History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 17

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196

USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II > Part 17

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

NOTES.

1. Letter to the Ohio State Journal of April 21, 1862.

2. Ohio State Journal, July 16, 1862.

3. Ohio State Journal, September 17, 1862.

4. Ohio State Journal, December 15, 1862.

ɔ̃. Son of John W. Forney, the famous Philadelphia editor.

6. Ohio State Journal, November 3, 1862.

7. Ohio State Journal, July 3.

8. Ohio State Journal.

9. The following correspondence illustrates the Society's work :

" POST HOSPITAL, June 23, 1862.

" MRS. IDE: I have asked Captain Kerr, our Post Quartermaster, to purchase for hos- pital use material sufficient to make 150 sheets and 50 towels. Will the ladies of the Aid Society be so kind as to put the said material into shape for use ?

" Yours truly,

" L. C. BROWN, "[ Post Surgeon at Camp Chase].

" We hope the ladies will respond willingly to this call and manifest the right spirit by punctual attendance at the rooms today (Wednesday). Sewing machines are already engaged, and will be on hand at an early hour.

" By order of the President, " MRS. W. E. IDE.

" MISS SULLIVANT, Secretary.

" COLUMBUS, June 23, 1862.

" MRS. W. E. IDE, Madam: It is my duty again, through you, to thank the Ladies' Aid Society for their very liberal donation of this date, consisting of twentynine boxes of hos- pital supplies. These were sent this morning to Cumberland, Md., where they are greatly needed, the hospital at that point since the late battle being very full. To the patriotic ladies of Columbus I convey the gratitude of the suffering.

" Very respectfully yours, " GEORGE B. WRIGHT, " Quartermaster-General of Ohio." 10. Ohio State Journal.

11. Ohio State Journal, November 24.

12. The bill thus provided :

1. That there shall be and hereby is established a national arsenal at Columbus in the State of Ohio, at Indianapolis in the State of Indiana, and at Rock Island in the State of Illinois, for the deposit and repair of arms and other munitions of war.

2. That for the purpose of carrying this act into effect the sum of one hundred dollars for each arsenal named in the preceding section is hereby appropriated.

In this form the bill reached and was passed by the House July 8.

CHAPTER X.

III. IN WARTIME-1863.

The battle of Stone River was the first important military event of this year. Begun December 31 it closed with Bragg's retreat during the night of January 3. In this obstinate struggle 1,730 men were killed and 7,802 were wounded. Many of the Ohio regiments were engaged and shared largely in the losses. The condi- tion of the wounded and sick on the field, exposed to the inclemency of mid- winter, appealed strongly to the sympathies of the people and made renewed claims upon the work of the aid societies of the State. Governor Tod immediately sent thirty nurses and surgeons to the battlefield, from which Mr. F. C. Sessions, who again represented Columbus in this good work, wrote on January 12:

We have about 2,000 wounded here and in the vicinity, and all are well cared for ; a better supply of hospital stores and medical supplies than there were either at Fort Donelson, Shiloh or Antietam. The Government supplies were good, and the United States Sanitary Commission, under the direction of Doctor J. S. New- berry, Western Secretary at Louisville, had forwarded sixty or seventy tons of all kinds of clothing, dried and canned fruit, concentrated beef, and chickens, etc , necessary for the comfort of the sick and wounded. Doctor Reid, their inspector, with his assistants, was busy night and day, distributing articles to the surgeons and hospitals, arranging and systematizing the operations, removing our wounded from rebel hospitals, etc., etc. Eight wagonloads of supplies were sent on Monday and seven on Wednesday from Nashville, and a large amount distributed among our 4,000 wounded in Nashville. It was an exceedingly gratifying sight to see the boxes of sanitary goods at the different hospitals with the imprint of "Soldier's Aid Society, Cleveland ; " boxes marked with contents " From Soldier's Aid Society, Columbus." Our soldiers think, as one said, they come from " God's country." I told one of our men at the first hospital we stopped at that Governor Tod had sent the Surgeon -General and others to look after them and send them to Ohio, if permitted. One replied, "God bless the Governor, and the man that uttered that sentence."

