Morrow County, Ohio - Chapter 4 (2 of 2 so headed), 1880 (part 2 of 2)

panics C and D. The tbiiner organized with the following oflacers : Levi Reicholderfer, Captain ; T. C. Shunk, First Lieutenant; and D. A. Stark, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Reichelderfer resigned March 2(5, 1863. Lieut. Shunk died March 27, 1863 ; Lieut. Stark, appointed Adjutant June 26, 1863, and afterward resigned. Sergt. John W. Godman promoted to First Lieutenant, and transferred to Company E. Sergt. Charles 0. Oldfield promoted to Second Lieutenant Jan. 26, 1863, and mustered out in July. Company D went into the service with W. M. Dwyer, Captain; J. B. Williams, First Lieutenant, and Thomas Litzenburg, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Dwyer resigned Jan. 28, 1863. Lieut. Williams was promoted to Captain Jan. 25, 1863, and resigned March -4, 186-t. Lieut. Litzenburg resigned March 22, 1863. Sergt. J. M. Goodman promoted to First Lieutenant Jan. 26, 1863, and to Captain March 4, 1S64; resigned Nov. IS, 1864. Albert H. Brown, of Sparta, was Lieutenant Colonel, and led the regiment in nearly every battle it was engaged in. George N. Clark, of Morrow County National Bank, Adjutant of regiment, resigned January 26, 1863.

The Ninety-sixth was organized at Camp Delaware, on the 29th of August, 1862, and was made up principally from the Eighth Congressional District. The following sketch of the movements of this regiment was written by Maj. Charles H. McElroy, of Delaware, who went out as its Major, and may be relied upon as substantially correct :

" A camp was established for this regiment on the Fuller farm, one and a half miles south of the city, known as Camp Delaware ; the ground occupied lying between the Columbus road and the river. On the 1st day of September, 1862, the Ninety-sixth left camp, 1,014 strong, for Cincinnati, and, on the evening of the same day of its arrival, crossed over the river and went into camp at Covington, Ky. From that time until the close of the war, it was on continuously active, and most of the time hard, service. In the fall of 1862, the regiment, in the brigade of Gen. Burbridge and under command of Gen. A. J. Smith, marched from Covington to Falmouth, thence to Cynthiana, to Paris, Lexington, Nicholasville ; through Versailles, Frankfort, Shelbyville to Louisville"; leaving Covington on the 8th of October and going into camp at Louisville, on the 15th, From Louisville, it proceeded to Memphis, and on the 27th of December, with the forces under command of Gen. Sherman, left for ' down the river ' to Chickasaw Bayou. From there it went to Fort Hindman, or Arkansas Post, where it was in the left wing, under command of Gen. Morgan.

" After the battle of Arkansas Post, the regiment was at the siege of Vicksburg, where it formed a part of the Nineteenth Army Corps. Then followed the battle of Grand Coteau, La., a desperate struggle against fearful odds. After this, the regiment was sent into Texas on an expedition of short duration. Returning to -Brashear City, La., it entered upon the famous Red River campaign under Gen. Banks. The battles of Sabine Cross Roads (^wliere Col. Vance was killed), Peach Orchard Grove and Pleasant Hill followed. The regiment had, by continued losses, become so reduced in numbers that a consolidation became necessary, and was effected under a general order from Maj. Gen. Reynolds, commanding the Department of the Gulf. At the request of the officers and as a special honor to the regiment, it was consolidated into the Ninety-sixth Battalion, and not with any other regiment. This was the only instance in that department of any such favor being accorded. Soon after this, the regiment (now the Ninety-sixth Battalion) was ordered down the river and to Mobile, and was engaged in the capture of Forts Gaines, Morgan, Blakely and Spanish Fort, resulting finally in the capture of Mobile. The division was under the command of Col. Lundrum, of the Nineteenth Kentucky, and formed a part of the Thirteenth Corps under Gen. Granger.

arrived at Camp Chase, Ohio, where they were paid off and honorably discharged. During its service, the regiment marched 1,683 miles, traveled by rail 517 miles, and by water 7,686 miles, making a total of i),886 miles, exclusive of many short expeditions in which it took part."

