USA > Ohio > Washington County > Marietta > History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 83
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578
HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,
tioned at Zanesville, and the Eighteenth, Col- onel Stanley, stationed at Camp Jackson, were ordered to Marietta to support Barnett's Bat- tery. The Seventeenth Regiment, Colonel Connell, stationed at Lancaster, was ordered to Zanesville. The Fifteenth Regiment, Col- onel Andrews, stationed at Zanesville, was or- dered to Bellaire, to await orders. The Six- teenth Regiment. Colonel Irvine, stationed at Columbus, was ordered to Zanesville to sup- port Colonel Andrews. The Nineteenth Regi- ment, Colonel Beatty, and the Twenty-first, Colonel Norton, stationed at Cleveland, were ordered to Columbus, there to await orders. Colonel Steedman, with the Fourteenth and a part of Barnett's Artillery, crossed to Virginia on the morning of May 27th, arriving at Park- ersburg at II o'clock, being the first troops to enter Southern territory, Ellsworth, with the New York Zouaves, entering Virginia from Washington at 2 P. M. After putting a qui- etus on the Secession element in Parkersburg. they moved out on the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road, rebuilding bridges and trestle works as they advanced. Colonel Irvine, with his regi- ment at Bellaire, crossed the day following. and was joined by a regiment of loyal Vir- ginians, under Colonel Kelley, and they pushed on out the northern branch of the Baltimore & Ohio, repairing and rebuilding bridges and trestles. The two columns met and formed a junction at Grafton, Virginia. After them the gallant sons of Ohio and Indiana went pouring into Virginia, driving the Rebels be- fore them. Fifteen miles beyond Grafton, at Philippi, they fought the first battle of the war and gained a victory.
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Thus, by the foresight and energy of Gov- ernor Dennison, was West Virginia saved to the Union, important railway communications recovered and held, and Ohio and the border protected from invasion and predatory war- fare.
M. & C. RAILROAD GUARDED.
On the 23rd of June, pursuant to an order of the adjutant general of the State, the fol- lowing militia companies arrived and were dis-
tributed along the railroad between the city of Marietta and Athens to guard the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad, now known as the "old · line." General Mcclellan feared that his com- munications would be interrupted and that his supplies might be cut off by the destruction of the bridges and trestle works on this railroad, which was an important matter at that time. These companies were: Company F, First Regiment, Captain Miller, 30 men ; Company B, Second Regiment, Captain King, 30 men ; Company F, Second Regiment, Captain Gar- rett, 30 men : Company D. Second Regiment, Captain Menken, 15 men; Company E, Third Regiment, Captain Buckner, 40 men; Com- pany G, Third Regiment, Capt. J. H. Carter, 60 men. The whole under command of Lieut. Col. A. E. Jones. Afterwards four of these companies were relieved by four Washington County companies, one of which was the Union Blues company, recruited up after the three months' men had gone, commanded by Capt. William B. Mason; the Fireman Zouaves, Capt. S. F. Shaw-both companies from Marietta-one company from Harmar, Capt. Joseph B. Daniels, and one-the Belpre Guards-commanded .by Capt. F. H. Loring, from Belpre. They were distributed along the railroad in squads, and were armed, clothed and subsisted the same as other volunteers. This service, although not especially danger- ous, was important, and as these companies are not elsewhere recorded we give them below as far as possible to ascertain their names :
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Captain F. H. Loring; Lieutenant James King.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Orderly Sergeant A. P. Sherman. Sergeant J. L. | O'Neal. John Mitchell, C. W. Stone, John Drain.
CORPORALS.
A. H. Browning, P. W. Simpson, E. M. O'Neal, A. D. Stone.
PRIVATES.
