Sandusky County, Ohio - Chapter 22: Military History, 1882 (part 5 of 5)

In this part of the fight two of our men were wounded, Charles H. Bennet, in the right leg and James Titsword through the left breast above the heart. When we had fought about three-fourths of an hour, it commenced to rain and hail, which made it difficult to load without wetting the power. Then the rebels retreated. In a very little time it rained so hard we could not see more than a couple of rods, which was just exactly the time for them to ride on to us and cut us in pieces. We threw out guards to watch for them. I never knew it to rain so hard. When the rain had ceased, we saw them forming on a sort of prairie beyond the reach of our Enfields. In a short time they gave a great shout and advanced on us. As soon as they were within good reach, we commenced to drop them again. They had been reinforced to about four or five hundred, beside what may have been in reserve. We fought here about a quarter of an hour more, during which three more were wounded, and several had holes shot in their clothes, one having a thumb broke, two shots in his arm, one through his clothes and one in his boot. Now was the desperate time. The rebels fired a volley, drew sabres and began to advance. They were on three sides of us. Our hearts began to sink. We rallied round the old white oak, each one firmly grasping his gun with its powder-stained bayonet, and determined to give as good as we got. How fierce we felt. Our last chance seemed gone, when a volley sounded in the rear of the rebels. It was the Seventy-second ! How loud the hurrahs sounded then ! It was the sweetest music I ever heard ! The rebels turned and fled. We were saved. We fired as long as we could reach them and then took Titsword in care, and then we went over to where part of the rebels had been. We found two mortally wounded ones. Our Enfields make wicked holes. The first was a young boy about eighteen. He was afraid of us, and wanted to know what we would do with him. We promised to take care of him, as we would of our own men. He was assured of this, for one wanted to kill him, but we raked him so the boy was encouraged. The other was a man about twenty-five. We carried them as far as the pickets, where we had to leave them, for we could carry them no farther. Each one said there were four or five hundred of them. They were from Alabama, were well dressed and pretty well armed. These two men died last night. The rebels had carried all their wounded and dead away, but our cavalry say they saw about twenty dead rebels in the woods, and there must have been many wounded. I saw four dead horse.

Company A passed over the ground where our heaviest fire was aimed, and found a great many sabres, pistols, guns, blankets, and everything they couldn't take away. They had a battery not far from where we were, and the cavalry followed them nearly into it. I have heard our men took two pieces of artillery, but am not certain if it be true. None on our side were killed, but Major Crockett, I fear, is a prisoner. The last seen of him, he was riding like a flash through the woods, followed by a dozen rebel horsemen. He had no arms with him, and couldn't fight them. A sergeant and a corporal were taken prisoner from company H. Company H had four wounded, one the color-sergeant, old Dr. Gessner's son. He was taken prisoner and told to climb behind one of the rebels, which he would not do. The rebel drew a revolver and snapped it at him, but it missed fire. He ran while the rebel was cocking it again, when the fellow shot and hit him in the shoulder. Our men took nine or ten prisoners, who said they hadn't thought we could shoot so well. We must have killed about as many as there were of us, for every man took aim, and there are some who don't miss often. Orin England and Eugene Rawson were with our company, and neither one of them had even a pistol; but as soon as Titswood was wounded, Orin took his gun and cartridge box and fought well, while Eugene stood up with the boys and talked and laughed, and told them to keep coo! and take good aim. It was no light matter to stand up unarmed, and a lot of fellows shooting at one. While we were bringing in the wounded there was a heavy battle not far from where we fought. Our fight will not probably appear in the papers, but we had a hard struggle, and against most fearful odds. Ten to one is a great disadvantage. Two minutes more and company B, Seventysecond Ohio Volunteer Infantry, would have been no more. We would have all been killed, for each one would have died fighting. It would have been a barren victory, for there would have been a dead rebel or two for every one of us. Otar bayonets were fixed, and they are sorry things to run upon. We were willing to stop fighting. How soon we will have another fight I don't know, but any minute the j long roll may sound for the battle. We may fight j and die; but, mother, your sons will never quail.

That these appeals were successful the above letter shows. The patriotic mother could no longer withhold her consent. On the 2 2d day of November he enlisted in company B, of the Seventy-second regiment, at the age of twenty years. He went with the regiment to Shiloh, and there, early in the day of the 6th of April, he was wounded in the knee by a rifle shot from the enemy.

The news of his being wounded reached home. Lists of the wounded who had been sent homeward were published in the papers. The anxious parents watched j eagerly the list of those sent to Ohio, but Chester's name was net found. It appeared subsequently that by mistake his name was in the list of those sent to Indiana, which the friends here did not search with so much interest.

Our people at once, after the battle of Shiloh, sent a committee there and an- j other to Cincinnati, to look after the re- j turning wounded. Dr. L. Q. Rawson, while at Cincinnati, found that young Buckland had died of his wound on a steamboat which was bringing him to that , city from Cairo. Dr. Rawson at once placed the body in a metallic case, and sent the remains homeward, and informed the parents by telegraph what had happened.

The remains arrived in due time, and, after solemn services, were deposited by a large collection of mourning, patriotic citizens in Oakwood cemetery, where he rests.

Michael Wegstein

The first man of the Seventy-second regiment to give his life on the field of battle for our Union and liberty, was Captain Michael Wegstein, of company H. He was born in Baden, Germany, in the year 1818. He emigrated to the United States in 1834, and as soon as time allowed became an American citizen by naturalization. He was an industrious and useful citizen, apd in 1859 was elected sheriff of Sandusky county. In the year 1861 Doctor A. R. Ferguson was elected his successor, whose term of service began on the 1 st of January, 1862. After the October election of 1861, Mr. Wegstein, being defeated in the election by Dr. Ferguson, at once set himself about recruiting a company of Germans, to form a part of the Seventy-second regiment. He succeeded, notwithstanding a portion of his partyi the Democratic, was much opposed to the war at that time. Captain Wegstein was a brave, honest, and patriotic man. He ably and faithfully commanded company H, of the Seventysecond regiment, and was with it in all its movements until the morning of the memorable 6th of April, 1862. At the first onset of the rebels in that battle he was found ready and at the head of his company. As he was forming them into line for a charge upon the enemy, a minie rifle r ball from the enemy's ranks struck him in I the throat, a little above the breast bone,

| He was certainly the first man of the Seventy-second killed in battle, and probably j the first life offered up by the patriots of j Sandusky in the great struggle for the Na- 1 tion's life. Michael Wegstein was an honest man, faithful in the discharge of all the social duties of life - a good citizen in all respects. He was always a brave man, and a patriot who gave his life for his adopted country.

