History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 24

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 24

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On July 25, 1862, I visited Washington by direction of the Governor, armed with a letter to Secretary Stanton, suggesting inquiries and consultations as to procuring arms and equipments for the Ohio soldiers; as to Ohio's quotas of the different calls for volunteers; as to filling the depleted regiments in the field ; as to the proposed draft and the mode of conducting it; as to exchange of prisoners and the trial of those held for political reasons; and as to the compensation of voluntary surgeons who had rendered valuable service at the camps within the State. I spent nearly a week at Washington in these consultations. Secretary Stanton was particularly kind and courteous to me and gave prompt attention and response to all my inquiries. If he was the rough and abrupt man that he was accused of being I did not discover it during the days I spent with him. On the contrary I found him genial and warmhearted. He was greatly interested in Ohio soldiers and was a warm personal friend of Governor Tod. I shall never forget his reply to my urgent request for more and better arms for the Ohio soldiers. " General," he said, " if you will only be patient and give me time I will supply every Ohio soldier with the best arm that is made." General C. P. Buck- ingham, who had been our Adjutant-General, was then an assistant in Secretary Stanton's office and rendered me valuable assistance in my mission.

The advance of Kirby Smith's Confederate army on Cincinnati early in September, 1862, eaused great alarm and excitement. On the seventh the Gover- nor went to Cincinnati to confer with General Wallace and the city authorities, and to aid in quieting the alarm. From there he sent orders to troops at different camps in the State to hasten to Cincinnati. He telegraphed me for 5,000 stand of arms and equipments, with ammunition. They were sent by express that night. I was also called to Cincinnati by the Governor to render any assistance in my power in arming and eqnipping volunteers. I soon had a company in readiness, and in command of Major Guthrie, who led them across the river. In a few hours the Kentucky hills opposite Cincinnati were covered with " squirrel hunters " and other citizen soldiers. Defenses were erected, cannon planted, riflepits dug, and every one ready and waiting to give Smith's army a warm reception. But they did not come. The excitement and apprehension subsided as quickly as they had arisen. As a slight token of their service, in addition to their regular pay, the Governor, with the authority of the legislature, issued to each of the volunteer " squirrel hunters " a lithographed discharge, containing a good likeness of him- self and Major McDowell, and his autograph signature. These discharges were highly prized by many, and some of them were framed and hung in the houses of their owners. Although this was a bloodless campaign, it had a salutary effect in

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encouraging enlistments for regiments which were becoming greatly reduced by their losses in the field.

During Angust and September, 1862, alarms came from different points on the Ohio River. During the latter part of August eight companies of infantry were sent to Ironton and Gallipolis for the protection of those places. On September 7 came the report that 2,400 Confederates were opposite Gallipolis threatening an attack, On the ninth, by order of the Governor, I visited the region of the Big Sandy and Guyandotte to examine the situation and report. On the fourteenth Governor Pierrepont visited Columbus for consultation with Governor Tod in regard to West Virginia and expressed great anxiety for the loyal people of his State.

On August 4 the draft had been ordered, but at the solicitation of the Gover- nor it was postponed in Ohio until September 15, and again until October I. Between Angust 1 and October 1, as well as through the preceding July, great efforts were made to obtain volunteers for three months, three years or during the war. The Government offered a bounty of $402 to veterans who had served nine months and been discharged, and 8302 to raw recruits enlisting for three years or during the war. In many counties bounties were paid and large sums of money were contributed in cities and towns to be offered as bounties to any who would enlist in old or new regiments. In this way it was hoped to avoid any draft or to reduce it to the smallest possible number. On October 1 the Governor received authority from the War Department to raise three regiments of cavalry for three years or during the war. To many the cavalry was an attractive branch of the service, and the three regiments were soon nearly full. But still Ohio had not filled her quota of the President's call of July 2 for 300,000 volunteers, and the 300,000 more called for Angust 4, and the draft had to be made. It was very unpopular with many of the people and especially so with a large number who sympathized with the Confederates or those who claimed that the war was a failure and urged a compromise with the rebels.

