History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 86

Author: Andrews, Martin Register, 1842-; Hathaway, Seymour J
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1490

USA > Ohio > Washington County > Marietta > History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 86

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On the 17th General Burnside telegraphed

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HISTORY OF MARIETTA AND WASHINGTON COUNTY,

Colonel Putnam that if Morgan was driven from the ford at Buffington, he would proba- bly strike for Marietta, the roads therefore were to be well obstructed, the flooring of the bridge across the Muskingum torn up, and rifle-pits so constructed as to command the crossing. General Cox, who was with Gen- eral Burnside at Cincinnati, telegraphed that if the roads were so obstructed as to prevent Mor- gan dodging north between Athens and Mari- etta, there was force enough following to crush or capture him. Three companies under John Newton were sent up the Muskingum to remove all boats to the east side of the stream, and three more under command of Capt. Levi Barber were sent to blockade the roads be- tween Coolville and the Little Hocking. Meantime, mounted scouts were sent out from Mr. Cutler's camp, and from all points prac- ticable, and the best information possible ob- tained as to the enemy's movements. Several companies were stationed at the Marietta bridge, and such arrangements made that the drawbridge could be turned at a moment's notice. In addition to the rifle-pits a barricade of bales of hay was made commanding the bridge and the ford below. On the night of July 17th, Col. B. P. Runkle's forces arrived at Scott's landing, three miles below Marietta.

Let us now return to Morgan's command, whom we left on the evening of the 18th near Buffington's Island.

Basil Duke, in his "History of Morgan's Cavalry," says :

July 18th. at 3 A. M., we moved on. By this time the militia had turned their attention seriously to fell- ing trees, and impeding our progress in every con- ceivahle way. Advanced guard was forced to carry axes to cut away frequent blockade. In passing on the 18th near Pomeroy, there was one continual fight, but not wholly with militia, for some regular troops now appeared. We had to rien a terrible gauntlet for nearly five miles, through a ravine, on the gallop. * * *

We reached Portland ( Buffington ) about 8 P. M., and the night was one of solid darkness. General Morgan consulted one or two of his officers upon the propriety of at once attacking an carthwork, thrown up to guard the ford. From all the information he could gather, this work was manned with about three hundred infantry -- regular troops, and two heavy guns were mounted in it. Our arrival at this place after dark had involved us

in a dilemma. If we did not cross the river that night, there was every chance of our being attacked on the next day by heavy odds-by infantry sent after us from Kentucky, and by gunboats at the ford, which we could not drive off, as we had not more than three cartridges apiece for our artillery. General Morgan fully appre- ciated these reasons for getting across the river that night, as did those with whom he advised, but there were also very strong reasons against attacking the work at night: and without the capture of the work which commanded the ford, it would be impossible to cross. Attacks in the dark are always hazardous ex- periments. in this case doubly so as we knew nothing of the ground and could not procure guides. Our choice of the direction in which to move to the attack would have been purely guesswork. The defenders of the work had only to lie still and fire with artillery and musketry directly to their front, but the assailants would have had a line to preserve, and to exercise great care lest they should fall foul of each other in the obscurity. * * * He determined, therefore, to take the work at early dawn, and hoped to effect a crossing rapidly before the enemy arrived.

Captain D. L. Wood, in his report to Col- onel Putnam, says: "On the morning of the 18th I made a line of entrenchments covering the approach to the ford, sent out cavalry scouts and ascertained that the enemy were advanc- ing on me in force. I had all my stores re- moved to the boat ( steamer 'Starlight' ) and ordered it to be ready to move. At half past seven o'clock the enemy appeared in force in front of my works, at which time my forces were in line to receive them as best I could. At twelve o'clock. having received an order from General Scammon to retire, I did so. Being hardly pressed by the enemy, I was obliged to abandon my artillery."

Lieut. C. B. Lewis, of the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was officer of the day ; posted pickets at differ- ent points around the ford to watch for the approach of the Rebels, and while out on the picket line was taken prisoner by the Rebels the night before the battle.

BUFFINGTON'S ISLAND.