If Sandusky county shall ever perform her sacred duty in honoring her soldiers with a monument to them, the name of Michael Wegstein should have a prominent place, and justly and truly record the fact that of all the men the county gave to the Seventy-second regiment, he, an honest, brave, and patriotic man, was the first to die in battle.

Lieutenant-Colonel Herman Canfield

of Medina county, was the next offering of life on the field of battle from the Seventysecond regiment. He was a scholar, a graduate, a lawyer, and left a good and lucrative practice to enter the service. By his efforts a company was enlisted in the eastern portion of the State. A few minutes after Captain Weigstein fell, Lieutenant-Colonel Canfield was shot through the breast while riding in front of his command, on the morning of the 6th of April, 1862, in the battle of Shiloh, and died on the 7th of the same month.

Major Eugene Allen Rawson

Among the noble men who have earned the gratitude of a Nation, by giving their strength and their lives to its defence, few there are whose memory deserves to be more warmly cherished than he whose name stands at the head of this article. While at school at Homer, New York, and just about finishing his academic course, preparatory to entering Yale College, the President's first call came for volunteers, and young Rawson, not stopping to count the cost of the sacrifice he was about to make, joined the Twelfth New York regiment as a private. In that capacity he took a noble part in the battle of Bull Run, evincing great coolness and bravery. When the fortunes of the day went against General McDowell's army, and when, in the confusion that followed, regiments were thrown into disorder and scattered, he and a tried companion sought the protection of a tree, from behind which they loaded and fired until his friend fell dead by his side.

In December, 1861, he was appointed adjutant of the Seventy-second Ohio Vol unteer Infantry by the Governor of Ohio, and was accordingly transferred to it by the War Department. He could have received no transfer more agreeable to his feelings, and none more complimentary. The Seventy-second was chiefly raised in his own county, and was composed in a great measure of those who had been the companions of his boyhood. Entering upon the duties of his new field, he at once exhibit ed a peculiar fitness for the position to which he had been called, and, from his previous experience in the service, was of great advantage in the early training of the regiment. He left Fremont with the I regiment in January, 1862, when it moved to Camp Chase, preparatory to setting out to its final destination, Paducah and the Southwest. When, joined to the Army of the Tennessee, the Seventy-second disembarked at Pittsburg Landing, the men composing the command were mostly sick, suffering terribly from the effect of their transit and with the disease peculiar to that Southern climate, to which they were unused. Major Raw'son's natural buoyancy of spirit, and cheerful, sprightly manner could not otherwise than revive the drooping spirits of the boys, amongst whom, in their hour of calamity, he went about "doing good." On Friday-preceding the battle of Shiloh, Major Crockett, with company A and company B, was sent forward by Colonel Buckland on a reconnoissance to ascertain the reason of the unusual firing heard in the direction of the picket line. Advancing some distance and failing to discover the cause, Major Crockett separated his little command, moving himself with one company to the left, while he sent company B, accompanied by Adjutant Rawson, to the right. Major Crockett's company, after proceeding but a little way, was met by a superior force of rebel cavaliy. The Major and some of his men were captured, while the balance barely made good their retreat. Company B, continuing its course to the right, unconscious of the fate of their gallant Major and his men, were confronted at a distance of a mile or two farther by the same cavalry which had so summarily disposed of their companions, now largely reinforced. Comprehending at a glance their situation, they discovered at once that retreat was impossible, and that the alternative remained to surrender or attempt to hold the enemy at bay until reinforcements should arrive. The latter course was unhesitatingly adopted. Choosing an elevated piece of ground, covered sparsely by trees, they prepared for the attack.

Their position placed the enemy in front, the ground being unfavorable for a flank movement. Making a fallen tree their breastwork, those forty men, who had never before stood face to face with an enemy, who, for the first time were required to point a gun or pull a trigger - held in check, for hours, six hundred rebel cavalry, by emptying the saddles of the advance until, to their great relief, a volley in the rear of their enemyannounced the arrival of part of the Seventy-second regiment, led by Colonel Buckland, who, becoming alarmed at their long absence,

Although Major Rawson was not in i command of the detachment, yet owing | to the feeble health of Captain Raymond, the conduct of the defence devolved principally upon him. Under his direc- ! tion a volley of only ten guns was fired at one time, so that a sufficient reserve I should remain to mete out with steady aim another and still another volley, if the i dashing chivalry should choose to follow ! up their advance after receiving the first | round.

After the fight was over, the enemy's dead of men and horses counted, and the few wounded prisoners cared for, all, both officers and men, were lavish of the praise they bestowed upon their young adjutant. Without a musket himself, he picked up that of a wounded comrade, and fired his rounds with a composure that did no discredit to his exploit at Bull Run.

When the battle opened on the 6th of April, two days afterwards, and the rebels came like an avalanche upon our unsuspecting troops at Shiloh, Buck land's brigade responded to the beat of the I long-roll with such alacrity that they stood in the very front of Sherman's division, ready to meet the coming shock before the enemy had gained rifle distance of their position. Colonel Buckland being in command of the brigade, the command devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Canfield. Major Crockett, the only other field officer of the regiment, being a prisoner, by common consent Adjutant Rawson assumed his position for the occasion. At the first or second fire Lieutenant- Colonel Canfield fell mortally wounded, and he alone remained to command and cheer the undaunted boys who stood steadfast amid the storm of leaden hail that mowed through their ranks, until Col- onel Buckland, seeing the disaster that had befallen his own brave regiment, put himself at their head, and led them through the fight. The horse of our young adjutant was shot from under him, | and another that had been sent forward ! for him being captured before it reached him, his duties were no less bravely or efficiently performed on foot.

