USA > Ohio > Union County > History of Union County, Ohio; its people, industries and institutions > Part 31
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"They were weighed in the balance and were not found wanting," when they received their baptism of fire at Guayama.
ROSTER OF COMPANY D. FOURTH REGIMENT.
Captain. Charles F. Sellers.
First Lieutenant, Jay R. Turner.
Second Lieutenant. Frank H. Otte, May 9th to July 12. 1898.
Second Lieutenant. Abe Newlove. July 15, 1898, to muster out.
Sergeants-Allen C. Edson, Charles Green, Thomas J. Alexander, William R. Kennedy, Frank Mills, George P. Zwerner.
Corporals-Walter P. Gregg, William Johnson, Charles Orahood, Charles Ford, Elijah Horr, Louis Orahood, Conrad Kirchner, Arthur H. Armine. Joseph Mills, Elmer Hedges. Jo S. Mullen, William Saygrover.
Musicians-Bert G. Maris, Frank P. Taylor.
Privates-Harry G. Armine, Willis Anderson, Edward Andrews. Eugene Alden. Otto N. Bishop. James Beaver. Wasson Beaver, William Bartlett. Layton Blake, James Beck, Joseph Bell. Frank Bradley, Holly O. Brake. George E. Brown, Will E. Connell, Thomas Connor. Frank Clapham, George Clastic. Henry D. Converse, Edward Church, Frederick B. Dono- hoe, Benjamin Daugherty, William Dines. Victor Fisher, Jasper O. Gosnell. Hewitt H. Green, Walter Goff. George B. Hush. Edward Hudson, Delbert Hensley. Mack Hinton, Frank Holycross, Alla Johnson. Joseph A. Johnson, Allen Jones, John Jones, John Landsdown, Isaac Kees. Joseph Lawrence, Charles Lyons, Charles M. Laird. Ell Lee, Clifton Lower, James Lee, Harry Maris, Charles Mills, George Mullen, William Martin, Robert Martin. Charles Mathers, Pearl Mitchell. Lute Newlove. Edward Nelson. Frederick Nelson. Louis F. Otte, Noah L. Orr. Albert A. Plotner. Charles A. Perry, Earl Phelps, William Rausch. Edward Randall. George Schlegel. Carson B.
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Shetterly, Joe E. Shetterly, Albert J. Smith, Chester H. Sheridan, John Shuler, Artemus Sloop, Harry Sparks, Carl M. Tway, Charles Turner, Harry W. Taylor, De Fro Tossey, Reuben R. Vail, William Williams, Walter J. Weber, Charles Williams, William Wise, Luther Webb, William H. Walcut ( wounded ), Anderson L .. Williams.
There were others in the county, as well as those natives of Union county, who served in this war, having enlisted in various parts of the country. Clair Ingman, who subsequent to the war was first lieutenant of Company E, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, saw service in the Philippines.
THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
A post of the Grand Army of the Republic was organized at Marysville, August 25, 1881. This post was named Ransom Reed Post, in honor of the first soldier from Union county who lost his life in the war for the preserva- tion of the Union. Ransom Reed was a private in Company F, Thirteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteers, who fell at the battle of Carnifix Ferry, Septem- ber 10, 1861. The number of the post is 113, Department of Ohio. The post was organized and instituted by Captain D. Lanning, of Columbus. Ohio, mustering officer. The charter members were W. L. Curry, M. C. Lawrence, Jolin Hobensack. Andrew Sabine. J. V. Pearse. W. P. Anderson, S. G. Fry, S. M. Landon, D. T. Elliott, D. W. Ayers, J. L. Cameron, Will- iam M. Winget, J. B. Cole, G. P. Robinson, Frank Filler, T. P. Freeman, William H. Robb, William M. Liggett, Homer Thrall. John L. Porter, I. N. Hamilton, Thomas Martin. T. S. Mullen, B. W. Keyes, D. Webb. John Wiley, W. E. Baxter. W. H. Robinson and William Torrence. Of these twenty-nine old veterans, only seven survive, John Hobensack, Dr. Andrew Sabine. J. L. Cameron, Homer Thrall, J. B. Cole, T. S. Mullen and W. L. Curry.
