Coshocton County, Ohio - Chapter 42: War of the Rebellion - Continued, 1881

Chapter 42: War of the Rebellion - Continued

THE Fifteenth and Thirty-seventh regiments, , in so far as they find a representation in Coshocton county, obtained the Coshocton men somewhat similarly. The men who enlisted proposed going into other regiments, but were too late, and consequently became absorbed in the Fifteenth and Thirty-seventh. The following history of the Fifteenth is from "Ohio in the War":

The Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry was one of the first to respond to the President's call for seventy-five thousand men for three months' service, and, on the 4th of May, 1861, the regiment was organized at Camp Jackson, Columbus, Ohio, and four days after moved to Camp Goddard, near Zanesville, Ohio. Here it spent about ten days, engaged in drilling, disciplining and active preparations for the field. It was then ordered- into West Virginia, and, crossing the Ohio river at Bellaire, it was employed for some time in guard duty on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, advancing as far as Grafton. It was engaged in the rout of the rebels under General Porterfield at Phillippi, on the 13th of June, and afterward took part in the affairs of Laurel Hill and Garrick's Ford. The regiment performed a large amount of marching and guard duty, and rendered valuable services to the .Government in assisting to stay the progress of the rebels, who were endeavoring to carry the war into the north. Having served its term of enlistment, it returned to Columbus, Ohio, and was discharged about the 1st of August, having lost but two men, one killed and one dying of disease.

The President having issued his call for three hundred thousand men for three years, the sol- ' diers of the Fifteenth felt the importance of a hearty response, and with their patriotism and ardoi not lessened, but rather increased, by the trials and exposure incident to their three months' campaign, they almost immediately and almost unanimously resolved to reenlist; and the regiment was reorganized at Camp Mordecai Bartley, near Mansiield, Ohio, and left Camp Bartley for Camp Dennison on the 26th of September, 1861. At this place they received their arms and the remainder of their clothing, camp and garrison equipage. The regiment was armed with old Springfield and Harper's Ferry muskets altered, except Companies A and B, which received Enfield rifles. The outfit being completed on the 4th of October the regiment left for the field, its destination being Lexington, Kentucky. It remained in camp at Lexington until the 12th, when it was transported by rail to Louisville, and from there to Camp Nevin, near Notin's Station, Kentucky. At this place it was assigned to the sixth brigade, (General E. W. Johnson commanding) Second Division, (General A. McD. McCook, commanding) of the Army of the Ohio, then commanded by General W. T. Sherman, subsequently by General Buell. The regiment remained at Camp Nevin until the 9th of December, 1861, when the division marched to Bacon creek, and on the following day the sixth brigade occupied Mumfordsville. On the morning of the 14th the second division broke camp, moving in the direction of West Point to embark for Fort Donelson ; but upon receiving intelligence of its capture the division was marched to Bowling Green. Crossing Barren river on the 27th, the command marched for Nashville, Tennessee, which place was reached on the 2d of March. Camping grounds were selected about three miles from the city, and the. army rested until the 16th, when the march to Savannah began ; which point was reached on the night of April 6, and on the morning of the 7th the regiment embarked for the battle-field and was engaged from about twelve M, till four p. M., when the enemy retreated. In this engagement the regiment lost six men killed and sixty-two wounded.

In the subsequent operations against Corinth, the second division formed the reserve of the army, and did not take the front until the 27th of May.

