Washington County, Ohio - Chapter 27, 1902 (part 5 of 6)

\\\ X\\\^. I hoDc. you will at least say looks plausible; more than that, I hope it is reasonable, and believe it is practicn.ble, though I would not like you to forget that circumstances not fully foreseen may mar it in part. For the water movements, means are necessary which I have not the control of ; that is, gunboats and transports. The troops which you promise from Missouri could be used for the purpose, and ought to move at my signal. I should take the troops from Paducah for one of them, and replace them by those

Thus far I have studiously avoided any movements which to the enemy would have the appearance of activity or method. The points occupied are pretty much the same as when I arrived, except that a regiment has now and then been moved into position, and Thomas has gradually been closing in upon Lebanon. I shall in a couple of days, at most, complete the matter of organizing brigades and divisions as the troops come in, and begin to get them into position. We are new "lying around somewhat loose," and I shall not care much if some of our fragments have to look sharply after themselves. We are at the mouth of Salt River, Elizabethtown, Nolin, Columbia, Campbellsville. at the points on the Lebanon Railroad, Somerset. London. Crab Orchard, and Dick Robinson, and on the Lower Green River. The latter force is composed mostly of Kentucky regiments, half organized. I shall probalily keep them to make a demonstration on Russellville and Hopkinsville at the proper time. We have occasional stampedes at the outposts, but I do not allow myself to be much troubled about them. Such an one we have now on the lower Green River, where Breckenridge is said to be advancing with 8,000 men. He may have 2,500 or 3.000. Another at Somerset, wheie Zollicoffer is said to be crossing with 10,000. He may have 4,000 or 5,000, and he may cross a regiment or two.

As the troops come they go into camp five miles from the city, imder Mitchell, who is attentive and subordinate, and where they replenish their worn out clothes and outfit and go to drilling. Nelson has been in camp a day, and, I am informed, has already got into a- difficulty with Mitchell ; and, if I am rightly informed, has behaved very absurdly. As he is a veteran, some allowance must be made for him.

There are at Indianapolis seven regiments ready for service, but demoralized by the proximity of friends and the want of discipline and instruction. I propose to form them into a reserve and camp of instruction at Bardstown, which is a convenient place in many respects. I can make no use of them in an advance. The Kentucky regiments are only partially organized, and can be but little used at present.

If I were to go into my affairs, I should have the appearance of complaining over difficulties. I am greatly in need of general and staff officers. My own stafJ force is entirely insufficient, but I have no means of augmenting it with advantage. As^ for myself I should pay a very high compliment, if I hoped to come up to the expectations which you first formed. I am afraid I shall have to ask a little patience. Very truly vours.

Louisville, Kentucky, December 10. 1861. My Dear General: - As I informed you by telegraph, I received your letters on the 3rd and 5th. I have by no means been unm'ndful of your wishes in regard to East Tennessee, and I think I can both appreciate and write in your sympathv for a people who have shown so much constancy. That constancy will still sustain them until the hour of deliverance. I have no fear of their being crushed. The allegiance of such people to hated rulers, even if it could be enforced for the moment, will only make them the more determined and ready to resist when the hour of rescue comes.

The organization of the div'sion at Lebanon has been with special reference to the object which you have so much at heart, though, fortunately, it is one which suits any contingences that can arise. I shall hasten its preparation with all the energy and industry I can bring to bear. The plans which I have in view embrace that fullv ; but the details and the final determination - while there is yet time to watch the progress of circumstances which might affect our plans vitally - I think I should lack that ord nary discretion by which I hope to retain your confidence, if I did not reserve. When the preparation of that division is complete, which I hope will be very soon, if I then see reasons why it should be merged into the general line of operations, I will give you the reasons and you shall be the judge of them; and, if you do not see force in them. I assure you I will pursue your views with as much zeal and hopefulness, and, perhans, more energy than if I entirely concurred in them. You do not know me well yet if you think I cannot do this. And now for the other side of the field. I feel more anxiety about it than anv other, because I have less control over the means that ought to bear on it. and have less knowledge of their defaih if I had the control. I do not know well - scarcely at all - the description and capacity of the gunboats and transports that are to be used, and I do not know anvthing about the quality of the troops and officers. I have rot seen Smith for seven years, and am afraid to judge him. I have never rated him as highly as some men. The expedition requires nothing more, as matters now stand, than ordinary nerve and good judgment, and abilitv to command men. The troops ought, of course, to be the best we can command. The object is not to fight great battles and storm impregnable fortifications, but. by demonstrations and maneuvering, to prevent the enemy from concentrating his scattered forces. In doing this, it must be expected there will be some fightirg: it may be pretty good fighting. I suppose that lo.coo men, with two batte'ries, would not be too great an estimate for each of the rivers, if the enemy should do all that he probably can do. The precise manner of conducting expeditions depends so much on local knowledge that I can hardly venture on its details; but, at least, the expeditions should go as rapidly as possible to the nearest point where the road crosses the penmsula ; that is, to Dover and Fort Henry. And the first thing then to be done is to destroy the bridges and ferries : then act momentarily on the defensive, unless the weakness of the enemv or a trepidation in his force shr.uld give a good opportunity to attack. I think the first serious opposition will be "found at Fort Henry, and at an island battery four or five miles below Doverj but my information is not verv complete as to the strength of these works. It would be probably necessary to stop there. Fort Henrv is said bv civilians to be strong. I cannot learn vet the number of guns. There have been some 7,000 troops there. We will probably find that numberthere. It is about six miles below the railroad bridge. I should not expect to meet any considerable force at Dover, but. perhaps, 7.000 or 8.000 at Clarksville, where they are fortifying. If they succeed in gettng out of Bowling Green, which. I believe they will try to do as soon as they see us advancing, unless their force and armament are increased, of course the number at Clarksville may be expected to be greater.

The demonstration on Columbus and the Mississippi should, at least, be on such a scale that it can be converted into a real attack if they detach anything; better still, if it can attack in any event.

You must be patient if you find my letter vague and unsatisfactory. I have had to satisfy a deputation acting under a joint resolution of the legishture, that it was hardly nece-sary or expedient at this time to appoint a certain person "provost marshal, with all proper power, and giving to him such mihtary force as he may deem essential for a prompt and propar enforcement and execution of the laws, and a suppression of all lawless and marauding excursions into no.theastern Kentucky." I believe I succeeded pretty well, and perhaps after thut I ought n^t to have .attempted a coherent letter. Your own judgment will satisfy its deficiencies. Please have Rosecrans tike care of his revolted subjects along the Big Sandy. We are established at Munfordsville. Truly yours,

General: - I received ynur liispntch. and, with more delay than I meant, proceed to the subject of it in compliance with your request, and, I may add. aho at the wish of the President.

I do not underrate the difficulties in Missouri, and I think it is not extravagant to say that the great power of the rebellion in the west is arrayed on a front the planks of which are Columbus and Bowling Green, and the center about where the railroad between these points crosses the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. Including Nashville and the fortified points below, it is, I have no doubt, with'n bounds to estimate their force on that line at 80,000 menj including a column about Somerset, Kentucky, in the rear of their right flank, it is more.