The first officers chosen for this post were: W. L. Curry, post com- mander; John Hobensack, senior vice-commander: M. C. Lawrence, junior vice-commander : Homer Thrall, chaplain; W. P. Anderson, officer of the day ; S. G. Fry, officer of the guard; D. T. Elliott, sergeant major : S. M. Landon, quartermaster sergeant : J. B. Cole, assistant inspector ; W. M. Win- get. aid-de-camp.
Up to 1882. there had been mustered into this post two hundred and twenty comrades. Ten were transferred to Plain City when a post was organized there. Over seventy different regiments and commands were represented in the membership of the post at Marysville.
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The object set forth for organizing such a society of old Civil War comrades is as follows: "No officer or comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic shall in any manner use this organization for partisan purposes. and no discussion of partisan questions shall be allowed at any of its meet- ings, nor shall any nominations for political office be made."
The objects specifically are "the preservation of the spirit of comrade- ship, to preserve and strengthen those kind and fraternal feelings which bind together the soldiers, sailors and marines who united to surpress the Rebellion, and to perpetuate the memory and history of the dead."
To secure the last mentioned object, a day is set apart, the 30th of May, to be observed as Decoration Day. The post has an impressive ser- vice to be used on that day. Mutual helpfulness is another object set forth. "To. assist such former comrades in arms as need help and protection, and to extend needful aid to the widows and orphans of those who have fallen." It is the design of each post to accumulate a fund to be used for charitable purposes. And finally the Grand Army of the Republic stands for the pro- motion of loyalty to the nation. "To maintain true allegiance to the United States of America, based upon a paramount respect for and fidelity to the national Constitution and laws, to discountenance whatever tends to weaken loyalty, incites to insurrection, treason or rebellion or in any manner impairs the efficiency and permanency of our free institutions ; and to encourage the spread of universal rights and liberty and justice to all men." No man can become a member of the Grand Army of the Republic who has ever borne arms against the government. or upon whom "the stain of. treason rests." All honorably discharged soldiers and sailors of the war for the preservation of the nation are eligible to membership. All distinction of rank is done away with. The title by which all members are addressed in meetings is "Comrade."
The several constituted bodies of the association are known as the post, the state organization or department, and the national organization or en- campment, known as "Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic."
Ransom Reed Post, Marysville, now has a membership of eighty-eight. The officers are as follows: Commander, Marion Hopkins; vice-com- mander, Augustus Turner, senior vice-commander. I. J. McMonagal: W. M. Haines, chaplain ; quartermaster. James Guy : officer of the day. W. H. Organ; instructor, O. M. Scott: surgeon, Edward Malone: officer of the guard, W. H. Owston : sergeant major, S. E. McIntire: quartermaster ser- geant, Ralph Bonnett ; representatives to department encampment, Harrison Mc Vey, W. H. Organ and James Guy.
There have been Grand Army posts established at Byhalia, Pottersburg,
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Richwood and Milford Center. The post at Richwood was organized in April, 1884, by Capt. W. L. Curry. It was named Livingston No. 425, and was named for John Livingston, who had the honor of having eight sons in the Union army. The only posts now in existence are the ones at Marys- ville. Richwood and Byhalia, the latter only having five or six members left.
A Sons of Veteran camp was established at Marysville years ago, but lack of general interest upon the part of the soldiers' sons caused it to dis- band.
THE STATE ARMORY.
It was after a heated campaign for locations that the state finally located its first armory for National Guard purposes at Marysville in 1909. The building was to cost not less than fifteen thousand dollars and was to stand on land furnished by the citizens of the place, which cost three thousand dollars. The city was also to do much toward furnishing the building. It stands on East Fourth street near Main street. The city had to issue bonds in order to secure this public building. It is a red brick structure, a story and one-half high, with a basement. The Grand Army post have a splendid rest and post room in this building and there is a spacious drill hall for the local company.
A NOTED UNION CAVALRY RAID.
[In response to the desire of many Union county men who served with Colonel Curry during the Civil War. the following thrilling story from his pen is reproduced. It is the story of the raid of the Union cavalry, com- manded by Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, around the Confederate army in Atlanta, August, 1864 .- Publishers. ]
In military parlance, cavalry is called the "eyes of the army," and the life of a cavalryman in time of war is one of constant activity, hard and dangerous service. During the winter season, when the main army is snugly ensconsed in winter quarters, cavalry is the most active and has the hardest service to perform, as it is kept constantly patroling and scouting. All these movements of the cavalry arm of the service require vigilance, secrecy. energy, promptness and dash; and whether the command is composed of a platoon or division, the commander must not halt or hesitate in an emergency, but must act immediately and supply by strategy what he lacks in numbers.
