History of Richland County, Ohio, from 1808 to 1908, Vol. I, Part 16

Author: Baughman, A. J. (Abraham J.), 1838-1913. cn
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 624

USA > Ohio > Richland County > History of Richland County, Ohio, from 1808 to 1908, Vol. I > Part 16

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Since the foregoing sketches were published, Robert White, Elias C. Gregg, George John Heitzman, James W. Downing. John Rohme and Michael Knofflock have passed away.

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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

DEFENDERS OF THE FLAG.

Richland county furnished two thousand seven hundred and twenty- nine troops during the War of the Rebellion. History deals more fully with the three-year troops, on acount of their longer service, than it does with the men who responded to the president's first call, at the outbreak of the war.

Ohio's quota under President Lincoln's call for 75,000 men was 10,153, and within the week over thirty regiments were offered-six companies of which were from Richland county. The number of men accepted by the state under that call was 12,357.

The six companies were: General MeLaughlin's, Colonel Dickey's, Cap- tain Cummins', Captain Moody's, Colonel Beekman's, and Captain Weaver's The latter two did not get into the three-months' service, but Weaver's reor- ganized and enlisted for three years.

Captain William MeLaughlin's was the first company organized and the first to leave the county for the war. It was raised in Mansfield. This company was assigned to the First Ohio Infantry, and served in the army of the Potomac.

MeLaughlin's company was first under fire at Vienna, Virginia, and later took part in the memorable battle of Bull Run. General MeLaugh- lin afterwards entered the three years' service as major of a squadron of cavalry, and died in the field. July 23, 1862.

Captain M. R. Dickey's company was also raised in Mansfield, and was assigned to the Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, and Captain Dickey was chosen as lieutenant colonel and Hiram Miller became captain of the company. The Fifteenth saw service in West Virginia. Captain Miller is dead.

Captain A. C. Cummins' company was from Shelby, and was also assigned to the Fifteenth. Captain Cummins was then a young attorney, the law part- ner of Judge Bartley.

John W. Beekman raised a company at Plymouth. Captain Beekman was a lawyer, and was a large, fine specimen of manhood. His company had a grand send-off upon its departure. On Sunday the company attended service at the Presbyterian church and listened to a sermon from the text: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." The following morning the company left for Cleveland, marching across the country to Norwalk. About 3,000 people assembled at Plymouth to bid the boys good- bye. A flag was presented to the company by the ladies of the town, a Miss Seymour making the presentation. Arriving at Cleveland the company went into camp, but as twice the number of men were offered than the state could accept, Captain Beekman's company did not get in under that call, and the company was disbanded and the boys sent home.

Captain Beekman entered the three years' service as major of the One Hundred and Twentieth regiment; was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and died September 8, 1863.

Captain George Weaver, like General MeLaughlin, had been an army officer in our war with Mexico. He was sheriff of Richland county in 1859- 60. Captain Weaver had been a mill-owner, had built and operated a grist-

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mill at Ganges, and later bought the Zerby mills at old Octororo, below Lucas.

Captain Miller Moody's company was organized at Bellville, and was raised with a spontaneity unexcelled in the history of the war. Moody's men became Company I, Sixteenth Regiment. They rendezvoused at Camp Jackson, Columbus.

The Sixteenth was the first regiment that crossed the Ohio river and entered the so-called Southern Confederacy. The Sixteenth did guard duty along the B. & O. railroad for two hundred miles, repaired and rebuilt the bridges wrecked and burned by the rebels; it did a great deal of hard march- ing, and was in the fight at Philippi-the first battle of the war. It was in that trying march from Thornton to Philippi, through the terrible storm, the night before the battle. General Lew Wallace, then colonel of an Indiana regiment, who has since attained world-wide fame as the author of "Ben Hur," was with us on that memorable march, when the lightning flashed along and athwart the mountain tops, and the thunder roared through the valleys and reverberated among the hills, and the rain poured in incessant torrents upon the boys in blue as we marched along unknown roads to-we knew not what.