In order to accommodate the increasing number of sick and wounded brought to Columbus, Governor Tod rented the Ladies' Seminary building then known as the Esther Institute, on East Broad Street, for hospital purposes.1 The building was furnished for the accommodation of 350 patients. The building was also used as a place of confinement for female prisoners of war. Of its arrangement and use for this purpose we have the following account under date of April 24 : 2

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

General Mason [commanding at Columbus] has under his control the female rebel prisoners at this post and the arrangement of the new hospital. The upper story of the residenee in front of the Heyl Seminary [commonly socalled from the name of its Principal, Lewis Heyl] has been fitted up for the females, of whom there are now five in number: Mrs. Samuels, of Nashville, Tennessee, and two daughters ; Miss Booker and Miss Battles. The two latter ocenpy a separate room furnished with two single beds, chairs, &e. They are permitted to write letters, subject to inspection, to their friends, read papers and books, walk in the open air under guard, and enjoy more than the ordinary comforts of prison life. These young belles persist that the southern army contains braver boys than the north- ern, and that there is no danger of their long imprisonment, for, say they, Morgan will be in Columbus before two years. They are directly under the charge of Mrs. Powers, who, though firm in her government, exercises every possible kindness to them. The hospital into which the main building is being converted is under the supervision of Major Stanton. New bedsteds (iron) and beds are furnished. A patrol of soldiers guard the premises night and day in consequence of the location of the prison. It will be ready for occupancy in a few days.

Medary's Crisis newspaper was mobhed by soldiers March 5. An account of this affair has been given in the history of The Press. General Irvin McDowell, accompanied by Mrs. MeDowell and staff officers, was entertained during the evening of March 11 at the residence of Governor Dennison. The company was large and included numerous prominent persons. On March 31 the death of General James Cooper, who had been in command at Columbus, was announced. He was a prominent Pennsylvania politieian, and had studied law with Thaddeus Stevens at Gettysburg.

On March 30, while General Burnside's Army Corps was passing west, by rail, through Columbus, some of the men, occupying three long trains which halted briefly at the station, quitted the cars and undertook to pass up town, but were turned back by the local provost guard which had been stationed there to prevent straggling. Enraged by this, and being, it is said, somewhat intoxicated, the men who were repelled assailed the guard, first with verbal abuse but finally with sticks and stones. The guard was reinforced and had the advantage of being armed while the soldiers were not, but the latter were quickly joined by several hundreds of their comrades from the trains, and their number being thus made far greater than that of the guard, they made a rush upon the opposing line de- termined to break through it. Thereupon, says a contemporary account, the guard opened fire, but discharged its pieces mostly over the heads of its as- sailants.

Sergeant Clough, however, cooler than the others, drew his revolver and or- dered the soldiers to fall back. They paid no heed to the order, but were rushing upon him when he fired three successive shots and every shot brought its man. Others of the guard now began to apply the bayonet and one of the soldiers re- ceived a severe thrust. Intimidated by the firmness of Sergeant Clough, who stood there like a hero, with determination stamped on every line of his connte- nanee, the soldiers halted in their mad career. At this moment orders came from Captain Skiles, commanding the guard, to cease firing. At the same time officers began to arrive from the dépot and ordered the soldiers to the cars, which were then, at the suggestion of Captain Skiles, about to start from the dépot. The sol- diers, seeing that matters were becoming decidedly serious for them, soon after

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III. IN WARTIME-1863.

returned to the ears, and were immediately carried off by the moving train. One of the soldiers was taken up as dead. Two others remained, severely wounded. They were sent to the hospital and everything was done for them that possibly could be. Two of them are mortally wounded ; the third will probably recover. The whole matter was a sudden and impulsive ontbreak, incited by bad liquor, with which the soldiers had been supplied from some source unknown to the officers who did all that was possible to quell the disturbance which occurred so suddenly that no means could have been taken to prevent it.3

The following incident is recorded as having taken place in the Chamber of the Ohio Senate April 11 :

Sergeant Elisha Mason, of Company A, Twentyfirst O. V. I., who is one of the immortal twentytwo [Andrews raiders] that about a year ago stole a locomo- tive from a rebel train in Georgia and ran it at a fearful speed for one hundred miles with the intention of destroying and cutting certain communications, was presented to the Senate by Governor Tod. This honor was conferred upon him because he is one of the few privates in the volunteer army who has [sic] been presented by the War Department with a gold medal in consideration of his dar- ing and meritorious services and recommended for promotion. After a statement of the circumstances, including the fact that he had been a prisoner for eleven months and had suffered untold hardships, the Governor in the presence of the Senate, who had risen to their feet to receive the soldier, presented him with a lieutenant's commission, a promotion made upon the recommendation of the Sec- retary of War. The performance was applauded by the Senators, and President Stanton made a neat responsive speech. It was twelve o'clock, and the Senate adjourned to take the lucky soldier by the hand.4

On May 22, a number of the " Squirrel Hunters " who had participated in the defense of Cincinnati were presented with their certificates of discharge in the presence of several hundred people at the West Front of the Capitol. Speeches were made by Adjutant-General Hill, Colonels Wilcox and Parrott and Hon. Samuel Galloway.