H. G. Allen. D. C. Allen, James R. Barrows, George Ballard, Daniel Breckenride. William Baker, W. W. Botkin, William Berry, Samuel Barkley. Jacob
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Clark, A. F. Downer, Moses Dugan. George Dunlevy, J. G. Ellenwood, Council Flowers. George Flowers. L. R. Forbes, George Gage. Alexander Galbraith, George Hutchinson. John Haddow. George A. Howe, John Hutchinson, D. B. Horton. C. B. Kirkpatrick, Fremont Kirkpatrick, Henry Kirkpatrick, Corwin H. Loring. George Lysle, George M. Conaughey. Josephi Marsh, Joseph Miller, Jantes Mendenhall, James Mc- Gaffey, F. F. Newport. J. R. Newport. M. Noland. Joseph Noland, F. Odenahan, E. R. O'Neal. Will- iam Powell, James Powell, Josiah Rutherford, Jacob Rutherford. B. B. Stone, Frank Stone. George G. Stone, William F. Shee. Joseph Sterlin. William F. Sayre, Henry Schram, Harrison Smith. John A. Shipe. S. C. H. Smith, Milton Stone, F. B. Simpson, Martin Tharp. John Thompson. William White, Noah Welch.
Roll of Capt. William B. Mason's Com- pany D, in the First Regiment. Third Brigade, Seventh Division of Ohio volunteer militia. enrolled on the 27th day of July, 1861, and mustered into the service of the State of Ohio the 27th day of July. 1861.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Captain William B. Mason. First Lieutenant James McCaddon, Second Lieutenant James Lewis.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
First Sergeant W. L. Theis. Sergeants George W. Kennedy. Robert H. McKittrick, Louis Schmidt: Cor- porals Jacob Unger. John Mahuken, John Plug, William L. Porterfield : Bugler Louis Schlieker.
PRIVATES.
George Baldwin, Frank Braddock, Peter Beck. George Booth. John Burke. Frederick Becker, John Dow. John Danker. Henry Estman, John W. Eaton. David M. Grimes. William Hose. Seymour J. Hatha- way. Andrew Holden, Luther M. Ingraham, David F. Jones. Frank E. Jett, Arius Nye Kennedy, Joel Ken- nedy. David H. Lewis, Dennis Mulhane, John J. Medli- cott. Patrick C. Meers. Frank McCaddon. Theodore McCaddon. Frederick Mahnken, Michael Manly, George W. Reynolds, John Ratgen, Nicholas Roeder, William Robinson, Frank Shafer. William W. Skinner, William H. Storrs, Richard Siebers, William Salzman, Samnel Tracy, Frank Towsley, Jacob Wood. J. Henry Well- brook. Julins Wenland.
Muster-roll of Capt. Joseph B. Daniels' company, First Regiment. Third Brigade, Seventh Division, of Ohio volunteer militia. commanded by Maj. O. Bennett.
COMMISSIONED OFFICER.
Captain Joseph B. Daniels (both lieutenants refused to respond to the call).
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
First Sergeant Arthur B. Chapin, Sergeants Will- iam S. Judd. Diton Fearing, George Maxon; Corporals George Reppert, George Marsh, Abrah Daniels, Otis J. Chambers, Drummer John Knox.
PRIVATES.
Daniel Bingham, William Bingham, Joseph Boyd, John Chambers, Salmon Chambers. Charles Dugan, James Doughitt, William Dugan. John Edelston, Den- nis A. Finch, Charles L. Gates, John Huff, Isaac Lucas, Solon Mathews, Horatio W. Mason. Thomas Mc- Namara, Henry E. Nugent, Samuel H. Niece, Madison J. Naylor, James S. Parker. William Parker, Samuel H. Putnam, Simon Readin, Byron P. Reppert, William W. Rice, Darwin A. Scott, William Snodgrass, William Tunnicliff. James Wright, Luther Wright, John L. Young
GRIM VISAGED WAR.
We have now passed the opening chapter of the war as far as it relates to Washington County. This was the romantic period of the contest, if such a thing can be said of so grim a subject. The hardships, dangers and priva- tions of active service had not been fully real- ized. The theory at first entertained that armed resistance could be put down in a three- months' campaign was soon dismissed, and the enormous strength of the Rebellion began to be understood.
THE FIRST GREAT CALL TO ARMS.
