History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 46

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 46

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The One Hundred and Seventh Infantry con- tained nearly half a company from Summit County. This was a German regiment, and was made up under special authority from Gov- ernor Tod, to serve under Gen. Sigel. Com- pany I was made up in this and Tuscarawas County, and of the first commissioned officers the First Lieutenant was from the latter county, while the Captain and Second Lieutenant were from Summit. The company was organized with Richard Ferederle, Captain ; Hamilton Starkweather, First Lieutenant, and W. F. Bechtel, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Ferederle and Lieut. Starkweather both resigned early ; Lieut. Bechtel resigned December 8, 1862. George Billow, of Akron, was promoted to Sec- ond Lieutenant November 30, 1862, to First Lieutenant December 1, 1863, and to Captain November 3, 1864, and as such was mustered out at the close of the war. Capt. Billow served but little with his company after his promotion to Captain, but was detached as Brigade Commissary, Post Commissary and as Provost Marshal.

This regiment, as we have said, was com- posed wholly of Germans, and was organized at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, in the latter part of August, 1862. It was ordered to Cov- ington, Ky., to repel an expected attack of the rebel Gen. Kirby Smith. In November it was ordered to Virginia, where it was assigned to the Eleventh Army Corps, commanded by Gen. Sigel. It served in Virginia until the 1st of August, 1863, taking part in all the principal battles of that period, including Chancellors- ville. It was in this battle that the Eleventh Corps was flanked by Stonewall Jackson, in which disastrous affair the One Hundred and Seventh suffered severely, losing 220 officers and men killed, wounded and prisoners. It also participated in the battle of Gettysburg, where it covered itself with honor. Its total loss in killed, wounded and missing in this battle amounted to over 400, out of 550, rank and file engaged. August 1, 1863, the One Hun- dred and Seventh was sent to South Carolina, where it performed picket duty until January, 1864. It served in this department, scouting, foraging and skirmishing with the enemy, until the close of the war. While on a scout near Georgetown, S. C., it received the news of the surrender of Lee and Johnston's armies. A few weeks later, it proceeded to Charleston, where

J. Summen

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it performed provost duty, until the 10th of July, 1865, when it was mustered out, sent home to Cleveland, where it was paid off and discharged.

The One Hundred and Fifteenth Infantry was well represented by Summit County men. Com- panies C and G were raised in this county, with perhaps some twenty men in Company I. The commissioned officers of Company C were John A. Means, Captain ; John Eadie, First Lieutenant ; and George L. Waterman, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Means was mustered out with regiment at the close of its service. Lieut. Eadie was promoted to Captain, but commission was returned ; Lieut. Waterman died of wounds September 19, 1863 ; John C. Ely was promoted from Third Sergeant to Sec- ond Lieutenant February 8, 1865, and was lost on the steamer Sultana. The first commis- sioned officers of Company G were A. W. Fitch, Captain ; D. A. Lowry, First Lieutenant ; and A. L. Conger, Second Lieutenant. In the or- ganization of the regiment, Capt. Fitch was promoted to Major. This led to a promotion of the Lieutenants of Company G-Lowry to Captain, and Conger to First Lieutenant. Sum- ner Nash was made Second Lieutenant. Maj. Fitch was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel July 20, 1864, and resigned January 5, 1865 ; Capt. Lowry was lost on steamer Sultana April 27, 1865 ; Lieutenant Conger was mustered out with regiment; Lieut. Nash was promoted to First Lieutenant August 11, 1864, and as such mustered out with the regiment. M. S. Hurd was promoted from First Sergeant, to Second Lieutenant August 11, 1864. Of the men in Company I from this county, Capt. Edward Buckingham, late County Auditor, is the only commissioned officer among them, so far as we can learn. He went out as First Lieutenant, and was promoted to Captain February 8, 1863, and in that position was mustered out at the close of the war.

This regiment was mostly engaged during its term of service on guard and provost duty. It was organized at Camp Massillon in August, 1862, and mustered into the United States service on the 18th of September. October 4, it received orders to report to Gen. Wright at Cincinnati, where, on the 9th, it was divided -five companies, under command of Lieut. Col. Boone, was sent to Columbus (Camp Chase) to perform guard duty. The remaining five

companies, under command of Col. Lucy, re- mained in Cincinnati, acting as provost guard. The remainder of its history, during its service, is thus given :