It was continually skirmishing with the enemy until the 30th, when the town was occupied by our forces. On the 10th of June the division marched' to Battle Creek, Tennessee, crossing the Tennessee river at Florence, and, resting there several days, arrived at Battle Creek on the 18th of July. The regiment was engaged in building a fort at the mouth of Battle Creek and in the ordinary duties of camp until the 20th of August, when General McCook's command moved to Altemonte, on the Cumberland mountains, in which direction the invading army under Bragg was marching. FromAlteraonte the division marched, via Manchester and Murfreesboro, to Nashville, arriving there on the 8th of September. After halting two or three days the army marched to Bowling Green, and thence, by way of West Point, to 'Louisville, arriving on the'25th of September. On the 1st of October the second division marched on the Shelbyville pike in pursuit of the enemy, reaching Shelbyville the second day. Eemaining in camp a few days, the march was resumed to Lawrenceburg, where a skirmish was had with the enemy in which the regiment was engaged. The division then marched to Perryville, which was reached a few days after the battle of Chaplin Hills, and there joined the main army and marched in pursuit of Bi^gg as far aa Crab Orcjiard, where it remained several days, and then marched to Nashville, where it arrived on the 7th of November, 1862.

drilled here, and, 6n the 26th of December, advanced on the enemy's position at Murfreesboro. In the battle of Stone Eiver the regiment was heavily engaged, losing eighteen killed, and eighty-nine wounded. After the occupation of Murfreesboro by the army, under General Rosecrans, the Fifteenth was engaged in drilling, foraging, fortifying-and picket duty until the 24th of July, when an advance was ordered on TuUahoma and Shelby ville, which places were occupied by our army after the enemy was dislodged

' from his strong position at Golner's and Liberty Gaps, the latter being carried by the second division, and the Fifteenth taking a very prominent part therein.'

In this engagement, one officer and seven men were killed, and twenty-three wounded. The second division was stationed at Tullahoma till the 16th of August, when it was ordered to Bellefonte, Alabama, marching via Winchester and Salem, and arriving at its destination on the 22d. Remaining there about a week, the division marched to near Stevenson, Alabama. On the 2d of September the march was resumed in the direction of Rome, Georgia, crossing Lookout Mountain and camping at the eastern foot, near Alpine, on the 10th. After reniaining in position for ten days, the command recrossed Lookout Mountain to Winson's valley, and, on the 11th, marched to .a position in connection with main Urmy in Lookout valley.

The regiment remained in position on the extreme right flank of the army until the morning of the 19th,when it marched for the battlefield of Chickamauga, a distance of thirteen miles, and was engaged soon after its arrival. At Chickamauga the regiment lost one officer and nine men killed, two officers and sixty-nine men wounded, and forty men missing. The regiment bore its share in the arduous 'labors and privations of the seige of Chattanooga, and on the 2oth of Novem-

On the 28th of November the regiment, then belonging to the First Brigade, Thir,d Division, Fourth Army iCorps, marched with the corps to the relief of Knoxville, Tennessee, arriving on the 8th of December; on the 20th the command moved to Strawberry Plains by way of Flat creeks On the 14th of January, 1864, the greater portion of the regiment having re-enlisted as veterans, it started for Columbus, Ohio, via Chattanooga, preparatory to ieing furloughed. The regiment arrived in Columbus, with 850 veterans,, on the 10th of February, and the. men were furloughed on the 12th.

On the 14th of March the regirvient assembled at Camp Chase to return to the field, having recruited to upward of 900 men. Upon arriving" at Nashville, on the 22d, the regiment was ordered to march to Chattanooga, arriving on the 6th of" April. On the 8tli the regiment moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, meetiijg with a serious accident near Charleston, Tennessee, by a railroad train being thrown from the track, by which twenty men were more or less injured.

The regiment moved to McDonald's Station on the 20th, and remained there till the opening cf the spring campaign. At noon, on the^ 3d of May, the regiment broke camp and marched to Tunnel Hill, where Genaral Sherman's army took position, and was constantly skirmishing with the enemy, this regiment being frequently engaged until the 13th, when ' the enemy evacuated Rocky Face Ridge and our army took possession of Dalton.