The One Hundred and Twenty-first Infantry was organized at Camp Delaware, in September, 1862, and was composed of material from Knox, Union, Logan, Delaware, Hardin and Morrow Counties. The Colonel, William P. Reid, was a prominent lawyer of Delaware; the Lieutenant Colonel, W. Smith Irwin, a citizen of Mount Gilead, and the Major, R. R. Henderson (now of Delaware), was, we believe, from Union County. Company E was raised in the county, and orgdnized with the following commissioned officers : David Lloyd, Captain ; Jacob M. Banning, Fir.st Lieutenant ; Elisha B. Cook, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Lloyd was wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, from the effects ot which he died. Lieut. Banning was promoted to Captain on the death of Capt. Lloyd, then to Major, and then to Lieutenant Colonel, which position he held at the muster out of the regiment. Second Lieut. Cook was promoted to First Lieutenant April 5, 1863, and resigned September 17, 1863. James A. Moore became Second Lieutenant April 5, 1863, and was promoted to First Lieutenant April 12, 1864, and to Captain January 6, 1865, and as such mustered out at the close of the war. George Shaffer was promoted to First Lieutenant April 20, 1865, and afterward killed by guerrillas. Daniel J. Mathews was promoted to First Lieutenant, but mustered out as Sergeant.

The One Hundred and Twenty-first was organized, as we have said, at Camp Delaware, the old camp of the Ninety-sixth. From a published history of the regiment during its term of service, we make the following extract: "On the 10th of September, the regiment, 985 strong, left for Cincinnati, where it was put on guard duty for a few days, but, on the 15th, crossed the river and went into camp at Covington, Ky. From there it moved to Louisville and was assigned to Col. Webster's brigade, Jackson's division and Mc- Cook's corps. Without an hour's drilling, it marched with Buell's army in pursuit of Bragg. In this condition, it participated in the battle of Perry ville, in which Capt. Odor, of Company K, was killed. After the battle, the One Hundred and Twenty-first was detailed to bury the dead, and remained in Kentucky on guard duty until January, 1863, when it proceeded to Nashville, and then to Franklin, Tenn., where it was en gaged protecting the right flank of Gen. Rosecrans' army, then lying at Murfree&boro. When the army moved forward from Stone River, the One Hundred and Twenty-first moved with it and was attached to the Reserve Corps, under Gen. Granger. At Triune they had a slight skirmish with the rebels under Gen. Forrest. The next engagement in which the regiiuent took part (and its first severe one) was the battle of Chickamauga, where it lost heavily. It made a gallant charge to save the only road to Chattanooga, and, in the charge, encountered the Twenty-second Alabama Rebel Infantry, capturing its colors and a majority of its men. The loss sustained by the One Hundred and Twenty-first was Lieuts. Stewart, Fleming and Porter, killed ; Capts. David Llnyd (of Company E) and A. B. Robinson, and Lieuts. Marshall, Stephens, Moore. Mather, Patrick, Bryant and Mitchell, wounded ; privates killed, fourteen, and seventy wounded. For its bravery in this engagement, the regiment was highly complimented by Gen. Granger. After the battle, it fel' back with the array behind the intrenchments at Chattanooga, where it remained until after the battles of Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge, in both of which it took a prominent part.

"After these battles, it returned to its old camp at Rossville, and remained there until 1864, when it moved with the army on the Atlanta campaign, participating in the battles of Buzzard Roost, Resaca, and, as a part of Gen. Jeff. C. Davis' division, was at the capture of Rome, Ga. It was at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, in which it participated with its accustomed bravery. It made a lodgment under the enemy's works and held it, thereby securing possession of the National dead and wounded ; but dearly did they pay for their bravery. Among the commissioned officers killed were Maj. Yeager, Capts. Lloyd and Clason, and Lieut. Patrick ; and eight officers wounded. At Chattahoochie River, on the Uth of July, it lost, in a skirmish at the railroad bridge, five men killed and four wounded. At Atlanta and Jonesboro it performed its usual hot work, where it lost several men killed and wounded. About the 29th of September, the regiment was sent back to Chattanooga, where it was attached to an expedition against Forrest's cavalry, then raiding on the railroad some distance away. The expedition followed the rebel cavalry and drove it across the Tennessee River into Alabama, then returned and joined in the chase of Hood. The One Hundred and Twenty-first joined Sherman at Rome, 6a., and marched with his army to the sea. After the fall of Savannah, the regiment, then commanded by Lieut. Col. A. B. Robinson, went on the expedition into the Carolinas, and took an active part in the battle of Bentonville, where it lost six men killed and twenty wounded ; among the latter were Capts. Charles P. Claris and M. E. Willoughby. Capt. Claris afterward died from the effects of the wounds received in this battle."

On the 1st of May, 1865, the war virtually over, the One Hundred and Twenty-finst joined the march of the National forces through Richmond to Washington, where it took part in the grand review, after which it was mustered out and sent home, and, on the 12th of June, was paid off and discharged at Columbus.