During the last two years of the War of the Rebellion, cavalry officers were composed largely of young men, who were at the beginning of the war
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privates or non-commissioned officers. The older officers could but with rare exceptions endure the hard duty of picket guard, routs, raids, and scouts of fifty and sixty miles a day, which were of usual occurrence. Many of the most dangerous expeditions were under command of officers of the line, penetrating the lines of the enemy with a company or squadron, capturing outposts and couriers with dispatches that were of vital importance. Scores of instances of bravery and heroism in the rank and file could be related that would do honor to a Kilpatrick or a Custer, and instances of individual adventure and heroic deeds in the cavalry service could be multiplied by the hundred.
As an instance of the importance of a cavalry expedition ordered by General Sherman on the Atlanta campaign, and how little the loss of life was considered. the order to Gen. Kenner Garrard, bearing date of July 20, 1864, read in part as follows: "I do wish to inspire all cavalry with my conviction that caution and prudence should be but a small element in their character." "It is a matter of vital importance and must be attempted with great vigor." "The importance of it will justify the loss of a quarter of your command." Garrard's division numbered four thousand men, and the order meant that one thousand men should be sacrificed in this one raid, rather than it should fail.
A cavalry raid is defined in a military sense "to be an incursion or irruption of mounted troops into the theater of war occupied by or under the control of the enemy."
One of the main duties of cavalry in time of war is to make raids in the rear of the enemy's army. These raids, when successful. always add to the efficiency and raise the morale of the cavalry arm of the service and give forces engaged confidence for any expedition, however hazardous it might seem.
In fact. the cavalryman is always in his element when on reconnois- sance or raid. teeming with dash and adventure. Cavalry raids have been in vogue more or less from the earliest times of which we have any history of the cavalry service, yet in no prior war was it practiced to the extent that it was during the War of the Rebellion.
There is no kind of service that so develops the skill of the officer and the endurance and intelligence of the soldier as the cavalry raid. From the time he cuts loose from the main army until the object of the raid is ac- complished. the commander must depend on his own resources, as he has nothing to draw from, and his command is being constantly weakened by
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contact with the enemy. His men are being killed and wounded; his horses are exhausted, or killed by hard marching or by the bullets of the enemy; his ammunition is being rapidly consumed; his rations eaten up, and there is a continuous destruction of his forces.
The object of the raid is to destroy the enemy's communication by burning bridges, filling up tunnels and railroad cuts with rocks and timber; cutting telegraph wires; burning ties; heating and destroying rails; burning and destroying army supplies; capturing railroad and bridge guards, and creating general consternation and havoc in rear of the enemy's lines. Raid- ing expeditions must carry all their ammunition from the start, as they have no resources from which to draw should their ammunition become exhausted. Therefore, they usually avoid all large bodies of the enemy, excepting those in their immediate front, who are endeavoring to repel the expedition from striking some point on a railroad or depot of supplies.
They capture all prisoners that come in their line of march, but the prisoners are usually paroled. as the command moves so rapidly. often march- ing fifty and sixty miles a day, that prisoners can not be guarded if they are mounted, and if on foot could not march the distance required; besides, all the good mounts captured are needed for the dismounted troopers of the command, as many horses become exhausted, while others are killed or wounded. by the enemy.
When prisoners are captured on such raids. they are taken to the com- manding officer and questioned very persistently as to their commands. strength, name of commanding officer, and any other information that may be of interest or benefit to the commander.
No rule can be adopted for the time and place of raids, but the com- mander must be governed by the developments of the campaign. If he sees an opportunity that he may think desirable to draw the enemy's cavalry away from the front, before making an attack in force. if he has the cavalry to spare from his own army, a raid may be made in the enemy's rear; or if he fears the enemy will receive reinforcements, he may attempt to cut his communications. All these matters must be governed by circumstances, and the commander considers carefully all the surroundings, and whether or not the sacrifice will justify sending out the expedition.
One of the most daring and successful raids made by the cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland during the Civil War was the raid made by two divisions of cavalry, commanded by Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, in August, 1864, and as an officer of the First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, I participated with my regiment in that expedition.