The Fifteenth participated in the subsequent pursuit of the rebels, in the battle of Resaca and again in the pursuit and engagement near Dallas, where the regiment suffered severeh', losing nineteen men killed, three officers and sixty-one men wounded and nineteen men missing, who were supposed to be either killed or severely wounded. The color guard, with the exception of one corporal, were all either killed or wounded, but the colors were safely brought ofT by the surviving member of the guard, Corporal David Hart, of Company I. The rebels having evacuated their works on the 5th of June, the army moved to the vicinity of Acworth, and on the 10th advanced to near Kenesaw Mountain. While skirmishing sharply, on the 14th of June, the regiment lost one officer and one man killed, and five men wounded, all belonging to Company A. On the morning of June 18, the rebels having withdrawn, a party of three or four men advanced to reconnoitre, and picking up a couple of stragglers, they

sent back in charge of Peter Cupp, a private of Company H, who, in returning to the regiment, suddenly came upon a rebel outpost, which had been left by accident. Cupp announced the withdrawal to them and ordered them to stack their arms and surrender, which they did, and one captain, one lieutenant and sixteen men of ithe First Georgia volunteers were marched into our lines Private Cupp. While in the vicinity the regiment was engaged in scouting and skirmishing, frequently capturing prisoners.

After crossing the Chattahoochie the regiment moved down the river on the 11th of July, and in connection with the division, drove back the enemy's cavalry and covered the crossing of the Fourteenth Corps. The line was advanced each day until it closed in around the rebel works before Atlanta. On the night of August 25, the -command to which the regiment belonged withdrew the works in front and commenced the movement upon the communications in the rear of Atlanta, skirmishing with the enemy at Lovejoy's Station on the night of September 5, and, reaching Atlanta the 8th, the Fourth Corps encamped near Decatur.

When the army of Hood began its raid upon our communications the regiment marched via Marietta and Rome, to the relief of Resaca, October 3, 'and from Resaca it marched through Snake Creek Gap, by way of Salesville, Chattanooga and Pulaski to Columbia, where it was engaged in a slight skirmish. From Columbia the army moved toward Franklin, passing in view of the camp-fires of a corps of the enemy near Spring Hill, Tennessee. The regiment did not participate in the battle of Franklin, but was assigned the duty of the withdrawal of the forces and the retreat to Nash^ville. At Nashville the regiment formed the extreme left of the army, and when the order came for the left to move forward the regiment advanced rapidly, capturing a fine battery of four brass guns and some thirty prisoners

On the 16th of December, the enemy was found entrenched in a strong position on Franklin pike, about five miles from the city. The regiment participated in a movement upon these works, capturing prisoners to the number of two commissioned officers and one hundred men. The entire loss sustained by the regiment in the two days of the fight was two officers and one man killed and two .officers and twenty-four men wounded. The most vigorous pursuit was made by our army, but the infantry was Unable to overtake the flying e'nemy, and' after following the rebels to Lexington, Alabama, the corps moved in the direction of Huntsville, and the regiment vv'ent into camp at Bird Springs about the 4th or 5th of January, 1865, and remained until the 15th of March when it was ordered to move 'into East Tennessee. It moved by rail to New Market, Tennessee, and then took up the line of march to Greenville, to assist in preventing the escape of Lee and Johnson, while Grant and Sherman pressed them to a surrender. The Fifteenth arrived at Greenville on the 6th of April, and on the 22d was ordered back to Nashville. On this march the regiment acted as train guard and reached Nashville about the 1st of May, 1865. From this time tillHhe 16th of June, the regi- . ment was in camp near Nashville, Tennessee, when orders were received to move to Texas. With a good degree of cheerfulness the men turned their backs once more upon their homes, went to Johnston ville and thence by hokt to New Orleans. Moving down a short distance below the city they bivouacked in the old Jackson battle ground till July 5, >vhen they shipped for Texas.

