At the request of the officers, and as a special honor to the regiment, it was consolidated into the Ninety-sixth Battalion, and not with any other

regiment. This was the only instance in that de- partment of any such favor being accorded. Soon after this the regiment (now the Ninety-sixth Bat- talion) was ordered down the river, and to Mobile, and was engaged in the capture of Forts Gaines, Morgan, Blakely and Spanish Fort, resulting finally in the capture of Mobile. The division was un. der command of Col. Landrum, of the Nineteenth Kentucky, and formed a part of the Thirteenth Corps, under Gen. Granger. The Ninety-sixth was mustered out at Mobile, and, on the 29th of July, 1865, was paid off and discharged at Camp Chase. During its service, the regiment marched 1,683 miles; traveled by rail 517 miles, and by water 7,686 miles, making a total of 9,886 miles, exclusive of many short expeditions in which it took part. Of Company F., there had died of wounds and disease, 23; discharged for same, 26; total, 49. Of Company G., there had died of wounds and disease, 30; discharged from same causes, 16; total, 46. These figures may not be exactly correct, but are as nearly so as it is possi- ble now to ohtain such statistics.

To the One Hundred and Twenty-first Infantry, Delaware County contributed more men than to any other military organization during the late war, except, perhaps, the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment of National Guards, called out for one hundred days in the early part of 1864. Com- panies C, D, H and K, of the One Hundred and Twenty-first, were made up wholly or in part from Delaware County; the first two were entirely " Delawares," while the two latter comprised much of the same patriotic material. At the organiza- tion of the regiment, Company C, one of the com- panies from this county, was officered as follows : N. W. Cone, Captain ; Joshua Van Bremer, First Lieutenant, and F. T. Arthur, Second Lieutenant ; and Company D had for its first officers, Samuel Sharp, Captain; Joseph A. Sheble, First Lieu- tenant, and S. B. Moorehouse, Second Lieutenant. As a matter of some interest to our readers, we will add the names of all commissioned officers in the regiment from this county, during its term of service : William P. Reid, Colonel ; Joshua Van Bremer, Major (entered as First Lieutenant) ; Thomas B. Williams, Surgeon ; Rev. L. F. Drake, Chaplain ; N. W. Cone, Samuel Sharp and Peter Cockerell, as Captains ; M. B. Clason and Silas Emerson, as First Lieutenants, and promoted to Captain ; S. B. Moorehouse, W. F. Barr, J. A. Porter, T. C. Lewis, Benjamin A. Banker, M. H. Lewis, Daniel Gilson and O. M. Scott, as Second

HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

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Lieutenants, Sergeants, etc., and promoted to Cap- tains ; Joseph A. Sheble and Eli Whitney, as First Lieutenants, and F. T. Arthur, J. F. Glover, M. D. Wells, Andrew Stephens, Charles P. Claris, E. B. Cook, Eli Whitney and Silas Long, Second Lieutenants.

As an act of justice to a good man and a brave soldier, we give place, parenthetically, to the fol- lowing, as narrated by one familiar with the facts : Hon. John L. Porter, now Judge of the Common Pleas Court in an adjoining district, entered this regiment at its organization, as Fourth Sergeant of Company A, Capt. Lawrence, in which capacity he served faithfully. One day, as the regiment was on the march, it met with a fallen tree across the road, when Sergt. Porter, with a squad of men, was detailed by Col. Banning, then in command, to have it cut and removed. He did as ordered, but exercised his own judgment as to the exact place of cutting the tree in two. When Banning came along, he asked in a gruff manner why he had not cut the tree where he had ordered it done. Sergt. Porter replied that he did not think it made any particular difference where it was cut, so that it was cut and removed out of the way, to enable the regiment to pass. At this Banning gave him a terrific cursing, and reduced him to the ranks. After Col. Robinson succeeded to the command of the regiment, a number of Porter's friends, headed by Capt. Banker (of Delaware) interested them- selves in his case, and finally procured his re-in- statement to his former position. This made him the oldest Sergeant in the regiment, which, united with his soldierly qualities, soon led to his promo- tion, and, when the regiment was mustered out, he was First Lieutenant of his company, a position that he well deserved and one that he creditably filled.

