USA > Ohio > Darke County > The history of Darke County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; > Part 43
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Following this impressive ceremony, the Eleventh was at once marched to the support of other regiments, holding their ground under a deadly fire, and within a short time was advanced to the front line. The balls from sharpshooters were annoying the men to such a degree that an advance was ordered and the enemy dislodged. During the afternoon, the fights continued and finally a charge cleared the division front. Next day, the regiment erected a low breastwork of logs and stones upon a rise of ground, and encountered a fire so severe that in thirty min- utes Company D had lost half its men, killed or wounded. Twice the breastwork took fire ; the third time it became necessary to extinguish the flames, and this was done by volunteers from Company B. As the afternoon wore away, the enemy, pouring through a gap in the lines, opened a telling eross-fire upon the
Eleventh. Turchin's brigade, charging, drove them, breaking their ranks, and capturing men and guns. With night came retreat, via Rowville to Chattanooga. Several days later, a force was sent out, and in this the Eleventh engaged in a sharp skirmish with the rebels, and was then marched to occupy the line of pits to the left of Fort Negley. Later, the Eleventh moved down to Brown's Ferry, to arrest a movement to gain a position on Lookout Mountain.
November 23. the Eleventh advanced in the line on Mission Ridge, charging, it captured a battle-flag and cannon. Sergt. Bell, color-bearer, was repeatedly struck, and, finally, unable to rise, resigned the colors to Lieut. Peck, who had but planted them on the rebel works, when he fell, mortally wounded. The regiment was severely engaged at Ringgold Gap, whence it marched back to Chattanooga. On February 17, 1864, Chaplain Lyle presented the Eleventh with a stand of colors -the gift of the ladies of Troy, Ohio. The regiment took part in a reconnaissance toward Rocky Face Ridge and found the enemy in a strong position at Buzzard's Roost. Here a most unfortunate mistake involved the regiment in a heavy loss. It was ordered to charge up a hill strongly defended by infantry and artillery; as a result, the regiment was finally compelled to retire with a loss of one-sixth of its force. The command returned to Ringgold, and March 26, the veterans, 200 strong, returned home to recruit. They were assigned garrison duty till June 10, when they set out for home and were mustered out on the 20th at Camp Dennison, two companies having longer to serve ; and the veterans were designated as the Eleventh Ohio Detachment, and placed in Baird's division, of the Fourteenth Army Corps, with which they accompanied Sherman upon his marches.
The Thirty-Fourth Regiment .-- A fine company of eighty-four men was enlisted by Capt. Thomas R. Smiley, from Darke County, and regularly mustered into serv- ice at Camp Dennison, September 10, 1861, as Company K of the Thirty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was ordered into Western Virginia, and posted at Gauley Bridge. It took part in the battle of Princeton, May 17 and 18, losing several men. Again, on September 10, while it and the Thirty-seventh were holding the outpost at Fayetteville, they were attacked by Gen. Loring, with a force of 10,000 men. Behind works, and aided by a battery, they held their ground till night, when they retreated. At times the Thirty-fourth fought uncovered,
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and, of six companies engaged, one-third of the men were killed or wounded, and one-half the officers. In May. 1863, the regiment was supplied with horses and became known as "Mounted Rifles." On July 13, 1860, the Rifles, with nine companies of cavalry, moved upon the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, and encoun- tered the enemy on the 18th, at Wytheville. The enemy were well posted under cover of houses and on high ground, and the fighting was desperate. About sun- down, the rebels were routed and their guns captured. The Colonel was shot from his horse, and Lient. Col. Franklin ordered a retreat. The roads were blockaded, and they returned with difficulty. In January, 1864, a majority of the men veter- anized. The regiment was divided in April-the mounted men being under Averill, the others, in Crook's division. Following active service, and engagements more or less important, we find the regiment, on June 8, at Staunton, ready to take part in Hunter's raid to Lynchburg. Shots were exchanged with rebels who had been driven from Lexington, at Buckhannon, on the James. The Blue Ridge was crossed and a skirmish took place at Liberty. A partially successful attack was made on the afternoon of June 18, upon Lynchburg, but the place was not occu- pied, and during the night heavy re-enforcements came up from Richmond, and the national forces were put upon their defense. The enemy crowded closely upon the retiring column, and a skirmish took place at Liberty. At Salem, on the 21st inst., the rebels struck Hunter's artillery in a pass, and were rapidly destroying the cais- sons and rendering the guns useless, when the " Rifles " came up, and after a sharp fight, regained the guns. The discomfited army reached Charleston, July 1. Nine days