The regiment arrive^ at Indianola, Texas, July 9, disembarked, and in order to, obtain a sufficient supply of water, marched that same night to Green Lake, a distance of about twenty miles. Remaining here just one month, on the 10th of August it marched for San Antonio, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles. The scarcity of water, the extreme heat, the want of suitable rations, together with inadequate transportation, all combined, made this one of the most severe marches the regiment ever endured. It reached the Salado, a small stream near the San Antonio, on the 21st of August, and remained there until October 20, when it was designated to perform post duty in the city, and it continued to act in this capacity till November 21, when it was mustered out and ordered to Columbus, Ohio, for final discharge.

thence, by way of New Orleans and Cairo, to Columbus, Ohio, where it arrived December 25, and was finally discharged from the service of the United States, on the 27th of December, 1865.

The Fifteenth was among the first regiments to be mustered in, and among the last to be mustered out, having been in the service as an organization about four years and eight months.

Few regiments present a better record upon battle fields and marches than the Fifteenth, while in respect to the intelligence aiid moral character of its officers and soldiers, it holds an enviable position.

It is- worthy of note, that the Coshocton soldiers in the Fifteenth, though not numerous, in following the varied vicissitudes of the regiment, as they did, from its muster in till its muster out, escaped without a death or a wound.

Thirty-Seventh

In viewing the record of the Thirty-seventh Ohio, it would be well to note the fact that it was recruited as a German regiment, and as siich was the third of its kind raised in Ohio. A large portion of 'the regiment was taken from Tuscarawas county, and the German settlements of Coshocton county bordering on Tuscarawas contributed liberally in enlistments that were credited to Tuscarawas. The record of the regiment is as follows :

The Thirty-seventh was principally recruited among the patriotic Germans of Cleveland, Toledo and Chillicothe. The counties of Auglaize^ Franklin, Mahoning and Tuscarawas (Coshocton men) furnished a number of the men; Erie, Wyandot and Mercer also contributed liberally. Its organization was commenced under the call of President Lincoln for 300,000 men, in August, 1861. By the latter part of September, seven full companies had reported, and on the 1st of October 800 men were enrolled. With this number the regiment was placed in Camp Dennison, and on the 2d of October it was mustered into the service armed and equipped. Colonel E. Siber, an accomplished German officer, who had seen active servece in Prussia and Brazil, was selected as the commander of the regiment; L. Von Blessingh, of Toledo, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Charles Ankele, of Cleveland, Major. Its line

The regiment moved via Cincinnati to a point on the Kanawha river, in West Virginia, where it reported to General Rosecrans, then commanding that department. Shortly after its arrival, the regiment was sent up the Kanawha, in company with other forces, to the oil works at Cannelton, with the view of driving the rebel General Floyd out of that valley. The national forces rnoved up the valley, marching along Loup creek, flanked, and forced the rebels to evacuate Cotton Hill, and pursued them to within seven miles of Raleigh Court House. On its return frOm this expedition, the regiment went into winter-quarters, at Clifton, where it occupied itself in drilling and perfecting its organization, guarding all the principal points in the vicinity, and occasionally sending out scouting parties in all sections of that part of West Virginia. In January, 1862, it went out on an expedition to Logan Court House, east of Guyandotte river, and eighty miles distant from Clifton. After marching and brisk skirmishing with the enemy's cavalry, the place was captured . and all the war material destroyed. This accomplished, the regiment returned to Clifton, having sufiered a loss of one officer and one man killed. In March, 1862, the Thirty-seventh Ohio was added to the third provisional brigade of the Kanaviha division, and ordered to accompany that division on a raid to the southern part of West Virginia, with the view of reaching and destroying, if possible, the Virginia and East Tennessee railroad, near Wytheville, Virginia. But, after severe and unsuccessful fighting At and near Princeton, on East river, in which the regiment lost one officer and thirteen men killed, two officers and. forty-six men wounded, and fourteen men missing, the national forces were compelled to retreat to Flattop Mountain, where they remained in bivouac until the 1st of August, 1862. On that day the regiment marched to Raleigh, garrisoned the place, and scoured the country for a circuit of twenty-five miles.

their way out of the difficulty with the loss of two killed, and one officer and seven men taken prisoners. In the latter part of August the regiment marched in detachments to Fayetteville, Virginia, which place was garrisoned by the Thirtyseventh and Thirty-fourth Ohio, and a temporary 'battery, composed of men from the Thirty-seventh Ohio on temporary duty.