The history of the Seventy-second; of the part it bore in the three days' fight at Pittsburg Landing; in the seige of Corinth; in the pursuit of Forrest through Tennessee; of its marches, skirmishes and battles from Memphis to Vicksburg; of its pursuit of Johnson, under Sherman, to Jackson; of its return to Memphis, and of the part it enacted in the great expedition of General Sherman into Mississippi - is the history of Major Rawson. After the Seventy-second had re-enlisted as veterans, and after the main body, composing Sherman's expedition, had moved southward, a small force, consisting of not over sixteen hundred men, was sent out on the venturesome expedition of making a feint into the enemy's country, who were holding a position on the bank of the Tallahatchie, to intercept and defeat the crossing of the reinforcements moving to the support of General Sherman. Of this comparatively small force the Seventy-second formed a part under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel Eaton and Major Rawson, Adjutant Rawson having been promoted to the rank of Major by the unanimous recom- : mendation of the officers, and in accord- j ance with the known feeling of the regi- j ment, although he stood not in the regular 1 line of promotion.

Arriving at the Tallahatchie River in the evening, and finding the enemy encamped in large force on the opposite bank, they lit up their camp fires in such profusion as to deceive the rebels into the belief that they were a body of some six or eight thousand strong. So well did they play their part that they kept the enemy beguiled and at rest until time enough had elapsed for General Smith to cross the river above, at the point chosen, without interference. The object of the expedition attained, they were ordered to return to Memphis. But they were in the enemy's country, out of reach of reinforcements, numbering less than sixteen hundred, with the rebels in strong force on the opposite side of the river. To render less hazardous their retreat it became necessary to burn two bridges. Colonel Eaton received the order from the general in command to execute the task. Dividing his regiment, he marched before morning with the main body to the one supposed to be the most strongly guarded, assigning to Major Rawson two small companies with which to proceed to the other, where it was thought but few would be found to offer resistance. The reverse proved to be the case. The Major it was who encountered the largest force. Having arrived at the bridge Major Rawson sent his pickets across to reconnoiter. No sooner had they gained the opposite side than from a point out of sight, came dashing up a large body of rebel cavalry, who commenced firing on the pickets. Veterans as they were, they knew too much to run across the bridge, where they would be sure to receive the raking fire of the rebel carbines. So they jumped over the sides into the water. This gave them the protection of the bank, as they well knew the trusty rifles of their companions would make a near approach to the bank a place where a rebel would hardly venture to "make ready, take aim, fire," even at the command of a major-general himself. A brisk little fight ensued - the bridge was destroyed without the loss of a man on Major Rawson's side, while more than one rebel grave marks the site where the old bridge

From the badly managed expedition, of which the Seventy-second formed a part, sent out from Memphis under General Sturgis, which ended so sadly at Guntown and Ripley, in Mississippi, Major Rawson reached Memphis with such of the officers qnd men of his regiment as were saved from the general disaster, marching over eighty miles, without food or rest, in less than forty-eight hours. The Seventy-second, acting as a rear guard of the fleeing troops, valiantly beat back the pursuing foe until out of ammunition, and their supply train destroyed by the rebels, they were forced to make good their escape by flight, which they did, but two hundred and fifty of the regiment being captured. Scarcely rested from the terrible scenes and suffering through which they had passed, the regiment, now over half reduced in number, in command of Major Rawson, started again, under General A.

J. Smith, to encounter the same foe. Coming up to the enemy at Tupelo, Mississippi, Major Rawson was mortally wounded at Oldtown Creek, six miles beyond, while gallantly leading a charge against the rebel lines. Borne from the field he was conveyed back to Memphis.

Major Rawson was the son of Dr. La- Quinio and Sophia Rawson. He was born at Fremont on the 14th of March, 1840; was married to Miss Jennie Snyder, an amiable and accomplished young lady of Couitland county, New York, on the 31st of August, 1863, while absent from his regiment on a short furlough. He died at- Memphis, Tennessee, on the 226. of July, seven days after he received the fatal wound, aged twenty-four years. Embalmed, his remains were sent to his home - Fremont - and with appropriate funeral services were interred in Oakwood cemetery, followed thither by a very large 1

At a meeting of the officers and soldiers of the Seventy second Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, held at Memphis, Tennessee, the 28th day of July, 1864, for the purpose of expressing their feelings in regard to the death of Major Eugene A. Rawson, Lieutenant-Colonel C. G. Eaton was elected chairman, and Lieutenant J. Wells Watterson, regimental quartermaster, secretary. The meeting was called to order and the following members appointed a committee on resolutions: Lieutenant A. B. Putman, company A; Lieutenant J. F. Harrington, company A; Sergeant Corwin Ensminger, company C; Sergeant Abraham Eldridge, company I ; Corporal Samuel Persing, company A. The following resolutions were presented and unanimously adopted by the meeting:

Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to remove from us our brother officer and soldier, Major Eugene A. Rawson, by death on the 22d of July inst. , of wounds received on the 15th inst. , while bravely leading his regiment in a charge against the enemy's lines at the battle of Oldtown Creek; and

Whereas, We, the officers and soldiers of the Sev " enty-second Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, desire to express in a suitable manner our respect for the noble dead, and our deep regret for his untimely fall, therefore

Resolved , That in the death of Major Eugene A. Rawson our regiment has lost a brave, heroic, and devoted officer and soldier, the nation one of her most ardent patriots and defenders, his family a distinguished member, his friends and brothers in a. ms a dear and valued companion.

Resolved, That we declare our conviction that the life of the deceased, while connected with the Seventy-second Ohio, has been one of unwearied devotion to duty and to the service of his country, and whether in the quiet camp or the toilsome march, or in the blaze and fury of battle, he alike ably, patiently, and heroically performed with untiring energy all that fell to his lot; and when struck by the fatal ball, was found at his post fearlessly offering his life that his country might live.