later, the regiment once more united as infantry, embarked on transports for Parkersburg ; moved thence to Martinsburg, in the Shenandoah Valley, and on July 20, formed part of a force that attacked Early near Winchester, routed him, took his guns and inflicted a severe blow. On the 24th, the battle of Winchester was fought, where, later, Sheridan restored the day. Devol's brigade, in which which was the Thirty-fourth, brought up the rear. The regiment lost Lieut. Col. Shaw and many men. Next day, a stand was made at Martinsburg, and from this field the Thirty-fourth was the last to retire, under a heavy fire. Various marches occupied the regiment with occasional heavy skirmishing, until early in September, when the non-veterans set out for home. Notwithstanding the loss occasioned by the discharge of the men, the regiment, angmented by recruits, numbered over four hundred men. They were engaged, September 3, at Berryville, and at Winchester on September 19, then, again, at Fisher's Hill, on the 22d. The loss to the Thirty- fourth in the last two actions was sixty-one killed. On the evening of October 18, the regiment was on picket, and Early's men surprised them, capturing the Colonel and eighteen men, killing two and wounding twelve. January 11, 1865, 300 men of the Thirty-fourth, with a part of the Eighth Ohio Cavalry (dismounted), were surprised at Beverly, and only through the excitement and darkness were many enabled to escape. February 22, 1865, the remnant of the Thirty-fourth was consolidated with the Thirty-sixth, as the Thirty-sixth Veteran Volunteer Infantry.
The Fortieth Regiment Ohio Infantry .- This regiment was organized at Camp Chase, Ohio, in September, October and November, 1861. All of Companies E and G, the greater portion of Company I, and parts of F and K of said regiment were recruited from Darke County.
The following is a complete roster of the officers who served in said regiment from this county during its term of service :
Jonathan Cranor, Colonel ; resigned.
James B. Creviston, Adjutant ; resigned.
Harrison E. McClure, Adjutant : mustered out.
William H. Matchett, Assistant Surgeon ; mustered out. John D. Gennett, Captain of Company E: resigned.
Charles G. Matchett, Captain of Company G ; mustered out.
Andrew R. Calderwood, Captain of Company I; resigned.
William C. Osgood, First Lieutenant of Company E, promoted to Captain ; resigned.
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HISTORY OF DARKE COUNTY.
James Allen, promoted to Captain from Sergeant ; mustered out.
Clement Snodgrass, promoted to Captain from Sergeant; killed at Peach Tree Creek July 21, 1864.
Benjamin F. Snodgrass, promoted to First Lieutenant from Sergeant; killed at Chicka- mauga September 20, 1864.
Cyrenius Van Mater, First Lieutenant of Company G; killed at Chickamauga.
John T. Ward, Second Lieutenant of Company E; resigned.
William Bonner, Second Lieutenant of Company G; resigned.
J. W. Smith, Second Lieutenant of Company I, promoted to First Lieutenant, then to Cap- tain ; mustered out.
John P. Frederick, First Lieutenant of Company F; resigned.
John M. Wasson, promoted to Second Lieutenant ; mustered out.
David Krouse, Second Lieutenant of Company F, promoted to First Lieutenant ; mustered out.
Isaac N. Edwards, Sergeant, promoted to Lieutenant ; mustered out.
James A. Fisher, Sergeant, promoted to Lieutenant ; mustered out.
On the 17th day of December, 1861, the regiment left Camp Chase for Ken- tucky, spending Christmas on the farm of Brutus Clay, five miles east of Paris, Ky. On the next day, December 26, the regiment started for the Sandy Valley, via Mount Sterling and McCormick's Gap, and arrived at Paintsville, Ky., January S, 1862. On the 9th, 300 picked men (thirty from each company), a Colonel, two Captains, two First and two Second Lieutenants were detailed as the regiment's proportion of the 1,000 picked men from the brigade with which Col. J. A. Gar- field compelled the rebel force under Gen. Humphrey Marshall, amounting to over four thousand men, to evacuate Eastern Kentucky. The battle of Middle Creek, Kentucky, occurred between these forces on the 10th day of January, 1862. In that battle, the 300 men of the Fortieth Ohio were divided into two companies of 150 men each. One company, under the immediate command of Col. Cranor, attacked the enemy on the right, while the other company, under Capt. Matchett, were placed on our extreme left, with instructions to protect our left. Col. Gar- field, in his report of the battle, shows that the field was hotly contested, and that the heaviest fighting was on the left. Capt. Matchett states, however, that " although the enemy sought to displace him from his position, yet his advantages over them were such that he was in no actual danger, having the advantage both in position and arms. The enemy, being principally armed with squirrel rifles and shot-guns, could not hope to be effective except on close range, while the Prussian rifles with which his men were armed, were effective from 1,500 yards down to the point of the bayonet. The rebels advanced upon his position two or three times, but were each time repulsed before they had come within 200 yards of it, and although the firing was quite heavy on our left, and some dead rebels were found in front of the left next morning, yet he had none killed nor wounded on the left."