The valley in which Morgan encamped on the night of July 18th was about 800 yards wide at the lower end and gradually narrowed above until the hills approached near to the river at the upper end. The river road coming

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from Pomeroy was upon the bank of the river. About midway of the valley a road winds into the valley to the river. The Rebels had en- camped on the night of the 18th ( Saturday night ) in the cornfields at the end of a private lane running parallel to the road on which Gen- eral Judah was approaching from the direction of Pomeroy. A dense fog covered all the bottom lands. General Hobson had with his command followed Morgan for two weeks. and on the night of the 18th went into camp to rest both horses and men. Colonel Gar- rard, of the Seventh Ohio Cavalry, remon- strated with Hobson for delayinig the march at the critical poinit of the pursuit, but Hob- son decided to halt. Colonel Garrard then asked permission to continue the pursuit that night, and in reply was informed that he might take his regiment and "go to hell." So Garrard kept on in pursuit. General Judah pressing forward during the night with his command was, with his staff including Maj. Daniel McCook, early in the morning of the 19th, in advance, and when within a short dis- tance of the ford, there being a dense fog, came unexpectedly upon the Rebel cavalry. who received them with a volley and pursued. killing Major McCook, wounding several and taking some prisoners together with one piece of artillery. General Judah now hur- ried his forces forward and the fog suddenly lifting disclosed the enemy in the valley be- fore them. While Judah was bringing his forces into action, Lieutenant O'Neil. of the Fifth Indiana Cavalry, appeared on another road with but 50 men and charged two differ- ent regiments so desperately that they were broke and left the captured gun, also their prisoners. Meanwhile Colonel Garrard with the Second and Seventh Ohio Cavalry came in by the road about the middle of the valley and charged them in flank and rear. Captain Fitch with the gunboat "Moose" now attack- ed from the river, playing on them with his 24-pound Dahlgren guns. With Judah up. Hobson up and the gunboats up, the situation of Morgan became not only interesting but desperate.

Judah and Hobson, from different points, soon opened on the Rebel ranks with shell, and according to Basil Duke's account, the air was fairly filled with pieces of shell, com- pelling the enemy to retreat. Duke was in command of the line designed to cover the re- treat, with instructions to make the best fight he could, and but for being attacked in the flank would have given General Judah a more stubborn resistance than they did. General Duke attempted to retreat in good order, but soon a regular stampede took place, many made a rush for the ford, others ran from point to point over this field, taking a new di- rection at the chance explosion of a shell near by. The most of the Rebels, however, still clung to the booty stolen on the march.

The victors now closed in on them and captured between seven and eight hundred, in- cluding Basil Duke, Col. Dick Morgan, Col- onels Smith, Ward and Hoffman. All their artillery. wagons, etc., were captured. About 1,200 men, under Morgan, escaped, and, press- ing on up the river, tried to cross at Belleville, but were headed off by the gunboat "Moose." A few got across, and some were killed in the river. The bulk of the raiders, however. turned away from the river and disappeared among the hills. It is a remarkable fact that two out of the six or seven guns captured were 20-pound Parrots, which Morgan had dragged over his extended line of march, and, had he not run out of ammunition, would doubtless have given the gunboats as well as his other pursuers a more desperate battle than he did. The Union loss was five killed and 25 wound- ed. Rebel loss, 20 killed, wounded not known.

In regard to the conduct of Captain Wood. the "Rebellion Record" has the following :

Captain Wood, of the Eighteenth regulars. while stationed at Marietta as mustering officer, was induced to take command of two companies of volunteers, and proceed to Buffington bar on Saturday. He found the steamer "Starlight" aground. with only two men aboard, and loaded with three thousand barrels of flour. He immediately unloaded the vessel, raised -team and manned the boat. from the captain to the deck-hand, with his men, and run her out of the range of Morgan's guns, which, before he could get away, had arrived on

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the bank. Before leaving with his little band of true gallants, he rolled his two heavy pieces of artillery over into a ravine, so that the enemy could neither take nor use them. After the fight. Captain Wood reported to General Judah for duty with the boat, and was highly complimented by the general and placed in charge of several hundred of the prisoners to bring to Cinein- nati. Had the boat not been seized by Captain Wood when it was, Morgan would have had it and erossed the river with it, for the gunboats did not arrive till Sunday morning, while Morgan was there the night before. So let Marietta be proud of her gentlemen soldiers who were not too proud to carry coal or do any work which would hinder the enemies of the Union and help her defenders.

