History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 45

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Ohio > Summit County > History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 45

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When Sherman started on his famous march to the sea, the Nineteenth, forming a part of Gen. Thomas' command, left Atlanta and marched toward Nashville to aid in opposing Hood. At the battle of Franklin, on the 29th of October, it was held in reserve. It partici- pated in the battle of Nashville, with slight loss, and then followed in pursuit of the demor-

alized army of Gen. Hood to the Tennessee River. On the 5th of January, 1865, the reg- iment was at Huntsville, Ala., where comforta- ble quarters were erected. Col. Manderson resigned March 17, from physical disability, and Col. Stratton having resigned some months earlier, Maj. Nash was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and remained in command of the regi- ment until mustered out. From Huntsville, it moved into East Tennessee, marching as far as the Virginia line, and then returned to Nash- ville. It formed a part of that body of troops sent to Texas, and arrived at Green Lake July 14, 1865, and at San Antonio on the 23d of September. On the 21st of October, it was mustered out of service at San Antonio, and reached Columbus, Ohio, on the 22d of Novem- ber, where it was paid off and discharged.

The Twenty-ninth Infantry contained a large number of men from this county, some of whom served in the old Nineteenth under its three months' organization. Of the Twenty- ninth, Companies D, G and H may be termed Summit County companies (as we learn from Capt. Nash), and were recruited almost wholly in the county. Company D was organized with the following commissioned officers : P. C. Hard, Captain ; B. F. Perry, First Lieutenant, and J. H. Grinnell, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Hard did not leave camp with the regiment, but resigned early. Lieut. Perry resigned, June 20, 1862. Lieut. Grinnell was promoted to First Lieutenant May 25, 1864, and honor- ably discharged June 14, 1864. George W. Dice was made First Lieutenant April 13, 1862, promoted to Captain May 25, 1864, and killed June 16, 1864. Company G was organized with John S. Clemmer, Captain ; James Treen, First Lieutenant, and J. J. Wright. Second Lieutenant. Capt. Clemmer was promoted to Major December 31, 1861, and resigned Decem- ber 12, 1862. Lieut. Treen was promoted to Captain October 1, 1862, but, owing to age, was unable to withstand the fatigne incident to sol- diering, and resigned May 22, 1863, but left two stalwart sons in the service to represent him. Second Lieut. J. J. Wright was pro- moted to Captain December 21, 1861, and hon- orably discharged October 1, 1862. C. HI. Rus- sell was promoted to Second Lieutenant April 13, 1862, to First Lieutenant January 24, 1863, and honorably discharged November 30, 1864. W. F. Chamberlain was promoted to Second

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Lieutenant January 24, 1862, to First Lieu- tenant May 25, 1864, to Captain October 12, 1864, and mustered out with the regiment. Company H was organized with Jonas Schoon- over, Captain ; A. J. Fulkerson, First Lieuten- ant, and Henry Mack, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Schoonover was at one time transferred to Company E, Seventh Infantry, but afterward back to his own regiment, and was regularly promoted until he became its Colonel, and as such was mustered out with it. Lieut. Fulkerson was discharged August 15, 1864. Second Lieut. Mack, owing to ill health, re- signed early, and Thomas F. Nash became Second Lieutenant October 27, 1862. Lieut. Nash was promoted to First Lieutenant May 25, 1864, to Captain October 12, 1864, and transferred to Company E, and was mustered out with the regiment. D. W. Thomas was promoted to First Lieutenant January 6, 1865, to Captain April 10, 1865, and mustered out with regiment. Thomas Folger was promoted to First Lieutenant January 6, 1865, was made adjutant of regiment, and, July 12, 1865, pro- moted to Captain, but as such was not mus- tered. James B. Storer, present Postmaster of Akron, was promoted to Second Lieutenant April 13, 1862, to First Lieutenant January 26, 1863, and became Adjutant of the regiment. From wounds received, disabling him for life, Lieut. Storer was honorably discharged No- vember 30, 1864. Jacob Buck was promoted to First Lieutenant July 12, 1865, and as such mustered out.