Capt. Matchett further states that the "severest fighting was on the right where Col. Cranor was, but that the whole fight did not amount to a respectable skirmish, as we afterward learned on the Atlanta campaign."
On the 16th of March, the regiment participated in another skirmish at Pound Gap and drove the rebels from that stronghold, and thereby relieved East- ern Kentucky of the presence of an armed rebel force.
Soon after that, Garfield left Eastern Kentucky, and the command of the brigade devolved on Col. Cranor, who continued in command until February, 1863, when he resigned. On the 21st of February, 1863, the regiment left Eastern Ken- tucky, and joined the Army of the Cumberland at Nashville, Tenn., on the 28th of the same month ..
On March 5, the regiment joined the Army of Kentucky, under Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, at Franklin, Tenn. From that time, they remained with that army-afterward known as the Reserve Army Corps-until after the battle of Chickamauga.
On the 10th of April, 1863, the regiment was placed on picket duty in front of the town, with Capt. Matchett in command. At that time, the rebel forces, under
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Gen. Van Dorn, were stationed at Spring Hill, Tenn., nine miles south of Frank- lin. Soon after 12 o'clock M., the rebels commenced an attack on seven com- panies of the Fortietli, which had been stationed on and between the Columbia Pike and the Big Harpeth River (a distance of about five hundred yards), but were handsomely repulsed. The attack was renewed with re-enforcements, and again repulsed. By this time, the enemy were preparing to charge in force, and the situation of the Fortieth was precarious. Behind them, for the distance of more than half a mile, lay an open field without an obstacle or a shelter on it ; but, momentarily expecting re-enforcements, they held their ground. and repulsed charge after charge, for two hours.
Van Dorn then formed his entire force for a charge. and the Fortieth fell back in good order to the town, where, taking advantage of hedges. fences. houses, etc., they repulsed the enemy and drove them out of town, and. at 4 o'clock P. M., resumed their former position on picket duty.
The Fortieth's loss was three killed, four wounded and ten missing, who were taken prisoners, and all afterward were exchanged and rejoined the command. The enemy's entire loss is not known. Two Captains and fifteen men killed. one Major and twelve men wounded, and thirteen prisoners fell into the hands of the Fortieth. The enemy's entire force was cavalry and two batteries of artillery. Over one hundred horses, equipped, escaped within the Union lines and were captured by other commands. The prisoners. when exchanged reported Van Dorn's entire loss in killed and wounded to be one hundred and fifty men and one hundred and twenty horses.
An incident connected with this fight is worth relating. Among the prison- ers captured from the Fortieth that day was Jesse N. Orin, a Sergeant of Com- pany B, afterward a distinguished representative for many years in the Ohio Legislature from Clinton County. The prisoners were taken before Van Dorn, and questioned by him. Sergt. Orin answered in behalf of the captives.
" What commands do you belong to, boys ?" said the rebel chieftain.
" Fortieth Ohio, sir," answered Orin.
" You don't all belong to the same regiment, do you ?"
" Yes, sir."
" What officer was that in the command of the forces you had in to-day's fight ? "
" Capt. Matchett, of the Fortieth, sir."
" Have you got down so low that captains must command your brigades ?"
" Brigades ? There was no other regiment fought against you to-day but the Fortieth, and only seven companies of that, for one company was in the town as provost guard, and two companies were on the west of town, and neither of them were engaged.'
". Then why in the name of thunder did not your Captain quietly surrender when my brigade of cavalry attacked them ?"
" I presume, sir, the Captain's orders were to defend the picket line. as long as he could, and not to surrender."
". But, why were you not re-enforced ?"