Captain Wood and his command returned to Camp Marietta from Cincinnati, July 25th.

When Major McCook was shot, the coun- try lost a noble patriot, who had sent his dis- tinguished sons to the war and only remained at home himself on account of the infirmities of age. The horse he rode remained in the hands of the enemy. There is an interesting incident related in regard to the horse. "Old Joe," as he was called, which we will give as we heard it :

When Capt. Arthur D. Eells, Company H, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, on the failure of his health, left the army at Somerset, Kentucky, he sold his horse "Joe" to Maj. John Dalman, at that time paymaster, who took the horse to Cineinnati. Very soon after this John Morgan made his raid through Indiana and Ohio.

When Morgan and his troops were passing near Cincinnati, a force of volunteers gathered to pursue him. Old Major McCook went to Dalman's stable and took the horse Joe, and, with the others, followed Mor- gan, overtaking him, as we have seen, at Buffington. As soon as Major McCook fell. the horse galloped over the field at will. Soon the Seventh Ohio Cavalry attacked the Rebels on the flank and rear. and the horse. doubtless recognizing familiar voices in the di- reetion of the gallant Seventh, galloped through the tumult and confusion of the battle to the position of the Seventh Cavalry and took his wonted place in the line. mieh to the edification of the boys, who shouted, "Look! there comes Captain Eells' horse, Old Joe."

So ended the battle of Buffington's Island, in which there were more men killed than in some of the famous battles in Mexico.

About 350 Rebels succeeded in getting across at the different fords, and between one and two hundred were taken prisoners after becoming detached from the main body. Mor- gan himself was half way across at the upper Buffington ford, when he saw that a large

part of his command were so hard pressed that they would not be able to escape, and he turned back and continued his flight north, but doubled on his track and again attempted to cross near Blennerhassett's Island, but was foiled in this and compelled to make a detour to get out of the trap set for him by Colonel Putnam. In order to do this he marched out- side the lines of Mr. Cutler and Lieutenant Conine and the other forces sent out to ob- struct and hold the roads leading to the river. He was, however, followed by Shackleford, and also by a force of militia sent forward by Colonel Runkle, under command of Colonel Hill. These moved by boat up the Muskin- gum, and landed at McConnelsville July 23rd, just as Morgan crossed at Eaglesport, seven miles above. Colonel Hill took an unfre- quented road over the hills and succeeded in flanking Moran, and getting his artillery into position, opened on the Rebels and threw then into confusion. They dropped their guns. booty, and everything that would im- pede progress and fled, followed by Hill as long as his artillery could get positions from which to shell them, keeping up the pursuit until about four P. M., when General Shack- leford's cavalry came up and relieved the mil- itia, now very much exhausted, whom Colonel Hill ordered back to the Muskingum.

Thus harassed the remnant of the raiders pursued their toilsome march. General Brooks, who had taken up his headquarters at Wellsville, Ohio, finding that there was a strong probability of Morgan crossing the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad at Salineville sent Colonel Gallagher. with a regiment of six- months' men, to a point about two miles from that place, and had them posted advantageous- ly near the supposed place of crossing. Major Way, with the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, was also moving up to the same point. In a short time the expected Rebels made their appear- ance, coming around a bend in the road. On catching sight of the infantry, they halted and turned their horses' heads in another direction. Before they could get out of the trap Major Way. with 200 men of the Ninth Michigan

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Cavalry, dashed among them and commenced cutting right and left. The Rebels made but a brief resistance, when they broke in utter con- fusion. The scene that followed was almost ludicrous, and could only be matched by the previous stampede at Buffington's Island. Men dismounted, threw down their arms and begged for quarter, whilst others galloped around wildly in search of a place of escape and were "brought to time" by a pistol shot or saber stroke.

