USA > Ohio > Fulton County > The County of Fulton: A History of Fulton County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships; Also a Biographical Department. > Part 9
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The Eighty-fifth regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was organ- ized in the State of Ohio at large, in May and June. 1862, to serve three months, and was retained at Camp Chase, Ohio, to aid in guarding the large number of Confederate prisoners in confinement at that place. It was mustered out, September 23 and 27, 1862. by reason of expiration of term of service. Fulton county furnished one full company (G), for this regiment, ninety-seven men rank and file.
The Eighty-sixth regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry was en- listed in June. 1863, for six months. It was organized at Camp Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio, July 14, 1863, and was mustered out at the same camp, February 10, 1864, because of expiration of terin of service. It was made up of companies from various counties in Northern Ohio, Fulton county furnishing one whole company (H), and part of another (F), besides a few in other companies. It was a regiment of boys, 676 of them being under twenty-one years old, many being only sixteen to eighteen. In July, the regiment was moved to Camp Tod. Columbus, Ohio, and when Morgan's raiders passed through the State, they were put into the chase and were within a few miles of him when he was captured, July 26, 1863.
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The regiment left Camp Tod, on August 9, 1863, for Camp Nelson, Kentucky, and soon after started for Cumberland Gap, arriving near there September 8. The next day (September 9), the place was sur- rendered to Colonel De Courcey and the Eighty-sixth, in fact, but in form to General Burnside, who was two miles away at the time. The regiment guarded the 2,100 prisoners to Lexington, Kentucky, and then marched back to the Gap, where they remained to guard the place until the middle of January, 1864, and then returned to Camp Cleveland.
The One Hundreth regiment of Ohio Volunteers had one com- pany entirely made up of Fulton county boys, and about twenty other men scattered through the different companies of the regi- ment. The Fulton county organization was Company H, and it was commanded first by Lawrence B. Smith, captain; John H. Pal- mer, first lieutenant, and Emmett Losure, second lieutenant. This regiment was organized at Camp Toledo, Ohio, in July, August and September, 1862, to serve three years, and was mustered out of service, June 20, 1865, in accordance with orders from the War Department. The regiment participated in the defense of Knox- ville, and after active duty in East Tennessee, moved, in the Spring of 1864, to Tunnel Hill, Georgia, and joined General Sherman. It participated in the Atlanta campaign, fighting in almost every battle. On August 6, it assaulted the Confederate works at Utoy Creek, in front of Atlanta, suffering a loss of 103 men, killed and wounded, out of 300 engaged. The regiment joined in the pursuit of Hood, participated in the desperate battles of Franklin and Nashville, and finally moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it was actively engaged. It lost during its term of service, sixty-five men killed in action; one hundred and forty-two wounded; twenty-seven died of wounds; one hundred and eight died of disease; three hundred and twenty-five were captured by the enemy, and eighty-five died in Confederate prisons.
Company K, of the One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was largely if not entirely a Fulton county company. Its captain was Dening W. H. Day, while its first and second lieuten- ants were Joseph O. Allen and Jeremiah Bowlin, respectively. The One Hundred and Eleventh regiment was organized at Camp Tole- do, Ohio, September 5 and 6, 1862, to serve three years, and was mustered out of service, June 27, 1865, in accordance with orders from the War Department. It began its active military operations in Tennessee. After various marches, expeditions, scouts 'and skirmishes, the regiment found itself, on November 14, 1863, con- fronted by Longstreet at Huff's Ferry. It charged with its bri- gade and was successful, forcing the Confederates back and losing but few men. At Loudon Creek, the regiment skirmished briskly with the Sixth South Carolina, and lost four killed and twelve wound- ed. In the engagement at Campbell's Station, the regiment was for six hours exposed to the artillery fire of two Confederate batteries, though the loss was only eight, owing to the percussion shell used,
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which fell mainly in the rear. At the siege of Knoxville, it lost six men killed and wounded. It skirmished at Blair's Cross Roads and Dandridge, Tenn. It participated in the Atlanta campaign, fighting at Buzzard's Roost Gap, Dalton, Resaca, Kenesaw, Pine Mountain, Lost Mountain, Nickajack Creek, Chattahoochee River, Peach Tree Creek, siege of Atlanta and the skirmishes at Utoy Creek and Lovejoy Station. It skirmished at Columbia, Tenn., and repulsed two charges of the enemy near Franklin. It fought desperately in the engagement that followed, losing in this "hottest battle of the war," twenty-two men killed on the field and forty wounded out of the one hundred and eighty men engaged. The regiment fought gallantly both days at Nashville, and in a charge on the second day captured three Confederate battle-flags and a large number of pris- oners, losing seven killed and fifteen wounded. Soon after this it participated in the Carolina campaign, which ended hostilities. The regiment numbered one thousand and fifty men when it entered the service, and received eighty-five recruits. Two hundred and thirty-four were discharged for disability, disease and wounds; two hundred died of disease contracted in the service; two hundred and fifty-two were killed in battle or died of wounds, and four hundred and one were mustered out.