After that the Sixteenth was encamped at Rowlesburg, one of the most romantic places along the picturesque B. & O. Later the regiment, under General Hill, marched to the summit of Cheat Mountain to intercept Gar- nett's retreating forces from Laurel Hill. At Carrick's Ford the rebel gen- eral, Garnett, was killed while endeavoring to rally his men.

The Sixteenth pursued the retreating rebel army to the Red House and beyond; they later went into camp at Oakland, Maryland, from which place they returned to Ohio and were discharged, having more than completed their term of enlistment.

The G. A. R. post at Bellville is named in honor of Captain Miller Moody.

The men recruited at Bellville by Captain Moody in the fall of 1861 and taken to New York and enlisted in Colonel Tidball's regiment, are not included in the figures given as the number of men Richland county fur- nished for the war.

It would be an honor to write the name of each private soldier, for their deeds are recorded in the blood of battle and are emblazoned in glory. But they need no encomium, for their patriotism will be remembered and cher- ished after official titles are forgotten.

Many Richland county boys who then went forth to war never returned. Some were killed on southern battlefields and were buried where they fell; some died in hospitals, others in rebel prisons. The bodies of a few were brought home and interred in our local cemeteries, and their graves are annually decorated in the May time.

The Duke of Wellington said: "Take my word for it, if you had seen but one day of war, you would pray that you might never see another." Those who have seen the carnage of war on the battlefield, will concur in that saying.

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What events have transpired, what characters have passed off the stage of action since the war! The majority of our Richland county boys who so patriotically went forth in defense of liberty and union-one and insepar- able-have since answered the final roll call.

"And we'll find them camped in meadows where the waters stilly flow. Where the sward is soft and verdant and the flowers of heaven grow."

President Lincoln was barely permitted to see the end of the struggle. General Grant, who was wont to move upon the enemy's works immediately, with intent to fight it out on that line if it took all summer, now sleeps at Riverside. Sheridan, who made that wonderful ride to victory, has since taken another ride on a pale horse through the valley of shadows. Sher- man, who marched his valiant army from Atlanta to the sea, has gone up the hills of immortality. But none of these could have achieved such great- ness and fame but for the valor and heroism of the private soldiers.

RICHLAND COUNTY SOLDIERS IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION

Richland county furnished more than her full quota of soldiers for the war of the Rebellion. History deals more fully with the three-year troops on account of their longer service, than it does with the men who responded to the president's first call at the outbreak of the war.

Ohio's quota under President Lincoln's call for 75,000 men was 10,153, and within the week over thirty regiments were offered, six companies of which were from Richland county. The number of men selected by the state under that call was 12,357.

The six companies were: General MeLaughlin's, Colonel Dickey's, Captain Cummins', Captain Moody's, Captain Beekman's and Captain Weav- er's. The latter two did not get into the three-months' service. but Weaver's reorganized and enlisted for three years.

Captain William MeLaughlin's was the first company organized, and the first to leave the county for the war. It was raised in Mansfield. This company was assigned to the First Ohio infantry and served in the army of the Potomac.

MeLaughlin's company was first under fire at Vienna, Virginia, and later took part in the memorable battle of Bull Run. General MeLaughlin afterwards entered the three years' service as major of a squadron of cavalry. and died in the field July 23, 1862.

Captain M. R. Dickey's company was also raised in Mansfield, and was assigned to the Fifteenth Ohio infantry, and Captain Dickey was chosen as lieutenant colonel, and Hiram Miller became captain of the company. The Fifteenth saw service in West Virginia. Captain Miller is dead.

Captain A. C. Cummins' company was from Shelby, and was also assigned to the Fifteenth. Captain Cummins was then a young attorney. the law partner of Judge Bartley.

John W. Beekman raised a company at Plymouth. Captain Beekman was a lawyer and was a large, fine specimen of manhood. His company

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had a grand send-off upon its departure. On Sunday the company attended service at the Presbyterian church and listened to a sermon from the text: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." The following morning the company left for Cleveland, marching, across the country to Norwalk. About 3,000 people assembled at Plymouth to bid the boys good-bye. A flag was presented to the company by the ladies of the town.