Morgan himself was riding in a carriage drawn by two white horses. Major Way saw him, and galloping up, reached for him. Morgan jumped out at the other side of the carriage, leaped over a fence, seized a horse. and galloped off as fast as horse flesh spurred by frightened heels, could carry him. About 200 succeeded in escaping with him. In the buggy thus hastily evacuated by Morgan were found his rations, consisting of a loaf of bread, some hard-boiled eggs, and a bottle of whiskey.

The number of Rebels killed in this en- gagement was five or six: number wounded not stated ; prisoners, about 200, together with horses and arms. A few Union cavalry men were wounded.

About two o'clock P. M. of the same day the forces in pursuit of Morgan closed in around him in the vicinity of West Point, be- tween New Lisbon and Wellsville. The Re- bels were finally compelled to take refuge on a bluff. and, finding escape impossible. they surrendered to Colonel Shackleford and the militia, who now started on a general hunt for straggling Rebels, brought in numbers of them found concealed in the woods, all of whom were sent to Columbus.

.A Rebel account states that Morgan on this raid captured 6,000 prisoners, all of whom were paroled, destroyed 34 important bridges, and the railroad tracks in 60 places, that they lost 28 commissioned officers killed. 34 wound- ed, and 250 men killed. wounded and cap- tured: that by Federal accounts. they killed more than 200, wounded at least 350 and captured as above mentioned. 6,000;

that the damage to railroads, steamboats and bridges, added to the destruction of public stores and depots, cannot fall short of $10,- 000,000; that they captured three pieces of artillery, and one 24-pounder at Lebanon, which they destroyed, one Parrott three-inch gun at Brandenburg, and a 12-pounder at Portland; that the Copperheads and Butter- nuts were always in the front opposing them; that occasionally they would meet a pure "Southron." generally a person banished from the border States.

The above-mentioned account was written by one of the raiders who escaped at Buffing- ton, and as far as it relates to the Union loss, is not trustworthy. being an over-estimate, but as far as relates to the destruction of prop- erty, it is doubtless not up to the mark.

Morgan and his officers were confined in the Penitentiary, at Columbus, from which prison Morgan and six others made their es- cape November 27. 1863, by cutting through the stone floors of three cells with knives car- ried off from the prison table, till they reached the air chamber below and tunneling thence under the prison walls into the outer yard .. and climbing the surrounding prison wall by aid of ropes made from their bed clothes. An investigation into the cause of the escape showed that the usual routine of sweeping the cells was omitted in the case of those occupied by the Rebels, and they were. thus enabled to cover up and conceal their work. The omission to sweep was at the sug- gestion of one of the directors of the Peniten- tiary.

Morgan reached his hiding place beyond the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in safety, and afterward led several bands of raiders into the Blue Grass, in one of which he was killed in a skirmish, while endeavor- ing to escape from a house in a little village in East Tennessee.

THE MILITIA.

Under the order to organize the forces as- sembled at Camp Marietta during the Mor-

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gan raid, Colonel Putnam appointed on his own staff :

Josiah H. Jenkins, assistant adjutant general: P. B. Putnam, quartermaster: George O. Hildreth, post hospital surgeon: James Little, post hospital surgeon ; F. D. Howell. post hospital surgeon : B. F. Culver, post hospital assistant surgeon ; John W. White, post hospital assistant surgeon : Michael Edwards, post hospital as- sistant surgeon: Joseph M. C. Moorhead, examining surgeon : William Beebe, examining surgeon; William Acklev. examining surgeon; besides a corps of clerks and assistants.

ATHENS COUNTY MILITIA.

A. D. Jaynes. colonel; E. L. DeWitt, colonel ; Jared Maris, adjutant.

Names of Company Commandants-Charles Mat- henry, E. D. Harper, reported July 14th : Charles Good- speed, Elias Grewell, Edward Wheeler. C. Cooper, F. L. Junrod. C. Winget, I. C. Shotts, A. D. Jaynes, H. Nauna, and Daniel Fulton. reported July 16th ; Charles Stout and James M Holmes, reported July 17th: S. H. Smith, E. Stalder and E. P. Pickett, reported July 18th.

