USA > Ohio > Morgan County > History of Morgan County, Ohio, with portraits and biographical sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 29
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they cheerfully performed. They then marched to Indianola, when Captain Sonnanstine embarked with his com- pany for New Orleans, and from thence to Columbus via Cairo, where the com- pany was mnstered out Dec. 25, 1865. November 25, 1865, he was promoted to major of the 65th, bnt being disabled by sickness refused to innster. He was in the battle of Pittsburg Landing ; the advance on Corinth ; the march to Inka, Tnsenmbia, Decatur, Huntsville and Bridgeport. From the latter place he was sent home on recruiting service, and rejoined his regiment after the battle of Stone River; was in all en- gagements preceding the evacnation of Chattanooga and the final capture of Atlanta. Jannary 13, 1853 he was married to Miss Julia C. Hackett. Seven children were the result of this union-Ada, Edward, Edwin, Anna, Emmet, Ernest and Grosvenor.
PRISON EXPERIENCES.
ANDERSONVILLE.
Andersonville prison was in Sumter County, Georgia, and contained about forty acres, inclosed by a stockade of logs set end wise in the ground, and about ten feet high. Attached to it were guard houses at intervals of about 100 feet, which overlooked what they appro- priately called the " dead-line," about ten feet from the stockade on the inside. At the front of the prison were three other stockades with heavy gates. The entrance or vestibule of the pen, which prevented the escape of prisoners in either large or sinall bodies on the right, were earthworks, with cannon mounted ready for action. A little further to the right was the cookhouse. On the left was the hospital intended
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for sick Union prisoners-but few were taken there-many dying at the gate while waiting for medicine: but the principal number died in the larger apartment. A small creek ran through the middle of the inclosure, and at an angle with it was about five acres of swamp, thus reducing our parade ground to about thirty-five acres. On one side of the stream the soil was almost en- tirely sand-on the other-yellow clay. In this space the 40,000 prisoners were crowded without shelter of any kind. The trees that were standing on the ground when it was first occupied were cut down and the roots dug up for fuel. The possessor of a blanket could to some extent obviate his discomfort ; but without it or a substitute the prisoner could burrow in the yellow clay for a brief period preliminary to being carried to the "long trench." Through this yel- low clay there were from time to time several tunnels made under the stockade; but as far as was known all were fail- ures. The venturer was either captured by the rebel guard or torn to pieces by the bloodhounds.
Of the victims of the "dead line," starvation or disease, there were about 13,000 prisoners buried in a trench, a few inches deep, and wide enough for the length of the body. Thus, side by side, they braved shells or starvation. The officers of the prison extended no favors to any of the prisoners, except to Free Masons. When they were recognized in the prison the officers would generally find something for them to do on the outside; and if a Mason died he was more respectably buried.
*The narrator of this sketch volun- teered in the United States signal serv-
ice corp at Columbus, O., and went into camp at Georgetown, D. C., and from there with a squad to General Siegel's army. He was captured by Mosby's men at Middletown, between Martinsburg and Winchester, on the 13th of May, 1864, and with about 150 prisoners was marched across the coun- try to Gordonsville, thence to Ander- sonville, where his stay was until September, 1864; thence to Charles- ton, S. C., and from there to Florence, where he remained until March 4, 1864; from thence to Wilmington, N. C., and from there to Annapolis, Md., from which place he returned to his home.
Mr. A. Arrick furnishes the follow- ing interesting synopsis of an interview with James P. Hartzell, of company G, 78th Regiment, O. V. I., Col. M. D. Leggett :
"I was captured at Atlanta, Ga., on 22d of July, 1864, with twenty others of our regiment. About 7 p. m. the prisoners, two thousand in number, captured that day, were marched by a long detour to the rear of Atlanta. From here our officers were sent to Charleston, S. C., and we saw them no more. We remained here until the 24th, when we started and marched during that and the following two days, and arrived at Lovejoy Station, whence we took the cars to Macon, Ga. " At Macon we were treated with great kindness by the ladies. They brought us warm biscuit, milk, wine and ham, and many other luxuries to which we had long been strangers. One, whose name I regret 1 cannot recall, was particularly kind to me, and talked of her own boy in the Con- federate army, while the tears rolled down her cheeks. I was then only about seventeen years of age, and her
*Albert Worley, of MeConnelsville, Ohio.