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General Sherman's magnificent army moved out from Chattanooga May 5. 1864, and the Confederate army, commanded by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, had been driven back steadily through the mountain passes and across the rivers of northern Georgia during that great battle summer of 1864-the "one hundred days under fire from Chattanooga to Atlanta." The battle of bloody Kenesaw Mountain had been fought, the Chattahoochee river had been crossed, and by the middle of August the Union army was closing in around the "Gate City."
During the month of July two cavalry expeditions had been sent out, one under General Stoneman from the left flank, and the other under Gen. Ed. McCook from the right flank. Neither of these expeditions had been as successful as General Sherman had hoped for, as McCook's division had been repulsed by an overwhelming force of the enemy, and Stoneman, with about one thousand of his command, had been captured. Sherman, there- fore, decided to make another effort to break the enemy's communication before beginning his grand flank movement to the right. General Kilpatrick. who had been severely wounded early in the compaign at the battle of Resaca, had just returned to the front, and was chafing to again be in the saddle for a raid full of dash and danger, was selected to command the two divisions of cavalry detailed for this hazardous undertaking.
The expedition was composed of five brigades of cavalry and two bat- teries of artillery. The Third Cavalry Division, commanded by Brigadier- General Kilpatrick, was, on August 17, encamped on the Chattahoochee river at Sandtown, on the right and rear of the army. The three brigades were present ; Lieut-Col. Robert Klein commanding the First Brigade, composed of the Third Indiana, Major Alfred Gaddis, and the Fifth Iowa, Major J. Morris Young. Lieut .- Col. Fielder A. Jones commanding the Second Bri- gade, composed of the Eighth Indiana. Major Thomas Herring, command- ing; Second Kentucky, Major Owen Starr commanding, and Tenth Ohio. Lieut .- Col. Thomas W. Sanderson commanding. Col. Eli H. Murray, com- manding the Third Brigade, composed of the Ninety-second Illinois Mounted Infantry, Col. Smith D. Atkins commanding; the Third Kentucky, Lieut .- Col. Robert II. King commanding : Fifth Kentucky, Col. Oliver L. Baldwin commanding: the Tenth Wisconsin Battery, Capt. Yates V. Beebe com- manding.
The First and Second Brigades and a battery of artillery of Gen. Ken- ner Garrard's division were ordered to report to General Kilpatrick at Sand- town, to engage in the movement against the Macon Railroad. The First
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Brigade, commanded by Col. Robert H. G. Minty, consisted of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, commanded by Major Frank W. Mix; Seventh Pennsyl- vania, Major William H. Jennings: Fourth United States, Capt. James B. McIntyre. The Second Brigade, commanded by Col. Eli Long, consisted of the First Ohio, Col. Beroth B. Eggleston; Third Ohio, Col. Charles B. Seidel : Fourth Ohio, Lieut .- Col. Oliver P. Robie, and the Chicago ( Illinois) Board of Trade Battery, Lieut. George Robinson commanding.
The whole command, numbering about 4,800 men, was composed of veterans of long service, well drilled, splendidly officered, and was ready and anxious for any expedition which had promise of adventure and fighting.
The brigades of Minty and Long were on the extreme left of the Union army at Buck Head, and marched all night on the 17th of August in the rear of the army and joined the Third Division at Sandtown, on the right of the Union army, on the morning of the 18th of August at sunrise, and Gen- eral Kilpatrick assumed command and turned over the command of his division to Col. Eli H. Murray, who in turn turned over the command of his brigade to Col. Robert L. King.
We lay in bivouac all day, and on the same evening at sundown we were in the saddle, and the order from General Kilpatrick was read, stating that we "had been selected as the last hope of the commanding general to break the enemy's communication, and we must go forth with the determina- tion to do or die."
General Sherman, in a communication to General Thomas, bearing date of August 17, said: "I beg you will convey the following orders to govern Kilpatrick in his movements on the Macon road. It is not a raid, but a deliberate attack for the purpose of so disabling that road that the enemy will be unable to supply his army at Atlanta. He will have his own division of cavalry and two brigades from General Garrard's division. With these he will move tomorrow night, aiming to cross the West Point road between Red Oak and Fairburn. If he has time, he should remove a small section of the road without using fire. simply to lessen the chances of an infantry force being sent to intercept his return. He should move then in force to the nearest point on the Macon road, about Jonesborough, and should destroy as much of that road as he possibly can do, working steadily until forced to take to his arms and horses for battle.