Lewis P. Buckley, a resident of Akron, and late Major of the Nineteenth Infantry (three months' service) was appointed the first Col- onel of the Twenty-ninth. The following sketch of the life of Colonel Buckley is pub- lished in a pamphlet descriptive of the Sol- diers' Memorial Chapel in the Akron Rural Cemetery, and is given in this connection, as a tribute to a worthy soldier :

Lewis P. Buckley was born at Cayuga Lake, in the State of New York, and became a resident of Akron, Ohio, about the year 1834. Though-having in early life received a military education at West Point-he took considerable interest in the military affairs of Akron and vicinity, at one time holding a commission in one of the independent companies of the village, his entire life, after coming to Akron, was devoted to eivil pursuits, until the breaking-out of the rebellion, about two years of the intervening time (from 1849 to 1851) being spent upon the Pacific coast at Sacramento City. On the call of President

Lincoln, in April, 1861, for three months' troops, Mr. Buckley, though the disease which finally ter- minated his life was even then beginning to develop itself, promptly responded to the call, and raised a company in Akron, with which he reported to Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, about the middle of May. With nine other companies, raised in Northeastern Ohio, one of which was also from Akron, on the 27th of May they proceeded by rail to Camp Jack- son, near Columbus, where they were organized into the Nineteenth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Capt. Buckley being elected Major of the regiment. Securing their arms, the regiment pro- ceeded to Camp Goddard, near Zanesville, to per- fect themselves in drill. Remaining there until the 20th of June, the Nineteenth proceeded to West Virginia, where it became incorporated in Gen. Rosecrans' Brigade, and a part of Gen. Mcclellan's "Provisional Army of West Virginia." In his re- port of the battle of Rich Mountain, Gen. Rose- crans, in one portion, says : "The Nineteenth de- ployed into line and delivered two splendid volleys, when the enemy broke;" and, in another portion: "The Nineteenth distinguished itself for the cool and handsome manner in which it held its post against a flank attack, and for the manner in which it came into line and delivered its fire, near the close of the action."

On the mustering-out of the three months' men, about the 1st of August, 1861, Maj. Buckley imme- diately set himself to work, under the auspices of Hon. Joshua R. Giddings, to raise a regiment for the three years' service. So promptly was this done, that the Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer In- fantry was organized at Camp Giddings, near Jef- ferson, Ashtabula County, August 26, 1861, with Maj. Buekley as its Colonel. This regiment, as a part of the Army of the Potomac, participated in the battles of Winchester, March 23, 1862; Port Re- public, June 9-12, 1862, and Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862, the gallantry of its Colonel being conspicu- ous throughout. Following, with his regiment, the varied fortunes of the Army of the Potomac, dur- ing the balance of the year 1862, the rapidly declin- ing health of Col. Buckley compelled him to reluc- tantly resign his command and return home, his resignation taking effect January 26, 1863. * * * * On returning to Akron, though a constant sufferer from the disease that was preying upon him, he rendered valuable aid during the remainder of the war, at the close of which, on the recom- mendation of Hon. R. P. Spalding, Col. Buckley received the appointment of Assistant Doorkeeper of the House of Representatives at Washington. He served faithfully in that capacity through the Thirty-ninth Congress, and again entered upon his duties at the beginning of the Fortieth Congress, but soon became so feeble that he was compelled to accept the leave of absence tendered him, and re- turn home to die, struggling bravely and hopefully to the last, his death, from consumption, occurring Thursday, June 25, 1868, at the age of sixty-four years. The funeral of Col. Buckley was the largest and most imposing ever held in Akron. It was at- tended by the entire Masonic fraternity of Summit and adjoining counties; by the surviving members

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of the Nineteenth and Twenty-ninth regiments, and by the representatives of a large number of other regiments, both of infantry, cavalry and ar- tillery, and by almost the entire population of the city and surrounding towns, the immense procession being commanded by Lieut. Col. Edward Hayes, of Warren, one of the original officers of the Twenty- ninth regiment.

Lewis P. Buckley was a faithful friend, a trne patriot, a brave soldier. Let us cherish his virtues, by naming after him the Post of which we, as sol- diers, are members, and by erecting in his honor, properly inscribed and adorned, a beautiful window in the magnificent memorial chapel which we, as soldiers and citizens, this day dedicate.

The Twenty-ninth* was organized at Camp Giddings, near Jefferson, Ashtabula County, August 26, 1861, and was among the first to answer the President's call for three years' serv- ice. Owing to the many difficulties by which it was surrounded, it was the 25th of December before it was ready for the field. It then pro- ceeded to Camp Chase, where it remained until the 17th of January, 1862, when it was ordered to Cumberland, Md. While at Cumberland, it was brigaded with the Fifth, Seventh and Six- ty-sixth Ohio, and the One Hundred and Tenth Pennsylvania Regiments, commanded by Col. E. B. Tyler, of the Seventh Ohio. The division to which the brigade belonged was commanded by Gen. Lander until his decease, about the 1st of March, 1862, when the command passed to Gen. Shields. The troops, including the Twenty-ninth, remained but a few weeks at Cumberland, when it joined the Army of the Potomac, and with it participated in the battle of Winchester on the 23d of March, in which the rebels, under "Stonewall " Jackson, were defeated. The brigade to which the Twenty- ninth belonged pursued the enemy all the next day, halting near Cedar Creek, and again on the next day (the 25th) beyond Strasburg some two miles (Nash's notes), when the pursuit was abandoned and the troops returned. On the 9th of June, the regimennt participated in the battle of Port Republic, in which a number of prisoners were taken, including Capt. Nash (then Lieutenant in Company H), and taken to Salisbury, North Carolina. Capt. Nash re- mained a prisoner of war nearly two months, and was then released. He proceeded to Wash-