The One Hundred and Thirtieth Volunteer Infantry was organized at Johnson's Island, Ohio, from the 13th to the 31st of May, 1864, to serve one hundred days. It was composed of the First Regiment Ohio National Guard, from Lucas county, and the Seventy-fifth Battalion Ohio National Guard, from Fulton county. Fulton county reported with three full companies, but there being eleven com- panies already reported, one of them from Fulton county was broken up and distributed among the other companies of the regiment, fill- ing those companies nearly to the maximum number. The regiment left Toledo. May 12, 1864, to report to Brigadier-General Hill, at Sandusky, for consolidation and muster-in. It removed to John- son's Island, and was engaged in guarding Confederate prisoners. On June 4. the regiment took the cars for Washington City. It re- mained there three days, and then embarked on the transport George Weems, and reported to General Butler. at Bermuda Hundred, from which place it was ordered to Point of Rocks. The time was occu- pied in drilling, digging rifle-pits, and picketing the lines, until June 21. when it marched to Deep Bottom. On August II, it marched to Bermuda Hundred, and proceeded, on transports, to Fort Powhatan, where it was ordered to be mustered out. It was mustered out at Toledo, Ohio, September 22, 1864, on expiration of term of ser- vice.
The One Hundred and Eighty-second regiment was organized in the State of Ohio at large from August 4, to October 27, 1864, to serve one vear. On November I, the regiment was ordered to move to Nashville, Tennessee, and on November 6, joined General Sherman's forces at that place. The One Hundred and Eighty- second took part in the battle of Nashville, where it remained per-
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forming guard and provost duty until July 7, 1865, when it was mus- tered out in accordance with orders from the War Department. Fulton county furnished sixty-one men for this regiment, forty-five for Company B, and sixteen for Company K.
Fulton county furnished one entire company (Company D). for the Forty-fourth Illinois infantry. The company was commanded by E. L. Hayes, captain; Jacob Hoffmire, first lieutenant; Jacob Fashbaugh, second lieutenant. The regiment was raised in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and some other of the Western States, and was to be called the Northwestern Sharpshooters, but as the officers from other States were commissioned by the governor of Illinois, they came under the control of that State, and despite the agreement that the regiment should be known as the First Regiment North- western Sharpshooters, it was mustered into the United States ser- vice as the Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry, and served as such dur- ing the war. Capt. Hayes and others made strenuous objection, but without avail. Many of the officers were put under arrest on account of their opposition to being forced to go into an organization for which they did not volunteer, and for the first year and a half after the regiment entered the service, there was a continual quarrel and dispute between the officers and men representing the different States. It, however, quieted down to some extent, and the regi- ment for the last two years of the war did efficient service. At the muster in of the regiment Company D had ninety-seven men, includ- ing officers, and during the war it received twenty-seven recruits from Fulton county.
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The Third Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, containing Fulton county men in each of Companies A, C, F, H and I, was organized from the State at large, at Monroeville, Huron county, Ohio, from September 4, 1861, to December 11, 1861, to serve three years. On the expi- ration of their term of service, the original members (except veter- ans) were mustered out, and the organization composed of veterans and recruits was retained in service until August 4. 1865, when it was mustered out in accordance with orders from the War Depart- ment. The greatest number of the Fulton county men were mus- tered into Company H, and this company was commanded originally by Charles W. Skinner, with William Maxwell and Samuel J. Han- sey as, first and second lieutenants, respectively. The regiment's first initiation into actual warfare was during the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, beginning on April 30, 1862. After occupying various positions and participating in numerous foraging and other expedi- tions and several skirmishes, the first battallion of the Third had a sharp engagement with the enemy at Munfordville, Kentucky, losing two killed and twelve wounded. In a severe attack on the enemy. near Bardstown, Kentucky, the Third lost six men killed, twenty wounded and seventeen captured. After the battle of Stone River, in Tennessee. the regiment pursued the enemy. captured one of his trains. and then encamped at Murfreesboro. The regiment fought at Middleton and McMinnville, losing many killed and wounded. It
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fought on the Shelbyville Pike, near Farmington, Tennessee, losing in the latter engagement two killed and twenty-three captured. After "veteranizing" and being furloughed home, it took the field again in Tennessee, fought the Confederates at Decatur, Alabama, at Moul- ton, Alabama, and at Noonday Creek. A severe fight was had at Peach Tree Creek, and on the return raids into Tennessee. It par- ticipated in the Kilpatrick and the Stoneman raids around Atlanta, skirmished at Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station in pursuit of Hood. It fought at Franklin, Tennessee, losing heavily, after which it pure sued Hood into Alabama, and then participated in the Wilson raid, fighting at Selma, Columbus and Macon, and participated in the chase of Jeff Davis.