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motherly kindness produced an im- pression which will ever be remem- bered. After leaving Macon we were at Andersonville at noon.
" We were marched from the station to the front of the stockade and formed in line, and we were introduced to Captain Wurz. Being in line, we were ordered to open ranks and unsling knapsacks. The guards then .went through our traps,' appropriating everything in our possession, whether valuable or worthless, taking even our knives, forks and spoons. By some inadvertance, my blanket was left lying in front of me, and when the order 'march' was given, with a soldier's instinct, I reached for it, when a revol- ver was thrust into my face, and there stood the redoubtable Captain Wurz, who in broken English exclaimed, . You tam Yaukee, ven I says march I means you to go.' I went, bidding farewell to my blanket.
" We were then turned in like cattle, without tent or blanket. While look- ing on the scene with anxious wonder, I was accosted by G. W. Sprinkle, a member of our regiment, who had for some time been a boarder. He was an intimate friend, and his assistance and instructions were of great benefit. Twenty men of our regiment together occupied a spot of ground ten feet square, appropriated to our use, and this was our . home.'
"The inmates were divided into de- tachments of 270 men, under the charge of a rebel sergeant. These were again sub-divided, forming three divisions, commanded in like manner by a ser- geant. The business of the sergeants was to draw and issne rations for their respective commands. This duty was attended to every evening. The first
day it would be a half-pound of corn bread, half a pint of raw beans and about half a pound of cooked bacon. The next day we would have a half pint of raw corn meal, three spoonfuls of raw rice and a half pound of raw beef. The third day it would be our former allowance of corn bread, a half pint of 'nigger' beans cooked in the pod, and a half pint of sorghum syrup. The dead were carried away and depos- ited promiscuously beneath the soil, in a land they had died to continue 'a land of the free and a home of the brave '
"The 'dead line' was a mark made by stakes driven in the ground and connected by slats, and was so called because the guard was ordered to shoot any one crossing or touching it. On one accasion a famished prisoner, in his efforts to obtain a cup of water less filthy than usual, reaching under the slat, happened to touch it. No sooner than he did so, the guard fired, scatter- ing the poor fellow's brains over some of us who stood near.
"But this lack of good water was removed by a singular phenomenon. On the elevation some distance from the stream, a spring of pure and deli- cious water burst forth, affording an abundant quantity, which we utilized by a sluice-way to a lower level and used there for a bathing pool, sustain- ing the lives of many.
" About the 17th September, 1864, an order came to muster 2,000 able bodied men for exchange. I was included in the list, as I weighed ninety-five pounds. My name was the tenth one called, to which there was at least a dozen answers; but crowding up to the gate with oue who had been my comrade through all, we made good our exit.
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We were not long in reaching our regi- ment, then at 'Rough and Ready,' near Atlanta. Oh! it was one of my happy, happy days."
LIBBY AND BELLE ISLE.
* " I was a member of Company D, 122d Regiment, O. V. I., Colonel W. HI. Ball commanding. I was taken pris- oner on the 14th of June, 1863, at Win- chester, Va., by Lee's forces on their way to Gettysburg.
"On the second morning after our capture we were conducted up the val- ley on foot to Staunton. It required nearly three days to march that dis- tance. From Staunton we were taken to Richmond by the cars, and there we were placed in a tobacco warehouse, where we remained two or three days, then were removed to the second floor of the famous Libby prison ; thence, after a stay of three or four days, by way of variety, we were sent over to Belle Isle, where we were detained and entertained ten or twelve days, until July 10 or 12, when we were paroled. "Our r daily bill of fare on the way up the valley, and until we reached Rich- mond, was two pints of flour and a lit- tle salt. Afterward, and while we were in prison at Richmond, our diet con- sisted of a piece of baker's bread, about two inches square, and half a pint of field-pea soup, meat and maggots all mixed together cach day. While in the warehouse and Libby proper we were achinonished by the guard to keep away from the grated windows or he ' mought ' shoot. While I was at Belle Iste there were about 500 prisoner, at least half of them without tent or shelter, sitting or lying exposed to the rays of a JJuly sun, on the burning hot
sand, in which the ‘ graybacks' were only to be distinguished by their size and capacity for locomotion.
"The water privileges were to some extent of a military order. At given intervals the entire number of prison- ers were formed in line and marched to the edge of the river, each taking his drink and countermarching, many being so much exhausted as to be only able to crawl to the designated locality."