The One Hundred and Twenty-first was organ- ized at Camp Delaware, the old camp of the Ninety-sixth, in September, 1862. On the 10th of the same month, the regiment, 985 strong, left for Cincinnati, where it was placed on guard duty for a few days, but on the 15th crossed over the river and went into camp at Covington, Ky. From there it moved to Louisville, and was assigned to Col. Webster's brigade, Jackson's division, and McCook's corps. Without an hour's drilling the regiment marched with Buell's army in pursuit of Bragg. In this condition, it participated in the battle of Perryville, in which Capt. Odor, of Com- pany K, was killed. It was detailed to bury the dead, and remained in Kentucky on guard duty

until January, 1863, when it proceeded to Nash- ville, and then to Franklin, Tenn., where it was engaged protecting the right flank of Gen. Rose- crans's army, then lying at Murfreesboro. When the army moved forward from Stone River, the One Hundred and Twenty-first moved with it, and was attached to the reserve corps under Gen. Granger. At Triune they had a slight skirmish with the rebels under Gen. Forrest. . The next en- gagement in which the regiment took part (and its first severe battle) was the battle of Chickamanga, where it lost heavily. It made a gallant charge to save the only road to Chattanooga, and, in the charge, encountered the Twenty-second Alabama Rebel Infantry, capturing its colors, and a major- ity of the regiment. The loss sustained by the regiment was : Lieuts. Stewart, Fleming and Porter, killed ; Capts. David Lloyd and A. B. Robinson, and Lieuts. Marshall, Stephens, Moore, Mather, Patrick, Bryant and Mitchell, wounded ; privates killed, 14; and 70 wounded. For its bravery in this engagement, the regiment was highly compli- mented by Gen. Granger. After the battle, it fell back with the army behind the intrenchments at Chattanooga, where it remained until the battles of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge, in both of which it took a prominent part. It then returned to its old camp at Rossville, and remained there until May, 1864, when it moved with the army on the Atlanta campaign. It participated in the battles of Buzzard Roost, Resaca, and, as a part of Gen. Jeff C. Davis' division, was at the capture of Rome, Ga. It was at Kenesaw Mountain, and participated with its accustomed bravery. It made a lodgement under the enemy's works, and held it, thereby securing possession of the National dead and wounded ; hut dearly did it pay for its bravery. Among the commissioned officers killed were, Maj. Yeager, Capts. Lloyd and Clason, and Lieut. Patrick; and 8 officers wounded. At Chattahoochie River, on the 9th of July, it lost, in a skirmish at the railroad bridge, 5 men killed and 4 wounded. At Atlanta and Jonesboro it performed its usual hot work, where it lost several men killed and wounded. About the 29th of September the regiment was sent back to Chatta- nooga, where it was attached to an expedition against Forrest's cavalry, then raiding on the rail- road at some distance. They followed the rebel cavalry, and drove it across the Tennessee River into Alabama, when they returned and joined in the chase of Hood. The regiment joined Sher- man at Rome, Ga., and marched with his army to

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Savannah and the sea. After the fall of Savannah, the One Hundred and Twenty-first, then com- manded by Lieut. Col. A. B. Robinson, went with the expedition into the Carolinas, and participated in the battle of Bentonville. It lost 6 men killed and 20 wounded. Capts. Charles P. Claris and M. E. Willoughby were among the wounded. The former afterward died from the effects of the wounds received in this battle. On the 1st of May, 1865, it joined the march of the National forces through Richmond to Washington, where it took part in the grand review, after which it was mustered out and sent home, and, on the 12th of June, was paid off and discharged at Columbus.

The One Hundred and Forty-fifth Infantry was raised under the President's call, in April, 1864, for one hundred days' men, and was designated National Guards. It was made up wholly in Del- aware County, and officered as follows: H. C. Aswell, Colonel; Lloyd A. Lyman, Lieutenant Colonel; H. C. Olds, Major; Henry Besse, Sur- geon; J. D. Janney, Assistant Surgeon ; William E. Moore, Adjutant; J. H. Stead, Quartermaster ; Rev. W. G. Williams, Chaplain ; E. M. Jones, Lewis Moss, James Wallace, James M. Crawford, R. W. Reynolds, J. J Penfield, D. H. James, Arch. Freshwater, W. H. Wilson, John Cellar, Captains; Hugh. J. Perry, F. W. Cogswell, C. Hull, D. G. Cratty, J. A. Cone, W. E. Bates, G. W. Flemming, J. S. Post, J. W. McGookey, I. S. Hall, First Lieutenants; J. S. Harmon, H. M. Bron- son, John Urley, J. T. Nunsel, J. D. Van Deman, E. H. Draper, H. B. Wood, C. R. Caulkins, S. M. White, Jr., A. M. Decker, Second Lieutenants.