Resolved, That w-e tender the family and friends of the deceased, and especially the young wife who has thus early been called to mourn the death of her

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the friends of the deceased; also a copy to the Fremont Journal and Sentinel and the Courtland County Journal, of Homer, New York.

Kessler And Belding

John J. Kessler was a promising young man of Fremont, Ohio, who volunteered in company F (Captain Bartlett). He became a second lieutenant, was promoted to first lieutenant and then to captain. He was then chosen aide on General Rosecrans' staff, in which capacity he did good service in the battle of Chickamauga.

Captain E. B. Belding, of Medina county, Ohio, volunteered in battery A, First light artillery, and was on duty in the same battle. The two men had become acquainted, although in different branches of the service. Belding was that day on horseback doing duty, when his horse was wounded in one hind leg by a ball from the enemy, and became frantic and almost unmanageable. While struggling with his horse Captain Belding found it necessary to put both hands to the bridle, which movement brought his hands and wrists close together. While the horse was struggling and turning round, a rifle ball struck the upper part of his hand and passed through both wrists. Notwithstanding this wound the Captain managed to use one thumb and finger on the rein to keep the horse in a circle, for if he had dashed off straight in his then condition, the rider would have been thrown or dashed against a tree. While the horse was circling Belding freed himself from the stirrups but still held one rein of the bridle when assistance, in the form of a single man,

! came up, to whom he surrendered the 1 horse. Captain Belding was then in a very unsafe position, where the enemy's I fire from the front was cutting down I wounded men who were under orders re- I tiring to the rear for safety and surgical aid. He started to the rear to find a surgeon. When the shock of the wound gave way to reaction, he found himself weak from pain and loss of blood, but he continued i walking, and sitting down occasionally to rest. He finally concluded that he could not hold out and sat down upon a log, faint and with the desperate conclusion that he could not move any farther, and would there await his fate.

Captain Kessler fortunately discovered j him in this condition, rode up to him, dismounted, placed Belding on the horse and took him back to a ravine where a surgeon ! was at work among the wounded. Here j Captain Belding's wounds were hastily | bandaged, and soon after he obtained an

This incident produced a friendship : between the two men, for Belding believed ! he owed his life to Kessler's kindness. Kessler had two sisters at home, whose pictures Belding happened to see although he was ignorant of their relationship to , the Major. One of them struck his fancy and he told the Major if he could find that girl he would marry her. "I don't know about that," replied the Major; "that is a picture of my sister Louise, now in Fremont. She may have something to say about that." "We shall see," said the Captain. About a year after, Captain Belding, while on a furlough, found Fremont, accidentally, of course, and found the Kessler House, then the leading hotel in the city. Of course Captain Belding recognized the girl whose picture he had seen and fancied. When the war was over, as was very natural, Capfkin Belding must see his brave friend who had saved his life. Major Kessler told his sister the story of their acquaintance, and, Captain Belding was warmly welcomed by Major Kessler and by his family.

A fine, bright youth, the exact miniature of Captain Belding, called Willie, with - father and mother, make a most happy trio for a family. A more thoroughly devoted, trustful, and affectionate husband cannot be found than Captain Belding, and himself and wife are as happy as human faith and affection can render man and women, and this forms what Bob Ingersoll savs is the best heaven he has ever found.

But what of Major Kessler? The. exposures and hardships of the war hurried consumption upon him, and, like hundreds of thousands of other brave men, he came home to linger and hope a little while., He sleeps in our beautiful Oakwood cem- ! etery, where a fine and well deserved monument marks the spot where the brave i and good man is at rest. Often you may see fond friends lingering there, and every returning annual decoration day sweet, beautiful flowers are seen, giving fragrance to the last resting place of the remains of John J. Kessler. Captain Belding and his noble wife are among the first to visit Major Kessler's grave, and there drop the sweetest flowers, and bedew them with the tears of gratitude and affection.

Major-General James B. Mcpherson

The only Federal major-general who perished on the field of battle was James B. McPherson. His ability as a commanding officer has been variously estimated. His career, brilliant and crowded as it was, was prematurely cut off before his capacity had been fully tested. One fact, however, is significant. He gained, in an unprecedentedly short time, the confidence of commanders justly celebrated for their accurate estimates of men. With the meagre field experience of one campaign, he was given command of as noble an army as ever marched to defend the Union. Every man in that army admired him for his superb gallantry, and for his open, generous heart. The feeling of friendly affection and admiration was not confined to the tented field. Those here, who knew him from childhood, and called him "Jimmie," those who had been his play-fellows and knew his boyish fancies, watched his career and applauded his triumphs with affectionate interest. The Army of the Tennessee and his friends at home have fittingly shown their appreciation of a noble friend and gallant general, by seeking to preserve in moulds of imperishable bronze, the features of his handsome body. He is idolized by his old neighbors at Clyde. The story of his life, from childhood to the gallant but fatal exploit on the field before Atlanta, is a familiar topic of conversation.

James Birdseye McPherson was born at Hamer's Corners (now Clyde), November 14, 1828. His father was of Scotch-Irish descent, and married, in New York, Cynthia Russell, a native of Massachusetts, and came to Ohio, the first time, in 1822, on foot, his travelling companions being Norton Russell and James Birdseye, whose name was given to the first-born as a mark of friendship. Mr. McPherson entered land and built a cabin. A year later his wife joined him and the pair began housekeeping. He was a blacksmith, but found it difficult to earn a livelihood on account of the sparse settlement of the country and scarcity of money. He was constitutionally nervous and excitable, but had the reputation of being a skilled tradesman, until overthrown by the nervous disj6o

Janies was known among the mothers of the backwoods settlement, as a " good baby," happy, good-natured, healthy. He seemed to enjoy being petted, but was not peevish when neglected. Tall Chief once visited the homely McPherson residence, during one of his strolls from the Seneca reservation, four miles south. After fondling the babe, then just beginning to prattle, the Indian was asked by the proud mother what he thought of her boy. "Fine boy, fine boy," was the prophetic reply of the red-skin. "Be big man." This remark, which only amused the mother at the time, was recalled after the fall of Vicksburg. The child grew into a healthy and strong boy, full of spirit and never idle. He delighted in, and always sought the praise of his parents and neighbors. An incident is told which shows that that caution which, in after life, characterized all his actions, was the product of maturer years. When seven or eight years old, he visited his uncle, Norton Russell, whom he found in the field cutting corn. The boy was anxious to help, and was finally permitted to, but cautioned to be careful and not try to cut more than one stalk at a time. The future general soon became impatient. He raised the heavy knife high over his head and said : "Uncle, I am going to cut like men do." A half-dozen stalks of corn tumbled to the ground, but a severe wound of the knee punished the lad's rash disobedience.