On May 23, Joseph D. Price was arrested on a charge of illicit possession of a large amount of Government clothing, concealed in a building on Oak Street. He was imprisoned at Camp Chase. A groggery keeper named Thompson was implicated with Price.

At ten A. M., July 4, the following bulletin was issued from Washington :

The President announces to the country that the news from the Army of the Potomac to ten p. M., of the third, is such as to cover the army with the highest honors and promise a great success to the eause of the Union, and to claim the condolence of all the many gallant fallen ; and that for this he especially desires on this day that He whose will, not ours, should ever be done, should be every- where remembered and reverenced with the profoundest gratitude.

Such was the first official announcement of National success in the greatest and the turning battle of the war - the battle of Gettysburg. " For about four days past," said the Ohio State Journal of Monday, July 6, " we have been receiv- ing news from the scene of battle in Pennsylvania, that, while it encouraged hope, nevertheless filled the mind with anxiety, but the dread uncertainty which hung about the final issue has at length given place to the assurance that a

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

splendid victory has been achieved." The same paper of July 8, had this further annoucement to make :

While yet in the midst of rejoicing and congratulations over the achievements of the army of the Potomac under Meade on the Fourth of July, we are now thrilled with new joy over the success that crowned the efforts of the Army of the Mississippi under Grant, on the same hallowed day. Vicksburg was on that thrice glorious day surrendered to the Union army, and the bright and brave old flag of the Union was on that day once more unfurled over the conquered ramparts of that rebel city. No wonder that this news, coming up to the ear of the people while still glorying in the success of our arms on the Potomac, should create the wildest enthusiasm which found manifestations in the most extravagant demonstrations of joy. The moment that the magic words Vicksburg surrendered met the eye of the multitude which crowded around the Journal's bulletin board, there went up such a shout - three wild huzzas and " three more for Grant," as never issued from unloyal lungs. Old men wearing the silver crown of honor that time weaves for age threw up their hats and led in the wild chorus of shouts that made the midday welkin ring. Neighbor grasped the hand of neighbor while the trinmph of the moment beamed fourth from every face and lighted up every eye.

In the evening a great bonfire was built at the corner of Town and Third streets, over which an effigy of Jefferson Davis was suspended from a gallows. In various other places in the city Confederate effigies were burned. The scenes . of popular joy and enthusiasm, both day and evening, were unprecedented in Columbus.

During the closing hours of its session in the spring of this year, the General Assembly passed a long and complicated law to organize and discipline the State militia. This law, says Reid, was "the basis of the organization that afterward enabled Governor Brough, at scarcely two days notice, to throw to the front at the critical hour of the eastern campaign the magnificent reinforcement of forty thousand Ohio National Guards." While the Adjutant-General was addressing public meetings in explanation of this statute and otherwise endeavoring to bring about the organization it provided for, an event happened which soon became a powerful auxilliary to his efforts. That event was the unexpected and daring raid of General John Morgan's cavalry through Indiana and Ohio. Having made his way through Burnside's lines in Kentucky, Morgan reached and crossed the Ohio River sixty miles below Louisville July 9. He had with him 2,460 men. Having made a quick and brilliant dash through Southern Indiana and produced, as he intended, a wild state of consternation and confusion among the inhabitants thereof, he struck the Ohio border on Sunday, July 12. On the same day Governor Tod issued a proclamation calling out the militia to repel the invasion. Part of the force thus summoned was directed to report to General Burnside at Cincinnati, other portions were ordered to assemble at Marietta and Camp Dennison. As the Governor was apprehensive that the capital of the State would be attacked and the State Treasury pillaged, he directed the militia of Franklin, Madison, Clark, Greene, Pickaway and Fairfield counties to report immediately to Brigadier-General John S. Mason at Camp Chase, there to be organized and officered. In pursuance of this call nearly fifty thousand militia took the field, but not half of them ever "got within threescore miles of Morgan."" The bold

James Melbourne

PHOTOGRAPHED BY BAKER

Residence of James Kilbourne, 606 East Town Street.