The regiment was organized at Camp Chase on the 10th of May, 1864, and immediately ordered to Washington City. Upon its arrival, it was as- signed to Gen. Augur, as garrison for the forts comprising the southern defenses of Washington, on Arlington Heights. The service of the regi- ment consisted principally of garrison and fatigue duty, in which, during its whole term, it was in- cessantly employed. It was drilled in both in- fantry and heavy artillery tactics under Gen. De Russy. Although not engaged in battle during its term of service, the One Hundred and Forty- fifth performed the most valuable duties, taking the place of veteran soldiers, who were thus per- mitted to re-enforce Gen. Grant in his advance on Richmond. Its term of service expired on the 20th of August, when it was sent home to Camp Chase, and, on the 23d, mustered out of the United States service.

One company of the One Hundred and Seventy- fourth Infantry was recruited in Delaware County, and officered as follows: J. H. Bassiger, Cap- tain; D. M. Howe, First Lieutenant, and W. E. Webber, Second Lieutenant. Col. Jones com- manded the regiment, and Dr. F. W. Morrison, of Delaware, was appointed its Surgeon. D. M. Howe was promoted to Captain and attached to the staff of Gen. Thomas, and W. E. Webber was promoted to First Lieutenant.

The One Hundred and Seventy-fourth was one of the last series of regiments raised in the State, to serve one year, and was composed chiefly of those who had seen service in the older regi- ments, and, tiring of the monotony of private life, eagerly re-enlisted for another year's campaign. It was organized at the old rendezvous, Camp Chase, September 21, 1864, and left on the 23d for Nash- ville, and ordered to report to Gen. Sherman, then commanding the Department of the Mississippi. It arrived at Nashville on the 26th of September, and was ordered to Murfreesboro, which point was threatened with a raid from the cavalry of Gen. Forrest. On the 27th of October, it left Mur- freesboro, with orders to report to the command- ing officer at Decatur, Ala. From Decatur, it moved to the mouth of Elk River, leaving four companies as a garrison for Athens. In a few days it returned to Decatur, and, on the 26th of November, it was again sent to Murfreesboro. It remained at Murfreesboro through the siege, and participated in the battle of Overall's Creek, where it behaved with great gallantry, and was compli- mented by Gen. Rousseau personally, for its brav- ery. Its loss was six men killed, two officers and thirty-eight men wounded. It took part in the battle of the Cedars, on the 7th of December, where it fully maintained its reputation. In a gallant charge during the fight, it captured two cannon, a stand of colors and a large number of prisoners. Its loss was quite severe. Among its killed was Maj. Reid, who was shot through the head while urging his men on to the charge. The regiment participated in all the fighting around Murfreesboro ; and after the siege, was assigned to the Twenty-third Army Corps, which it joined at Columbia, Tenn.

In January, 1865, the regiment was ordered to Washington City, which place was reached on the 20th. It remained here until February 21, when it proceeded to North Carolina. Here it was placed in the column commanded by Gen. Cox, and took part in the battles of Five Forks, and at

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Kingston, in both of which it aoted with its ac- customed bravery. This was the last fight the regiment was in. It was mustered out June 28, at Charlotte, N. C., and left at once for home, arriving at Columbus on the 5th of July, where it was paid off, and received its final discharge.

The One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Infantry drew one company from Delaware County. Com- pany B was recruited almost wholly in the county, and was mustered in, under the following commis- sioned officers: R. C. Breyfogle, Captain; O. H. Barker, First Lieutenant, and Shadrack Hubbell, Second Lieutenant. Lieut. Hubbell was a son of Hon. J. R. Hubbell, of Delaware, and was but eighteen years of age when he enlisted in the army. He raised most of this company, many of its members being his schoolmates, and, in ac- knowledgment of his services, he was made Second Lieutenant of the company. After the close of the war, he was commissioned in the regular army, and died at New Orleans, in 1867, of yellow fever. He was on Gen. Hancock's staff at the time of his death.

The One Hundred and Eighty-sixth was raised under the President's last call for one-year troops. It was mustered into the United States service at Camp Chase, March 2, 1865, and, on the same day, started for Nashville by way of Louisville. On the 8th of March, it left Nashville for Mur- freesboro, and from there proceeded to Cleveland, where it went into camp, and where it remained until the 2d of May, when it moved to Dalton. The Colonel of this regiment (Wildes), having been promoted to Brigadier General, was assigned to the command of a brigade at Chattanooga, and, at his request, the One Hundred and Eighty-sixth was transferred to his command. On the 20th of July, the regiment was relieved from duty at Chattanooga and ordered to Nashville. Orders were received on the 13th of September to pre- pare rolls for the muster-out of the regiment. Ou the 19th of the same mouth, it started for Co- lumbus, where it was mustered out of the service. It was never in an engagement as the One Hun- dred and Eighty-sixth Regiment, but it was no fault of the regiment. It faithfully performed every duty required of it, and would doubtless have acquitted itself with honor on the battle- field.