Highest number of men from Athens County. 1,082; total number conpanies, 17.

MFIGS COUNTY MILITIA.

Nathaniel M. Mclaughlin, colonel; William B. Skrevner, major.

Names of Company Commandants-I. H. Ruther- ford, L. E. Campbell, John Barrot, G. G. Woodward and R. B. Wilson, reported July 16th: John F. Martin, Miner Reed and S. Riggs, reported July 17th.

Total number companies, nine ; highest number men reported 706.

MONROE COUNTY MILITIA.

Joseph Kelley, colonel.

Company Commandants-R. T. Beiber, S. C. Kelley. Henry Scott, J. M. Evans, reported July .7th : J. L. Watson. S. F. Ellsworth, G. W. Bennett, C. M. Stewart. J. M. Jones, J. A. Fleischmann, C. B. Way, H. R. Mason, Joshua Way, J. Daugherty, Max Albert, A. C. McElroy and Elias Hoppmann, reported July 18th: Peter Dover, George Ring and J. Roemer, re- ported July 20th ; John Mallory, J .J. Hurd, James Adams. J. F. Culverhouse and J. Rupp, reported July 2Ist; W. Truax, July 22nd: and M. Thoenen, John Bellman and John Monroe, July 24th.

Total number companies, 29; highest number men reported, 1,367.

NOBLE COUNTY MILITIA.

William P. Sprague, colonel: William H. Frazier, adjutant.

Company Commandants-Pearson Mordeck, James A. Morrison. B B. Taylor, Asa Barton, and John Hes- son, reported July 15th : D. L. Weems, July 16th ; J. R.

Rickley, Louis Headly, Lorenzo Powell, Israel Harris, July 17th; Dudley Evans, Enoch Wilkinson, William Fowler, J. M. Walters, James Gibson, William L. Parks, William Ogle. C. Clymer, David McGary. Robert Bary, and Robert Hayne, July 18th. J. F. Briggs, George E. Geddes, July 19th.

Number of companies, 23; highest of men reported on any one day, 2,112.

PERRY COUNTY MILITIA.

WV. Cook, colonel; S. F. Muzzy, colonel; A. W. Poundston, adjutant.

Company Commandants-D. W. Marsh, John S. Nixon, Obediah Larimer, J. Mackin, and W. H. Spen - cer, reported July 17th; John Dike, A. T. Sharp, J. Clark, James C. Ritchey, James R. Fulton, and W. L. Harbough, July 18th.

Number of companies. II : highest number of men reported, 856.

HOCKING COUNTY MILITIA.

David Little, colonel.

Company Commandants-Samuel Creighton, Abra- ham McLain, John O. Kennedy, D. Little, and John Oaks, reported July 18th.

Number of companies, five; highest number of men reported, 344.

MORGAN COUNTY MILITIA.

John C. Ellston, Jr., colonel; William B. Loomis, adjutant ; Frederick W. Wood, colonel; Bearly Davis, adjutant.

Company Commandants-J. H. Roland, reported July 14th: A J. Harte, J. McVay, H. R. Seaman. Sid- ney Newton and Thomas Hammond, reported July 15; J. D. Lashley, George Hedges and William Balding re- ported July 16th ; J. L. Pierrot, S. S. Jenkins, William Miller, James B. Tannehill, John Henderson, H. R. Hughes. E. G. Caulson, H. B. White, Charles Mc- Carthy. John Preston, reported July 17th; H. C. Har- vey, P. D. Danford, John Rollison, William McIntire, G. B. Fowler, F. G. Phillips and Thomas Vicroy, re- ported July 18th : D. D. Scott and John Fouraker, re- ported July 19th.

Total number companies, 28; highest number of men reported, 2.362.

WASHINGTON COUNTY MILITI.A.