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III. IN WARTIME-1863.

raider's principal purpose was to produce a big scare, and in that he succeeded. Completely bewildering everybody as to his real intentions, and generally also as to the direction of his march, he crept around the suburbs of Cincinnati in the night, and on the morning of July 14 halted and quiety fed his horses within sight of Camp Dennison. The commotion produced by these movements was tremendous. Reid thus describes it :

Thrifty farmers drove off their horses and cattle to the woods. Thrifty house- wives buried their silver spoons. At least one terrified matron, in a pleasant inland town forty miles from the rebel route, in her husband's absence resolved to protect the family carriagehorse at all hazards, and knowing no safer plan led him into the house and stabled him in the parlor, locking and bolting the doors and windows, whence the noise of his dismal tramping on the resounding floor sounded, through the livelong night like distant peals of artillery and kept half the citizens awake and watching for Morgan's entrance.

Meanwhile the militia were hastily mustering, and crowded railway trains were bearing them to their places of rendezvous Camp Chase suddenly became once more a scene of activity and excitement. But Morgan came nowhere near. Taking his way through Washington Courthouse, Piketon, Jackson, Berlin, Pomeroy and Chester he made for, and, on the evening of July 18, reached the Ohio River ford at Buffington Island. There he was overtaken by Judah and Ilobson, failed to cross the river as he intended, and after a fight drew off with 1,200 of his men, the remainder having been captured. Twenty miles farther up the river Morgan again essayed to cross, and actually got 300 of his men over when he was intercepted by gunboats on the Ohio and with the remaining 900 of his band resumed his flight northward through the eastern portion of the State. He was finally ridden down and captured near Salineville, Columbiana County, July 26. When he perceived that he was surrounded, and his escape hopeless, he surrendered to a militia captain named Burbeck whom he was at the time using as a gnide, and from whom he exacted a promise that his officers and men should be paroled. These terms were rejected by Governor Tod, and the Confederate chieftain and his principal subordinates were consigned to the Ohio Penitentiary, their subsequent escape from which, on November 27, will be described in the history of that institution.6

General Morgan, accompanied by many of his staff officers and subordinates, all under guard, arrived at Columbus by rail from Steubenville on the afternoon of July 27. Their presence at the railway station attracted a great crowd which lingered until the train bearing the party departed for Cincinnati. The Confed- erates were in the custody of General Shackelford, and were visited at the train by Governor Tod and various military officers. After investigation of the ques- tion of parole they were brought back to Columbus and imprisoned, as above stated.

On August 4 a flag bearing the names of Vallandigham and Pugh was torn down by soldiers from the place where it was suspended over the grocery of A. Neiswander. Another soldier who expressed approval of the act was beaten by Neiswander's friends who afterwards paraded the streets and serenaded their po-

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

litical favorites. A new flag was presented to Neiswander, bearing the same legend as the one which had been removed from his premises, and two soldiers convicted of tearing down the first one were each fined twenty dollars and costs.

Particulars of the Chickamauga battle began to be published in Columbus September 21. News that Captain J. M. Wells, formerly with Randall & Aston, had fallen in the fight was received September 24. The funeral of Captain Wells took place from Wesley Chapel November 1. Extended lists of the killed and wounded of the battle were published during the first days of October. In the course of the same month, B. D. Brown was commissioned by Governor Tod to remove the Ohio dead at Gettysburg to grounds purchased by the State for their interment on that field. The excavation for the United States Arsenal building was begun during this month.

The removal of General Rosecrans from command of the Army of the Cum- berland excited much unfavorable comment. The Ohio State Journal said : " When a few more such earnest, bravehearted men as Butler and Fremont and Curtis and Rosecrans, who have won many victories and never lost a battle shall have been put out of Halleck's way in order that his mediocrity may seem self- luminous, then it may be that the people will be provoked into an investigation into his claims to infallibility." The paper goes on to observe that the President's mind seems to have been poisoned against Rosecrans, an observation which sub- sequent revelations have gone far to justify."