Of the Eighteenth United States Regular In- fantry, which drew one full company and part of another from Delaware County, we have learned but little. The officers were from the regular

army, and all inquiries have resulted in a failure to obtain anything very definite in regard to those companies in which the county was represented. "Ohio in the Late War " makes no mention of the regiment whatever, and the newspaper files of the war period have but little in regard to it. One item, however, may be given: James Fowler, a brother of Dr. Fowler, of Delaware, after serv- ing for a time in the Fourth Infantry, enlisted in the Eighteenth Regulars, was promoted to Orderly Sergeant, became Captain of a company in a Tennessee regiment, and was made Provost Mar- shal of Greenville, Tenn. Since the war he has made his home in the South.

The Fifth Colored Infantry was organized at Camp Delaware, and contained a large number of men from this county. In June, 1863, a camp for colored soldiers was opened on the farm of Josiah Bullen about one mile south of the city, and nearly opposite the site of " old Camp Dela- ware." Capt. McCoy, of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio, was detailed by Gov. Tod to su- perintend the recruiting of colored troops, and J. B. T. Marsh was mustered in as Quartermaster of the "One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Ohio," the number and title the regiment was to bear.

This was the first complete colored regiment raised in the State of Ohio. Previously, there had been quite a number of colored men recruited for the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, and sent to Boston, but nothing like an organization in the State had, up to this time, been attempted. The only semblance of law, which gave authority to the raising of colored troops, was that known as the " Contraband Law," which gave a colored laborer in the service of the United States, $7 a month as his pay, and $3 a month additional for clothing. Under this state of things, recruiting progressed slowly, and the few who had already enlisted be- came dissatisfied, and the organization with diffi- culty could be kept together. A few faithful men, however, who thought they saw in the results of the war great benefits to their race, stood firm. Finally there came a call from the War Depart- ment for colored troops to serve in the armies of the United States. Boards were convened, and promises given that Congress would place them upon an equal footing with other troops. The organiza- tion was changed from the " One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Ohio," to the " Fifth Regiment of United States Colored Troops," and by the 10th of July it contained three full companies. G. W. Shurtleff was appointed Lieutenant Colonel,

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and infused new life into the enterprise. Re- cruiting now went on rapidly, and early in . No- vember the regiment, fully equipped, went to Virginia with nine companies, and nearly a full complement of officers. Upon its arrival at Nor- folk, Col. Conine, who had been commissioned Colonel by the President, assumed command.

In December, 1863, the regiment formed part of the command undor Gen. Wilde, in the raid .made by that officer through the enemy's country to Elizabeth City, N. C. In January, 1864, it moved to Yorktown, where it remained until April. About this time, Capt. Speer joined it with the tenth company. In May, it accompanied the ex- pedition planned by Gen. Butler against Richmond and Petersburg, forming a part of the colored Division of the Eighteenth Corps. The Fifth was the first regiment to gain the shore at City Point, capturing the rebel signal officer and the corps stationed there. At the siege of Petersburg, the colored division stormed the heights, and cap- tured two strong earthworks, with several pieces of artillery. Gen. Smith; who commanded the Eighteenth Corps, watched the colored division with great anxiety, and, when he saw them carry the works with the bayonet, he exclaimed, " The colored troops fight nobly," or, "that is equal to Lookout Mountain." In this action, the regiment lost several men killed and wounded. One officer was killed, and Col. Conine was wounded. From this time to the 15th of August, the regiment was employed mostly on guard duty. In the latter part of August, the Third Division (colored) of the Eighteenth Corps, under Gen. Paine, was transferred to the north side of the James River. While in camp here, the Fifth received 375 recruits from Ohio. In September, the battles of Chapin's Farm, New Market Heights and Fort Harrison occurred, in which the Fifth participated. Col. Shurtleff and three of the captains were wounded. In the after- ternoon of the 29th, the regiment, with a detach- ment of white troops, stormed Fort Gilmer. The white troops faltered, then retreated, leaving the Fifth unsupported, and alone. It pressed on up to the fort, and a few men had scaled the walls; when an order was received to withdraw, which was effected in good order. In this day's fighting, the regiment lost nine officers wounded, one of whom (Capt. Wilbur) died; and out of 550 men in rank who went into the fight, 85 were killed, and 248 were wounded. Sergts. Beatty, Holland, Pimm and Brunson were awarded medals for gallantry

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 51

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818