Arriving at Cleveland the company went into camp, but as twice the number of men were offered that the state could accept, Captain Beekman's company did not get in under that call, and the company was disbanded and the boys sent home.

Captain Beekman entered the three years' service as major of the One Hundred and Twentieth regiment; was promoted to lieutenant colonel and died September 8, 1863.

Captain George Weaver, like General Mclaughlin, had been an army officer in our war with Mexico. He was sheriff of Richland county in 1859-60. Captain Weaver had been a mill owner, had built and operated a grist mill at Ganges, and later bought the Zerby mills at old Octororo, below Lucas.

Captain Miller Moody's company was organized at Bellville and was raised with a spontaneity unexcelled in the history of the war. Moody's men became Company I, Sixteenth regiment. They rendezvoused at Camp Jack- son, Columbus.

The Sixteenth was the first regiment that crossed the Ohio river and entered the so-called Southern Confederacy. The Sixteenth did guard duty along the B. & O. railroad for 200 miles, repaired and rebuilt bridges, wrecked and burned by the rebels; it did a great deal of hard marching, and was in the fight at Philippi-the first battle of the war. It was in that trying march from Thornton to Philippi, through the terrible storm, the night before the battle. General Lew Wallace, then colonel of an Indian regiment, who has since attained world-wide fame as the author of "Ben Hur," was with us on that memorable march, when the lightning flashed along and athwart the mountain tops and the thunder roared through the valleys and reverberated among the hills, and the rain poured down in incessant torrents upon the boys in blue as we marched along the unknown roads to-we knew not what.

After that the Sixteenth was encamped at Rowlesburg, one of the most romantic places along the picturesque B. & O. Later the regiment, under General Hill. marched to the summit of Cheat Mountain to intercept Gar- nett's retreating forces from Laurel Hill At Carrick's Ford the rebel general, Garnett, was killed while endeavoring to rally his men ..

Captain Moody was a college graduate, a scholar of fine attainments, of polished manners and was faultless in his dress and appearance. Upon his return from the West Virginia campaign Moody raised a company for

COLONEL MANSFIELD

CAPTAIN JAMES CUNNINGHAM

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Colonel Tidball's Forty-ninth New York regiment for the three years' ser- vice. He was with the army of the Potomac, served in the campaign of the peninsula; fought at Antietam, in which bloody battle he received wounds from which he died a few weeks later, after undergoing five amputations.

The G. A. R. post at Bellville is named in honor of Captain Miller Moody.

Limit will not permit of details, or even of naming other companies organized later and for longer terms of service, except to state that Richland county, throughout the above conflict, did her duty nobly and that many of her sons won distinction in the field, as others had, and have since, on the forum and in legislative halls.

Many Richland county boys who then went forth to war have never returned. Some were killed on southern battlefields and were buried where they fell; some died in hospitals, others in rebel prisons. The bodies of a few were brought home and interred in our local cemeteries and their graves are annually decorated in the May time.

"And we'll find them camped in meadows where the waters stilly flow.

Where the sward is soft and verdant and the flowers of heaven grow."

President Lincoln was barely permitted to see the end of the struggle. General Grant, who was wont to move upon the enemy's works immediately, with intent to fight it out on that line if it took all summer, now sleeps at Riverside. Sheridan, who made that wonderful ride to victory, has since taken another ride on a pale horse through the valley of shadows. Sheridan who marched his valiant army from Atlanta to the sea, has gone up the hills of immortality. But none of these could have achieved such greatness and fame but for the valor and heroism of the private soldiers.

THE FIRST VOLUNTEER.

The question is often asked, "Who was the first volunteer from Richland county in the Civil War?" In answer to this, with my knowledge of the sit-

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uation existing at that time, I can state without the fear of successful contra- diction that no one today can answer that question, reunion and campfire stories to the contrary nothwithstanding, that is if the situation in other parts of the county was similar to that at Bellville. And to explain con- ditions there at that time, I give the following brief history of the raising of a company there of which the Hon. Miller Moody became captain, and which after it entered the service was known as Company I, Sixteenth O. V. I. To get terms right it was not called enlisting then, it was called volun- teering.