A courtmartial for the trial of F. W. Hurtt, Quartermaster, on charges of em bezzlement and misapplication of public funds and property, convened in Cincin- nati about the 1st of December, but was dissolved by order of the War Depart- ment and the case transferred to Washington. Reference to this trial and a statement of its results have been made in the history of the Press.

On July 1, Brigadier-General A. J. Slemmer, of the New York Volunteers, and Major Roger Jones, Inspector-General of the United States Army, visited Columbus as commissioners to investigate as to the condition of convalescent com- missioned officers required to report there in pursuance of general orders. A commission to examine and audit old and irregular military claims closed its labors December 15. It was created by the General Assembly and comprised the Auditor of State, Oviatt Cole; the Quartermaster-General, George B. Wright ; and the State Treasurer, G. V. Dorsey. A general courtmartial of which Captain Charles E. Goddard was Judge-Advocate, was summoned to meet at Columbus January 4, 1864.

An event which indicated a new departure in the conduct of the war was thus recorded under date of June 19.

Yesterday afternoon a company of colored recruits marched through our streets to the music of the drum and fife. In the afternoon they assembled on the Eastern Terrace of the Capitol to the number of sixtyfive, formed in line and dispatched their recruiting officer to His Excellency, the Governor, with a request that he address them. The Governor complied and was received with much enthusiasm. In his speech he gave them some good advice and said that he had no doubt from present indications that in twenty days a full regiment of colored troops would be reported at headquarters. On yesterday the Governor received

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III. IN WARTIME-1863.

twelve or thirteen personal applications from enthusiastic military gentlemen for the colonelcy of the colored regiment.

This regiment was ordered to rendezvous at Delaware and to be enlisted for three years or during the war. David Jenkins was appointed its general recruit- ing agent. Its ranks filled up slowly until G. W. Shurtliff, of Oberlin, a captain in the Seventh Ohio, was appointed its Lieutenant-Colonel. Contemporary with this appointment the name of the organization was changed from that of One Hundred Twentyseventh Ohio Infantry to Fifth United States Colored Troops. Recruiting then progressed actively, and in November the regiment, then contain- ing nine full companies, was ordered to Norfolk, Virginia. It afterwards formed a part of the colored division of the Eighteenth Army Corps.

Impelled by the north ward movement of General Lee's army, and its attack on Winchester, the President, on June 14, issued a proclamation calling into active service one hundred thousand militia to be mustered into service at once and to serve for the period of six months unless sooner discharged. Ohio's quota under this call was thirty thousand ; that of Franklin County about 750. Appeals were made by General Burnside and Governor Tod for a prompt response to this call, and on June 29 a " war meeting" was held on the East Terrace of the Capitol. This meeting was conducted by Doctor William M. Awl as chairman, and was addressed by Governor Tod, who stated that he had official information from dif- ferent sources which led him to believe that the State was in danger of invasion from two directions within the ensuing ten days. Hon. Henry C. Noble also addressed the meeting and a committee to take such action as might be deemed necessary was appointed as follows : Donald Frazer, Albert Buttles, John Ijams, 3. H. Lindenberg, James O'Kane, Lucien Buttles, H. J. Winey, J. E. St. Clair and Daniel Miner. Ward committees for the city were also appointed. An adjourned meeting was held June 30 and still another large and enthusiastic one July 2. At this latter meeting, of which M. Halm was chairman, a finance committee which had been appointed at the meeting of June 30 reported through B. F. Martin recommending: That the proper way to raise sufficient funds to put the requisite number of sixmonths volunteers into the field from Franklin County was to levy a county tax and thereby equalize the burden ; that since this tax could not be levied until authorized by the General Assembly, interestbearing scrip to the amount of $67,500 should be issued by the County Commissioners; that the meeting recommend to the Commissioners the issue of this scrip at such rate of interest as they would deem proper, depending on the patriotism of the General Assembly to legalize their action ; and that, in addition to the Government bounty and pay there should be paid to each man who should respond to the sixmonths call a bounty of ten dollars besides a monthly stipend of ten dollars to his family during the term of his enlistment. This report was signed by L. J. Critchfield, William G. Deshler, H. R. Beeson, Isaac Eberly, C. Barth, John Vau Yorx, B. F. Martin, John Noble and W. B. Hubbard. A committee to confer with the County Commissioners was appointed as follows: Joseph R. Swan, Allen G. Thurman, George M. Parsons, Abram Sharp, J. P. Bruck, John L. Gill, David Taylor and

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 17

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1196

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196