On July 21st the great battle of Bull Run was fought and lost, the flower of the Union Army destroyed, or turned into a fleeing rab- ble, and a great mass of war material swal- lowed up in the vortex of war. It was hard to believe this news, but what seemed at that time a dire disaster proved, in reality, a loud note of warning, and to that extent, at least, beneficial. It broadened the views of the ad- ministration as to war measures. Hencefor- ward the war was to be carried on more ag- gressively, and on a gigantic scale. The Pres- ident, on the day after the battle, issued a call for 500.000 three-years' men. Another out- burst of patriotic feeling ensued. This was the first great call to arms. The country was
580
HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY.
stirred to its center, and the scenes of volun- teering that followed were grand. It was from these 500 regiments that the vital power to crush the Rebellion came. They furnished the great bulk of the officers who finally led our armies to victory.
The Representative of this district at that time was Hon. William P. Cutler, who was attending a called session of Congress. Hav- ing received enquiries about raising a regiment in Washington County he telegraphed as fol- lows :
WASHINGTON, D. C., July 23. 1861.
11. Clarke and J. Hildebrand :
Government will probably accept an infantry regi- ment if ready in fifteen days. Can you raise it? I will bear all incidental expenses of raising it. Answer. WILLIAM P. CUTLER.
The response sent was that Washington County could and would do it.
This was the beginning of the Thirty-sixth Regiment, companies for which began to ren- dezvous immediately at Marietta.
THE FIRST THREE-YEARS' COMPANY FROM THE COUNTY.
Col. John Groesbeck, of Cincinnati, had offered to raise and equip a regiment at his own expense, and the liberality of this offer attracted general attention and commendation. The companies for that regiment were about this time gathering at Camp Colerain, near Cincinnati. There was a company in Mari- etta known as the "Washington County Rifle Guards." They resolved to join Groesbeck's regiment. Lieut. W. H. Edgerton came from Newport with a battalion of men and joined the Guards, the election of officers resulted as follows :
John C. Fell, captain ; William H. Edger- ton, first lieutenant ; Henry W. Shepard, sec- ond lieutenant.
This was the first three-years' company that left the county. They numbered 115 men. Upon leaving Marietta July 22, 1861, for the war, they were escorted by a Marietta company called the "Fireman Zouaves," Capt.
S. F. Shaw, the German brass band. and a large concourse of citizens, relatives and friends. They marched through the streets. Ohio and Front, from their headquarters at the old woolen factory, now Nye's foundry, and across to the Harmar depot. The Zouaves, finding that the guards had no col- ors, presented their beautiful flag. through Captain Shaw, who made the presentation speech, which was responded to by Captain Fell in appropriate words, and which act of courtesy was received with cheers by the de- parting volunteers. This company became Company B, and Groesbeck's Regiment, the Thirty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
The second company was "Koenig's Ger- man Rifles," which was raised in one week. It was composed mainly of Germans, and in- chided many of the best shots of that nation- ality in the county. They elected Jacob Koe- nig captain, and left for Camp Colerain July 31. 1861, deferring the election of the other officers until their arrival in camp. The com- pany became Company F. Thirty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
About the first of August, 1861, the "Mus- kingum Company" went into camp at Mari- etta, the first of the gallant Thirty-sixth Regi- ment. They were composed of the young men of the valley of the Muskingum, immedi- ately above Marietta. Twenty of them were from Rainbow and the neighborhood of De- vol's Dam, and comprised the best, and in fact, nearly all the young men in that locality. They were officered as follows: Captain Hiram F. Devol, First Lieutenant J. Gage Barker, Sec- ond Lieutenant J. C. Selby. First Sergeant Miles A. Stacy. The next company was the Salem Light Guards." a splendid body of men, officered as follows: Captain Jewett Palmer, Jr., First Lieutenant James Stanley, Second Lieutenant Ernst Lindner, First Sergeant John A. Palmer. Soon the Thirty-sixth Reg- iment was full.