On the 10th of September two companies of the -regiment were sent Out on the Princeton road, and, after reaching a spot one and a half miles from their starting point, they encountered the with the enemy, led by General Loring. The fight lasted from 12 m. until dark, when Colonel the commanding officer of the Thirtyseventh Ohio, being informed that another force of the enemy was threatening the national rfear and line of retreat, the retreat was sounded, and, . at 2 o'clock in the morning, the regiment moved back on the Gauley road, taking a position on Hill, and engaging the enemy an hour with effective results. The retreat was then re- . sumed, and, on the 12th of September, the national troops crossed the Kanawha river at Camp Piatt, and arrived at Charleston on the next day. The enemy, who had followed at a respectful distance, was here engaged and kept at bay until dark. This stand was necessary in order to cover the retreat of a valuable train of seven hundred wagons loaded with the entire supplies of all the troops in the Kanawha valley.

After a very exhausting march of three days and nights, the Ohio river was reached on the 15th, at a point nearly opposite Kipley, Ohio, and the troops crossed over, but almost immediately thereafter re-crossed the river, and went into

camp at. Point Pleasant. In this unfortunate retreat the Thirty-seventh Ohio lost two men killed, three wounded and sixty-three missing, of which latter a large portion were teamsters and train guards. All the company wagons, camp equipage and officers' baggage were lost near Fayetteville by a rear attack of the enemy.

On the 15th of October the company entered Kanawha valley, under command of Lieutenant L. Von Blessingh. Gauley Bridge was reached November 19th, where a camp was formed and occupied up to December, 1862, on which day the regiment marched to Camp Piatt, and from thence embarked on steamers for Cincinnati. While lying at the wharf there Colonel Siber assumed command of the regiment, and was fortunate enough to procure new Enfield rifles in exchange for the arms then in use. Proceeding down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, the regiment was landed at Napoleon, Arkansas, on the 16th of January, 1862. Here it was, with other regiments, formed into the Third Brigade, Second Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps. On the 21st of January the troops moved over to Miliken's bend, nearly opposite ^'icksburg, Mississippi, where they were engaged in the construction of the canal which was to isolate Vicksburg from the river, and make it an inland town. A freshet in the Mississii^pi river compelled the regiment, with the other troops, to seek higher ground for encampment. Young's Point was selected. From Young's Point a nvimber of expeditions were sent to the east side of tlie Mississippi dnd up the Yazoo river, in all of which the Thirty-seventh participated.

On the 29th of April, 1862, the regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel, L. Von Blessingh, with eight other regiments of the division embarked on steamers and were taken up the Yazoo river to Haines' Bluff. This movement was made as a feint to cover the movements of General Grant, to the southeast of Vicksburg. The regiment returned to the west side of the Mississippi and again went into camp at Young's Point, performing guard and fatigue duty until the 13th of May, when it was sent down to Grand Gulf. .From that place it marched with the force under General Grant to the rear of Vicksburg, where it was assigned as a portion of the front line of the army investing that place. In the bloody but unsuccessful assaults on the enemy's works. May 19 and 22, and the subsequent siege > of Vicksburg, the regiment lost nineteen killed and seventy-five wounded - including among tlie wounded Lieutenant Colonel L. Von Blessingh. This casualty devolved the command of the regiment upon Major C. Hipp imtil the l8th of June, when Colonel Siber reported from his leave of absence, and resumed command.

seventh participated in the expedition against Jackson, Mississippi, and on its capture, July 17, it performed provost-guard duty for some days. On the 23d of July it marched to a camp of rest and reorganization, called Camp Sherman, near Big Black river. It remained in this camp up to the 26th of September, 1863, on which day it marched into Vicksburg and embarked on the steamet Nashville for Memphis, Tennessee. Prom Meniphis the regiment marched into Corinth, Mississippi; thence to Cherokee Station, Alabama, reaching the latter place on the 20th of ^October, and remaining in bivouac until the 26th of the same month.