* * I was a member of Company B, 62d Regiment, O. V. I., Colonel F. B. Pond commanding, and was taken prisoner at the charge on Fort Wagner, Morris Island, S. C., on the 18th of July, 1863, with seventy-six of our brigade at the same time. We were taken to Charles- ton and put in jail, where we were kept for two days. In the afternoon of the 20th we were put on the cars and carried up to Columbia, and again put in jail and feasted on boiled rice (cold), one tablespoonful twice a day.
" While here we were for a short time in charge of a Captain Linn, who by the way was a Presbyterian preacher ; and in justice to him I must say I think he was a gentlemen and a Christian, as he was very kind to us while he had us in charge, and I afterward heard him denounce the holding and starving of prisoners; but he was under orders, however, and could not prevent it.
"We were held at Columbia nearly two months, then sent to Richmond and put in the Libby prison. Here, for the first time, we were searched for money or anything we had, which was taken from ns, from a match to an ancient penny or army relic, blankets, haver- sacks, canteens, pocket knives-all but the clothes we had on, and our pocket bibles. We were only kept in Libby
*C. H. laughridge, of MeConnelsville, Ohio.
*(. J. Gibson, of Stockport, Ohio,
15
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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO.
three days and were well searched twice i eighteen inches deep ; at each corner of in that time: then we were taken over : our enclosure there was a well, dug the depth of a barrel, in which the water must stand at the same height as that in the ditch ; from these wells, or barrels, alone could we obtain our water to drink. The ditch being used as a receptacle for filth, the water from it would filter into the barrels or wells. to Belle Isle. In the inclosure in which we were confined there was no evi- dence that there had ever been a tree or even a blade of grass. For the first three months there was no tent or shelter of any kind to protect us from the burning sun, or storms ; and being entirely destitute of blankets, or other covering, our sleeping was done in the day time, as it required as much exer- cise as we could take after night as the only means of keeping warm. Our beds were at any point within the . dead line' where we might chance to be.
" About the first of January, 1864, we got tents of a very inferior quality ; they were old tents that our govern- ment had condemned, and by some means had come into possession of the rebels. They would not turn rain, but only answered for a wind-break during the cold and stormy winter, for we had no fire during that entire time.
" In March they gave us the privilege of carrying wood nearly half a mile distant with the understanding that we should have all that we could carry ; but if any one took a bigger load than he could carry all the way to camp without stopping to rest, he must take it to the rebel officers' tent. By this means they got all the wood they wanted, and we scarcely any, for the reason that we were feeble and could scarcely walk without the wood.
"Our eamp was inelosed by a four- foot ditch and the embankment on the outside for the guards; but I wish to give further evidence of the brutal treatment we received. The diteh was
"The rations furnished us while on the island were bad beyond comparison. At first they gave us a piece of wheat bread about half the size of a man's fist twice a day : sometimes a little meat once a day, not more for a hundred men than ten could eat; but this did not continue. As the time lengthened the rations were abbreviated both in quantity and quality. The initial of this arrangement was bread made of wheat and pea flour, mixed in equal quantities, served without meat, but with a little pea soup-a common wooden bucket full for 100 men. Then corn bread alone, without salt and only partially baked, each man being fur- nished a pieee an inch and a half square and half an inch thick, at first twice a day, then once a day with intervals of one or two days, and once the inter- mission was three days, but no increase in quantity or improvement in quality. " During the time I was on the Isle l think there were not more than seven- teen or eighteen of our boys who died on the Isle, but when death was ascer- tained to be certain they were started for Richmond, and they either died on the way or soon after arrival. Of those that did die on the Isle numbers were not buried, but were thrown outside the eamp to be devoured by the hogs."
CHAPTER XIII.
MORGAN'S RAID.
JOHN MORGAN, THE REBEL-HIS RAID IN OHIO-HE MEETS WITH OPPOSITION AT POMEROY-THE BATTLE AT BUFFINGTON-MORGAN'S RETREAT-HE ENCAMPS IN DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP- EXPERIENCE OF THE ZANESVILLE SCOUTS-CONSTERNATION AT MCCONNELSVILLE ON RECEIPT OF A DISPATCHI, "MORGAN IS COMING"-THE CROSSING OF THE RIVER AT EAGLEPORT BY THE REBELS-THE CITIZENS ON THE DEFENSIVE -- EXCHANGE OF COURTESIES BETWEEN THIE REBELS AND THE MILITIA-THE SKIRMISH-A CITIZEN KILLED-CAPTURE AND IMPRISONMENT OF MORGAN-HIS ESCAPE-SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTS.