The One Hundred and Seventy-fourth Infantry contained two companies from this cDunty. Company A was recruited mostly by William 6. Beatty, of Cardington. He was elected its Captain, but upon the organization of the regiment was promoted to Major. First Lieut. Henry Rigby was promoted to Captain, in place of Capt. Beatty, and resigned May 19, 1865. Second Lieut.

December 80, 1864, and was discharged for disability May 18, 1865. First Sergt. William F. Wallace was promoted to Se^nd Lieutenant, December 30, 1864, and as such was mustered out with regiment. Company K, was recruited in and about Mount Gilead, and was organized with the following commissioned officers : Henry McPeak, Captain ; B. B. McGowen, First Lieutenant, and T. J. Weatherby, Second Lieutenant. These officers held their positions without change, until mustered out, except receiving brevet promotions for meritorious services.

The One Hundred and Seventy-fourth was raised under the call for one year's service, and organized at Camp Chase, on September 21, 1864. It was composed chiefly of men who had seen service in other regiments, had been discharged, and, tiring of the monotony of home life, re-enlisted. On the 23d of September, the regiment left for Nashville, with orders to report to Gen. Sherman, then commanding the Department of the Mississippi It reached Nashville on the 26th, and was ordered to Murfreesboro, which point was threatened with a raid from the cavalry of Gen. Forrest. On the 27th of October, it left Murfreesboro, with orders to report to the commanding officer at Decatur, Ala. From Decatur it proceeded to the mouth of the Elk River, leaving four companies as a garrison for Athens. In a few days, it returned to Decatur, and, on the 26th of November, it was again sent to Murfreesboro. It remained at Murfreesboro during the siege, and participated in the battle of Overall's Creek, where it behaved with great gallantry, and was complimented by Gen. Rousseau, personally, for its bravery. Its loss was six men killed, two officers and thirty-eight men wounded. It took part in the battle of the Cedars, on the 7th of December, where it fully maintained its fighting reputation. In a gallant charge during the fight, it captured two cannon, a stand of colors and a large number of prisoners. Its loss was severe ; among its killed was Maj. Reid, who was shot through the head while urging his men on to the the charge. The regiment participated in all the fighting around Murfreesboro, and after the siege was assigned to the Twenty-third Army Corps, which it joined at Columbia, Tenn.

In January, 1865, the regiment was ordered to Washington City, where it arrived on the 20th. It remained here until the 21st of February, when it was ordered to North Carolina. Here it was attached to the column commanded by Gen. Cox, and took part in the battles of Five Forks and of Kingston, in both of which it acquitted itself with its accustomed bravery. This was the last battle in which the regiment was engaged, as the war soon after closed. It was mustered out of the service June 28, at Charlotte, N. C, and at once left for home, arriving at Columbus on the 5th of July, where it was paid off, and received its final discharge.

The One hundred and Eighty-seventh Infantry, for the one year's service, was represented by a company from Morrow County, viz., Company Gr, which was officered as follows : John C. Baxter, Captain ; Warner Hayden, First Lieutenant, and B. G. Merrill, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Baxter and Lieut. Hayden were mustered out with their regiment in January, 1866 ; Lieut. Merrill resigned June 10. 1865.

This regiment was among the last full regiments raised in Ohio, and was mustered into the service, as we have said, for one year. It was organized March 1, 1865, and two days later left Columbus for Nashville. It was ordered to Dalton, Ga., on its arrival at Nashville, where it went into camp, and for some two months was subjected to drill and discipline. The One Hundred and Eightyseventh marched from Dalton to Kingston, and there received the paroles of about two thousand rebel soldiers, who presented themselves at that place, claiming to belong to the surrendered armies of Johnston and Lee. Returning to Dalton, the regiment again went into camp for some thirty days, and then proceeded to Macon. It performed provost duty here until the 1st of January, 1866,

The Fifty-sixth Battalion of the Ohio National Guard was called out in the spring of 1864, and went into the field officered as follows : W. Smith Irwin, Lieutenant Colonel, commanding; James McFarland, Major; W. M. Dwyer, Regimental Quartermaster; A. R. Boggs, Adjutant ; William Reed, Assistant Surgeon, and B. B. McGowan, Sergeant Major. Company A, First Lieutenant, Owen Tuttle, commanding ; Second Lieutenant, Jones, with aggregate force of eightythree men ; Company B, First Lieutenant, Moses Shauck, commanding ; Second Lieutenant, George Marshman ; aggregate force, seventy -five men ; Company C, Captain, William Mitchell ; Second Lieutenant, 0. L. French ; aggregate force, seventy-three men ; Company D, Captain, John C. Baxter ; First Lieutenant, Thomas Litzenburg ; Second Lieutenant, Warner Hayden ; aggregate force, eighty-three men ; Company E, Captain, Zachariah Meredith ; First Lieutenant, James McCracken; Second Lieutenant, J. M. Moore; aggregate force, eighty-four men. Total force of battalion, 388 men. The services of the battalion while in the field were arduous, though it participated in no battles, but was occupied in guard duty mostly in and around Washington City.