In November, 1862, the battalion at Columbus was ordered to Maysville, Ky., under command of Col. Lucy, leaving Lieut. Col. Boone in command of the battalion at Cincinnati. In December, the battalion at Maysville was ordered to Covington, where it performed provost duty until October, 1863. It was then relieved, and ordered to report to Gen. Rosecrans, at Chattanooga, Tenn. Reaching Murfreesboro, it was ordered to report to the Post Commander for duty. Part of the regiment was at once mounted and sent out against the guerrillas, then infesting the country between Nashville and Tullahoma. In June, 1864, that part of the regi- ment not mounted was stationed on the line of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, in block-houses, to prevent the guerrillas from destroying it. August, 1864, Block-House No. 4, in command of Sergt. Flohr, of Company B, was captured by the forces of the rebel Gen. Wheeler. Block-House No. 5, commanded by Lieut. Orr, of Company B, was attacked at the same time, and three men were killed and seven wounded out of the detachment of forty men. In this attack the rebels were hand- somely repulsed, and failed in their desperate at- tempt to capture the garrison. Shortly after this affair, Company K (mounted), surprised and capt- ured a squad of guerrillas, and lost Sergt. Richmond killed, and three men wounded. During Hood's ad- vance on Nashville, in December, 1864, Block-Houses Nos. 1, 3 and 4 were assaulted by a large force of rebels under Forrest, and their garrisons, consisting of parts of Companies C, F and G, captured. The gar- risons of Block-Houses Nos. 5 and 6 were, by order of Gen. Thomas, withdrawn to Murfreesboro. Block-House No. 7 was assaulted and surrounded by the rebels, and for fifteen days the garrison dared not venture outside. The garrison of Block-House No 2, under command of Lieut. Harter, was as- saulted December 9, 1864, by the enemy, with three pieces of rifled artillery, and a continuous fire kept up from 9 o'clock in the morning until dark. Two of the garrison were killed and five wounded. Un- der cover of the night, the garrison withdrew and reached Nashville in safety. Shortly after this affair, the rebel Gen. Buford made a desperate charge on Murfreesboro, but after five hours of hard fighting was driven back with heavy loss. On the national side there was one killed and three wounded. The garrison of Murfreesboro, at this time, consisted of a battalion of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio, and the Fourth and Twenty- ninth Michigan Regiments, under command of Gen. Rousseau.

On April 25, 1865, the battalion of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio, captured by the rebels at Block-Houses 1, 3 and 4, in December, 1864, was on board the ill-fated steamer Sultana, which ex- ploded on the Mississippi River, near Memphis, Tenn., and Capts. D. N. Lowry and John Eadic, Lieut. J. C. Ely and eighty men were lost. They

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.

belonged to Companies B, C, F and G. These un- fortunate men were on their way to Columbus, Ohio, having been paroled for that purpose. The regiment performed garrison duty at Murfreesboro, and guard duty on the line of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, from Nashville to Tullahoma, until the 23d of June, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service, and received its final discharge and pay at Cleveland July 7, 1865.

The One Hundred and Twenty-ninth In- fantry contained a fractional part of a company from this county, in which Capt. J. J. Wright, formerly of the Twenty-ninth Infantry, was Second Lieutenant. The regiment was organ- ized in the latter part of the summer of 1863, at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, and mustered into the service for six months. Its service, during the term of its enlistment, was princi- pally in Southeastern Kentucky and East Ten- nessee. Although but a six months' regiment, it saw hard service. It was mustered out at Cleveland in March, 1864.

The Fifty-fourth Battalion of the National Guard was made up wholly in Summit County. The three companies forming the battalion, were A, B and C, and were mustered into the service (one hundred days) with the following commissioned officers : Company A-N. L. Everett, Captain ; D. W. Storer, First Lieuten- ant, and C. R. Howe, Second Lieutenant. Com- pany B-D. F. Hunsberger, Captain ; N. J. Sehroop, First Lieutenant, and D. J. Mettinger, Second Lieutenant. Company C-N. S. Keller, Captain ; F. H. Wright, First Lieutenant, and Thomas E. Strong, Second Lieutenant.

Upon the organization at Camp Taylor, the Fifty-fourth Battalion was consolidated with the Forty-ninth Regiment of National Guard from Seneca County. The consolidation was effected on the 6th of May, 1864, and the reg- iment became the One Hundredth and Sixty- fourth Volunteer Infantry National Guard. It was mustered into the United States service on the 11th of May ; was armed and equipped, and on the 14th, left Cleveland for Washington City, where it arrived on the 17th. It was commanded by Col. John Calvin Lee, who was brevetted Brigadier General at the close of the war for meritorious services, and, later, was Lieutenant Governor (two terms) with Gov. (now ex-President) Hayes. Upon the arrival of the regiment in Washington, it took position in the defenses on the south side of the Potomac, and during its one hundred days' service,

garrisoned Forts Smith, Strong, Bennett, Hag- garty and other forts. It was very thoroughly drilled, both in infantry and heavy artillery taeties. During Gen. Early's invasion, the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth was kept on duty almost constantly, and every night was spent either on the advance or beside the guns. At the expiration of its term of enlistment, the regiment received the thanks of President Lincoln for the service it had performed, and returned to Cleveland via Baltimore, Harris- burg and Pittsburgh, where, on the 27th of August, it was mustered out of the service and discharged.