Of this force, jo.ooo may be set down as at Bowling Green ; 20,000 at Columbus, though you doubtless have more information on that point than I have : and 20.000 at the center. Considering the railroad facilities which enable the enemy to concentrate in a few hours on any single point of this front, you will at once see the importance of a combined attack on its center and flanks, or at least of demonstrations which may be converted into real attacks, and fully occupy the enemy on the whole front. It is probable that you may have given the subject, as far as Columbus and the center are concerned, more attention than I have. With reference to the former, at least. I can say no more than the general suggestion already expressed, that it should be fully occupied.

The attack upon the center should be made by two gunboat expeditions, with, I should say, twenty thousand men on the two rivers. They should, of course.

be organized with reference to the depth of the water in the rivers ; and whether they should be of equal or unequal strength, would depend upon that and other considerations, and can hardly be determined until the moment of departure. The mode of attack must depend upon the strength of the enemy at the several points and the features of the localities. It will be of the first importance to break the railroad commuiiication, and, if possible, that should be done by columns moving rapidly to the bridges over the Cumberland and the Tennessee. The former, probably, would not be reached as first, being some 31 miles above the first principal i battery that I know of at Dover. The other is 18 miles above Fort Henry - the first I know of on the Tennessee. If the expedition should not be strong enough to do the work alone, they should establish themselves firmly at the nearest possible point, and remain at least until they ascertain that re-enforcements from my columns or some other source would not reach them. By uniting they could establish themselves permanently under the protection of the gunboats.

I say this much rather to lay the subject before you. than to propose any definite plan for your side. Whatever is done should be done speedily, within a few days. The work will become more difficult every day. Please let me hear from you at once. Very trnlv, yours.

The events happened in this order; The gunboats under Commodore Foote, supported by a land force under General Grant, captured Fort Henry, February 6th ; Grant and the navy, with the reenforcements which Buell had sent, ' appeared before Fort Donelson February 12th and 14th ; Buell's force appeared before Bowling Green, commenced crossing and demonstrating towards Nashville, February 14th, Johnston, having on his approach burnt the bridges and retired to Nashville. Fort Donelson surrendered to Grant February i6th, and on the approach of Buell, Johnston burnt the bridges over the Cumberland, and retired south from Nashville, which Buell occupied February 25.

The following order, issued on this occasion, is not so interesting for the announcement of the mere fact of occupation, as for the policy which it avowed in the prosecution of the war: that it has been their privilege to restore the national banner to the capital of Tennessee. He believes that thousands of hearts in every part of the State will swell with joy to see that honored flag reinstated in a position from which it was removed in the excitement and folly of an evil hour ; that the voice of her own people will soon proclaim its welcome, and that their manhood and patriotism will protect and perpetuate it.

The general does not deem it necessary, though the occasion is a fit one. to remind his troops of the rule of conduct they have hitherto observed and are still to pursue. We are in arms, not for the purpose of invading the rights of our fellow countrymen anywhere, but to maintain the integrity of the Union, and protect the constitution under which its people have been prosperous and happy. We cannot, therefore, look with indifference on any conduct which is des gned to give aid and comfort to those who are endeavoring to defeat these objects: but the action to be taken in such cases rests with certain authorized persons, and is not to be assumed by individual officers or soldiers. Peaceable citizens are not to be molested in their persons or property. Any wrongs to either are to be promptly corrected and the ofltenders brought to punishment. To this end all persons are desired to make complaint to the immediate commander of officers or soldiers so offending, and if justice be not done promptly, then to the next commander, and so on until the wrong is redressed. If the necess'ties of the public service should require the use of private property for public purposes, fair compensation is to be allowed. No such appropriation of private property is to be made except by the authority of the highest commander present, and any other ofiicer or soldier who shall presume to exercise such privilege shall be brought to trial. Soldiers are forbidden to enter the residences or grounds of citizens on any plea wthout authority.

No arrests are to be made without the authority of the commanding general, except in case of actual offense against authority of the government; and in all such cases the fact and circumstances will itnmediately be reported in writing to headquarters through the intermediate commanders.

The general reiuinds his officers that the most frequent depredations are those which,are committed by worthless characters who straggle from the ranks on the plea of being iMiable to march: and where the inability really exists, it will be found in most instances that the soldier has overloaded himself with useless and unauthorized articles. The orders already published must be enforced.

The condition and behavior of a corps are sure indications of the efficiency and fitness of its officers. If any regiment shall be found to disregard that propriety of conduct which belongs to soldiers as well as citizens, they must not expect to occupy posts of honor, but may rest assured that they will be placed in positions where they cannot bring shame on their comrades and the cause they are engaged in. The government supplies with liberality all the wants of the soldier. The occasional deprivations and hardshps incident to rapid marches must be borne with patience and fortitude. Any ofiicer who neglects to provide properly for his troops, or separates himself from them to seek his own comfort, will be held to a rigid accountability. By command of General Buell.

The Confederate forces concentrated south of the Tennessee River, under the command of Albert Sidney Johnston, after the evacuation of Nashville, and Buell's command, for military operations, was, on the 12th of March, merged into that of Halleck. After sending a division under Gen. O. M. Mitchel to occupy north Alabama, organizing a division under Gen. G. W. Morgan to operate from Kentucky against Cumberland Gap, and leaving a suitable force at Nashville and other places on his lines of communication, Buell marched in the latter part of March with five divisions - about 37.000 men - to form a junction with the forces of Halleck on the Tennessee River. He arrived at Savannah, the place appointed for the junction, with' his leading division the evening before the battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburgh Landing. When the battle opened the following morning, he ordered forward the division (Nelson's), already arrived, sent instructions to the rear divisions to press on by forced march, and in person went to the river on a steamer to the field of battle. The head of his column, under Nelson, arrived in time to repel an attack which the Confederates made immediately at the landing, to which the troops of Grant had been driven back at the close of the first day. Three of his divisions came up that night, a fourth the following day, and' at daylight on the 7th the enemy was attacked and b'v four o'clock in the evening driven from the field. Gen. Lew Wallace's fresh division, and such other fragments of Grant's army as retained any organization from the disaster of the previous day, took part in the battle of the 7th. The Confederates fell back to CiM-inth. 'w liich they fortified, and from which they were forced to retire :May 30th by the combined armies under Halleck. The Army of the Ohio, under Buell. wcupied the center in this advance.

Corinth, Buell with his army was again detailed to operate against East Tennessee. He moved into North Alabama with four divisions (25,000 men), making (June 31st) his headquarters temporarily at Huntsville, while repairing the railroads to his base of supplies at Louisville, 300 miles distant. His remaining division, under General Thomas, arrived July 31st. The movement from the first was delayed bv the orders of Halleck, requiring him to repai'r and guard the Memphis & Charleston Railroad east of Corinth.

In the meantime the Confederate forces in East Tennessee were re-enforced by General Bragg, with the bulk of the Corinth army, making an aggregate force of not less than 6o,ooQ men, which by the 28th of July w^as available for prompt concentration at Chattanooga or elsewhere in East Tennessee. Its superior cavalry force operated with great effect upon the long lines of the Union Army, breaking up the railroads and cutting off its supplies.

The effort to defeat these partisan operations by combining light infantry with the totally insufficient Union cavalry, and by local guards, was unsuccessful, and on the loth of August the Confederate cavalry under Forrest and Morgan, effectually severed the line of supplies of the Union Army by an extensive destruction of the railroad north of Nashville.

About the same time the whole Confederate force in East Tennessee assumed the offensive. Gaieral Kirby Smith, starting from Knoxville, passed the mountains to the left of Cumberland Gap. which the division under Gen. G. ^^^ ^Morgan had occupied and fortified in time.