A large amount of machinery and detail was required to prepare for and exe- cute the draft. Hon. Martin Welker was made Superintendent of the draft for the State and managed it wisely. It required a large number of officers and agents to prepare for and execute the draft in the several counties. It called into service the county military committees and auditors, and the township officers. A draft commissioner, surgeon and deputy provost-marshal were appointed for each county, and district provost-marshals were appointed by the Secre- tary of War. Henry C. Noble, of Columbus, was appointed for the third district, composed of Franklin and fourteen other adjoining counties. When the draft began, the enrollment for it in the State was 425,147; the actual number drafted was only 12,251. Seven camps of rendezvous established for the drafted men had to be prepared and equipped by my department, and both Colonel Bliss and myself visited the different camps. On October 3 the Governor issued an order designating who were exempt from draft and ordering that " members of religious denominations conscientiously opposed to military duty, who might be drafted," should be discharged upon the payment of $200, which sum was ordered

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paid into my hands for safe keeping and disbursement upon the order of the Gov- ernor. The number availing themselves of this order was 369, from whom I I received the sum of $73,400. The money received was disbursed by me upon orders from the Governor. It was mostly applied to payment of the expenses of the draft. The final settlement of this fund with the Governor was not made until January, 1865. The Governor wrote me from Youngstown that he was going to Washington to settle the " conscientious fund," and desired a statement, which I sent him with a dratt on New York for the balance in my hands. I received from him the following characteristic letter :

CLEVELAND, January 9, 1865.

My dear General:

This is to acknowledge the receipt of your letter with draft of Bartlet & Smith on National Currency Bank, New York, for $4,187.53, being balance of what was known as the "conscientions fund," handed me yesterday.

For your fidelity in connection with this account you may have my sincere thanks and are sure to receive the smiles of Heaven.

Very truly yours,

DAVID TOD, Late Governor of Ohio.

During John Morgan's raid through Ohio I was stationed at Newark, by order of the Governor, and gave directions to the troops arriving there, sending a portion to Zanesville and Bellair, and some to Cadiz Junction and Steubenville to be on the lookout to intercept the raiders. Major Way, of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, was ordered forward and intercepted Morgan at Salineville, in Colum- biana County, between Steubenville and Wellsville, and at eight o'clock on the morning of July 26 made an attack upon Morgan and the remnant of his command, killing abont thirty, wounding some fifty and taking all the others prisoners. The prisoners were brought to Columbus and lodged in the Ohio Penitentiary. I was at the depot with Governor Tod when they arrived by rail. We were introduced to Morgan and several of his officers. They were a jaded weary looking com- pany. Morgan insisted that he had surrendered to a militia offieer upon terms and was entitled to parole, but Major Way refused to recognize any surrender except to himself. Thus ended the Morgan raid, with the loss of a few valuable lives and a cost to the State of over a million dollars. I was appointed one of three commissioners to investigate the claims of citizens for losses and damages by the raid.

The sequel of Morgan's capture and imprisonment was his escape from the Penitentiary on the night of November 27, with six other fellow-prisoners. The escape was made by cutting through the stone floors of their cells to the air cham- ber below, then tunneling under the walls of the building into the yard and elimb- ing the wall which surrounds the prison, as could easily be done at the large gate, and letting themselves down from the wall by means of a rope constructed of bed- ticking and towels braided in short pieces and tied together, making a rude but strong rope. Great mortification was felt by the prison and State authorities at Morgan's escape, and Governor Tod appointed his private secretary, B. F. Hoff- man, and myself to investigate the matter. We examined, under oath, the War-

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den and several of the directors of the Penitentiary, also some of the guards. It was disclosed in the examination that some disagreement had arisen between the prison and military authorities as to the treatment of the prisoners; it being held that they were prisoners of war and not convicts, and were therefore entitled to more freedom and privileges. Hence the cells of the Morgan prisoners were not subject to rigid inspection like those of convicts, and an opportunity was afforded to the rebel prisoners to make their escape. No blame was attached to the Warden or other officers of the prison for the escape, as they really had very little jurisdiction over them except to feed and shelter them. We found that immediately after his escape Morgan boarded a Little Miami Railway train for Cincinnati, and just before reaching that city had left the train and crossed the river into Kentucky, where he was aided by his friends in reaching the Confederate lines. His subsequent career and death while fleeing through a kitchen garden during a morning skir- mish in an obscure village of East Tennessee are well known matters of history.