It was the father's desire that his son should have a good education, but financial embarrassment prevented sending him away. James, however, attended district school, which was held in a log house occupying almost exactly the same spot now occupied by the base of his statue. Here he mastered, by the age of thirteen, the common branches taught at that time, and became a good writer. While not in school, his time was employed on the farm. But at the age of thirteen there came a crisis ; his father was no longer able to work, and James felt called upon not only | to earn his own living, but also to give assistance to his mother, struggling against poverty. He obtained a situation as store boy in the establishment of Robert Smith, at Green Spring, five miles south of his home. He has himself described this first farewell to his home and mother. "The whole family were in tears when he bade them good-bye; and taking up his little bundle, commenced his journey of five miles, afoot and alone. After walking boldly forward for some distance, he looked back and saw them all at the door, watching and weeping. To shut out the painful sight he clutched his bundle tighter and ran as fast as his young feet would carry him, until he reached the woods, when he sat down and wept abundantly. Then he took up his bundle again and came on to Green Spring."

Here is exhibited that tender sympathy and affection which were such important elements of his character. Even in the blaze of military triumph, home and mother occupied his first thoughts.

Young McPherson worked faithfully, and seemed contented while under the employ of Mr. Smith at Green Spring, but his i ambition never permitted him to settle upon merchandizing as an employment. He devoured the contents of the well filled little bookcase of his employer, and received with heartfelt thankfulness the promise of an appointment to West Point. He had j for a long time desired to make more out | of himself than a country store-keeper,

I and a way was now open to the realization | of his aspirations. Two seasons were | spent in the academy at Norwalk, preparing for the dreaded entrance examination, l which he passed with credit. He entered I the famous class of '53, composed of fifty- two members, among whom were Sheridan, Sill, Schofield, Bell, Tyler, Chandler, Vincent and others, who achieved renown during the Rebellion; also his antagonist at Atlanta, James B. Hood. At the end of the first year McPherson stood second, and from then till the end of the course .was always at the head of the class. He , was not only a fine scholar, but a popular, ^ kind-hearted, generous cadet. He was familiarly called "Mac" by his classmates, who never asked of him a reasonable favor in vain. His principal offence while at the i institution had for its cause a desire to ; relieve a part of the class of unnecessary burdens. He had been promoted, on the ground of merit, to the Cadet Captaincy, but his rank was reduced to the lieutenancy for the grave offence of permitting a part of his class to ride in an omnibus to engineering drill. Eighteen other marks of delinquency stand against him at West Point, showing that, although a perfect student, he, like others, was sometimes derelict according to the strict rule of West Point conduct. But his promotions at the academy followed each other in almost as quick succession as, a decade later, his promotions in the army.

Graduating at the head of his class, l McPherson, according to the rules of the | academy, was appointed to the engineering corps. He was retained the first year at the academy as assistant instructor of j practical engineering - an honor never be- j fore conferred upon so young an officer. ! From a private letter we learn that Mc- Pherson felt, keenly, this splendid compliment although the duties of the position did not suit his tastes. For the next three years he was engaged on engineering duty on the Atlantic coast; for three and a half years at Alcatraz Island, one of the defences of San Francisco harbor. Then came the war. While in New York he i came in contact with the finest society in i the city, which, private letters show, engrossed a fair share of his attention. A promising young officer, handsome, accomplished, and cordial in his bearing, there was no reason why he should not be a welcome guest in any home. He at length found his "pearl of great price" in the person of a Baltimore lady, whom he was to have married early in 1864, but the plan of the Atlanta campaign rendered it impossible to spare time from the army long enough to meet the engagement. Sherman, in a letter to the betrothed lady, explained affairs, and the marriage was postponed. We naturally have an interest in the woman whom a man of McPherson's culture and character would select for a wife. In a letter, written from California to his mother, he pictures in one sentence his idea of feminine loveliness. He says: "You will love her as I do, when you know her. She is intelligent, refined, generous-hearted and a Christian ; this will suit you as it does me, for it lies at the foundation of every pure and elevated character."

The spirit of West Point during the period when the Abolition sentiment was organizing into an active -movement, is well remembered. McPherson, like so many young officers of his day, imbibed the prejudices of the institution, and his opinions during the formative period of the Abolition movement are expressed in unmistakable language. In 1853 he writes to a friend in Ohio: "I believe, if I were to meddle with politics, I would be a Know Nothing." A year later he openly rejoiced in an Abolition defeat. He writes :

Not a few are highly gratified at the result of the recent elections in Massachusetts and in this State, which have been such a signal rebuke to Seward and his Abolition supporters. It is very seldom that military men meddle with politics, except when broad national principles are assailed; and then they feel it a duty to place themselves in the van and rally to the support of the U nion. I have felt a good deal of interest in politics since I have seen the efforts which have been made to form a sectional party, - a party with but one idea, and that one calculated to awaken a feeling of animosity from one extremity of the Union to the other, the fatal effects of which neither you nor I can predict. When I see men, endowed with superior powers of mind and occupying high stations, putting forward their utmost energies to excite dissension, and not only dissension but absolute hatred between the different sections of our country, I feel that it is time they should be shorn of their strength and rendered powerless to commit evil. Could I believe in their sincerity or patriotism, and that motives of humanity actuate them, I might be a little more charitable. But when such men as Salmon P. Chase, whose position gives him influence, gets up before a public assembly in Maine, or any other State, and declares that there is a deep feeling of hatred between the North and the South, that the Allies do not hate the Russians or the Russians the Allies any more than the people of the North hate the people of the South or the people of the South hate the people of the North, it is time all candid men should unite to defeat the schemes and machinations of such demagogues. I do not hesitate to say that I am gratified at the result of the elections; and I believe every Union Whig - Henry Clay and Daniel Webster Whig - can say the same.'*