Capt. T. W. Moore's company was raised in the vicinity of Tunnel station, in Washing- ton County, and were considered a fine body of men, and Captain Adney's was from the
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1
west end of Washington and from Athens County. The Governor appointed Melvin Clarke, lieutenant-colonel; Prof. Ebenezer B. Andrews, major; Benjamin D. Fearing, ad- jutant; and John M. Woodbridge, quarter- master. Neither of these officers had any mili- tary education, and it was decided to secure a regularly educated army officer. if possible, as colonel of the regiment. Maj. E. B. Andrews. to carry out this idea, went to Columbus to lay the matter before Governor Dennison. At first it was supposed that Colonel Sill would be appointed, but Colonel Sill, a member of the governor's staff, was needed in or- ganizing the thousands of raw recruits then flocking to the Ohio camp. Major Slemmer, however, of the regular army, inspector gen- eral on the staff of General Rosecrans, was designated as commanding officer, for the time being-the same Lieut. Slemmer who was in command of Fort Pickens, at the entrance of Pensacola harbor, Florida, when the war be- gan, and who, by his prompt refusal to sur- render, and promptness in preparing for de- fense, saved that important fortification to the Union.
The Thirty-sixth was, on August 30th, or- dered into Virginia, Major Slemmer joining the company at Parkersburgh : but soon after Col. George Crook, of the Eighth United States Infantry, was assigned to the command of the regiment, and began at once the task of drilling and disciplining both officers and men.
The advent of Colonel Crook was an event of great importance to the Thirty-sixth. He won the confidence and respect of the men, and imparted to the regiment a character for disci- pline and good behavior that they never lost during subsequent terms of service.
During the months of September and Oc- tober of 1861, several important commands were in process of formation in Washington County. Col. T. C. H. Smith, of Marietta, was commissioned as lieutenant-colonel of the First Ohio Cavalry; and soon after, on Sep- tember 11th, Capt. Thomas J. Patten, and Lieut. John D. Barker went into Camp Put-
nam with 60 men for that regiment, which be- came Company L. First Ohio Volunteer Cav- alry.
At the same time Pierpont Battery, De Beck's Battery, Huntington's Battery, the Sixty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the Sey- enty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, were all enlisting men-the men that were shortly to do such gallant service for their country.
Capt. Frank Buell, who was always de- voted to his men, had become dissatisfied at Ohio's treatnient of the volunteers, and with the delay of the State authorities in paying off his men, recently returned from the three- months' service, and he therefore resolved to raise a company of artillery for the new State of West Virginia. He had no difficulty in se- curing a sufficient number of men, many of the old company of three-months' men joining hin, the entire company being from Marietta and vicinity. They were accepted by Gov- ernor Pierpont, whose name they took, and were known as Buell's Pierpont Battery and Battery C, First Regiment, West Virginia, Light Artillery. They left October 9th for Camp Carlisle on Wheeling Island, West Vir- ginia. A large concourse of citizens and friends witnessed their departure. The Young America brass band accompanied them to Wheeling, the leader and one of their num- ber. William Jenvey, having joined the battery.
At this time Capt. William Craig, of the regular army, had charge of the army stores and military depots at Bellaire, Marietta and Parkersburg, with' headquarters at Marietta. He desired to raise a regiment for the war, and was commissioned by Governor Dennison as colonel, for that purpose. He was a graduate of West Point, and was much esteemed as an officer and a gentleman. The prospects for raising the regiment seemed good, and it was christened the Sixty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Alexander L. Haskins, a civil en- gineer of Marietta, was appointed major, and the lieutenant-colonelcy temporarily left va- cant.