The rebel General Forrest becoming troublesome, the Thirty-seventh Ohio marched, "vvith its division, to drive off his cavalry, who were operating with the view of impeding the march of the national forces toward and for the relief of Chattanooga. On the 21st of November Chattanooga was reached, and on the nights of the 23d and 24th the regiment crossed the Tennessee river, opposite Mission Eidge, and held a hill in front of the enemy during the night of the 24th, in order to maintain commvmication with the first brigade of the division. On the morning of November 2.5 the regiment participated in an assault on the enemy's fortified position, in which it lost five men killed and thirty-six wounded, five of the latter being ofiicers. Although not successful in the charge, other points of the rebel line were broken and the enemy retreated during the following night, and was pursued as far .as Ringgold. '

At Gravesville, on the 29th of November, the regiment received orders to march with the division to East Tennessee to drive the rebels under Longstreet from that part of the State. This campaign lasted for three weeks, and is memorable from the intense suffering endured by the troops. The weather was intensely cold, the men half clad, and numbers of thern shoeless, and were to subsist on half rations ; and yet these brave men endured all these privations without a murmur. On the contrary, unreasonable as it may seem, the men generally were in exuberant spirits, and it was noticed that more humorous jokes were current on that campaign than any that preceded it. On the march back, the regiment remained at Bridgeport, Alabama, until the 26th of Deceniber, when it went into camp at Larkinsville, Alabama.

In the beginning of the month of February, 1864, the Thirty-seventh formed part of an expedition sent toward Lebanon, Alabama, and on the 15th of the same month it marched to Cleveland, Tennessee, with the Fifteenth Army Corps, on a reconnoissance to the vicinity of Dalton, Georgia, returning to Larkinsville, Alabama, March 2.

On the 8th of March, three-fourths of the men having re-enlisted for another term of three years, they were again mustered into the service, and placed in the Second Brigade, Second Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps. The usual thirty days' leav^was accorded, which the regiment enjoyed at their homes in Ohio.

At the expiration of the furlough the men promptly rendezvoused at Camp Taylor, near Cleveland, and by the 28th of April, 1864, were again at the front, ready for duty. On their way to duty a disastrous railroad accident occurred near Mumfordsville, Kentucky, by which thirty men were wounded and one killed.

On the arrival of l^he regiment at Chattanooga it was newly armed and equipped, and was immediately ordered to join its division (May 10), then operating in Sugar creek valley, Georgia. On the 13th of May it participated in the advance on Eesaca, in which it lost three killed, two of whom were officers, and ten men wounded.

The enemy having been driven out of his strongholds, the division and regiment crossed the Oostenaula river at Lay's Ferry, and marched towards Kingston, Georgia, reaching there on the 19th of May. At this time the Thirty-seventh Ohio was under the command of Major C. Hipp, Lieutenant Colonel L. Von Blessingh being in Ohio on sick leave.

In the march on Atlanta, Dallas was- the next point reached. On the 28d of May, the enemy was encountered in strong force at that place, sheltered by a stronglj' fortified position. In this engagement and at New Hope Church (May 28, 29 and June 1), the regiment only lost four men wounded. On the retreat of the enemy, the Thirty-seventh pursued toward Aoworth, and went into line of battle in front of Kenesaw

Mountain, and participated in the memorable and disastrous assault made by the national forces against that stronghold, in which the enemy was compelled to fall back and abandon the position. Up to this point (from June 11 to July 2), the regiment lost four men killed and nineteen wounded.