J. Mills Kendrick, colonel commanding; Thomas W. Moore,* colonel First regiment; Joseph B. Kin- kead .* colonel First regiment; Thomas Day, colonel First regiment ; Edwin Cood, colonel Second regiment ; Joseph Dyar, colonel Third regiment; O. P. Scott, colonel Fourth regiment.

Company Commandants-Augustus Dyar, and A. T. Nye. Jr., reported July 14th; S. S. Knowles, J. W. Tripp, John Holst. Jr., K. Krauss, Elijah Locker. John W. Conley, Henry Kelley, David P. Pugh, P. L. Cole, . J. H. Brown, W. L. Baldwin, and J. L. W. Newton,

*Relieved to command men on detached duty.

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reported July 15th ; D. Y. Hill. E. M. Howland, Loring E. Stone, J. P. Sanford, Charles A. Cook, George Davenport, John Magee, Charles H. Cook, R. F. Dilley. B. Racer, H. M. Brown, M. Ryan, J. W. Brabham, J. M. Warren. E. D. Smith, and Thomas W. Moore, re- ported July 16th : Oscar Liackey. J. A. Brown, Jacob Hagar, G. R. Goddard, Washington Wilson, G. B. Tur- ner, July 17th; J. P. Kinkead. Charles Luckens. C. H. Goddard, John E. Smallwood. John Dretchell, J. F. Deshler, and S. P. Willis, July 18th: William Smith, J. D. Gates, July 19th, J. C. Campbell, and Israel N. Dye, July 20th.

Total number of companies, 47: highest number of men reported, 2,039.

Besides these, there were volunteers under command of S. Mason, Major Bloomfield, J. W. Brabham, D. Y. Hill, 198 men, and six- months' men in camp at this time numbering 250. In addition to the companies already enumerated, six others from counties outside the first military district came in with 634 men. The daily aggregate of forces reported at Camp Marietta during the Morgan raid was as follows: On July 13th, the day after the Governor's proclamation, there were in camp 175 men-the militia had not yet started : July 14th, 457 ; 15th, 1.732 ; 16th, 4,259; 17th, 7.064; 18th, 11,782; 19th, 12.082: 20th. (w- ing to an order from the Governor to send the militia home), 6,434; 2Ist. 5,826; 22nd, 3,- 939: 23rd, 2.721 ; 24th, 3,372: 25th, 2.466; 26th, 2.389: 27th, 2,384: 28th. 449: 29th, 284: all the militia disappearing again.

On July 19th there were reported at Camp Putnam, either as on duty or in camp, militia and other soldiers, as follows:

NAMES OF COLONELS COMMANDING. NO. OF MEN. Col. F. L. DeWitt, Athens County : militia .. 1.036 " D. Little. Hocking County. militia. 3,37

N. M. MeLaughlin, Meigs County, militia. 708

" Joseph Kelley. Monroe County, miltia 1.355

" J. C. Elston, Jr .. Morgan County, militia. ... 2.364 = WV. P. Sprague. Noble County, militia .. 2.117 = I. F. Muzzy, Perry County, militia. 827

J. M. Kendrick, Washington County. militia .. 3.039 252 All others

Total 12.082

The results of the operations planned at Camp Marietta were to compel Morgan to make an extended detour to the northward, thereby saving a large tract of country from

devastation. Another and more miportant result was the preventing of his escape across the river, at Buffington. There is no doubt but that the timely arrival of Captain Wood at Buffington, and the construction of the earthwork mentioned, prevented Morgan from crossing with his entire command the night before the battle. The statement of Gen. Basil Duke, heretofore referred to, fully cor- roborates this fact. Captain Wood left the fortification under orders from General Scam- mon, of the Kanawha department, a superior officer, and he left none too soon. Six hours later and the Rebels would have attacked him. overpowered his small force, captured the steamer and ferried their troops across before either Judah or Hobson, or the gunboats, could have prevented it.

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History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 86

Author: Andrews, Martin Register, 1842-; Hathaway, Seymour J Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1490

Author: Andrews, Martin Register, 1842-; Hathaway, Seymour J
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1490