About the same time a vigorous movement
582
HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,
was inaugurated to raise a regiment for Col. Jesse Hildebrand, who stood high in the State militia service, and had strong hold upon the popular heart. He had, for a long time, been the favorite military man of the county, and many people wished to have him command a Washington County regiment. His friends had expected that he would command the Thirty-sixth, but a regular army officer was appointed. His cause was urged upon Gov- ernor Dennison, but to no purpose. The Gov- ernor was hampered in some way, and could not act. He had learned by this time that there was a War Department in this country, and governed his actions accordingly. Col- onel Hildebrand finally tendered his service to Governor Pierpont, who did not need any urg- ing to take advantage of the situation, and at once issued a commission to Hildebrand as colonel, and ordered him to rendezvous his men at Parkersburg. This led to an emphatic protest by the friends of the colonel. About this time the War Department authorized Gov- ernor Dennison to commission all Ohio of- ficers who were promised commissions by Gov- ernor Pierpont, and so the merits of Colonel Hildebrand were recognized, and he was im- mediately commissioned by the Governor to raise a regiment of three-years' men in Wash- ington County. W. De Hass was appointed lieutenant-colonel, and Benjamin D. Fearing, at that time serving as adjutant of the Thirty- sixth, was appointed major.
Here then were two regiments authorized to be raised at the same time, in the county, and this naturally led to some friction between the parties interested in these different organ- izations. The fact of Colonel Craig being a West Pointer acted against him as well as in his favor. The volunteer could never exactly understand the regular army officer's manner and style of doing things, and they often charged him with being haughty and tyran- nical with the common soldier. No doubt great injustice was done Colonel Craig in this way, but he had able defenders, and they only intensified the opposition. The result was that the Seventy-seventh was soon full and
ready for service, while the Sixty-third was slow in getting men. Finally the Sixty-third was ordered to Columbus to consolidate with the Fifty-second, but that proved an unfortu- nate combination, and the Sixty-third returned again to Marietta for the purpose of filling up its ranks. The Twenty-second Regiment, a fragmentary organization at Camp Dennison. was ordered to Marietta to consolidate with the Sixty-third, and arrived January 30, 1862. Col. William Craig having resigned the col- onelcy, John W. Sprague, a captain in the Sev- enth Regiment, was appointed colonel, and after remaining in Camp Putnam until Febril- ary 18, 1862, they received marching orders and departed for Paducah, Kentucky.
CAMP TUPPER ESTABLISHED.
Col. Jesse Hildebrand, immediately after being commissioned by Governor Dennison, received orders to form a camp and recruit up a regiment, which was to become the gallant Seventy-seventh. Accordingly, he chose a public square in Marietta, the Quadranaou, and named it Camp Tupper, for Gen. Anselm Tupper. On the south side, along the line of Third street, he built 10 barracks, for as many companies, and on the elevated square in the camp a field-piece was placed for firing a morn- ing and evening gun. The regiment was rap- idly filled. Many of the recruiting lieuten- ants held meetings through the east side of the county, as did Rev. William Pearce, who after- ward became the chaplain of the regiment. On January 9, 1862, the regiment received marching orders, and went to Camp Dennison.
MILITARY COMMITTEE APPOINTED.
Governor Dennison, in the fall of 1861, finding that the recruiting and handling of a large number of soldiers entailed an immense amount of labor upon the executive depart- ment, and especially on the adjutant general, resolved to systematize and divide the work so that each county would have its share, and at the same time have competent supervision and
583
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
proper attention given to details incident to the service. He accordingly divided the State into military districts, which were the same as the congressional districts. Each district had over it a district military committee, appointed by the governor, and they appointed a commit- tee of five for each county, and the county mili- tary committee appointed a committee of three in each township. These were the men to whom the Governor, appealed in emergencies, and they appealed directly to the people. Their duties were varied and often arduous, at times requiring their constant attention, to the ex- clusion of all other business. They served without pay, and considering the character and value of the service rendered, deserve to be gratefully remembered.
The military committee appointed in the fall of 1861 for Washington County were Will- iam R. Putnam, chairman, Samuel F. Cooke, secretary, and John Newton, Mark Green, and George W. Baker.