Again on the march, the regiment was next foimd, with its division, to the extreme right of the army, supporting the Twenty-third Army Corps in the engagements near the Chattahoochiei river and Nicojack creek. Immediately after, it was ordered to the left (July 12), and marched through Marietta, Eosswell Factories and across the Chattahoochie river. Strong breast works were built on the south side of ^the river, and the regiment moved by a rapid march to the Atlanta and Augusta railroad, which was distroyed for a considerable distance. It then moved through Decatur on Atlanta, and on the 20th of July, 1864, encamped within two miles of that city.

On the 22d of July the Thirty-seventh Ohio held a position on the right of its division, in the breastworks abandoned by the enemy on the previous night. The enemy, receiving heavy reinforcements, succeeded in breaking the national lines on the left, whereby the Thirty-seventh was flanked and compelled to " get out of that." In this reversed movement it lost four men killed, ten wounded, and thirty-eight taken prisoners. The national forces, stung to the quick by tlie success of the enemy, turned fiercely upon them, and with the help of the Sixteenth Army Corps, retook the position and held it. On the 27th of July the Fifteenth Army Corps was moved to the right of the besieging army, thereby threatening the enemy's communication with Macon and the South generally. Perceiving too late the advantage that had been gained by the national movement, the enemy made an effort to drive them from their position, and for that purpose the hair tie of Ezra Chapel was fought (a fierce encounter) in which the rebels were severely punished. The Thirty-seventh Ohio held the extreme right in this engagement, was deployed as skirmishers and completely frustrated an attempt of the enemy to turn the national right. Major C. Hipp commanded the regiment in this afiair, and lost his left arm at the commencement of the battle. This devolved the command on Captain Morritz, who took the regiment through the remainder of the battle. The regiment lost one man killed and five wounded.

Very nearly a month (from July 28 to August 26) was consumed in advancing the national lines toward the fortifications in front of the railroad leading from Atlanta to East Point, during which period the regiment lost five men killed and eight wounded. It then moved with its division, over the Atlanta and Montgomery railroad, toward Jonesboro on the Atlantic and Macon railroad.

The 30th of August found the Thirty-seventh in line of battle, moving on Jonesboro in advance of the brigade. Driving the enemy's skirmishers before it, at sundown it had gained a position onehalf mile west of the railroad, where, during the night, it threw up intrenchments, and participated in the bloody repulse of the enemy's repeated charges on the national position. The loss of the regiment during these two days (August 30th and 31st), was two killed and seven wounded.

Jonesboro was entered by the national troops on the 1st of September at noon. By night, Atlanta was occupied, and the national forces in ftUl pursuit of the rebel army. The pursuit was abandoned at Lovejoy's Station, and the regiment returned to East Point (September 7), where it went into camp and rested until tlie 4th of October, 1864. The Thirty-seventh Ohio left its camp, in pursuit of tlie rebel forces under Hood, on the 4th of October. Forced marches were made over Northern Grfiorgia and Alabama, and the enemy's cavalry rear guard encountered near Gadsden, Alabama, on the Coosa river. On the advance of the brigade in line of battle, the enemy retreated in such haste that it was useless for infantry to attempt the pursuit. The regiment then returned to Ruffin's StatioHj near the Chattahoochie river, where it remained up to the 13tli of November. Lieutenant Colonel L. Von Blessingh, having recovered from his illness, joined and resumed command of the regiment, relieving Captain G. Boehm, who had taken the place of Captain Morritz, absent on leave.