The Second Cavalry drew on Summit County for a large number of men. Company A was made up in this county, while several other companies were more or less represented by Summit County recruits. The commissioned officers of Company A were George A. Puring- ton, Captain ; Dudley Seward, First Lieuten- ant, and M. J. Collier, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Purington was promoted to Major Sep- tember 24, 1861, to Lieutenant Colonel June 25, 1863, and to Colonel, but as such was not mustered, and retired from the service at the end of three years. First Lieut. Seward was promoted to Captain September 30, 1861, to Major September 18, 1862, to Lieutenant Colonel May 9, 1864, and to Colonel June 20, 1865, and as such mustered out with the regi- ment. Second Lieut. Collier was promoted to First Lieutenant May 10, 1861, and mustered out by the consolidation, and afterward com- missioned Major of the Twelfth Cavalry. Hen- ry O. Hampson, Orderly Sergeant, was pro- moted to Second Lieutenant July 22, 1862. and resigned July 23, 1863. Sergt. A. N. Bernhard was promoted to Second Lieutenant December 20, 1861, to First Lieutenant July 15, 1862, to Captain February 17, 1863, trans- ferred to Company K, and honorably discharged November 29, 1864. Sergt. L. J. MeMurray was promoted to Second Lieutenant May 9, 1863, and honorably discharged September 6, 1864. Capt. Purington was in the Nineteenth (three months) Infantry, as Orderly Sergeant, and was promoted to Second Lieutenant ; and Seward was in the same regiment as Third Ser- geant.

The Second Cavalry saw hard service and a great deal of it. From its organization as a reg- iment to its muster-out at the close of the war,

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its duties were varied, and extended over a vast range of country. Says Whitelaw Reid in his " Ohio in the War :" "The Second fought under the following general officers : Buell, Wright, Hunter, Denver, Sturgis, Blunt, Salomon, Cur- tis, Schofield, Burnside, Carter, Gilmore, Shack- elford, Foster, Kautz, Sedgwick, Wilson, MeIn- tosh, Torbett, Sheridan, Custer, Meade and Grant. Its horses have drank from, and its troopers have bathed in, the waters of the Ar- kansas, Osage, Cygnes, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Scioto, Miami, Cumberland, Tennessee, Holston, Potomac, Shenandoah, Rappahannock, Rapidan, Bull Run, Mattapony, Pamunkey, Chickahominy, James, Appomattox, Black- water, Nottaway and Chesapeake. It has cam- paigned through thirteen States and a Territory : Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Indian Territory. It has traveled as a regiment on foot, horseback, by railroad and steamboat, on land, river, bay and ocean. It has marched an aggregate distance of twenty-seven thousand miles ; has fought in ninety-seven battles and engagements. It has served in five different armies : The Army of the Frontier, of the Mis- souri, of the Potomac, of the Ohio, and of the Shenandoah-forming a continuous line of ar- mies from the head-waters of the Arkansas to the mouth of the James ; and its dead, sleep- ing where they fell, form a vidette-line half across the continent, a chain of prostrate senti- nals two thousands miles long. Even in their graves, may not these patriotic dead still guard the glory and the integrity of the Republic for which they fell ?" No regiment could desire a more glorious record or prouder name.

This regiment was organized in the fall of 1861, under special authority from the Secre- tary of War. It rendezvoused at Camp Wade, near Cleveland, where, on the 10th day of Octo- ber, the last company was mustered in, and the regiment was ready for duty. It was recruited wholly in what is known as the " Western Re- serve," and, being the second regiment of cav- alry raised in the State, and the first in the northern part of the State, it contained "a large proportion of wealth, intelligence, capac- ity and culture." In the last of November. the regiment was ordered to Camp Dennison, where it received sabers and continued in the drill and discipline which had been begun be-