*We are indebted to Capt. Thomas W. Nash and J. G. Caskey, Esq., members of this gallant old regiment, for the principal facts from which this sketch is compiled. They have both preserved notes and memoranda of the regiment's movement- and operations, which they kindly placed at our disposal, and for which they have our thanks.

ington, where he arrived August 20, and, after a short visit home, returned to his regiment. In the battles of Cedar Mountain and the Sec- ond Bull Run the Twenty-ninth took part, and acquitted itself with honor. From the latter battle until that of Chancellorsville, the regi- ment was inactive, except camp routine and an occasional scout or foraging expedition. In May, 1863, occurred the battle of Chancellors- ville. The following extracts are from Mr. Caskey's notes :

At this moment the battle of Chancellorsville opened in our front in dead earnest. * % * * * The battle lasted four days-1st, 2d, 3d and 4th days of May. On the 2d, both armies seemed to be plan- ning the best mode of attack and defense. A spy gave reliable information concerning the rebels and their plan of attack. Our artillery opened fire in the direction indicated by the spy, and made openings in the woods at every discharge. Limbs and small trees were falling; sharpshooters who had climbed into the trees were seen tumbling to the ground. The "rebel yell" and the shrieks of the wounded were mingled together. About sun- set, Lee came up on our center three lines deep, but

was repulsed with heavy loss. *

* * * * * * On the 3d, Lee massed on our right center, in front of the Eleventh Corps, took it by surprise, when it broke and fell back on ours (the Twelfth), and. un- der a cross-fire from the rebels we suffered severely. But the reserves were brought up and the enemy were checked. * * * *

* That night at dark we were in close action. It was very pretty, but rather dangerous fire-works. On Monday night our army commenced to retreat, and fell back to our old camp.

An incident, partaking somewhat of the hu- morous, is thus related by Mr. Caskey in his " reminiscences " of the Twenty-ninth :

About the last of May we had a grand review of the Potomac Army. Gen. Green was reviewing- officer, and we were marched four miles from camp in the sand on the banks of the Potomac. The weather was hot and dry and the roads dusty. Gen. Green had brought his wife and daughters down from Washington to see us. They were nicely ensconced in their carriage, and we were "hoofing' it back and forth through the sand, almost choked for water-for it was a part of the red-tape of the occasion that we were not allowed to leave rank to get water or fill our canteens. Finally, we were ready to pass the reviewing-officer, the line was nearly by, when one of the General's daughters called to him, saying: "Trot 'em round again, papa; I like to see them." I don't know whether it was wicked to swear about that time or not. If it was, the boys were very wicked. We didn't trot round again, all the same.

The Twenty-ninth participated in the battle of Gettysburg, where it did its full duty. This

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was one of the severest battles of the entire war. The cannonading commenced early on the morning of July 2, 1863, and for two whole days the fighting continued almost constantly, when, on the morning of the 4th, it was as- certained that the rebels had retreated. This was the last service of the Twenty-ninth in the Army of the Potomac. On the 25th of Sep- tember, it proceeded via Washington, Colum- bus, Indianapolis and Louisville, to Chatta- nooga, Tenn. Its first service in this depart- ment was with the army of Gen. Hooker, and on the 24th of November it participated in the battle of Lookout Mountain, the famous " fight above the clouds," where, in the language of Prentice,

** *

they burst

Like spirits of destruction through the clouds, And mid a thousand hurtling missiles swept Their foes before them as the whirlwind sweeps The strong oaks of the forest."

The regiment re-enlisted the latter part of December. 1863, and came home on a forlough of thirty days. At the expiration of that time, it returned to the front, and on the 4th of May, 1864, it joined the Atlanta campaign, and dur- ing those days of arduous service, it bore its part with its accustomed bravery. During the entire campaign, until the fall of Atlanta, the regiment was almost constantly under arms, and engaged much of the time in fighting and skirmishing. On the 15th of November, the Twenty-ninth left Atlanta with Sherman on his march to the sea, and bearing its part in all the marches and skirmishes. It remained in North and South Carolina until the close of the war, when, on the 29th of April, 1865, it proceeded to Washington City, via Richmond. In Wash- ington it took part in the grand review, and on the 10th of June started for Louisville, Ky., where it remained in camp until the 13th of July ; then went to Cleveland, Ohio, and, on its arrival at Camp Taylor, was paid off and discharged, on the 22d and 23d of July, from the United States service.