On the 13th of November, 1864, the Thirtyseventh Ohio marched into Atlanta to draw the necessary outfit for the long march about to be made. On the 15th it took up the line of march. The route of the regiment passed over Mc- Donough's Indian Springs, near which place it crossed the Ocmulgee river ; thence through the towns of Hillsboro and Clinton. At the latter place it performed, in company- with the Fifteenth Michigan Infantry, valuable guard duty, in preventing the enemy's cavalry from crossing the read leading to Marion, with the view of capturing and destroying a division train, then parked in the town of Clinton. Covering the rear of the division, the regiment marched the mext day to Griswold, where it joined its division, and having crossed the Georgia Central Railroad, marched through Ironton. It crossed the Oconee the 26th of November and, after marching -through extensive swamps, arrived at Summertown, November 13. Continuing its march through the low and swampy lands of Georgia, along the southern side of the Ogeechee river, it the Connonchee river on the 9th of De- -cember ; thence to the line of the Savannah and Oulf Railroad, miles of which, with the assistance of other regiments, it destroyed. Recrossing the it passed the Ogeechee river and advanced to within nine miles of Savannah. On the 13th, it again crossed the Ogeechee, at King's bridge, advanced on Fort McAllister, was invested by the national forces and carried by assault the same day.

After some days rest the division again marched to the Savannah and Gulf Railroad and completed its destruction for a distance of thirty miles. On the return of the brigade to Savannah it received orders to report to the headquarters of the Fifteenth Army Corps to take part in the contemplated general attack on Savannah. " In the meantime, however, the enemy evacuated the city, and the Thirty-seventh Ohio went into bivouac in a camp eleven miles west of the place.

It afterward moved into the immediate vicinity of the city and occupied itself in drilling, perfecting its equipment and in fortifying against the enemy, who, it was thought, might possibly make an effort to regain possession of Savannah. On the 19th of January, 1865, the regiment, under orders, marched to Fort Thunderbolt, on the Savannah river, where it embarked for Beaufort, South Carolina, which was reached on the 22d of January. At this point the regiment went into camp until the 27th of January, when it returned to Beaufort and took the division train out of the transports then lying in port at that place. On the 30th it escorted this train to Pocotoligo, and from thence marched to McPhersonville, where it joined the division, and went with it through South Carolina and the southern part of North Carolina.

On this march it crossed Coosawattee, the Big and Little Combahee, the South and North Edisto, often wading through water up to the arm pits of the men, and attacking the enemy in fortified positions. After crossing the Congaree, the regiment bivouacked on its banks, five miles south of Columbia. On the 16th of February it crossed the Saluda river, four miles above Columbia, and guarded the division train into Columbia. It crossed Broad river February 18, and was engaged for two days in destroying the track of the Columbia and Charleston railroad. On the 20th of February the regiment continued its march, crossing the Wateree and wading Lynch creek (which had assumed the dimensions of a river), on the 26th. At this point the regiment was compelled to halt until the 2d of March, to allow the balance of the division to come up, freshets and the carrying away of a bridge having retarded the march.

The next day (March 8), the State line of North Carolina was crossed. After having crossed the headwaters of the Little Pedee, Lumber river, and Little river, the regiment was ordered to escort General Howard's headquarters and pontoon trains of the Army of the Tennessee (right wing). It brought the trains safely into Fayetteville. North Carolina, on the 11th of March.

On the 14th of March, Cape Fear river was crossed, the regiment marching on the road leading to Clinton, which was guarded from the enemy's cavalry, then demonstrating in the national front. On the 17th, Beaman's Cross-

On the 22d of March, the regiment marched towards Goldsboro', crossed the Neuse river on the 24th and went into camp two miles east of the town. The regiment remained in this camp until the capitulation of Lee and Johnson, when, with the rest of the national army, it marched, Richmond, Virginia, to Washington City, there passed in review before President Johnson and his Cabinet. Thence it was transported by rail to Louisville, Kentucky, where it lay until the latter' part of June, when the regiment was sent with the Second Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps to Little Rock, Arkansas, arriving on the 4th of July. The regiment remained in camp there until the 12th of August, when it was mustered out and transported to Cleveland, Ohio, and there disch'erged, and the men returned to their resnective homes.