The year 1863 was a no less stirring one than the two preceding. The care of sick, wounded, furloughed and discharged soldiers, was kept up; steam- boats were chartered and sent to southern hospitals and those able to be moved were brought to more comfortable quarters in the North. The State agents were all continued in active service and relieved thousands of cases. Our efforts were continued in procuring arms and equipments for new recruits. On June 15 came the call of the President for 100,000 more volunteers, and in October another call for 500,000. Ohio's quota of these two calls was nearly 60,000. Vallandigham had been arrested, tried and convicted in May, and sent across the Confederate lines. The draft riots in New York, the great battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 2 and 3, resulting in the defeat of the Confederate army, and the surrender of Vicks- burg on July 4, gave new zeal and activity to enlistments. The loyal people of Ohio took new hope and courage and seemed more determined than ever that the rebellion should be put down. Work in my department was daily increasing in the manufacture and shipment of ammunition, in procuring and shipping arms and equipments, and in the transportation of troops. The Eleventh and Twelfth Army Corps were transported through the State in about one week. In this work our fellowcitizens, D. S. Gray, H. J. Jewett and D. W. Caldwell, who were then in charge of the railway between Cincinnati, Columbus and Bellair, did admirable service.

At its session of 1862-3 the General Assembly passed an act making the Quar- termaster-General also Commissary-General and one of the Commissioners of Claims. This devolved upon my department the duty of contracting for and pro- viding rations for the troops at all the camps in the State and settlement for the same. The claims commissionership required examination and judgment upon all claims growing out of the Morgan raid. Over 60,000 claims were presented and either paid or rejected. As though I had not yet enough to do, the Governor, without previous notice to me, appointed me Colonel of the One Hundred Sixth Ohio Infantry, and had me detailed for duty at Columbus in charge of the United States Arsenal, which I began to build. In all these duties I was greatly helped by my assistants, Colonels Stoughton Bliss, and A. D. Bullock, Lieutenant-Colonel

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T. W. Talmadge, Major E. Penrose Jones, Thomas B. Powers, S. W. Cofpe, Doetor John M. Wheaton, James E. Lewis, Solon H. Wilson, H. S. Babbitt, Charles W. Parker, James Van Buren, Richard H. Lyman and many others whose names 1 do not now remember. Many of them have gone from the earth, and all should be remembered and recognized as good soldiers, although not exposed to the perils of battle and siege. We were all agents of the National Government, though acting under orders and commissions from the Governor of the State.

The citizens of Columbus and Franklin County took no small part in the War for the Union. They furnished at least one full regiment of soldiers, besides hun- dreds of citizens who did guard duty at Camp Chase or joined the minutemen or "Squirrel Hunters " during the alarms and threats along the southern border. Among the scores of gallant men who went to the field from Franklin County was General Charles C. Waleutt, of the Fortysixth Ohio Infantry, who raised six companies for his regiment and was twice wounded in battle. An interesting incident in his service I deem proper to insert here. It would have been lost sight of but for a letter which I received from him since the war, in which he says:

When stationed at La Grange, Tennessee, in the winter of 1862-3, I received an order to mount my regiment on any animals I could get hold of, which were the mules in the wagon trains, and the appearance of my regiment after being mounted was the most comical sight I ever saw. Indeed, it was three or four days before I could look at my regiment without being convulsed with laughter. General William Sooy Smith called them " the Mamelukes." Mueh was depending on me then, too, as I was to make an extensive raid over Northern Mis- sissippi to capture horses to assist in remounting Grierson's cavalry, before making his famous raid through that State. We were successful in our raiding, and, becoming some- what fascinated with a mounted command, I sought to have it permanently mounted, which I succeeded in doing for a short time. Among the regiments of cavalry stationed near us was the Second Iowa, commanded by Colonel Edward Hatch, an excellent officer, whose command was one of the finest I ever saw. This regiment was armed with the Colt re- volving rifle, a magnificent, effective and handsome weapon. As my regiment was to be mounted and I to seek glory with it, I naturally fell in love with these rifles. How to get them was the next question, and I thought of my good friend, General George B. Wright, then Quartermaster-General of Ohio ... in my old home at Columbus. I immediately wrote him a letter. . A quick answer came to me from General Wright, which said he was unable to get the Colt revolving rifle, but suggested that he could get me a new gun called the Spencer repeating rifle musket, which he thought a better gun than the Colt, and would get them for me if I would send him a requisition. General William Sooy Smith and General MePherson joined me in the requisition. General Sherman signed it, but under protest, saying some fool contractor was trying to take advantage of the Government. But the guns were shipped although by this time we were dismounted. . . . We were constantly on the move; the guns followed us but did not reach us until we arrived at Chattanooga on our return from Knoxville, where we had gone to the relief of General Burnside. You may be assured I was very happy and proud. They were beautiful guns, simple in construction, and, as subsequent events showed, and as General Wright said, far superior, and in every way better than the Colt revolving rifle. The enemy soon learned what the Fortysixth Ohio was and heartily feared their destructive qualities.

The first battle in which the regiment used the guns was that at Dallas, Georgia, on May 27 and 28, 1864. We were on the extreme right and I am free to say that the right was kept from being turned by the Spencer rifles. This was known by everyone in the vieinity

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where we were. It was known by General Sherman, and caused his opinion to change very materially, as he had his headquarters guard immediately armed with these guns.

The gun did most effective service in more than twenty battles on the Atlanta campaign. The music of these guns became very panic striking to the enemy. . . . At the battle of Giris- woldville, Georgia, November 23, 1864, when on the forward march to the sea, the only battle fought on that march, when my brigade was sent to present an infantry front towards Macon, and when three miles away from our army we met the enemy who had come out from Macon on that morning, 10,000 strong, with a battery of eight guns. I had only 1,300 mus- kets and two pieces of artillery. We fought them for nearly half a day, though General Woods, who commanded our division, advised me to retreat. We whipped them most terri- bly, killing over 600, wounding and capturing more than a thousand. It was a most remark. able fight and too much credit cannot be given to the Spencer rifles, handled as they were by the brave and gallant Fortysixth Ohio, for the great success of the day, for without them the battle could not have been won. . . . With the Spencer rifles the men knew they always had seven loads, and when the gun was discharged it cleaned itself ; never could get hot, for when the cartridge was removed and discharged it cleaned out the barrel of the gun clear and cool. It is difficult to give the history of the guns you so kindly sent us or the great and important service which they rendered in all the battles in which they took part. . . . The Fortysixth Ohio will always remember you with the profoundest regard and I can only remember you with grateful affection for your thoughtfulness and goodness in sending me the Spencers, as they, together with my brave men, helped me to the stars that decorate my shoulders.

I think no apology need be made for giving so much of this letter, as it con- tains a great deal of war history nowhere else found. I have omitted a great deal of flattering comment upon myself, but enough is given to show that the General appreciated my services far above their merits.

Besides the patriotism of the soldiers who went to the field from Columbus, we can never fully understand or appreciate the faith, courage and good work of its women, who, by their gifts, and in aid societies, supported and encouraged our soldiers at the front. The roll of Ohio soldiers in the war numbered 310,654. Of these 11,237 were killed in battle; 6,567 were left dead on the field, and 13,354 are known to have died of diseases contracted in the service.