The township committees appointed at the same time by the committees were as follows :
Adams-Dr. William F. Clark, Dennis Gibbs, Jonas Mason. Aurelius -- Thomas Ellison, Samuel L. Berkley, Theodore Jevres. Barlow-J. W. Merrill, H. E. Vin- cent. William Breckenridge. Belpre-O. R. Loring. John Stone, Joseph Potter. Decatur-William P. Gamble. Jonah McGirr, W. C. Smith. Dunham-J. J. Hollister. William A. Chevalier, Edward MeLarty. Fairfield-Dr. J. W. Marsha, John B. Farris, William Thompson. Fearing-Joseph W. Stanley, Orin Chap- man. F. G. Guittcau. Grandview-Samuel F. Cooke, Moses Meeks, John Pool. Independence-John G. Thomas, Squire D. Riggs, Dr. Valentine. Lawrence- A. J. Dye. A. W. Dye, J. M. Caywood. Ludlow- George W. Harvey. Christopher Dickson, William Bell. Liberty-Jackson A. Hicks, John H. Jamison. John Roberts. Newport-Luther Edgerton, Aaron Edgell, Edgar O'Neal. Palmer-John Breckenridge, Sr., J. MI. Murdough. D. J. Richards. Salem-Josialı Morgan, Henry Schofield. Moses Blake. Marietta City-George Benedict. First Ward; David C. Skinner. Second Ward ; Thomas W. Ewart, Third Ward. Muskingum-Col. William West. William F. Curtis, Johnson Bean. Har- mar-David Putnam. Col. D. Barber. Henry Fearing. Waterford-Enoch S. McIntosh. Samuel B. Robinson, Mathew Patterson. Warren-Moses Morris, Dean Briggs, Augustus S. Bailey. Wesley-S. C. Van Law, Robert Hodgin, J. P. Bruce. Watertown-W. F. La- sure. Henry MeGrew, IT. L. Deming. Union-Wesley Coombs. J. B. Dyar. Samuel Maxwell.
It was upon the county military committee,
however, that the most of the labor and re- sponsibility fell. They were charged with the entire business of recruiting in their counties ; and could adopt such measures to hasten the work as they thought proper. All candidates for commissions had to have an endorsement by the county committee, and they were en- joined to be very careful whom they recom- mended. They were also charged with col- lecting clothing and supplies for the army. No further praise need be bestowed upon the con- duct of the military committee of Washing- ton County than to say that through all the emergencies and trying ordeals of four years of the war the same men first appointed were retained to the end.
In closing the year 1861 there are many things that might be said in regard to the management of military affairs outside as well as in this county, about which there was great difference of opinion at the time, but it is not the province of this history to discuss such matters nor have we room for an extended examination, but one thing should be said, at least, a word in justification of Governor Den- nison. The Governor was not renominated, but was passed with a commendatory resolui- tion, and David Tod, a war Democrat, taken up in his stead and elected. Governor Denni- son sought 110 vindication nor asked any one to defend his course, but left it to the future and the sober judgment of the citizens of Ohio to vindicate him, and he has, indeed, been fully justified. He said "Ohio must lead in the war," and he .nobly endeavored to make good the promise. The war found him a plain but versa- tile and talented civilian, with no knowledge of military affairs and with a staff totally unac- quainted with the demands and emergencies about to overtake them. When hostilities began and the thousands of citizens soldiers began to crowd into the capital city, it was utterly im- possible to meet their demands with even the barest necessities of camp life, and so on, dur- ing the succeeding weeks, as each new exigen- cy arose, it was met manfully and all demands filled as soon as possible : but Governor Den- nison fully realized the great burdens imposed upon him and laid his plans to meet them,
1
584
HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,
and in a short time he had so fully mastered the situation that he was enabled to give his attention to other matters than the mere details of military organization. He planned the first campaign against the enemy in West Vir- ginia, which was a grand success, but enough offense had already unavoidably been given to the volunteers, fresh from the comforts of home, to raise a great, clamor against him, which extended to every part of the State from which a three-months' man had come. The Legislature took up the cudgel also and asked for the resignation of certain members of his staff, but the Governor, firm, yet digni- fied, declined to dismiss them, and knowing that he was doing all that could be done, con- tinued to work out his task, and the sequel showed that he did his work well and that a greater part of the complaints were causeless and unjustified by the facts.
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