"He should avoid battle with infantry or artillery, but may safely fight any cavalry he encounters, and all the army should so engage the attention of the enemy that he can not detach infantry as against General Kilpatrick. Instruct the General to advise at the earliest possible moment of his success.
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"I wish to notify General Garrard to have one of his brigades ready to make a demonstration, without risking battle on our left, and have this effective part of two brigades, under Long, if possible, ready to move this night by moonlight by Pace's Ferry and Sandtown bridges, to operate with Kilpatrick on our right."
Strong demonstrations were made along the front of the Union army as soon as the command drew out from Sandtown, by infantry and artillery, making feints by the display of troops as if to assault on both the 19th and 20th. General Garrard with his remaining cavalry force made a demonstra- tion to the left toward Stone Mountain, and drew a force of Hood's army in that direction. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, with his division of the Fourteenth Corps, moved out from the right and drove the enemy across the West Point Railroad and destroyed a portion of the track.
In spite of all these aggressive movements of Sherman's army. Hood detached a division of his army to attack Kilpatrick's cavalry, which was seen from the signal station, as shown by the following dispatch :
"Howard's Headquarters. August 20, 1864-5 p. m.
"General Schofield: The following just received from signal officer : 'A train of fifteen freight cars just left Atlanta, loaded with troops inside and outside ; tops of cars were crowded.'
"O. O. HOWARD, "Major-General."
This force proved to be Clebourne's division, which fought Kilpatrick at Lovejoy.
Every officer and soldier in the command realized that the proposed expedition was very perilous, and the chances were that many of us would be either killed or wounded, or, what seemed worse, land in a rebel prison. After the order was read. the command was given for "the pack train to fall out and all troopers whose horses were lame or exhausted should go to the rear." In a few minutes, and just as the sun was dropping behind the mountain, the command was given. "Right forward, fours right!" and we were off on what proved to be one of the hardest cavalry raids during our four years' service. Soon after dusk we struck the enemy's pickets, which proved to be the advance of Ross' and Ferguson's brigades of cavalry, and.a brisk skirmish was kept up all night, and during a greater part of the time We were dismounted, as the enemy would throw up barricades at every good position at bridges or along the edge of a wood, and they gave us so much
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trouble that instead of reaching the West Point Railroad at midnight, as we intended, we did not strike it until just at daybreak of the 19th. King's brigade of the Third Division had the advance during the night, but before daylight and before we struck the West Point Railroad near Fairburn, King's brigade swung to the left, and Jones' brigade of the Third Division had the advance when we reached the railroad. When the railroad was reached Long's brigade dismounted and commenced tearing up and destroy- ing the railroad track near and southwest of Fairburn.
Cavalry, when they become accustomed to this kind of work, would tear up a track very rapidly. When the order is given to dismount, number one. two and three dismount, and number four always holds horses, remains mounted, and leads the other three horses. Number three hands his reins to number four; number two ties his reins to the bit of number three, and number one to reins of number two. The men then form along one side of the track in close order, and at command grasp the rails and ties and turn the track over, and sometimes a half mile of tracks is turned before a joint is broken. The men move along rapidly, and many rods of the track will be standing up on edge. If there is time, the rails are then torn loose from the ties by picks and axes, carried for that purpose ; the ties are piled up and the rails on top of them, and then the ties are fired; thus the rails are heated in the middle and bent out of shape by being twisted around trees or telegraph poles, are left there to cool, and no doubt some of them are there yet to mark the trail of the cavalry raiders. The brigade destroyed about a mile of track, when we were attacked by the cavalry and artillery of the enemy in both the rear and left flank. The brigade was ordered to mount, and galloped forward to join the First Brigade, under Minty, which had crossed the track and had the advance.
Long's brigade formed a line of battle facing toward the left, and as we began to advance a battery galloped into position on a little knoll to the right of our line. Just at this moment General Kilpatrick, who had been giving orders to the commander of the battery, came dashing along in front of our line, mounted on an Arabian horse, looking the ideal cavalryman. Hle directed Colonel Long to move his brigade forward at a gallop, and we dashed across a field in front, over ditches and fences, and into the woods, routing the enemy and taking a number of prisoners.
Still farther to the left the First Brigade, under Minty, had a sharp fight with cavalry, mounted infantry and a battery of artillery, which had been carefully masked, and the fighting was terrific for a short time. The Eleventh Wisconsin Battery was brought into action, shelled the woods to
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