My service as Quartermaster-General of Ohio closed with Governor Tod's term on January 1, 1864. No account of my experience during the war would be complete without giving some of my recollections of him. I recall many striking instances of his sympathy and generosity during his twoyears term in office. I went with him to Cincinnati after the battle of Pittsburgh Landing, and visited the hospitals there where hundreds of sick and wounded soldiers were being treated. His words of cheer and encouragement to nurses and patients were a tonic to all who saw and heard him. He used to send for me to come to his office frequently, and ask for transportation for some poor wife or mother who wished to visit and nurse a wounded husband or son in some southern or eastern hospital. To the transportation ticket he would often add from his own pocket sufficient money for their own expenses if they were not already abundantly supplied, and he always inquired as to their means. His office was daily thronged with visitors and he had a happy faculty for promptly responding to the wants of everyone, not always yielding to their requests, but frankly giving bis reasons for not doing so

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when he refused. Few ever left his office without being happier than when they entered it.

Among his callers one day when I was in his office was a Methodist minister whom he did not at first recognize, but as soon as he did he welcomed him warmly and said : " I have not seen you since you preached the funeral sermon of my good mother. She is in Heaven now, and I expect to be with her again." After a few moments conversation with the reverend gentleman, and learning that he was, like most ministers of the Gospel, poor in this world's goods, he ordered his Secretary to fill a bank check for one hundred dollars, which he signed and handed to him, bidding him " goodbye and God speed."

Another instance of his liberality occurred on the evening of the day when he had been Governor just six months. We were on our way home together as was our usual custom, and on reaching the rotunda of the Statehouse we heard a band playing in front and went out to see what was going on. Quite a crowd was gathered and Hon. Samuel Galloway was addressing them and calling for suh- scriptions to the bounty fund which the citizens were raising to induce enlist- ments in regiments in the field. We listened for a few minutes while several sub- scriptions were handed up; among the number was one by Doctor Goodale of one thousand dollars and another by Mr. Deshler of the same amount, I think. Whenever a subscription was announced the crowd would cheer and the band would play for a few minutes; then Mr. Galloway would have a few more witty words and call for another subscription. As soon as a lull occurred the Governor requested me to announce his subscription of nine hundred dollars. As soon as I had done so the crowd cheered and the band struck up " Hail to the Chief," and we left. On our way home I asked the Governor why he made a subscription of nine hundred dollars. "That," said he, "is just my salary as Governor up to this day." The salary of the Governor at that time was $1,800 a year. It is now $8,000.

He was always in a pleasant humor and fond of a joke or story. I visited Washington with him in 1862, just before Mr. Lincoln's nomination for the second term. As we entered Mr. Lincoln's private room we found Mr. Seward alone with him. After introductions and salutations the Governor said : " Mr. Lincoln, how many candidates are there in your cabinet for nomination for Presi- dent?" Mr. Chase, then Secretary of the Treasury, was an announced candidate for the nomination, and Mr. Seward was warmly urged by his friends as the proper man to succeed Mr. Lincoln, who replied with a smile : " Tod, that reminds me of an incident which occurred when I was practicing law in Illinois. A rather greenlooking man came into my office one day with a bundle under his arm and asked to see me privately. I took him into my back room and he told me he had invented an augur to bore with a crank, and he wanted me to apply for a patent ; I asked to see his machine. After promise of profound secrecy he opened his bundle and disclosed the machine. I procured a plank and requested him to bore ; he set the machine and began to turn the crank, but he found he had set the screw the wrong way, and instead of boring itself in it bored itself out." We

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saw the point and made our own application with a hearty laugh all around. A story from Secretary Seward and one from Governor Tod ended the interview.

A more serious and important interview between the President and the Gov- ernor occurred the next day, when the affairs of the nation, the conduct of the war and the policy of the administration were fully discussed. They were warmly attached to one another and the President never had a more ardent friend than Governor Tod. When many of his old Democratic friends were speaking disparag . ingly of Mr. Lincoln and criticising his administration, I never heard the Governor indulge in a word of criticisim or faultfinding. He would always say : " Lincoln is all right, and if we sustain him he will put down the rebellion and establish the Union on a firmer basis than ever." The President's confidence in Governor Tod was evidenced by his tender to him of the headship of the treasury on the with- drawal of Secretary Chase, which he declined on account of his health.

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 24

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