Upon hearing of Smith's movement, Buell dispatched General Nelson with a few experienced officers and two batteries of artillery to organize such troops as could be got together in Kentucky to repel Smith's invasion. Smith encountered Nelson's force, composed of raw troops, at Richmond, defeated it (August 30th), and advanced into Central Kentucky, threatening Louisville and Cincinnati.

crossed the Tennessee River at and near Chattanooga with the bulk of his armv, threatening ^fiddle Tennessee and Nashville. The Union Army, which occupied various points for repairing the roads and with a view to the forward movement for which it had been preparing, was immediately put in readiness tor concentration.

McCook, with his own and Crittenden's divisions, was ordered from the mouth of Battle Creek, up the Secpiatchie Valley to watch and oppose the enemy's advance, and, when pressed, to fall back tor concentration on the road to I\IcMinnville. He advanced a short distance and returned, supposing that the enemy had already anticipated him on the ]\Ic- ]\Iinnville road. This supposition proved to be incorrect, and it threw the army out of position for efficient observation, grave an erroneous impression of the rate of the enemy's progress, and kept the army a week about Alc- Alinnville awaiting his approach, of which at the end of that time there was yet no intelligence. The army was now reduced to 10 days' supplies, and assuming Nashville to be the enemy's first objective point, it was necessary to put the army in a position which would enable it best to oppose that design and at the same time reopen its communication with Louisville. Orders were therefore given on the 30th of August for concentrating at ]\Iurfreesborough on the 5th of September. Pending' this movement the head of Bragg's column crossed the mountain and appeared at Sparta on the 2nd of September, and instead of turning towards Nashville, moved toward the Cumberland River, which it crossed at Carthage and Gainsborough. This change in the anticipated route of the enemy caused the movement of the Union Army upon Nashville and the sending of a division for the protection of Bowling Green, where some supplies had been gathered; and on learning that the bulk of the Confederate army was marching in the same direction, Buell started with the Army of the Ohio in pursuit, after leaving a suitable force to hold Nashville, which he had previously commenced to fortifv. The enemy halted involuntarily at Glasgow, but continued his march to AlunifordsviUe, where a Federal force of about 4,000 men, with artillery, strongly fortified, but heedlessly exposed to such a danger by the authority at Louisville, not then under Buell's command, surrendered to Bragg on the 17th without resistance. There was skirmishing between the two armies and preparations for battle at Mumfordsville, but on the 2 1 St the Confederate Army, followed closely by the Union Army, moved towards Louisville until near Elizabethtown, when it turned off toward Bardstown. That deflection indicated a speedy junction of Bragg and Kirby Smith, and perhaps an attack on Louisville, where a force of raw troops was gathering. Instead, therefore, of turning off to continue the pursuit, Buell marched directly on to Louisville, where his rear division arrived on the night of the 29th.

The new regiments were nnmediately incorporated into the old organizations, and on the 1st of October the army moved against the enemy, who then occupied Bardstown and Frankfort. The news of this advance brought to a hurried conclusion the ceremonies of inaugurating a State governor at Frankfort, in which Bragg was at the moment engaged. Sharp skirmishing occurred in both lines, the Confederates retiring for concentration until the Bardstown column reached Perryville,' where, October 8th, a severe but indecisive battle, lasting until night, was fought between portions of the two armies. The Union Army moved forward at six o'clock next morning to renew the battle, but the Confederates had withdrawn. There was further concentration on both sides and manoeuvring for battle, but on the 1 2th Bragg commenced to retreat on Cumberland Gap. He was followed, and his rear guard engaged at various points as far as London, when seeing no prospect of further advantage, Buell, October 17th, discontinued the pursuit, and directed his armv by way of Glasgow and Bowling Green upon Murfreesborough, in anticipation of Bragg's movement against ]\Iiddle Tennessee and Xashville. Pending this movement, October 30th, the army being then in the vicinity of Glasgow and Bowling Green, he turned over the command to General Rosecrans, in obedience to news from Washington. Previously, September 29th, while at Louisville, he had been ordered to relinquish the command to General Thomas, but the order was countermanded at the request of Thomas and others.

He was thanked by the department for the service rendered, but there immediately arose some disagreement between him and the department as to the plan of further operations. He, however, adhered to his views, and continued the movement which he had announced and, as stated, surrendered his command pending its execution.

In November a court of inquiry was ordered to investigate his operations during the summer and fall. The court was in session more than five months, and much oral and doc-

' umentary evidence was taken; but the proceedings were never published, and when called for some years afterwards by Congress, the voluminous record was found to have disapt peared from the archives of the War Department. Twice after the inc[uiry General I5uell

; was offered commands under his juniors, Sherman and Canby, but declined. He was then mustered out of the volunteer ser\ice May 23, 1864, and on the ist of June resigned his commission in the regular army. In 1865 he took part in coal and iron interests in Kentucky.

In this sketch nothing has been attempted but a brief outline of the more prominent facts, omitting many important details, and all discussion of the actual or relative value of General Buell's services as a commander during the Rebellion. The fact is not to be ignored that perhaps no higher officer in the war was

I the subject of so much partv criticism as he during the last six months of his command. Tliough in his own mind repelling the injustice of this criticism, he has not seen proper to make much public protest against it, and it does not come within the scope of this skech to analyze facts for the purpose of pointing out how much of the harsh judgment was be- stowed without discernment or justice, how much was due to a state of the pubhc mind, which, it must be confessed, was often disposed to regard passionate or at least practical partisanship, as an element of patriotic duty, and how much to the machinations of hostile ambitions and personal resentment. It does not appear that the \\'ar Department shared fully in the disapprobation to which a portion of the public press gave loud expression, but it yielded to a popular clamor, or rather to the dictation of political and personal influences which first shaped the popular prejudice, and then derived strength and reward from its support. It may, however, be proper to say in the direction of impartial criticism, that in reviewing the operations of the army under General Buell in the summer and fall of 1862, and comparing them with similar operations of other dates and other commanders on the same and other fields, it is impossible not to be impressed by the contrast in the popular feeling with reference to the different periods. These contrasts indicate, perhaps, a more politic conformity of the later commanders, to the popular idea of the war, and fortunately, also to a more patient appreciation by the popular judgment of the obstacles to be overcome.

Gen. H. F. Devol. - Among the regiments in the late Rebellion to which Washington County contributed her "bravest and best," the gallant Thirty-sixth stands prominent. The history of this regiment is sketched at another place in this volume, but an outline of the life of its worthy colonel will be of interest, both to his military friends and the public.

H. F. Devol, the youngest son of Stephen Devol, Jr., was born in Waterford township, August 6, 183 1.' His boyhood was spent in the country school and on his father's farm. At the age of 16. a courageous spirit, and a desire for more extended educational advantages led him to seek independence from parental dictation. He then attended Beverly Academy for a short time, and two years later made his first trip south in the produce trade. From this time till the opening of the Rebellion, Mr. Devol devoted his summers to farming and his winters to flatboating and trade.

He married. May 15, 1856, Adelaide A. Dyer, of Muskingum township, by whom he had two children - Hattie A., and Carroll, who is a graduate of Pennsylvania Military Institute, and was, in 1879, appointed by President Hayes lieutenant in the regular army. Mrs. Devol died July 10, i860.