The young engineer, it will be noticed, emphasized his devotion to the Union. It was not until the first overt acts of rebellion that McPherson saw his mistake as to who the real assailants of the Union were. A manly letter, written shortly after the beginning of secession, to his mother (published first in Hours at Home ) shows that West Point training, although it had affected his prejudices, had not sullied his ardent patriotism. He says:

However men may have differed in politics, there is but one course now. Since the traitors have initiated hostilities and threatened to seize the National capital, give them blow for blow, and shot for shot until they are effectually humbled. 1 do not know whether I shall be kept here, or ordered East; but one thing I do know, and that is, that I am ready and willing to go where I can be of the most service in upholding the honor of the Government and assisting in crushing out rebellion; and I have faith to believe. that you will see the day when the glorious old flag will wave more triumphantly than ever.

I wish I were at home now to join the Ohio Volunteers. I swung my cap more than once on reading the telegraphic message of Governor Dennison: "What

Kentucky will not furnish, Ohio will. " Now that the fires are kindled, I hope they will not be permitted to die out until Jeff. Davis and his fellow-conspirators are in Washington to be tried for treason, or, in the language of old Putnam, "tried, condemned and | executed."

After such a letter, there is no mistaking the position of McPherson. He was ready to devote his energies and talent to the preservation of the Union. He became a martyr on the field of battle.

At the opening of the rebellion Mc- Pherson's talent did not receive proper recognition. He was a capable engineer, but little known. Incompetent drill masters were receiving promotion, while he was compelled to solicit a transfer to the service in the East. There he was given but a junior captaincy of engineers, and assigned to duty at Boston harbor. He was always modest, and refrained from actually seeking appointment, but we have information from private sources that he was ambitious to enter upon field duty. The time came when his well trained faculties were to have a broad scope and severe test. The result subsequent events showr. In November, 1861, he was ap- I pointed aide-de-camp to General Halleck,

! with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Pro- ! motions followed rapidly. From assistant engineer of the Department of Missouri, he became chief engineer of the Army of i the Tennessee in the expedition against Forts Henry and Donelson. He engineered the expedition against Corinth, writh the rank ot colonel. On the 15th of May, 1862, he wras appointed brigadier general of volunteers, and the following June was assigned to the general superintendency of military roads in East Tennessee. On his return from Corinth after the battle he was given a commission as major general of volunteers, to date from October 8, 1862 - a position to w hich he had risen in little I more than a year, from junior captaincy of I engineers. His first experience as a com- mander was at Corinth. His subsequent operations were under the direction of Grant, in the campaign which terminated in the capture of Vicksburg.

McPherson in this campaign bore a conspicuous part. Port Gibson, Clinton, Jackson, and Champion Hill, first brought him into public notice and favor. After the fall of Vicksburg he was generally credited at the South with the planning of the whole campaign. This was certainly a mistake, but Grant owed a large measure of his success to McPherson's care, bravery, and ability in executing commands. While his private letters show that he was not insensible to the honor which promotion implied, yet he never permitted his ambition to lead him into expressing official reports in any other than the most simple and matter-of-fact terms.

At Raymond, just as the issue of the battle seemed plain, his adjutant approached him with a dispatch to Grant, ready for the signature. It said that "he had met the enemy in immensely superior force, and had defeated him most disastrously, and was now in full pursuit." McPherson quietly tore up the paper and wrote: "We . met the enemy about 3 p. m. to-day; have had a hard fight, and up to this time have the advantage."

Grant generously acknowledged Mc- Pherson's services in a letter recommending him for promotion to the rank of brigadier-general in the regular army. The letter reviews his record thus far and will be of interest at this time:

He has been with me in every battle since the commencement of the Rebellion, except Belmont; at Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, and the siege of Corinth, as a staff officer and engineer his services were conspicuous and highly meritorious. At the second battle of Corinth his skill as a soldier was displayed in successfully carrying reinforcements to the besieged garrison when the enemy was between him and the point to be reached. In the advance to Central j Mississippi, General McPherson commanded one j wing of the army with all the ability possible to ' show, he having the lead in the advance, and the rear retiring. In the campaign and -iege terminating in the fall of Vicksburg, General McPherson has tilled a conspicuous part. At the battle of Port Gibson it was under his direction that the enemy was driven late in the afternoon from a position they had succeeded in holding all day against an obstinate attack. His corps, the advance always, under his immediate eye were the pioneers from Port Gibson to Hankinson's Ferry. From the north fork of Bayou Pierre to the Black River it was a constant skirmish, the whole skilfully managed. The enemy was so closely pursued as to be unable to destroy their bridges of boats after them. From Hankinson's Ferry to Jackson the Seventeenth Army Corps marched on roads not travelled by other troops, fighting the entire battle of Raymond alone, and the bulk of Johnston's army was fought by his corps, entirely under the management of General McPherson. At Champion Hills the Seventeenth Corps and General McPherson were conspicuous. All that could be termed a battle there was fought by the divisions of General McPherson's Corps and General Hovey's division of the Seventeenth Corps. In the assault of the 22d of May on the fortifications of Vicksburg and during the entire siege, General McPherson and his corps took unfading laurels. He is one of the ablest engineers and skilful generals. I would respectfully but urgently recommend his promotion to the position of brigadier-general of the regular army.

McPherson was given command of the district of Vicksburg, a well-earned compliment. During the winter his old chiefs, Grant and Sherman, were advanced, and in order of merit the command of the Army of the Tennessee fell to McPherson. He assumed the duties of his new position March 26, 1864. He repaired at once to Nashville and was present when the Georgia campaign was planned, before the glorious results of which were realized he was sleeping in an honored grave. The Army of the Tennessee was at this time widely scattered. The Seventeenth Corps was absent on ve'eran furlough ; the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Corps were stationed from Huntsville to Memphis, while a portion was reinforcing Banks in the Red River campaign. McPherson at once concentrated these scattered forces and by the 5th of May had his columns in hand at Ringgold, Georgia. Two days later he commenced his march on Resaca, making the first flank movement of the celebrated Atlanta campaign.