fore leaving Cleveland. Early in January, 1862, it received orders from the War Depart- ment to report to Gen. Hunter at Platte City, Mo., and at once proceeded to that place. Up- on its arrival there, it spent several weeks in scouting the Missouri border. On the 22d of February, a scouting party from the Second, consisting of one hundred and twenty men, had a skirmish with a detachment under the notori- ons Quantrell, in which the latter was defeated. Doubleday's Brigade, to which the Second be- longed, proceeded to Fort Scott, Kan., where it arrived on the 1st of March. The regiment was armed, at this time, with sabers, navy pis- tols and Austrian carbines. The army was concentrated at Fort Scott in the latter part of May, and early in June it moved into the In- dian Territory by various roads, concentrating again at Spring River. The entire command soon moved to Baxter Springs, Indian Terri- tory, where three regiments of loyal Indians, mounted on ponies and armed with squirrel rifles, joined the command. Later, the column moved from Baxter's Springs southward, and on the 8th of July went into camp at Flat Creek, Indian Territory, and, shortly after, the Second formed part of the force which captured Fort Gibson. In the early part of August, the command moved to Fort Scott, where it ar- rived on the 15th and went into camp. At this time, it was found " that there were less than two hundred and fifty serviceable horses in the Second, many of the men were sick, and a num- ber had died on the march of a peculiar brain fever, probably produced by the excessive heat to which they were exposed."* The regiment, in the latter part of August, shared in a forced march of ten days and nights in pursuit of a party of rebel raiders, continually skirmishing, but without loss. About this time, one hun- dred and fifty men and two officers were detailed from the Second to man, temporarily, a light battery. Six months later, the detail was made a transfer by the War Department, and consti- tuted the Twenty fifth Ohio Battery. The mounted portion of the Second. early in Sep- tember, with the Twenty-fifth Battery, moved, with the army of Gen. Blunt, into Missouri and Arkansas, and took an active part in the cam- paign that ended in the capture of Prairie Grove December 3, 1862. During this cam- paign, the Second fought at Carthage and New- *Reid.

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tonia, Mo., camped at Pea Ridge, and fought at Cow Hill, Wolf Creek, White River and Prairie Grove. Efforts had been made to have the Second transferred to an Eastern army, which was successful, and the dismounted por- tion of the regiment, in November, moved by rail to Camp Chase, to remount and refit for the field, and the mounted portion followed in December, after the capture of Prairie Grove. While at Camp Chase, the Second re- ceived new arms and equipments, fresh horses and sixty recruits, and, during the winter, made great progress in drill and discipline. In 1863, the original twelve companies were con- solidated into eight, and a battalion of four com- panies raised for the Eighth Cavalry was added to the Second. This battalion was then serv- ing in Kentucky, and Maj. Purington was sent to assume command until it should join the regiment.

The Second left Camp Chase early in April, and proceeded to Somerset, Ky., and, when near Lexington, was joined by the new battalion. With but an occasional reconnaissance, the Sec- ond remained quietly in camp at Somerset un- til the 27th of June. In the early part of June, four companies of the Second formed part of a raiding force, under Gen. Saunders, into East Tennessee, where a large amount of stores were destroyed, and several railroad bridges. " Kautz's brigade, of which the Second was a part, joined in pursuit of the rebel Gen. Morgan on the 1st of July, followed the great raider twelve hundred miles, through three States, marching twenty-four hours out of twenty-four, living wholly upon the gifts of the people for twenty-seven days, and finally shar- ing in the capture at Buffington's Island. After the raid, the Second re-assembled at Cincinnati, from which point nearly the whole regiment was furloughed by Gen. Burnside, in recogni- tion of its endurance and gallantry." The Sec- ond re-assembled and re-fitted at Stanford, Ky., and, in August, moved with the army to East Tennessee. It was here brigaded with the See- ond East Tennessee, Ninth Michigan, and Sev- enth Ohio Cavalry, Col. Carter, Second East Tennessee, commanding. On the 5th and 6th of September, the regiment made a forced march to Cumberland Gap, and, after the sur- render of the place, returned to Knoxville, whence it was ordered up the valley. It joined the army at Henderson's Station about the 25th,

and, soon after, it received orders to report to Gen. Rosecrans, then in command of the Army of the Cumberland. It marched thirty miles toward Knoxville, when it was suddenly or- dered back to the front, and, on its return, found an engagement in progress, in which it at once took part, but without any serious re- sults. A little later, it participated in the bat- tle of Blue Springs. Late in October, as Long- street advanced, the Second fell back, with other cavalry, to Russellville, and then to the vicinity of Cumberland Gap, and engaged Wheeler's cavalry. During the siege of Knoxville, it op- erated on the enemy's flank, and, when the siege was raised, joined in the pursuit of the rebels. On the 2d of December, it engaged Longstreet's cavalry at Morristown, and, on the 4th, it formed the advance of a brigade which attacked and fought eighteen regiments for two hours, at Russellville, losing forty men killed and wounded. On the 6th, it was at the front five hours in the battle of Bean Station, and, for the next five days, was almost constantly under fire. After a few days' rest, the cavalry crossed the Holston River and moved to Mossy Creek, where the time was spent in skirmishing and maneuvering until January 1, 1864, when, of 470 men then composing the regiment, 420 re-enlisted, and were sent home on veteran fur- lough.