" I do not know, sir ; just before we began to fall back. the Captain rode along our lines and told each company that it was evident that we were not to be re-en- forced, and we could not successfully retreat over that cotton field, unless each company implicitly obeyed his commands. We all understood this ; and he con- centrated and retired us in the manner you saw."
" How did you boys come to be captured ?"
" When our regiment had retreated about half the distance between the picket-line and the town, a column of your cavalry threatened to pass by our left, and get between us and the town, and ' gobble us all up.' and Capt. Matchett ordered me and another Sergeant, with about twenty men, to a position about three hun- dred yards to the left and rear of our regiment, in order to oppose that threatened
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HISTORY OF DARKE COUNTY.
movement, with orders to hold that position at all hazards, until the regiment had retired beyond the cotton-gin, and then make our way back to town as best we could. We stayed there as ordered, but when your forces in front of the regiment were repulsed, they swept around to our position, on their retreat, and took us all in, except a few who started to run the gantlet back to town."
At this. a fine-looking officer. who was present, broke out in a loud laugh, and said : "Gen. Van Dorn, the joke is on you ; you promised to show us how neatly you could take in the Yankees at Franklin, and it seems that you have been very cleverly repulsed by seven companies of infantry, commanded by a captain, with his left protected by a sergeant's squad."
At this Sergeant Orin said : "General, I would like to be permitted to say one word in your defense ; that is-there is not a private in the Fortieth Ohio who would not make a good colonel, and not a non-commissioned officer who would not make a good brigadier, and as to the Captain who commanded us to-day, he could handle an army equal to Bonaparte."
" Thank you," said Van Dorn, and then. turning to the officer referred to above, he said : " How could you expect me, with my division of cavalry, to overcome a Bonaparte, his field-marshals, his sixty generals and 500 colonels ? "
Gen. Van Dorn then asked Sergt. Orin. "How many men have you at Frank- lin ?"
"I do not know, sir, and if I did I should decline to answer your question."
" What is the nature and extent of your fortifications there ?"
" General, possibly you had better obtain that information by another recon- naissance."
"Well, Sergeant," said the General, "you'll do. When you rejoin the regi- ment, give my compliments to your brave comrades and the Captain, and say to him that I hope he may never be promoted."
"Captain," said he, addressing an aid, "see that these men are treated with that courtesy and respect due to brave men.'
The men were then taken back and remained as prisoners only about three weeks, when they were exchanged. Their prison life was made far more agreea- ble to them than they expected.
In 1878, a Major of the Confederate army stopped for a few days at Green- ville, Ohio, and called on Capt. Matchett, and said that he had belonged to the staff of Gen. , Inspector General of the Confederate army ; that they had come west to look after Bragg's army, and went to Spring Hill Run about the 8th of April, 1863, and found Gen. Van Dorn a very genial and social fellow, who induced the Inspector General to go with him that day (April 10) and see how nicely he would take in the Yankees at Franklin.
The Major said that all the officers agreed that they had never seen "such a fighting regiment" as the Fortieth was; and that he was free to say, that he never met with such coolness and determined bravery since. He detailed the conversa- tion between Gen. Van Dorn and the captured Sergeant, substantially as given above, which, in the mind of the writer, confirmed the statements made by Ser- geant Orin and his captured comrades, on their return from captivity.
About the 1st of May, 1863, the regiment exchanged their Prussian rifles for Springfield and Enfield rifles, which they carried until the war closed.
During the summer of 1863, the regiment were at Triune, Shelbyville, War- trace and Tullahoma, Tenn., and participated in many skirmishes before the enemy were persuaded to give up Tullahoma and return beyond the mountains to Georgia.
On September 19, 1863, the reserve army corps of Gen. Gordon Granger (of which the Fortieth constituted a part), was stationed on the Ringgold road, to the left of the army of the Cumberland. They were attacked by a large force about the middle of the day. The Fortieth with some other regiments had been thrown forward to support the picket line. They held their position until the other regi- ments had retired on the main force, when they also fell back. The fight then
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HISTORY OF DARKE COUNTY.
kept up until night. In the morning there was no enemy immediately in front of the reserve corps, and they were on the look-out with nothing to do, until the afternoon about 3 o'clock. Meantime, Gen. Granger and many of his leading offi- vers had been drinking "commissary" to the success of all the officers and divisions of the Army of the Cumberland generally, and to the success of Gen. Gordon Granger particularly. What the result of all this might have been may be better imagined than written, had it not been for Capt. William C. Russel, Assistant Adjutant General on Gen. Granger's staff, and the hero of Chickamauga. This gallant officer, from the clouds of dust and the noise of battle from the field of Chickamauga, became satisfied that the enemy were gaining advantage over Rosecrans' forces, and that the presence of the reserve corps was required on that field. He urged his chief to give the order at once to move the corps to the fickl of battle, but his "chief" was as hilarious and jovial as Belshazzar was at the feast of Babylon, just before the invisible handwriting flashed upon the walls of the banquet hall, and proposed only to obey orders, defend his front and- enjoy himself.