The field and staff officers of the various regiments, in which Ful- ton county was represented, were subject to frequent change, there being resignations, discharges and deaths. A number of resigna- tions were due to promotions to higher rank in the same or other organizations, and the places thus made vacant were filled by pro- motions. A number of line officers were chosen from among Ful- ton county soldiers, and usually promotions were made from the companies where the vacancies occurred. Some of the Fulton county officers are given more extended mention on other pages of this volume, but it will be eminently appropriate to mention a few of them here.
Col. Epaphras Lord Barber was a native of Ohio, and was born at Cleveland, December 16, 1830. The days of his boyhood and youth were spent on his father's farm at work, and in attending the district school during the winter terms. At the age of eighteen years young Barber joined an engineer corps and was employed on the Cleve- land, Columbus and Cincinnati railroad, where he obtained a practi- cal education in surveying and civil engineering. After a few months engaged in this work-he attended a private school for nearly two years, but again returned to engineering and perfected himself in that profession. After leaving the C., C. & C. road he was engaged on other work of the same character, and in 1853 came to Fulton county, being then employed on the Air Line, now the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad. In conection with the work in this county he had headquarters at Delta. Mr. Barber continued his connection with the construction of this road until about 1856, when, having become interested in lands in the vicinity of Wauseon and elsewhere in the county, he severed his connection with the road to give attention to the real estate business. Two years later he was appointed station agent at Wauseon, and held that position for two years, resigning in 1860 to resume his real estate business, but to continue therein for a single year only, when loyalty and patriotism called him into an entirely new field of action. When, in April, 1861, Fort Sumter was fired upon, in answer to the President's call for troops, a company was at once raised at Wauseon, and among the others Mr. Barber's name was found. At the election of officers he was chosen captain of Company H, of the Fourteenth Ohio In-
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fantry, and served with that command during the term of its enlist- ment, and was mustered out at Toledo in August, 1861. Prior to the muster-out, and while awaiting that event, Captain Barber re-enlisted and was appointed major in the Thirty-eighth Infantry, which was then forming. With this regiment he served for a period of eight months in Kentucky, when, on account of the death of his business partner, Nathaniel Leggett, he resigned his commission and returned home. Not long, however, was he to remain there, for he was soon called to Columbus by Governor Tod, advanced to the rank of colo- nel and directed to organize the One Hundredth and the One Hun- dred and Eleventh regiments. This he did promptly and well, and was placed in command of the latter and went to Cincinnati with them to repel the threatened invasion of the State by the Confederate forces under General Bragg. The duties assigned him by the governor being fulfilled, Colonel Barber returned to his business interests at Wauseon in the fall of 1862. In connection with the military career of Colonel Barber it may be remarked that at the time of his enlistment, in the spring of 1861, he had no special desire for advancement to a position more exalted than that occupied by his comrades ; but they made him captain, knowing his capacity as a· man of business, and having full confidence in his ability as a com- manding officer. As an officer, in preparing his command for the field, Colonel Barber was a strict disciplinarian; so rigidly, indeed. did he enforce the rules and regulations of tactics, and so thoroughly did he instruct and drill the men, that murmurs of discontent were not infrequent ; yet, after the three months men were discharged and re-enlisted, of those of his company that returned to the service no less than twelve were made commissioned officers, thus reaping direct benefit from the instruction received at his hands. Again, as an organizer he was no less efficient; insomuch that the governor . called him from private life to organize two regiments for the service, besides the other important duties entrusted to his charge.
Jacob B. Fashbaugh was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, June 5, 1834. He enlisted in 1864, in the First Regiment, O. N. G., Com- pany C. He was appointed eighth corporal, and was afterwards transferred to the 130th Regiment, O. N. G., and received a com- mission, first of second lieutenant, and then of first lieutenant. While engaged in a skirmish, August 4, 1864, before Petersburg, he was sunstruck and disabled from further duty.