We can not detail this whole campaign in which the Army of the Tennessee took so conspicuous a part. Nowhere in the Rebellion was finer generalship displayed than by Johnston in blocking the progress of Sherman's superior army. But Johnston was succeeded at a critical point by Hood - McPherson's classmate at West Point. On the 17th of July, after a long series of engagements, generally success- ! ful, we find Sherman's army thus disposed before Atlanta, ready to move on the defences of the city: The Army of the Cumberland, under Thomas, occupied the right and the right centre, resting on the river northwest of the city; the Army of the Ohio, under Schofield, occupied the left centre, and the Army of the Tennessee took a position on the left, thus throwing Thomas and Schofield in front of the enemy's main line of fortifications. On the 1 8th McPherson, by a rapid swing, struck the Georgia railroad about fifteen miles northeast of the city, at Stone Mountain, and broke up four miles of road which brought supplies to the besieged city from the east. Schofield occupied Decatur, six miles east of Atlanta, and Thomas moved his forces towrard Peach Tree Creek, north of Atlanta. On the 19th McPherson and Schofield passed eastward of Decatur, while Thomas, though meeting strong opposition, crossed from the north of Peach Tree Creek, in front of the enemy's entrenched lines. The Federal forces on the morning of the 20th then lay in a curved line from the railroad running northwest across the Chattahoochee, to beyond the Georgia railroad east of Atlanta. The position of the armies changed little during this or the following day, although on the afternoon of the 20th Hooker, after a severely contested battle, repulsed an attempt of Hood to force through a gap between the armies of Schofield and Thomas. On the 21st Leggett's division of the Seventeenth Corps, under McPherson, carried a strong point commanding the city and* the two main roads leading north and south. This was a strongly fortified hill which the rebels made two desperate but unsuccessful attempts to recover.

On the morning of the 2 2d the advance lines of the enemy were found abandoned, which led Sherman to believe that Hood meant to evacuate the city. He ordered a general advance, but McPherson was more prudent. He well knew the character of his old classmate and antagonist. Orders had been received from Sherman to employ the Sixteenth Corps, under Dodge, to break up the railroad, and with the rest of his command to move rapidly upon the city. Skirmish lines were advanced and McPherson, in company with Logan, made a personal examination of the fortifications from the crest of the hill overlooking the works and the city. Few persons could be seen either behind the fortifications or in thp streets. Suspecting Hood's design to suddenly fall upon the advancing columns from the side and rear, McPherson, after giving some general directions to Logan and Dodge to maintain their positions, hastened to Sherman's headquarters to the right. His explanation to Sherman of the situation was interrupted by the sound of battle at the extreme left, which confirmed his suspicions. At full speed he rushed toward the sound. He found the Sixteenth Corps facing the left flank and struggling firmly against an assault of terrible fierceness. The Seventeenth Corps was maintaining their fortified eminence, but between the two was a gap through which it was feared the enemy would force his way and cut off the Seventeenth Corps. Behind this gap lay a wood, through which a narrow road led to the eminence occupied by the Seventeenth Corps. McPherson, after sending his staff on various errands, accompanied by a single orderly, dashed along this road to the wood. He was met by a staff officer and informed that the Seventeenth Corps was being severely pressed by an overwhelming force. After a moment's hesitation the staff officer, John T. Raymond, was hurried back with orders to General Leggett to form his lines with all possible speed, parallel to the road. McPherson then, at full speed, hurried along the fated road, but already the enemy was crowding down into the gap. A shrill "halt!" rang out from behind the trees. The faithful steed, quickly obeying his master's bidding, dashed into the thick wood, followed by a volley from the skirmish line in gray. A minute later the riderless horse, with two wounds, came out of the thicket, while the brave, loved General of the Army of the Tennessee lay dying with lacerated lung and shattered spine. The subsequent battle is best described by Logan, who succeeded to the command:

The news of his death spread like lightning speed along the lines, sending a pang of keenest sorrow to every heart as it reached the ear. But especially terrible was the effect upon the Army of the Tennessee. It seemed as though a burning, fiery dart had pierced every breast, tearing asunder the flood gates of grief; but at the same time heaving to their very depths the fountains of revenge, the clenched hands seemed to sink into the weapons they held, and from the eyes gleamed forth flashes terrible as lightning. The cry, "McPherson! McPherson!'' rose above the din of battle, and as it ran along the lines swelled in power, until the roll of musketry and booming of cannon seemed drowned by its echoes.

McPherson again seemed to lead his troops, and where he leads, victory is sure; each officer and soldier, from the succeeding commander to the lowest private, beheld, as it were, the form of their bleeding chieftain leading them on in battle. " McPherson," and " onward to victory, " were the only thoughts; bitter, terrible revenge their only aim. There was no such thought that day of stopping short of victory or death. The firm, spontaneous resolve was to win the day or perish with the slain leader on the bloody | field. Fearfully was his death avenged that day.

His army, maddened by his death and utterly reckless | of life, rushed with savage delight into the fiercest onslaughts, and fearlessly plunged into the very jaws | of death. As wave after wave of Hood's daring 1 troops dashed with terrible fury upon our lines, they were hurled back with a fearful shock, breaking their columns into fragments, as the granite headland breaks into foam the ocean billows. Across the nar- I row line of works raged the fierce storm of battle, the hissing shot and bursting shell raining death on j every hand. Over dead and dying, friends and foes, j rushed the swaying hosts, the shout of rebels con- I fident of victory only drowned by the battle cry ! " McPherson " which went up from the Army of the

Many thousand rebels bit the dust ere the night closed in, and the defeated and baffled enemy, after failing in their repeated and desperate assaults upon our lines, were compelled to give up the hopeless contest. Though compelled to fight in front and rear, victory crowned our arms.