Without attempting any prefatory statement of the antecedent history of the War of the Rebellion further than to state that the long-expected crisis came at last, when seven thousand armed Confederates attacked the seventy Union soldiers who garrisoned Fort Sumter, and forced Major Ander- son to evacuate the fort on the 13th of April, 1861, after withstanding the incessant fire of the rebels for thirty-four hours. Two days afterwards Pres- ident Lincoln issued his proclamation, calling for seventy-five thousand vol- unteers, "To maintain the honor, the integrity and the existence of our national government, and to redress wrongs long enough endured." This proclamation was flashed over the wires throughout the Northern states, and was everywhere received with patriotic fervor and was responded to by thou- sands of men offering their services to the government under that "first- call." The North proved itself ready for the emergency. The arguments of Daniel Webster and others against the right of secession had educated the public mind of the North upon lines of loyalty to the government and for the preservation of the Union, and the call for troops met with a prompt and hearty response. The raising of troops went forward with a bound, and the wildest excitement and enthusiasm attended the departure of companies for the seat of war. The seriousness of the situation was not overlooked, but high above that consideration rose the tide of patriotic feeling, and swept all obstacles before it.

Ohio's quota under the call was ten thousand one hundred and fifty- three. As double this number responded, all could not be accepted.

Following the first call for troops, the president on May I, issued his second call, this time for forty-two thousand volunteer, for three years; for twenty-two thousand recruits for the regular army, and for eighteen thou- sand seamen. A number of regiments which organized, or partially organ- ized, under the first call, reorganized under the president's second call. The infantry regiments were numbered from one to twenty-two inclusive, and inasmuch as the Twenty-second got into the first-call service, some people imagine there were over twenty-thousand troops in the service under the president's call of April 15. But such assumption is not sustained by facts, for the number accepted and mustered into the service in Ohio, under the first-call, and as before stated the number mustered into the first-call service was twelve thousand three hundred and fifty-seven, which was two thousand two hundred and four over the quota. Ten regiments were offered for the first-call service that were not accepted on account that more troops were offered than could be accepted under the call. A great many of the men

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and a number of the regiments that could not be acepted under the first call went into the second for three years.

Ohio being a border state and liable to invasion, additional troops were mustered into the state service in accordance with an act of the General Assem- bly to provide more effectively for the defense of the state against invasion, passed April 26, 1861.

At the outbreak of the Civil War there was no telegraph office at Bell- ville. Learning from the daily paper- that Fort Sumter had been fired upon, and anticipating a declaration of war and a call for troops, the Hon. Miller Moody, one of the leading citizens of Bellville came to Mansfield, to be in telegraphic communication with Governor Dennison, who had been his classmate in Kenyon College. On the morning of April 16th. a large crowd gathered at the Bellville depot to await the arrival of the train from the North, anxious to get news, feeling assured that action had been taken by the government to avenge the firing upon the American flag at Fort Sumter. As the train came down the valley, the engineer opened wide the whistle-valve and the engine came into town shrieking weirdly, which told as plainly as words could have expressed that war had been declared. And soon the church bells rang with direful refrains, and the occasion was one of awful portent.

As Captain Moody stepped from the train, he stated that a call for troops had been made and that he was authorized to raise a company of men for the service. After the train left, men fell into line and followed Captain Moody up town, marching in the middle of the street, and although no roll was presented for signatures it was understood that the majority of those who marched up and down the street to the music of the fife and drum intended to enlist, and later, when an opportunity was given, ninety-two men volunteered as fast as their names could be enrolled. Others were added later.