Charles Luther Allen was born in the town of Clarkson, New York, November 16, 1838. Until 1859, he lived at his father's home, but in that year came to Fulton county and took up his abode in Gorham township, where his brother, Dr. Allen, was then a resi- dent. There Charles taught school for a time, but afterward ac- cepted a position in the store of Thompson & Cadwell, where he remained until August, 1861. He then enlisted in Company K, Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and, upon the organization of the company, was elected second lieutenant. In this capacity he served for about six months, when, after the battle at Mill Springs,
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he was assigned to duty on the staff of General Shoeppf, command- ing the Ohio brigade. Some time later, Lieutenant Allen was pro- moted to first lieutenant and made regimental quartermaster, serv- ing as such nearly a year, when he was assigned to duty as regi- mental adjutant. On January 1, 1864, Lieutenant Allen, on account of disabilities that unfitted him for active field service, resigned, which resignation being accepted, he returned to Fayette the same month. For the succeeding four or five months, Mr. Allen acted as enrolling officer at Fayette, and rendered efficient service in that capacity during the latter part of the war.
Brice H. Jay entered the service as a private in Company K, in the Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted to sergeant major of the regiment on March 16, 1863. He died, Decem- ber 20, 1863, of wounds received, November 25, 1863, in the battle of Mission Ridge, Tennessee. Martin H. Trowbridge entered the service on August 25, 1861, as a private in Company I, of the Thirty- eighth regiment. He was appointed corporal on June 1, 1862, and promoted to sergeant on July 15, 1862, and to quartermaster sergeant on June 10, 1865. He "veteranized" and was mustered out with the regiment, July 12, 1865.
Lewis Butler entered the service on October 4, 1861, as second lieutenant, and on December 18, 1861, was appointed captain of Company I, Sixty-seventh Ohio Infantry, and was promoted to major, January 13, 1863. On October 10, 1864, he was promoted to colonel of the One Hundred and Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
A large majority of the soldiers which comprised the Sixty-eighth Regiment were gathered from other counties, and consequently Fulton was not extensively represented among the field and staff officers. There were two exceptions, however, Ithamer Culbertson serving as principal musician and John B. Mikesell as fife major. Ithamer Culbertson entered the service on December 5, 1861, as a private in Company E, and was promoted to principal musician on April 12, 1862. He was mustered out with the regiment, July 10, 1865, as a veteran.
John B. Mikesell was born July 12, 1837, in that portion of Lucas which is now included in Fulton county, and there he grew to man- hood. At the alarm of war, he enlisted in Company H, Fourteenth Ohio Infantry, three months service. and served during the term of his enlistment, being discharged August 13. 1861. He enlisted again the following November, in Company E, Sixty-eighth Ohio Infantry. He was appointed fife major of the regiment on January 19, 1862, and served in that position until his death. Exposure at the battle of Fort Donelson, in February, 1862, brought on a cold which de- veloped into pneumonia, from which he died on March 12, 1862.
Elihu T. Crout and Paul Lingle entered the service on May 28, 1862, as musicians of Company G, Eighty-fifth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. They were promoted to principal musicians of
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the regiment on June 10, 1862, and were mustered cut with the regiment, September 23, 1862.
Edwin L. Hayes entered the service from Wauseon, in the North- western Rifle Regiment (mustered in as the Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry), in June, 1861. He was chosen captain of Company D and served as such until 1862, when he resigned and was appointed major of the One Hundredth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on August 26, 1862. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, May 13, 1863, and to colonel, January 2, 1865, but was not mustered. He became a brevet briga- dier general, January 12, 1865, and resigned from the army on May 12, 1865. Immediately after the war he located in New Jersey and still resides there, having been a prominent real estate dealer for years. Thus, the One Hundredth Regiment had only one field or staff officer from Fulton county, but the One Hundred and Elev- enth had three-Lieutenant Colonel Moses R. Brailey, Adjutant Wesley S. Thurston, and Sergeant-Major Rudolph Williams. Colonel Brailey is given extended mention in the chapter devoted to Bench and Bar. Wesley S. Thurston entered the service as first sergeant of Company K, August 12, 1862. He was promoted to second lieu- tenant, June 15, 1863, and to first lieutenant and adjutant, September 10, 1863; to captain of Company D, May 31, 1865, and was mustered out with that company June 27, 1865. Rudolph Williams entered the service as sergeant of Company K, August 12, 1862, and was promoted to sergeant major, February 6, 1863; to second lieutenant of Company A, February 9, 1863. He was promoted to first lieu- tenant on March 3, 1864, but was not mustered. He was detailed as ordnance officer in Twenty-third army corps to date, July 23, 1863, and was mustered out with his company, June 27, 1865.