O N the 2d of July, 1863, with a force of about 3,000 men, Morgan crossed the Cumberland River at Turkey Bend, near Burksville, Ky., and thence on- ward to Columbia, Adair County ; he crossed Green River in Hart County, proceeding thence to Campbellsville, in Taylor County, and Lebanon, Marion County, reaching the Ohio River at Bradensburg, Mead County, Ky., sixty miles below Louisville.' There he crossed the Ohio into Indiana, having traversed that part of Kentucky in five days. His course in Indiana was from Harrison through the counties border- ing on the Ohio River to Dearborn County. On the 13th he was at Har- rison, in Hamilton County, Ohio, at 1 p. m., and on that night, with his entire force, he passed around and through the suburbs of Cincinnati, through Glendale, crossing the Little Miami Railroad at daylight in sight of Camp Dennison, eight or ten miles from Cin- cinnati, halted and rested and fed his horses, and at night encamped at Will- iamsburg, Clermont County, within twenty-eight miles of Cincinnati.
On the night of the 14th at 12 o'clock he passed through or near Georgetown, Brown County. On the 15th, at the same hour, he was at West Union, Adams County, ten miles from the river; thence he went to Piketon, Pike County, Jackson, Jackson County, and into Meigs County. Near Pom- eroy he met his first military obstruc- tion, which, with difficulty and some loss, he escaped by a ride of four or five miles through a deep ravine ; halted at Chester for some time, and encamped at Portland, on the bank of the river at Buffington, where he had originally intended to cross the Ohio. On Sun- day morning when he made the attempt he encountered the combined forces of the gunboats and Hobson's and Judah's command, and then ensued the "Battle of Buffington," and Mor- gan's retreat with about 1,200 men, which number was subsequently much reduced by desertions. He turned again to Chester, thence to Millersburg, in Meigs County ; then through Athens and Perry Counties, by way of Chapel Hill and Portersville, he came into
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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO.
Morgan County and encamped on Deacon Wright's farm in Deerfield Township, at the headwaters of Island Run, seven miles from Malta. This was done so quietly that none were aware of his locality until the next morning.
At 8 o'clock on the morning of Thursday, July 23, he was at Eagleport, on the Muskingum, where he was able, through pressing the pilot and the ferry boat into his service, to cross to the east side of the river.
After his reverse at Buffington, where he lost at least one-half of his force, in- cluding a number of his best officers, and his harassing march through Meigs County, his only object appears to have been, as at Buffington, to recross the Ohio. Thus far he had in this State eluded a militia of not less than 5,000, besides some well equipped pur- suers; hence his marches by day and night were made with as much quiet as could be maintained by a body of 500 or 600 mounted men. This quiet was observed when he encamped on Deacon Wright's farm, and was previously manifested in the capture of a number of the Zanesville mounted scouts after dusk near Chapel Hill.
General Morgan was not probably aware at the time that he had in his ret- inue "men of choice and rarest party."
Mr. Evans was a resident lawyer of Muskingum County, and had been a resident of Morgan and at one time a judge of the court of common pleas. Mr. Fouts was a resident of Morgan County, of which he had been sheriff.
But to return to the subject of Mor- gan's men in this county. On Wednes- day afternoon, July 22, a special mes- senger from Zanesville stated that Gov- ernor Tod had telegraphed there that
Morgan was at McArthur, in Vinton County ; that his object was "to strike the (Ohio) river above the reach of our gunboats, and may visit your place," and requested scouts to be sent into Perry and Morgan Counties.
This dispatch produced much excite- ment in MeConnelsville and along the river above, for it was apparent that Morgan's object was to avoid the larger places in the interior and keep as near the Ohio as practicable. And as his course tended directly to the Mus- kingum it was evident that his objective point was either McConnelsville or Eagleport, as there was no ford below and only one above, at Taylorsville, ten miles below Zanesville. There was a supposition (afterward confirmed) that he was fully posted as to the safer place.