In the foregoing pages we have drawn, to some extent, on -' Ohio in the War," a work published by Whitelaw Reid. But as it is said to contain many errors, we have taken the pains to con suit members of the different regiments in which Morrow County was represented, compare notes with them, and endeavor to correct inaccuracies so far as possible, and doubt not but the sketches of the different regiments given are, in the main, substantially correct.

Just how many men Morrow County furnished the Union army during the late war cannot be definitely stated, as quite a number, perhaps, enlisted from other counties, where they were credited, as was the case to a greater or less extent in all the States. A tabulated statement of the soldiers in the field at that time was published June 5, 1862, showing,' the (|UOta of this county to be as follows : Canaan Township, 39 ; Cardington Township, 65 ; Westfield Township, 78 ; Peru, Township, 25 ; Lincoln Township, 43 ; Gilead Township, 114 ; Washington Township, 29 ; North Bloomfield Township, 26 ; Congress Township, 28 ; Harmony Township, 31 ; Bennington Township, 36 ; South Bloomfield Township, 40 ; Chester Township, 78 ; Franklin Township, 34 ; Perry Township, 25 ; Troy Township, 9 ; total, 700.

As we stated in the beginning of this chapter, the county was three times drafted. Each time, however, the number to be thus selected was small, as enlistments were so patriotically made that it left but small quotas to be drawn from the " wheel of fortune." The first draft took place on the 1st of October, 1862, under the supervision of Commissioner A. K. Dunn, and was as follows, by townships : Canaan, 26 ; Cardington, 3 ; Westfield, - ; Peru, 19; Lincoln, 10; Gilead, 13; Washington, 17; Harmony, 13; North Bloomfield, 9 ; Bennington, - ; South Bloomfield, - ; Chester, 10 ; Franklin, 40 ; Congress, 38 ; Perry, 26 ; Troy, 8. The next draft was May 19, 1864, for 146 men, distributed as follows: South Bloomfield, 6 ; North Bloomfield, 13 ; Bennington, 21 ; Chester, 12; Perry, 9 ; Congress, 15; Troy, 8; Franklin, 24; Peru, 18; Westfield, 20. And again October 12, 1864, for a small number of men, from a few townships that had not filled up their last calls, viz.: Washington, 6 ; Gilead, 4 ; Perry, 38 ; Congress, 26 ; Troy, 32 ; Peru, 6, and North Bloomfield, 18.

To write a full history of the participation of a single county in the late war, hundreds of incidents might be gathered and woven into it that would prove highly interesting to all classes of press at the time, and we give it as it appeared in the Cleveland Herald: "Henry McPeak, of Morrow County, had been in the service nearly two years, when, in the summer of 1863, he was discjiarged on account of disability. Returning home, he was elected Captain of Company A, Fifty-sixth Battalion of the Ohio National Guard. Having recovered his health, and getting tired of Home Guard soldiering, he went to Columbus, ob tained a leave of absence from his company for three years, and enlisted in Battery E, First Ohio Light Artillery, as a private. Some time in the spring of 1804, when the National Guard was called into the field, Mr. McPeak made application to the Secretary of War for a furlough of one hundred days to take command of his company, which was granted." He took command of his company which was in the One Hundred and Seventy-fourth Infantry (one-3'^ear service), instead of the Fiftysixth Battallion of National Guards, and performed good service while the regiment was in the field.

About the close of the war, a movement was made, which, we are sorry to say, so far has proved a failure - that is, to erect a monument to the memory of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the defense of the Union. The county papers have an account of a meeting held on the 24th of April, 1865, for the purpose of organizing a " Soldiers" Monumental Association of Morrow County." Officers were elected, by-laws and a constitution adopted, but it stopped there, and still remains a work of the future. While there are many of the soldier-dead resting in the village graveyards, where the afi^ection of surviving friends has reared above them marble slabs, yet there are still many who sleep far away, upon the fields where they fell. They rest, their warfare over, without " stone or lettered monument ' to tell the county, can devote but little space to incidents, but must confine itself to facts. One incident, however, is given, which illustrates the valor and patriotism of Morrow County .soldiers. The incident above alluded to went the rounds of the soldier of the Union. It is but justice to them that a monument should be erected to their memory. Doubtless the movement will be renewed at a fitting time and carried forward to completion. It certainly should be.