The Second re-assembled at Cleveland on the 20th of March, and, with 130 recruits, was again ready for the front. The first objective point was Mount Sterling, Ky., but, soon after, it was ordered to Annapolis, Md., where it ar- rived on the 29th of March. On the 13th of April, it was reviewed by Lieut. Gen. Grant, Gens. Burnside, Washburn and Meigs. On the 22d, the regiment moved to Camp Stoneman, D. C., and, by the 30th, was mounted, armed and equipped. It moved out of camp on the 1st of May, and on the 3d arrived at Warren- ton Junction. where it reported to Gen. Burn- side. With the Ninth Corps it moved to Brandy Station, crossed the Rapidan, went into line on the extreme right, and on the 7th engaged Rosser's cavalry with slight loss. During the campaign of the Wilderness, it was employed covering the right flank of the infantry almost constantly, either on picket or skirmishing. By order of Gen. Grant, the Second was transferred from the Ninth Army Corps, and attached per- manently to Sheridan's Cavalry Corps, Army

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of the Potomac, and on the 29th it reported to Brig. Gen. J. H. Wilson, commanding Third Cavalry Division, and was by him assigned to the First Brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. J. B. McIntosh. On the 31st, the division crossed the Pamunkey, and the First Brigade advanced on Hanover Court House, where a severe engagement took place, in which the Second bore a prominent part. The next day, a portion of the First Brigade, including the Second Ohio, proceeded to Ashland, where the entire force was soon surrounded by Gen. Fitz Hugh Lee, and a heavy engagement took place, which lasted till sundown, when, under the cover of night, the national forces withdrew, the Second covering the retreat. From this time to the crossing of the James, it was en- gaged in picketing and fighting on the right of the army from Hanover Court House to Cold Harbor. It crossed the James on the 17th of June, and the next day encamped with the di- vision on the Blackwater. It took an active part in the fights of Nottaway Court House, Stony Creek and Ream Station, losing one hun- dred men and five officers killed, wounded and missing, and returning to the lines on the 1st of July. Early in August, the division to which the Second belonged went to Washing- ton City, and on the 13th moved to Winchester, in the Shenandoah Valley, where it arrived on the 17th. The division was ordered to act as rear guard, and to hold the town until dark. Gen. Early made an attack at 3 o'clock, P. M., and at sundown, the division fell back ; the Second Battalion and two companies of the Third Battalion of the Second Ohio, acting as the rear guard for the whole command, fighting an hour in dense darkness in the streets of Winchester, then joining the main column, and falling back to Summit Point. Gen. Early again attacked on the 19th, and, after a sharp fight, the regiment retired to Charlestown, when it was again attacked by Early, on the 22d, and the Second was closely engaged. From Charles- town, the army retreated to Harper's Ferry. The Second, with its division, went to the right, and was twice engaged with the enemy. The division was, on the 26th of August, ordered to Boonesboro, and the Second encamped twenty-four hours on the South Mountain bat- tle-field, marched over Antietam, and re-crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown. It was in the skirmish at Berryville, Va., on the 30th, and in

the early part of September was engaged with its division in picket duty on the left of Sheri- dan's army. On the 13th, Gen. McIntosh's Brigade (including the Second) was ordered to- ward Winchester. With the Second in front, the brigade charged Early's cavalry, driving it back, and the Second Ohio, with the aid of the Third New Jersey, captured an entire regiment of infantry. The Secretary of War made especial mention of the gallantry of the two regiments in this exploit. McIntosh's brigade at the battle of Opequon, was ordered to capt- ure a line of hills between the Opequon and Winchester, which was accomplished after four hours' hard fighting. In the retreat of Early's army, the Second was the last regiment to leave the pursuit on the Valley Pike. For several weeks it was almost continually engaged fight- ing and skirmishing. Gen. Custer assumed command of the division to which the Second belonged at Bridgewater. It shared in the battle of Cedar Creek on the 19th of October, and was present on the Valley Pike, when Sheridan came to the front on his " famous ride from Winchester." After the battle, the regi- ment performed picket duty until the 1st of Novenber, when it fell back to Kernstown. It was engaged in active duty until the 28th of December, when it went into winter quarters on the Romney Pike, one and a half miles from Winchester, where it remained until the 27th of February, 1865.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 46

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