In the winter of i860 Mr. Devol witnessed the first overt acts of the important drama in which he became an actor. Being South with a cargo of produce he experienced some of the inconveniences of that disturbed period. The spirit of secession was aroused, and Northern merchants became objects of hatred. Their boats were not permitted to land at many places, while at others obstructions were thrown in the way of sales and collections. Mr. Devol, however, did not suffer serious financial loss, but his experience aroused him to action on returning home. He had been a witness of secession. It was in store for hint to take a part in the bloodiest acts of the tragedy then opening, and eventually to stand in the line of triumphant soldiery with a full share of military glory.

When the first call for volunteers for the three years' service was made, Mr. Devol set to work to enlisting a company, from \\'aterford, Adams and Muskingum townships. It was the intention to enroll this company in the Thirty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, then being formed at Cincinnati. Mr. Devol had acted without a commission and without direction, and borne all the expenses out of his own pocket. When the company met at Lowell for organizatioin. Col. Melvin Clarke appeared with a commission to organize a new regiment, and informed Captain Devol that Colonel Groesbeck's regiment (Thirty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry) was full. Captain Devol enlisted his men in the new regiment, and when the quota was full they were properly enrolled as "Company A.'' of being mustered in until peace illuminated their blood-stained bayonets, the Thirty-sixth was in active, efficient and dangerous service, and during all that period, ]\Ir. Devol was with his men - with them both in camp and battlefield. He was promoted to the rank of major, September 7, 1862; to lieutenant-colonel September 16. 1862. and to the colonelcy, for valuable and valiant conduct on the field of Chickamauga, October 13, 1862. In this battle Colonel Devol took a conspicuous and important part. When the battle opened Colonel Jones was in command of the regiment and General Turchin of the brigade. In the afternoon the brigade was thrown in front of the enemy's center. At a critical moment the advance line was driven back and Turchin's brigade, consisting of the Thirty-sixth and Xinety-secood Ohio and Fourteenth Kentucky, was brought in face of a hot fire. To retreat would be disastrous. Brave boys were falling fast, and Lieutenant-Colonel Devol, impatient for an order, grasped the situation, assumed command, and ordered a charge. A moment later positions were changed. The Rebel ranks were broken and the brave brigade, encouraged by the bold mo\'ement of their temporary commander, followed close in pursuit for a distance of more than 300 yards, when a retreat was ordered. They passed back through the gap in the enemy's line which this bold charge had brought to a halt, and given the Union troops time to reorganize on that day. Colonel Devol proved his soldierly instincts. Colonel Jones had been mortally wounded, and the brigade commander was not at his post. It was left for a lieutenant-colonel to give the command which materially affected the fortunes of that celebrated battle. General Thomas and General Reynolds heartily complimented his soldierly conduct.

At Berryville an incident occurred which exemplifies his bravery. The brigade was ordered by General Hayes, then in command, to lie down to escape a destructive fire of the enemy. But in disobedience to the orotestations of their soldiers, General Hayes and Colonel

Colonel Devol was always found with his regiment, nad indeed was in one more engagement than his regiment. His rank during the greater period of the war was that of colonel, but on several occasions he was thrown in in command of a brigade. This was the case at Cedar Creek, when General Hayes' brigade was under his command. At this battle the Army of West \'iirginia, under command of General Crook, to which this brigade belonged, was held as a flanking column. But General Devol, in the excitement of progressing battle, lost his place and was not a little surprised to find himself urging- on with characteristic energy a strange command, engaged in the thickest of the fight. This is an episode of the war which General Hayes delighted to tell. Few officers can claim the honor of having been in as man)- fights 'as their command, but Cedar Creek places the colonel of the Thirty-sixth one ahead of his regiment. Colonel Devol was brevetted brigadier-general July 20, 1865.

During the war he had the singular good fortune to escape with only two slight wounds, and his robust body suft'ered but little from disease. He enjoyed the friendship and cordial respect of his associates in office and his men. He was always jealous of the fame of his regiment and always ready to protect its standing.

\Mien the time for w-hich the Thirty-sixth enlisted had expired. General Devol was found ready to re-engage in the service of the Union, and the regiment cheerfully went with him.

At the conclusion of hostilities in 1865 the rank and file of our volunteer soldiery felt that they had accomplished that for which they had suft'ered the pains and dangers of war, and were anxious to return to their families and farms. High salaried officers were accused of selfishly detaining the troops; but General Devol was entirely free from any accusation in this regard. Through his management and influence the regiment with which he went into

The war over, he returned to Waterford, and in 1866 he purchased the mercantile estabhshment of Charles Bowen, where for a number of years he devoted himself closely to business. He never had an ambition for political preferment, but was by no means indifferment to the duties of citizenship.

He was appointed by General Hayes, while Governor of Ohio, one of the trustees of Athens Asylum for the Insane. The relations between President Hayes and himself were the most cordial since their acquaintance in the Rebellion.

General Devol was a leading member of the Beverly Presbyterian Church, was superintendent of the Sunday-school and a valuable supporter O'f religious and moral movements in the community. He acquired a handsome competence, and used it liberally both in public improvements and in answering the prayers of multiplied charities. General Devol remarried April 3, 1S67, Harriet E. Bowen, by whom he had four children, George H., Alary B., Florence W., and Ermine B.

Gen. Bexjamix Dana Fearing, the youngest son; of Henry Fearing, Esq., and Eliza Dana Fearing, was born at Harmar, Ohio, October 10, 1837. He was a grandson of Hon. Paul Fearing and Benjamin Dana, who was the son of John Winchester Dana and Hannah Pope Dana, the daughter of Gen. Israel Putnam, and through his mother a lineal descendant of the fourth generation from Gen. Israel Putnam. His early life was spent in his native place. He graduated at Marietta College in 1856, at the age of 19. During the five years following his graduation he was in business, first at Cincinnati and afterward at Philadelphia. While on a visit to Cincinnati in the spring of 1861, news came of the firing upon Fort Sumter - then the call of the President for troops. There was a meeting of the citizens at the old stone church on ^^'alnut Hills, to organize. He was at the meeting, and among the first to ofifer himself in response to the call of the President. The next day he selected from the companies being formed the one which he thought would soonest be ready, and telegraphed his father, "Have joined the Zouave Guards. Leave for Columbus on i8th, at 6 A. M." The next day, the 19th of April, found him speeding away as fast as the iron horse could carry him to the forefront of the battle. It seems a singular coincidence that 'twas on the same day of the same month, %j years before, that his ancestor, General Putnam, "left his plow in the furrow," and hurried off on flying hoof to Concord to repel the British and enter upon the war of the Revolution. Upon the organization of regiments at Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania, the Zouave Guards became Company D of the Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. With this regiment they wart to Washington, and thence into Virginia, under General Schenck. Here they remained, doing service until their term of enlistment had expired. Then they were entitled to their discharge, but as a battle seemed impending they, by a unanimous vote, resolved to remain and share in it. On the day of the battle of Manassas they were detailed as skirmishers. At 4 o'clock A. M. they had brisk work with the enemy's cavalry, driving them over Cut Run, and to the banks of Bull Run where the line of battle was developed. In the subsequent events of the day, its wild and terrific experiences of battle, carnage, panic, rout and disaster they bore their full share.