Did space permit, it would be a pleasure to include the names and service of the "men who bore the guns," many of whom per- formed feats of daring, and services of incalculable value to the cause, wholly prompted by the innate desire for national preserva- tion, and without the hope of official reward. Some even declined promotion, on the conscientious ground that they would then be serving for the emoluments and honors of office, while the charge would be groundless if the salary remained at thirteen dollars a month! Such conduct as that, it seems, should be a sufficient refu- tation of the latter-day doctrine that greed is the only incentive to human exertion. There were representatives of Fulton county in nearly every regiment organized in Northwestern Ohio and South- ern Michigan, either by original enlistment, transfer or promotion ; and wherever they were, and by whatever organization they were known, the famous Buckeyes always performed their duty, and re- flected honor upon themselves, and credit upon the noble State which they represented.
In conclusion, we may add that Fulton county was represented, to a greater or less extent, in the following organizations: Ohio infantry regiments-Seventh, Fourteenth, Twenty-fifth, Thirty-sev- enth, Thirty-eighth, Forty-seventh, Fifty-second, Sixtieth, Sixty-
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seventh, Sixty-eighth, Sixty-ninth, Seventy-fifth, Eighty-fourth, Eighty-fifth, Eighty-sixth, One Hundredth, One Hundred and Eleventh, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth, One Hundred and Twen- ty-eighth, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth, One Hundred and Thir- tieth, One Hundred and Fiftieth, One Hundred and Sixty-third, One Hundred and Eighty-second, One Hundred and Eighty-fifth, One Hundred and Eighty-ninth, One Hundred and Ninety-fifth and One Hundred and Ninety-seventh; of cavalry-the Third, Sixth, Tenth and Thirteenth; also the Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry, the Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Michigan Cavalry, Fourth Michigan Infantry and Sixth Michigan Heavy Artillery; and perhaps some others, besides a few men in the naval branch of the service.
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CHAPTER VI
THE LAST FORTY YEARS
1 N the year 1862, a new weekly publication was launched at Wauseon, entitled the "Fulton County Union," under the editorial management of J. C. French, of some local newspaper fame. It was a well-edited and nicely-printed sheet, but continued to make its weekly visits for a period of only a few months, when Isaac R. Sherwood became its purchaser, consolidated it with the "Republican," and the two papers thereafter appeared as one pub- lication, retaining, however, the name of the latter. About this time the office was leased to Joseph Cable, but under his control the paper did not prosper. In some manner he antagonized the con- trolling element of the Republican party in the county, and the offi- cial printing was taken away from him and given to the "Monitor," a paper published at Ottokee. The "Monitor" was a venture into the field of journalism made by H. B. Bayes, in June, 1863. This paper was also short lived, and in the month of February of the following year, 1864, it was sold to James H. Sherwood, of the . "Northwestern Republican," and by him merged into the last-named paper. After the term of Mr. Cable's lease had expired the office and material passed, by purchase, to James H. Sherwood, brother of Isaac R. Sherwood. The new proprietor at once commenced, and succeeding in accomplishing the work of building up and re-estab- lishing the "Republican" on a profitable footing, and brought back to it the favor and support which it had lost during Mr. Cable's leasehold. In the year 1867, James H. Sherwood sold back to his brother Isaac, now honored with the military title of General. Gen- eral Sherwood ran it about a year and then took a partner, Col. Albert B. Smith, a practical printer, with whom he became associated under the firm name and style of Sherwood & Smith. Under this man- agement the paper met with good success; it was well edited, ap- peared in a plain, but neat dress, and became largely patronized throughout the county and even beyond the county's borders; its exchange list was large, and the paper took rank as the leading pub- lication of the region. It was, and continued to be, the organ of the Republican party of the county, and became an able exponent of the principles of that party. In the year 1869, James H. Sherwood purchased the General's interest, and the firm name then changed to Smith & Sherwood. It was conducted by the latter firm until the year 1871, when Colonel Smith sold his interest to M. P. Brewer, a former resident of Wood county. About six months later Brewer resold to Colonel Smith, and in 1877, Mr. Sherwood purchased Col-
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