After a few days preliminary drill while awaiting marching orders, the volunteers went to Camp Jackson, Columbus. The company was then known as the Jefferson Guards, with the following officers: Captain. Miller Moody; First Lieutenant, A. W. Loback; Second Lieutenant, James Riddle. Later, the Jefferson Guards became Company I. of the Sixteenth Ohio Infantry Volunteers, and after drill and equipment, was ordered to the front, and on Monday morning, May 27th the Sixteenth crossed the Ohio river from Bellaire to Benwood, and were the first troops to enter the so-called Southern Confederacy. From Benwood the regiment went cast along the line of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, did a large amount of marching and guard duty, and rendered valuable service to the government in assisting to stay the progress of the rebels, who were endeavoring to carry the war into the North. The official list of battles in which the regiment or companies of it bore an honorable part is as follows: Philippi, June 3. Laurel Hill, July 8. Carrick's Ford, July 14. To this list should be added the skirmish at Bowman's June 29, in which N. O. Smith, of West Windsor was killed. Mr. Smith was the first Richland county soldier who lost his life in the war of the Rebellion. His remains were brought home and buried in the Bostock

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cemetery. He was a member of Company H, Fifteenth Ohio Infantry Volunteers.

The Sixteenth got as far east as the Red House, West Virginia, and Cumberland, Maryland. The regiment entered the service April the 27th and was mustered out August the 18th.

The Sixteenth was the first regiment to cross the Ohio river into the so-called Southern Confederacy, and it was in the fight at Philippi, the first battle of the Civil War. There is a distinctiveness in the first-call service conducive to patriotic retrospection that will be more appreciated in the future than it has been in the past.

Nearly all the members of the Company I re-enlisted later for three years' service. Captain Moody raised a company and went into the Fifty- ninth New York, Colonel Tiball's regiment. The captain was wounded in the battle of Antietam, and died two weeks later after having suffered five amputations.

THE SHERMAN BRIGADE.

The Sherman Brigade was organized in Mansfield by the late Hon. John Sherman and General R. Brinkerhoff. The camp was situated in the northern part of Mansfield, in what is commonly called Johns Addition.

The Hon. John Sherman then a United States senator from Ohio, was commissioned by the governor of the state to raise a brigade to consist of two regiments of infantry, one squadron of cavalry and one battery of artil- lery. Mr. Sherman came to Mansfield on Saturday, the 21st of September (1861) and at once set about to raise the brigade. At that time Mr. Sherman resided in the house now owned by Captain J. P. Rummel on Park avenue west. A few doors west of Mr. Sherman's lived General R. Brinker- hoff, then a young Mansfield lawyer. Mr. Brinkerhoff joined with Mr. Sher- man in raising the brigade and became its quartermaster.

Senator Sherman was given a colonel's commission and the Hon. Roeliff Brinkerhoff that of lieutenant. A site was chosen for a camp, which was called Camp Buckingham. The brigade when organized consisted of the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth regiments of infantry. Mclaughlin's squadron of cavalry and the Sixth Ohio independent battery. James W. Forsythe was colonel of the Sixty-fourth; C. G. Harker colonel of the Sixty-fifth; William McLaughlin major of the cavalry squadron and Culler Bradley captain of the artillery.

Major R. S. Granger of the Eighth United States Infantry, came and took charge of the camp and gave military instructions. He was a dis- tinguished officer of thorough military attainments and tried courage. He was a dignified gentleman, a graduate of West Point, and had seen about twenty-five years of military life. He had been released by the rebels on parole, when captured at his post in San Antonio, Texas, and was in conse- quence disqualified from active service. He put the camp in fine order and gave a thorough drilling to the men as they were recruited. He was greatly admired by the boys and remained with them until the brigade left for the

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field. He was afterward exchanged and again entered the service and at the close of the war ranked as a major general of volunteers.

Under Major Granger's instructions the troops soon became well drilled. and the camp was the center of attraction for the town and the adjacent country, and was visited by a great many people, and many compliments were paid the soldiers for their fine military appearance.

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History of Richland County, Ohio, from 1808 to 1908, Vol. I, Part 16

Author: Baughman, A. J. (Abraham J.), 1838-1913. cn Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 624

Author: Baughman, A. J. (Abraham J.), 1838-1913. cn
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 624