During his three months' service Fearing received his first promotion, being made fourth corporal of his company. After the battle of Manassas, the adjutancy of the Thirty-sixth Ohio was offered him by- Hon. William P. Cutler, then member of Congress from his district. The oft'er was again pressed upon him at Columbus when being mustered out at Camp Chase, but was declined as he then expected to join the National Guard regiment at Philadelphia.

as adjutant to Major Andrews, then in command of the Thirty-sixth. Here he remained for three months, devoting himself assiduously to the drill of officers and men, often spending 18 hours a day in this service. The high standing, this regiment subsequently attained was no doubt largely due to the drill and discipline learned in this their early campaign in West Virginia.

General Slemmer, appreciating the value of his services, and recognizing his zeal and ability, recommended to the Governor of Ohio the appointment of Fearing to the colonelcy of the Thirty-sixth Regiment. Major Andrews started fur Columlxis with the recommendations, but at the headquarters of General Rosecrans he was met by Capt. George Cook of the Fourth regulars, who had already been appointed to the command of the regiment. Fearing continued acting as adjutant at Somerville with Colonel Cook until he received the appointment of major of the Seventy-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He reported at once to Colonel Heildbud at Camp Putnam, and entered upon the duties of his command.

Immediately after the organization of this regiment, although as yet without equipments of any kind, it was transferred to Camp Dennison. The regiment had been in this camp but a short time when orders came from General Grant at Fort Donelson to "move at once and report to General Sherman at Paducah, Kentucky," and at the same time the inquiry "How soon?" The superior officers being absent Major Fearing replied, "/;; an hour;" and so prompt were his movements that his regiment was the first of all the nine ordered from Ohio to arrive at Paducah. He went thence with the main army up the Tennessee River.

While General Sherman was conducting an expedition for the destruction of railroad bridges near luka, Mississippi, a heavy shower flooded Yellow Creek so as to render his return impossible. Fearing reported the danger and asked permission to build a bridge of boats. This was done with so much expedition and skill as to secure the highest commendation of his commander, and General

Sherman ever afterward "entrusted him with a large share of the bridging operations over railroads, over streams and in the construction of corduroy-roads through the great swamp lands."

At the battle of Pittsburgh Landing, Colonel Hildebrand being in command of a brigade, and the lieutenant-colonel absent, the command of the regiment devolved upon the major. The regiment was stationed at Shiloh Church, its line being across the main Corinth road. This Sherman regarded as the inost important point of his position. Of this Fearing was aware and realizing the necessity of maintaining his post he held it with unyielding tenacity. The repeated charges of the enemy in their desperate efforts to capture Taylor s Battery A, of Chicago, he repulsed with great gallantry, and thus held the battery till orders came for its withdrawal. The general commanding commended the regiment for its brave and determined maintenance of the position at the church, and for its gallantry in defense of the battery.

The official report of the brigade commander says: "Maj. Benjamin D. Fearing, who commanded the Seventy-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was cool and brave, and acquitted himself with as much skill as an old officer of larger experience, and was not excelled by any other field officer, who came within my observation."

Maj. E. C. Dawes, of the Fifty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, himself a participant in the fight, a gallant officer of cool and accurate judgment, writes : "I think the conduct of Major Fearing at Shiloh the most creitable to him and valuable to the cause of anything in his long service. The Scvcnty-sez'enth Rcgimcnt held the key point in Sherman's first line of battle, and maintained this position long enough to enable ^McClernand's and Hurlburt's divisions to get into action, and ^lajor Fearing by his reckless personal courage licld the Scventy-sez'enth Regiment. The conduct of the major and of the Seventy-seventh Regiment in that hell of fire has never been appreciated."

The casualities of the regiment, amounting in total to i68 officers and men killed and wounded, tells the story of its fightinig. In the disasters which befell the regiment on the next day, the major was in a subordinate position, Lieutenant-Colonel DeHass being then in command.

While at Fort Pickering after the capture of Corinth and the return of the regiment to Memphis, Major Fearing received the appointment of lieutenant-colonel of the Xinety-second Regiment then being organized at Camp Putnam, Ohio. The first service of this regiment was in the Kanawha Valley, where it had a "stirring period of marching and fighting."

In January, 1863, he joined the Army of the Cumberland at Nashville. In March he was made colonel of the regiment, Colonel VanVorhes being compelled by sickness to resign. At Murfreesborough he was assigned to the Fourteenth Army Corps under General George H. Thomas. On the 24th of June he went to the relief of Wilder at Hoover's Gap. On the night of the 18th of September he made the march to Chickamauga. His regiment formed a part of the famous "Turchin's brigade" and with it passed through the terrible fighting on the 19th and 20th. In this battle he was severely wounded, a minie ball passing through the front part of his right and thick part of his left thigh. On the following day the enemy captured the hospital to which the wounded had been removed, but Colonel Fearing and four of his officers were saved by the coolness of his colored servant who carried them to an ambulance and drew them through a continuous fire to a point within the protection of our lines.

As soon as the condition of his wounds would admit of partial duty he was detailed upon court-martial at Cincinnati and Louisville. During his absence his regiment, under command of Lieut. -Col. Douglas Putnam, a soldier and officer of spirit kindred to his own, made its memorable record in the storming of Misionary Ridge. He returned to his regiment at Ringgold, Georgia, in March, 1864.

In May he went south, and with Turchin's brigade "fought through that wondrous campaign, a hundred days' continuous fighting." He was in the "March to the Sea.'' At Savannah upon the recommendation of his corps commander, Gen. J. C. Davis, he received a commission from President Lincoln as brigadier-general by brevet, bearing date of December 2, 1864, "for gallant and meritorious services during the campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to Savannah." He was assigned to the command of Col. Daniel McCook's "fighting brigade," Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. At the battle of Bentonville, when the enemy had broken the Union left and center. General Davis ordered General Fearing to move to the left and "check the enemy's advance,'' if it "cost him his whole brigade." The charge was glorious. The check was made. The action was terrible. Fearing's horse was shot under him, and a minie ball tore away the thumb, the forefinger, and part of his right hand. Van Home, in summing up the history of the battle, says : "That the battle turned upon the action of the" brigades of Mitchell, Vanderveer and Fearing, there can be no doubt. The two former did not give an inch of ground to the enemy, though thrown into single lines and compelled to fight in front and rear. The action of Fearing's brigade was not less important, as it disturbed and defeated General Johnston's combination to utilize for complete success his first advantage. General Fearing was brought in complete isolation for some time, without defenses, and when his right flank was struck by the enemy with such force as to shatter it, he charged his front upon his left, rallied his shattered troops and held the ground essential to the stability of the new line. The latter dispositions and resistance by the whole command gave a symmetry and brilliancy to the conflict which have seldom found expression in such urgent improvision."

At the close of the war. General Fearing was mustered out of service at the age of 27 years, having as a private taken part in the first, and as a commander of a brigade in the last, great battle of the war. He was then offered the rank of major in the regular army, but declined. The battles in which he participated are memorable in the history of the war : - Manassas, the battles of West Virginia, Shiloh, Catlin Mountain, luka. Corinth, Carthage, Hoover's Gap, Tullahoma, Catlitt's Gap, Lane's Church, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Buzzard's Roost, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Etowah, Altoona Pass, Pine Knob, Kenesaw, Nicajack, Peach Tree Creek, Chattahoochee, Utoy Creek, Rough and Ready, Jonesborough, Atlanta, Savannah, through the Carolinas, Averysborough and Bentonville.