A detail of Union troops recovered the body, which was taken to the headquarters of the commanding General, and the following day was sent to its final resting place, in the beautiful cemetery at Clyde. Sherman wept bitterly, and Grant assured the broken-hearted, devoted mother, and affectionate grandmother, that their sorrow could not exceed his. Bui weeping was not confined to generals and friends at home. The rank and file of the Army of the : Tennessee felt that they had lost a devoted personal friend. Their acquaintance was short, it is true, but so kind-hearted, so devoted to their comfort and safety had he been, that their admiration of his , gentle manhood and splendid gallantry amounted to nothing less than love. Sherman, in his feeling official announcement said: "General McPherson fell in battle, booted and spurred as the gallant knight and gentleman should wish."

Not his the loss; but the country and the army will mourn his death and cherish his memory as that of one who, though comparatively young, had risen by his merit and ability to the command of one of the best armies which the Nation had called into existence to vindicate its honor and integrity.

History tells us of but few who so blended the ! grace and gentleness of the friend, with the dignity, courage, faith, and manliness of the soldier.

But most deeply affecting was the funeral scene at Clyde a week later. The pure grief of a tender, devoted mother, and of a doting grandmother, was uncontrollable.

The hundreds of strong men who had known the martyr hero from innocent boyhood, who remembered the friendly grasp of his tender hand which had always been extended to his old neighbors and friends during his annual visits home, these wiped with brawny hands from tanned faces, tears of profound sorrow. Mothers, friends of the grief-stricken parent, who had never known the young soldier by any other name than "Jimmie," dampened with weeping the sweet flowers with which fair hands had covered the sad but honorable tomb.'

Many officers and soldiers of the Army of the Tennessee, having expressed a desire to pay some fitting tribute the memory of their late gallant commander, the noble McPherson, who fell in the front of battle, booted and spurred, on the bloody day of the 22d of July, I submit to the several corps and other commanding officers for their consideration the following plan of action :

I would suggest that each regimental commander have lists prepared for subscription, and that those soldiers of the army who may desire to subscribe register their names theron; as soon as the lists have been completed, that they, with the funds raised, be forwarded to the brigade commander, and by him trans- J mitted for the purchase a nd erection of a suitable monument at the grave of that gallant soldier. As j soon as the monument has been erected these lists should be deposited at the grave.

I would further suggest as a member of the executive committee, Major General William B. Hazen, Brevet Major General M. D. Leggett and Brevet- Brigadier-General A. Hickenlooper, citizens of Mc- Pherson's native State, and in every way fitted to discharge the duty of their position.

These circulars were distributed, as directed, among the soldiers of the various corps, at the first regular meeting of the Society of the Army of the Tennes- ' see, in Cincinnati, 1866. Reports were received, showing that three thousand j nine hundred and fifty-six dollars had been received for the fund toward erecting a monument to General McPherson. The minutes of that meeting also show that a strong effort was made to have the McPherson monument located at West Point instead of Clyde. General Hickenlooper strongly opposed the proposed change of location. In a letter to Genj eral Hazen he said :

The subscriptions thus far received have been almost entirely from the rank and file of the army which McPherson commanded - probably two-thirds from his own corps - with the distinct understanding that the monument would be erected over his remains at Clyde. The feeling which prompted this action on the part of his officers and men was not such as usually actuates men to subscribe to such an object; it was not so much for the purpose of perpetuating his military success and renown, but as a testimonial of their love and affection for the man. The feelings of the mother, who gave such a son to her country, together with the remaining members of the family, should be consulted, and they are decidedly opposed to the removal of his remains to the Point, if a monument can be erected at Clyde. It appears very absurd to erect a monument at West Point, and leave the place where he was born and raised, and where his remains now lie, unmarked and uncared for.

That we, the members of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, pledge ourselves to the erection of a monument to the memory of Major General James B. McPherson, to be placed over his remains at Clyde, Ohio.

On the 3d of August, 1866, McPherson Monument Society of Clyde was organized. Its officers were General R. P. Buckland, of Fremont, president, and Captain John M. Lemmon, of Clyde, secretary. The whole cost of the monument was to be eleven thousand dollars and the Clyde society pledged itself to raise three thousand dollars of the amount. This money was all subscribed and most j of it paid in. Besides supplying three thousand dollars of the monument fund, the Clyde society has greatly beautified the cemetery wherein lie the remains of the fallen hero. Through the efforts of General Buckland and Captain John M. Lemmon, Congress had been induced to grant an appropriation of four iron cannon, four bronze cannon, one thousand muskets and twenty-five cannon balls, which have been placed in the cemetery by the side of the monument.

General James B. McPherson was born in a small frame house in the extreme northeastern limits of the city, and the cemetery wherein he now lies, with his father and two brothers, once formed a portion of the homestead of the McPherson family. His mother's neat, white cottage now stands just at the edge of the graveyard, and through a latticed window she gazes with tearful eyes upon the stately monument erected to the memory of her hero son.

The statue of General J. B. McPherson is pronounced a perfect piece of art. The pedestal is of granite, nine feet in height and six and one-half feet at the base. The figure, which is also nine feet in height, and composed of bronze, represents the commander in full military uniform, with sword, belt, and hat. The left hand holds a field-glass, while the right hand and arm are extended, as if pointing to where the battle rages fiercest.

The piece is from the Cincinnati art foundry of Rebisso, Mundhenk & Co., who are also the designers and sculptors of the equestrian statue of McPherson erected at Washington three years ago. The statue occupies a high knoll, the most commanding point in the beautiful little cemetery, just at the edge of the city, where it forms a most imposing central figure.

The unveiling ceremonies, July 22, 1881, were attended by about fifteen thousand people, a large number of military societies and distinguished military men. A procession more than a mile long was formed at 1 o'clock, and at 2 o'clock marched to the cemetery, where the assemblage was called to order by the president of the day, General R. B. Hayes. The statue was unveiled by General W. T. Sherman; General M. F. Force delivered the dedicatory oration. Formal addresses were delivered by General W. E. Strong and General W. T. Sherman, followed by short addresses by Generals Gibson, Hazen, Leggett, Belknapp, and Keifer.