From 12 o'clock, Capt. Russel had been noticed, on that memorable day. in a state of silent excitement, listening and looking at the signs from the battle-field. Sometimes on horseback, sometimes on foot, one minute on an elevation or in the top of a tree, anxiously looking with his glass in the direction of the battle. and the next minute in the valley, with his face to the ground, trying to detect with the sense of hearing the progress of the conflict. He was confirmed in the belief that our troops were being beaten. His chief, always egotistical, never success- ful. was now useless. At 2:30 o'clock, Capt. Russel went hurriedly into the pres- ence of his chief to again urge him to order the corps removed to the assist- ance of the Army of the Cumberland, but the military knowledge of the man, whatever it may have been, had given place to the joys produced by the " com- missary " of the department. Capt. Russel, on leaving the presence of his chief, was heard to say : " Well, I'll do it any how ; I will take the responsibility. even though they cashier me for it." In a moment, two orders were written, signed, " By order of Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, W. C. Russel, Acting Adjutant General," one of which was delivered to Gen. Steadman and the other to Gen. Brannan, res- pectively commanding divisions in the reserve corps.
These divisions were immediately put in motion, with Steadman in the lead, on " double-quick," for the battle-field, a distance of four miles.
They passed immediately in front of the position occupied by rebel Gen. For- rest with his cavalry, then by the right wing of rebel Gen. Longstreet's force ; then left and center of Gen. Thomas' command, and halted and fought on the extreme right of Gen. Thomas as they found it at 4 o'clock P. M., of that day.
For a clear understanding of that field at that time, lay a horseshoe in front of you, with the heels of the shoe next to you, and add one-fifth of the length of the shoe in projection of the right licel. The horseshoe, thus extended, is a semi- circular ridge, and on the apex the last battle-line of Chickamauga ; inside the horseshoe, Gen. Thomas, his four divisions in line of battle along the inside slope of the ridge. On the outside of the horseshoe thus made is the rebel army, Long- street extending from center to our left, and Bishop Gen. Polk from center to our right. Rossville is seven miles to the rear of Gen. Thomas. The position of the Fortieth in the morning was four miles to the left of the left heel of the horseshoe ; now it is on the extreme right heel of the horseshoe. Two and three miles in front of our (the Fortieth's) present position are Gordon's Mills and Crawfish Springs.
There was the position of MeCook and Crittenden's Corps this morning : now they are beaten and scattered from the field, and the rebel regiments, flushed with an easy victory over them, are now charging and recharging our right to overturn the last obstacle-the " Rock of Chickamauga."
Here Thomas and every man under him distinguished themselves. Here Capt. Russel, the hero of Chickamauga, died in a noble discharge of his duty, and,
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though his name and exploits of that day are unmentioned in history, yet they live bright in the memory of his surviving comrades. Here Lients. Van Mater, of Company G, and B. F. Snodgrass, of Company A. both Darke County boys, were killed and left on the field of battle. Here Lieuts. Allen Smith and Topping were wounded, also Darke County boys ; and here were left two officers and twenty-nine men, killed. The regiment also suffered the loss of five officers and one hundred and ten men wounded, and two officers and forty-three men captured.
Our captured men were taken at near Rossville on the following Tuesday morning (Chickamauga was fought Saturday and Sunday). Company H had been placed on picket-line, and were not ordered to withdraw, through some neglect at brigade headquarters, and, early on Tuesday morning, the enemy surrounded them and took them prisoners. Among those prisoners was Second Lient. John M. Wasson, promoted from Company G. This officer did good service at Chicka- manga. He was kept in prison and at Andersonville, and suffered all the horrors of prison-life until the close of the year 1864, when he was exchanged. He twice escaped from prison, but both times was recaptured-once by the blood-hounds, and another time by a wild tribe of Indians in the western part of North Carolina, about two days' march from Knoxville, Tenn.
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