For some years after the war, General Fearing was engaged in business in Cincinnati, but being compelled to withdraw from active labor, he returned to his old home in Harmar, where he resided, devoting himself to literary pursuits, to his friends, and to caring for his health, rendered precarious by the wounds of Chickamauga and Bentonville.

Col. Jesse Hildebrand was of German extraction, his ancestry coming to this country sometime between the years 1700 and 1730. He was born in Pennsylvania, near the New York State line, on the 22nd day of Alay, 1800, and was the first white child born in that portion of the State, the so-called "Corn" or "Planter" Indians then occupying the soil. His mother being an invalid, the child was placed in the care of an Indian woman, who tenderly cared for him, and became so attached to her charge that she was loth to give him up when the mother's health again permitted her to take charge of him. vMien he was about two years of age, his parents sold the farm and removed to near Pittsburg, but only remained there a short time vi'hen they pushed on farther west, finally arriving at Marietta, Ohio, where they found their future home. His parents both lived to an advanced age.

Our subject early in life developed a strong predilection for a military life, and would have entered the regular army had it not been for his love for, and care of. his mother. He was noted as a "drummer boy" and

Colonel Hildebrand, although a Democrat, believed thoroughly in the supremacy of the national to State authority, and in the hour of the Nation's peril did not hesitate as to his duty. In October, 1861, he began to raise the Seventy-seventh Regiment for the active service of his country. He was appointed and commissioned its colonel, and in January, 1862, he left Marietta in command of a full regiment and was soon at the front. The brigade of which he was in command, met the first attack of the enemy at Shiloh, and in that action distinguished himself for gallantry and courage, and for his persevering efforts in rallying his men in the face of danger. General Sherman, who witnessed Colonel Hildebrand's conduct on this occasion, enthusiastically declared him to be the bravest man he ever knew. He afterwards engaged in a severe march through Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, finally arriving at Memphis. His regiment had become sadly reduced by battle and disease and in August, 1862, was detailed for service at the military prison, Alton, Illinois, Colonel Hildebrand becoming commandant of the post, where he remained until his death. The unusual hardship and exposure to which he had been subject while in the field finally resulted in pneumonia, and at 2:30 o'clock P. ^I.. Saturday, April 18, 1863, the brave soldier passed away.

The news of his death caused universal sorrow here in Marietta where he was so well and favorably known. A committee of arrangements for his funeral was appointed consisting of Mayor Whittlesey, George ^l. Woodbridge, John IMarshall, Henry Fearing, L. W. Reppert. I. R. Waters. J. B. Hovey, and Maj. William B. Mason, Seventy-seventh

Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and appropriate resolutions to the memory of the deceased were adopted. The funeral services were held at the Putnam Street Methodist Episcopal Church and the remains were followed to Mound Cemetery, under military escort, by his family, the clergymen, members of his staff when general, members of the Seventy-seventh Regiment present and a large concourse of citizens. When the news of Colonel Hildebrand's death reached General Sherman, he sent his widow a letter of condolence, which contained the highest testimonial to Colonel Hildebrand's worth as a soldier and a man. A portion of the letter appears herewith :

I could recall many little scenes of our camp life to illustrate the honest, fearless character of Colonel Hildebrand, the interest he took in his men, always with them doing his duty like a brave soldier, as he was, never complaining, never talking of turning back. He was not the man to dream of peace until it should be won fairly and honestly.

In civic life Colonel Hildebrand was widely known. For a number of years he was a mail contractor and owned the stage line between Marietta and Zanesville. In October, 1850, he was elected sheriff of Washington County and served two years.

Colonel Hildebrand was married in 1826 to Mrs. S. Perkins Fowler, and was the father of seven children. Eliza, the eldest, now Mrs. Henry E. Marks, resides in Washington, D. C. Her husband entered the service in the late war as lieutenant from that district. Arius Gilead, the second, died in in 1876, and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery in that city; Elodiannas, the third, died in infancy; W. W., the fourth, entered the service as a private, but while on his way to the front was injured by a railroad accident and brought home to Marietta injured for life; Frances Isabel, the fifth, resides at the old home; Anna Maria, the sixth, died in childhood; Cynthia E,, the youngest, now Mrs. Henry J. Bradford, lives in Marietta. Her husband w^s a naval officer and served all through the war. He died in the service September 16, 1873, at the age of 35.

Colonel Ebenezer Baldwin Andrews was born at Danbury, Connecticut, April 29, 1821. He was the youngest of six sons of Rev. William Andrews, for manv years the pastor of the Congregational Church in Danbury. After spending a year at Williams' College, he entered the sophomore class in Marietta College, and graduated in 1842. Among his fellow students he was a leading man, noted for geniality and humor, and universally popular. After a short time spent in teaching, he pursued a course of theological study at Princeton. In 1846 he became pastor of the Congregational Church at Housatonic, Massachusetts, and afterward he was settled over a church in New Britain, Connecticut.

In 185 1, coming to Marietta, to deliver the address before the alumni at commencement, he made such an impression as an orator and a man of culture, that he was elected to the chair of natural science in Marietta College. Professor Beach, one of his pupils, writes thus :

In his college work Professor Andrews early became specially interested in geological investigations, and during his stay here the study of geologj' was made very prominent. His teaching in this department was suggestive and stimulating. His students were sure to think geology a great and living science. During a series of years he conducted his senior classes on exploring expeditions which will not be forgotten by any who participated in them. The writer remembers with much interest the explorations made by the class of 1859. through the wildest parts of Washington County, and which occupied hvc days. The enthusiasm of the professor, as well as his unfailing good humor and his rich resources of wit and anecdote made it a memorable journey to the young men who followed him.

When in 1861, we were plunged into civil war. Professor Andrews was appointed major of the Thirty-first Ohio Regiment. He secured his release from his college duties, and engaged in the service of his country. He served with his regiment in West Virginia and on the Potomac, and. after Antietam, was made its colonel. His military life is best set forth in the following extracts from communications from those who served with him, and were familiar with his career as an army officer.

Wd Representative Citizens

Few are familiar with the emibarrassments that surrounded those entrusted with the recruiting and organizing of infantry during the late civil war. Briefly, they may be summed up thus. Tlie public had to be stinmiated to the point of encouraging enlistment. Constant thought and labor were required to foster the effort made to popularize enlistments. E.xtended correspondence had to be carried on with the military committees of the different counties in the district, with the officers recruiting for the regiment, and with many of the families of the men enlisted. As the companies arrived at the camp of instruction, all their wants, and there were not a few, had to be provided for without any delay. .\s the companies arrived at the camp in detachments undn-r the recruiting officers - and not infrequently they reached the camp during the night time - it was a very exliaustive work to -care for them and see that they did not suft'er. This Major Andrews did. in the care of the Thirty-si.xth Regiment, as those friendly to the soldiers, and the military committees of Washington County are prompt to testify. In accordance with the custom in those early war days, the recruiting ohicers were instructed to have the enlisted men bring nothing to camp with them except what they were willing to abandon, when furnished with the .government outfit. I remember well .how much perplexed and embarrassed Col. William R. F'utnam. commandant of the camp of instruction at ^larietta. was. when it was reported to him by officers of the companies after the first night in camp, that the men were actually suffering from the chill of the night.