The citizens gathered in consultation in crowds on the streets, rang the bells, and discussed the subject and the posi- tion in which, from injudicious official arrangements, they were placed, and proposed plans of offense and defense without having the men or means to control or effect . either, or even to retard his progress, until the arrival of troops known to be below and of those expected from above. Old shotguns and old muskets were in demand, only to be used by old men and boys who, few in number, thus armed, with others with axes, started for the west side of the river to eut down trees across and guard the roads and the fording places of the river, and by Governor Tod's re- quest to look for Morgan.
In the meantime the non-combatants were busily engaged in storing the sil- verware, jewelry and other valuables easy of transportation in places where they supposed Morgan's men would not
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look for them. All was confusion, not unlike
" A herd of beeves, that hear dismayed The lion roaring through the midnight shade."
About the same time in the afternoon a message was received from Colonel Hill, who had that morning left Mari- etta on the steamer "Jonas Powell " with 500 men well armed and two brass fieldpieces, that Morgan was between Athens and McConnelsville, and after dark a report from Zanesville stated that he was at Nelsonville coming this way.
The first reliable and definite report was by S. C. Beckwith and some others of the scouting parties from MeCon- nelsville, who stated that Morgan had that afternoon passed 'Millertown, Chapel Hill and near Portersville, and having come this way was then en- camped at the headwaters of Island Run. This news was in a short time confirmed, making it certain that Eagle- port, on the river at the mouth of the run, was his objeet, which he knew was unguarded.
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where Morgan had passed nearly two hours before.
Captain Marsh with his company continued up the River Road for three or four miles, until he learned that Morgan had crossed, and the route he had gone when he left the river, with the intention of flanking Morgan on his left or of rejoining Colonel Hill. The latter he only effected.
The steamer " Powell " awaited Col- onel IIill's return and took him on board withont the loss of a man or material. except a few rounds from his fieldpieces, the sound of which did not reach Mor- gan but produced a perceptible impres- sion on Meloy's barn.
Early on Thursday morning, when it became certain that Morgan intended to cross at Eagleport, all the "armed " men and boys in town, with the curios- ity seekers and those along the river. went on " the double quick " to meet the " fearful foe." At Sa. m. the sound of his bugle announced his presence at the river abont 200 yards below the ford, the head of his column halting at or near Devol's store in Eagleport.
This information was forthwith com- municated to Colonel Ilill (then at The ford is close to the eastern shore, about one hundred yards below the dam, and at low-water mark, as it then was, does not exceed one hundred feet in width, with a depth for a limited Fifty vards above the ford the river is seven hundred feet wide, varying in depth from ten to forty feet. At low water, Bald Eagle Island occupies more than three-fourths of the western side of the river, leaving dry land almost to the eastern shore, over which the road crosses to the ford. Immediately op- posite the ford on the east is a deep ravine, crossed by the road, formed by a small stream, which forms a curve Windsor, nine miles below McCommels- ville and seventeen miles below Eagle- port) by C. L. Barker and JJ. E. Thomas. and subsequently during the night twice repeated. Yet although he was i space of not more than four feet. thus often and personally urged, and a full statement of facts presented, he refused not only to come with his com- mand on the boat but also to permit Captain Marsh with his company to come up by land. But about 9 o'clock next day, after Morgan had crossed at Eagleport, the boat landed below town and the Colonel with his two fieldpieces and men passed through and took the Ridge Road to within two miles of
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HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO.
and empties into the river some fifty vards below, leaving a high embank- ment at and within fifty or seventy- five vards of the ford, sufficient, in addition to the deep cut in the road, to have protected and enabled a small body of well-armed men to prevent its passage by any number who should hazard the attempt.
The citizen soldiers, aware of the peculiarity of the ford, and of this pro- tective defense, were there with rifles and shotguns prepared for action.
When Morgan came to the river he had no rehable pilot for the ford, and being aware of the situation made no attempt to cross; but when the rifles and shotguns prematurely opened on him, his men, who were dismounted, responded. The latter were to some extent protected by their horses, and, with carbines that were reputed to carry one thousand yards, sprinkled their bullets freely along the entire line among those on the east side -Mr. Weaver's house receiving a proportion- ate share- though apparently they did not positively intend to do any serious injury to the small number of citizens who were present. But unfortunately the ferry-boat above the dam was at Morgan's command, and was inmedi- ately put in use to convey some twenty of his men over. The rifles, having opened the fight, kept up their fire, though aware that their missiles fell short of the mark, and yet confident of their service in the deep and narrow part when the ford should be at- tempted.
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