The Sixty-fourth Infantry was a regiment in which Summit County was represented, but to what extent we have been unable to learn def- initely. Company G was made up wholly or in part in this county, but of its commissioned officers, we could learn but little beyond the fact that R. S. Chamberlain, Dudley C. Carr, Alonzo Hancock. Wilbur F. Sanders and A. M.

Bloom, served as such, the first three named rising to the rank of Captain. Chamberlain was honorably discharged on the 23d of Sep- tember, 1864 ; Carr declined to accept a cap- taincy, and Hancock was mustered ont as Cap- tain with the regiment.

This regiment formed part of the brigade raised by Senator Sherman, and was organized at Camp Buckingham, near Mansfield, in No- vember, 1861. The Sixty-fourth and Sixty- fifth Regiments of Infantry, and the Sixth In- dependent Battery, comprised the Sherman Brigade. The Sixty-fourth served in Ken- tucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisi- ana and Texas. It witnessed the battle of Perryville, Ky., without being permitted to participate in it. It was at Stone River where it lost heavily. In the Tullahoma campaign, in which it took an active part, it lost over one hundred men. The siege of Knoxville was an- other service in which it was engaged. The 1st of January, 1864, about three-fourths of the regiment re-enlisted for another three years service. At the expiration of its veteran fur- lough, it reported at Chattanooga, and accom- panied Gen. Sherman in his Atlanta campaign, participating in all the battles of that stirring period. The Sixty-fourth also took part in the battles of Franklin and Nashville-the closing battles of the war. After the war ended, it was sent to Texas, where it remained on duty until the 3d of December, 1865, and it was then mustered out, sent home, and paid off and dis- charged.

The One Hundred and Fourth Infantry drew a large number of men from Summit County. Company H, entire, and several other parts of companies were recruited here. Com- pany H entered the field officered as followed : Walter B. Scott, Captain ; Hobart Ford, First Lieutenant, and Samnel F. Shaw, Second Lieu- tenant. Capt. Scott died March 25, 1863, and Lieut. Ford was promoted to Captain in his place, but afterward placed on detached duty on Gen. Cox's staff. Second Lient. Shaw was promoted to First Lieutenant May 29, 1863, and detached at his own request. First Sergt. B. L. Robertson was promoted to Second Lieu- tenant February 26, 1863, to First Lieutenant May 9, 1864, and to Captain May 11, 1865, but mustered out as a First Lieutenant. Second Sergeant Abram Paulus was promoted to Second Lieutenent August 19, 1864, and to

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First Lieutenant May 11, 1865, but mustered out as Second Lieutenant.

This regiment was organized at Camp Mas- sillon in 1862. It was mostly recruited in the counties of Summit, Stark, Portage and Colum- biana, and was mustered into the United States service at Camp Massillon, its place of rendez- vous, on the 30th of August, 1862, and on the 1st of September left for the seat of war. The first active duty of the regiment was at Cov- ington, Ky., where, upon its arrival, it went into camp on the Alexandria Turnpike, near that city. The rebel General, Kirby Smith, was then menacing Cincinnati, and the One Hundred and Fourth acted as the outpost of the national forces. In a few days it was sent to Fort Mitchell, near by, where the advanced pickets of the rebel army were met. A slight skirmish followed, in which the regiment lost one man killed and five wounded-the first and only blood spilled in defense of Cincinnati. On the 12th of September, the One Hundred and Fourth marched in pursuit of the rebel army toward Lexington. and being its first march, was very severe on the men. It reached Lex- ington on the morning of the 15th of October, just after the rear guard of the rebels had evacuated the city. It remained here until the 6th of December, perfecting itself in drill and discipline, and with such success as to car- ry off the palm in a competitive drill of the forces at that place. On the 6th of December, the regiment, with its brigade, resumed its march, and on the evening of the 7th, arrived at Richmund, Ky., where the command, compris- ing the One Hundredth, Forty-fourth and One Hundred and Fourth, Ohio, and the Nine- teenthi Ohio Battery, built quite formidable earthworks. The march was resumed on the 27th of December, and on the 28th the regi- ment reached Danville. This movement was made for the purpose of intercepting the rebe' Gen. Morgan, then maneuvering in that vicini- ty, but, beyond light skirmishing, nothing oc- curred. From Danville it went to Frankfort, the State capital, where it performed provost duty, until the 21st of February. 1863. While the brigade was in Frankfort, the Forty-fourth Ohio was mounted. The regiment started for Danville on the 21st of February, and contin- ued to operate in that portion of Kentucky until the first of September, when it joined Gen. Burnside's army in East Tennessee, arriving at