Major .Andrews immediately suggested that Colonel Clark !-lin<ilf should secure from the patriotic citizens of ]M:initta lilinkets and comforts to meet the needs of thr regiment. Phis suffering was more particularly in those companies recruited at a distance, and whose friends could not easily reach them. It was fortunate for the regiment that .Major .-Vndrews was so situated that he could give his undivided thought and time to the care of the soldiers.

Information had reached Major Andrews that the regiment would soon be called into active service in West \"irginia. by General Rosecrans. for the relief of the town of Siiencer. wJiich was in his rear, and for whose relief he had no troops at command. This stimulated Maior Andrews to use extraordinary eft'orts to prepare the regiment as speedily as .possible for service. It was determined by the friends of the regiment that, if possible, the .services of a regular army oflicer should be secured to command this splendid body of volnnteers. They seemed to be no one at that time that could accomplish tliis but Major Andrews. His extemUil reiuitation as a scientific man, and his acquimtance with the leading men of the State, gave him excellent allies in Washington. Although his services were in great demand in the camp, yet it was decided that he should go to Washington, .^vailing himself of his personal acquaintance with Secretary Chase to reach President Lincoln, he succeeded in presenting himself, accompanied by Lincoln and Chase, before Secretary Cameron, and, in face of the order ahtt had just been issued, that no more details should be made from the regular army to the volunteers, he secured the assent of Cameron to the detailing of a West Point man to the command of the regiment, if a suitable one could be found. To this zealous work of Major .\ndrews, at Washington, may without doubt be attributed all the valuable results that followed the appointment of Colonel Crook to the command of the Thirty-sixth Regiment.

I am now convinced that this extraordinary effort on the part of Major .\ndrews was not absolutely essential, since Colonel Clarke had large experience as a teacher, had held oflicial positions in civil life, and was a man of great courage, and of undoubted qualifications for the command of a regiment. The history of the regiment proves also that many of the subordinate officers were possessed of the same qualifications. It woul! be hard to find two men so unselfish and truly patriotic as Colonel Clarke and Major Andrews showed themselves to be, in thus giving up their own promotion, and in seeking so zealously to discover a man to hold the honorable position, that by right belonged to them.

The following extract is from a letter. from Gen. J. D. Cox, who commanded the department of West Virginia during Col. Andrews' service in that State :

When Colonel Andrews joined my command in 1861, as major of the Thirty-sixth Ohio, I at once saw that he was a cool, brave and conscientious officer, arrogating nr.tliing to himself from his previous standing as an intelhouial inJ scientific man, but determined to learn his luu lUitics with thoroughness and with modesty. .\s one immediately charged with the enforcement of the ideas of discipline of Colonel Crook, the major's task at the beginning was a hard one. The regiment was, as all volunteer regiments necessarily are. slow in seeing the immense importance of the discipline and drill, which a commandant, taken from the regular army, knew to be the indispensable condition of sticcess. and, in the end, of the well-being of the regiment itself. Much of the ordinary unpopularity of the earlier stages of this instruction and discipline fell on ]\Iajor Andrews. He did not shrink from it or avoid it. He -r^ught no shelter under apologies; did lint slinuMrr . n tlic Inirden upon his superiors, but loy- :ill\- .Oicyv.l t!ir iniiiiiction.:. he received, as a faithful suliMrdinate w;ih<:iut complaint or criticism. He had faith that in the end. the honesty of his purpose, the usefulness of the discipline, and the good will to the regiment, which dictated it. would all be recognized.

as an eminent geologist, and especially as an authority in the geology of Eastern Ohio and West Virginia. In 1869 he resigned his chair in Marietta to accept the pobition of assistant geologist in the gelological survey of Ohio. To this work he gave several years of assiduous and successful labor, removing from Marietta to the more central position of Lancaster, Ohio. His work upon the coal fields of Southeastern Ohio was universally recognized as admirable and thorough, and it widely extended his reputation as a geologist. After the close of the geological survey Professor Andrews continued his residence in Lancaster, giving his attention to the preparation of a text-book on geology, which has proved very acceptable. He also found large employment as a consulting geologist, whose opinions as to the nature and value of the mineral resources of southern Ohio and West Virginia were highly valued.

CoL. John C. Paxton was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1824. At the aged of 10 years he began life for himself, and from that day his generous hand lent assistance to his parents, and a more dutiful and loving son never lived than he. At an early age he came to Ohio and engaged in the mercantile business at Sharon, Noble County, until 1853. In 1845 lie was united in marriage to Agnes Greenlee, who was to the end of her life a faithful partner and sympathetic wife.

1854, while in the south, he had the misfortune to contract the smallpox, and returning home, the whole family were stricken with the disease which bereft the household of the cherished wife and mother. In 1857 he married, for his second wife, Sophia L. Reed, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Paxton's temperament made him restless and imperative. He traveled mto every State and Territory, and he acquired a knowledge of the resources and society of the entire country. Several years of his mature life were spent in Salt Lake City, where an intimate acc|uaintance with the practices of Mormonism taught him to hate, with all the biLterness of his intense nature, the execrable doctrines of that peculiar people.

Writers of all laeriods have united in extolling the valliant deeds of military heroes. The man who enlists his body and soul in the cause of his country is deserving of the highci't honor, no matter what his military rank may be. War has not inappropriately been likened to a drama, in which the officers play the leading roles, but the success of the whole depends upon the acting of each character. Another point of likeness is that each role requires its own peculiar actor. The bold and dashing colonel who carries assault to victory is no less deserving of honor than the general in command who has planned the preliminary movements.

It will be necessary to understand the character of Colonel Paxton, and to know the field in which he was ordered to operate, before proceeding tO' a consideration of his merits as a military man.

He was a man of strong talent, but nervous, impulsive and often erratic. He had a pointed insight into affairs, and his opinions and resolutions, though quickly formed, were usually correct. His wit was pungent and keen ; incisive .sarcasm gave him a peculiar power in controversy. In the social circle he was at his best, vivacious and witty, and enjoying a story or a joke exceedingly. His friendship was devoted and true, his hatred intense. A large heart made him generous to a fault, and he was always readv to contribute to the necessities of the unfortunate.

During the crisis of Secession in i860 he was in Louisiana, and was present at the convention when the State was voted out of the Union. He was present when the vote was carried to tear down the old flag then floating over the capitol. His loyal eyes saw the raising of the first Rebel flag in Louisiana. When he had seen the banner which he always worshiped torn into shreds and trampled under foot in the streets of Louisiana, he could re- strain his impetuous spirit no longer. He hastened north with the determination that nothing which he could do should be left undone in the great contest then at hand.

Colonel Paxton began his military career in the three months' service as quartermaster for the Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the expiration of his term of service he returned to Marietta, and in August, 1861, recruited a regiment of cavalry. The history of the movements and services in this regiment will be found at the proper place in this volume. But it will be in place to notice the difficulties under which Colonel Paxton labored. With an ardent leader and ambitious followers, the Second Virginia Cavalry was stationed in the narrow valleys of West Virginia to rout bushwackers and break up camps of the enemy. No section of the country within the whole range of the Rebellion imposes as great physical obstructions to militarj movements as 'West Virginia. Considering the conformation of the country, the condition of the roads, and the character of the service, Colonel Paxton is entitled to the highest praise for his persevering, brave and dashing leadership. "He was accused," says General Fearing, "of being rash, but such rashness in a cavalrv officer is oftentimes a virtue. The same rashness evinced by an infantry officer would be unpardonable and lead to a courtmartial. It was the custom during the early stages of the war for cavalry officers to preestimate results and magnify the strength of the enemy. Imagining insurmountable obstacles in the front often caused them to turn back from an assault or an expedition which might easily have been accomplished with small loss. This fact led General Hooker, as late as the battle of Chancellorsville, to make the assertion while enraged at an unsuccessful expedition of cavalry, that the man could not be found who had ever seen a dear! cavalryman."