Knoxville about the 5th. Before leaving Ken- tucky, the One Hundred and Fourth had been placed in the First Brigade, Third Division, Twenty-third Army Corps, under Gen. Hart- suff. The regiment, with its brigade, after a short rest at Knoxville, was sent to Cumber- land Gap, where it arrived on the 7th of September. Gen. Burnside demanded the sur- render of the place, which was complied with by Gen. Frazier, the commandant, who sur- rendered his entire force as prisoners of war. The One Hundred and Fourth was the first regiment to enter the works, and received the surrender of the rebel force and stores. The regiment, after this, returned to Knoxville, where for a time it was engaged on provost duty. Its next active duty was in the siege of Knoxville by Gen. Longstreet, where it was held in reserve, but being ordered to the south side of Holston River, it had an engagement in which the enemy was repulsed. During the siege it bore its part of active duty, and suffered severely from exposure and privation. Its rations were limited and inferior in quality ; the weather was cold, drizzly and disagreeable, and the men, without tents, were compelled to take their rest upon the muddy ground. Says a war chronicle : "The One Hundred and Fourth Ohio, with the national army, joined in the pursuit of Longstreet, and followed him up to Blain's Cross Roads, participating in the various skirmishes of that pursuit. It wintered in this inhospitable region during the whole of that inclement season, and endured hardships and privations like those suffered by our Revo- lutionary forefathers at Valley Forge. Half- starved, half-clad, those brave boys and self- sacrificing men maintained their integrity to the old flag. and in the midst of these terrible sufferings declared a willingness to enter on another three years' term of service, but their enlistment not expiring within the time speci- fied, they were not allowed to veteranize."

The One Hundred and Fourth took part in the Atlanta Campaign in 1864, and participated in all the general engagements of that stirring period. In the desperate assault at Utoy Creek on the 6th of August, the loss of the brigade was 600 killed and wounded ; the One Hundred and Fourth lost twenty-six officers and men killed and wounded. In the latter part of Au- gust it proceeded to Jonesboro, and took part in that engagement, and remained in the vicinity

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until the fall of Atlanta, when it marched for Decatur. During the month of October it operated against Hood's forces, and on the 6th of November took the cars for Nashville. Un til the 26th almost daily skirmishing was had, in which it lost several men. It participated in the battle of Franklin on the 30th, in which it lost sixty men killed and wounded. Lieut. Kimball, of Company C, and Capt. Bard, of Company I, were killed in this battle. After the battle, the regiment marched with the na- tional forces to Nashville, bearing with it eleven battle-flags captured from the enemy. It reached Nashville on the morning of December 1, and took position in the front near Fort Neg- ley. Nothing of note occurred until the 15th, except the intense suffering of the men from cold weather. It moved with the corps to which it belonged, on the 15th, to the right to support the cavalry, and had a brisk skirmish in which several men were killed. After the rebel works were taken, the regiment moved in pursuit of the enemy and did not stop, ex- cept a short halt at Columbia, until it reached Clifton, Tenn., on the 6th of January, 1865. It remained in camp here until the 16th, when it embarked on a steamer for Cincinnati, and, on the 22d, took the cars for Washington City, and thence was transferred to North Caro- lina, arriving at Federal Point on the 9th of February. During the remainder of the month it was actively engaged, skirmishing with the enemy much of the time, and on the 4th of March it made a forced march to Kingston to the relief of Gen. Cox, who was threatened by overpowering numbers.

The regiment proceeded to Goldsboro from Kingston, where it arrived on the 21st of March, and where it remained until the 11th of April, when it went to Raleigh. At the grand review in Raleigh on the 21st of April, the regiment received some high compliments from Gen. Sherman and others for their efficiency in drill and soldierly bearing. It remained in Raleigh until May 2, when it was selected by Gen. Cox, commanding the corps, to repair to Greensboro and receive the arms and stores of Gen. John- ston's army. It remained in Greensboro as pro- vost guard until the 17th of June, 1865, when it was mustered out and ordered to Camp Tay- lor, near Cleveland, for final pay and discharge. It arrived in Cleveland on the 24th, and, on the 27th of June, was paid off and mustered out.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 45

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104