' Although Colonel Paxton may not have been a cook calculating director of movements, he was never found wanting when an opportunity was presented for a bold charge. And when a court or commission was appointed to examine into the qualifications of officers then serving in the valley. Colonel Paxton was the first man ordered before the committee of which Colonel Hayes (later President Hayes) was chairman. Colonel Hayes put the question : "Colonel, suppose you were marching along a flat top mountain with a train, how would you dispose of your troops to protect it?" "Well," answered Colonel Paxton, "I would throw out a squad of men on each side to protect the train in case of an attack." "Well, colonel," said Colonel Hayes, "suppose an attack were made on you when in that position, what command would you give?" Colonel Paxton scratched his head a moment, then, said, "I don't know, colonel, what command: you would give, but I would say, 'Go for them,, boys, and give them h - 1.' " That ended the examination.

When I think of him he always appears as I knew him in the prime of his early manhood in West Virginia, handsonv;, dashing, fearless, a bold rider and a. daring scout. His patriotic determination to see service in the war for the Union made him enter a West Virginia regiment when Ohio's quota was full, and he gave his whole heart to his work. He was disposed to be impatient of restraint, but for a commander whom he trusted and respected he was ready at any moment to imperil his life. His impetuOusity sometimes led him into collision with others, especially if he doubted their earnestness or their enterprise. These were, however,, the faults of an excess zeal and will appear merits, when contrasted with their opposites. He had most of the qualities of a first class cavalry officer, and was never happier than when detailed for some dangerous adventure requiring both intelligence and daring.

Colonel Paxton in going into the war had followed the impulse of his convictions, and as long as he remained in the servce was not only the brave soldier who fought for glory but' also the devoted patriot who had a heart in the cause. In a letter written to his family, dated "Camp Piatt. Virgina, February 22, 1863," shows his feeling in regard to the war. This was at a time when the army m the field had reason to be discouraged by the

My position is one of great care and responsibility, and I can honestly say I wish it was done. I have seen enough of war in the last 20 months to satisfy both my curiosity and my ambition, but I have not seen enough of this war until I see it closed in favor of our glorious flag and the Union ; and I know I but reflect the sentiments of my regiment when I say so. We are all tired and wish to be at home with our families, but not until all is quiet at the front. Then, if traitors (Tories is a better word) at home wish our services you may rest assured they shall have the benefit of them.

Colonel Paxton left the service in 1863. When the war had closed he was as heartily in favor of "burying the past" as in i860 he had been impatient to crush out the Rebellion. He believed that the sooner the North and the South could unite in a fraternal Fourth of July shout of patriotism the better it would be for the whole country. He says in a published letter in 1874:

I never was in sympathy with the organization, the Grand Army of the Republic as organized at the close of the war. nor of its child, "Decoration Day." I believe, 'from the history of such affairs in other countries, that the sooner the marks of our Civil War are obliterated, the better it would be for what we fought for. "one whole country." Soldiers' reunions there is no objection to, but my understanding as to the object of Decoration Day was to afford an opportunity for civilians, women and children, aided by the clergy and politicians, to pay a formal respect to dead soldiers; living soldiers could stand and look on and feel proud ot the respect paid to their dead comrades. It was an innocent proceeding, well adapted for the persons it was intended for, but never was in my opinion that would create or fire a patriotic people or fighting soldiery. Let the past be gone. I believe the bovs in their "little beds" are quite as well off as their I'iving cornrades. They are free of the tax, in pains and aches, their comrades in their rear are paying, every step they take, to the present "slow mu.sic of the Union."

Colonel Paxton possessed a sound judgment, a strong mind, and remarkable versatility of talent. Had he enjoyed the advantages m early life and a judicious metnal training he would undoubtedly have achieved distinc^tion as a writer. He was not a politician in the common acceptation of the term. But he was a man of public spirit fa\-oring everv kind of public improvement intended for the development of the country. From what has been written some idea may be formed of the principles and character of our subject. He was one of those peculiar men whom it is impossible to accurately portray with pen. He died at his residence in Marietta, February 28, 1 88 1, of paralysis, after two years of intense suffering.

LiEUT.-CoL. Alexander L. Haskins. - The subject of this sketch was born in Shushan, Washington County, New York, March 18, 1822. He received a common school education and was engaged in St. Louis, Missouri, several years before going to Marietta, as teacher, and adopted the profession of civil engineer. He was married on October 6, 1853, to Addie G. Gerken, of aMrietta.

When the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad was being constructed. Colonel Haskins was employed as assistant engineer in locating the line, and as engineer in charge of various parts of the work, especially that part laid out between Marietta and Bellaire.

At the beginning of the war he was civil engineer of the city of Marietta, and when the Sixty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry was raised, he was commissioned major of that regiment. When the regiment went to the field the attainments of Colonel Haskins as an engineer were called into requisition, and he was constantly employed in locating military works, roads, etc.

On July 17, 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of his regiment. The arduous duties of the camp and field proved more than his health would stand, and he was honorably discharged March 20, 1863, on account of impaired health.

Colonel Haskins followed his profession of civil engineer up to the fall of 1865, when he was elected to the 57th General Assembly as Representative from Washington County.

Colonel Haskins was civil engineer of the city of Marietta during the years 1855, 1858, 1859, i860, and 1861. In January, 1866, while at Logansport, Indiana, on some business connected with a railroad on which he had been engaged as engineer, he was taken

Maj. George T. Rice was born December 16, 1823, in Macedon, Wayne County, New York, son of Nathan and Dorcas Rice. He married Minqrva Jane Ripley, daughter af John and Betsey Ripley, of the same place, and in 1852 removed to Marietta, Ohio.

He enlisted as a private in Company B, Thirty-ninth Regiment, July 22, 1861, was appointed second sergeant and served as such until July 11, 1862, when he was commissioned second lieutenant; he served as such until ]\Iay 9, 1864, when he was commissioned as first lieutenant Company E, January 11, 1865 ; was commissioned as captain and transferred to command of Company C, June 6, 1865; was commissioned as major of the regiment and served as such until the regiment was discharged, July 9, 1865.

Major Rice at the close of the war removed from Marietta, to Macedon, New York, and afterward located permanently at Rollin, Michigan, where he engaged in the mercantile business.

Capt. Jacob Koenig was born in 1816, in the town of Desloch, dukedom of Hessia, Germany. When he reached the age of 21 he joined the army, and was a faithful soldier for six years in Company I, infantry, of the dukedom of Hessia, receiving an honorable discharge April i, 1842. After being discharged he remained at home about two weeks, when he sailed for the United States, landing in New York city in May, 1842. He was married in New Yor!: on May \ 7, 1843, to Julia A. Maas, born in Mannheim, I Bavaria, who had landed in New York about two weeks before. 1

While residing in New York City he served 1 in the New York State militia for 14 years, I the first seven as a private, and the last as lieu- ; tenant. He came to Marietta in July, 1856. '- In July. 1861, he organized Company F, Thirty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was | elected captain of the same.

The newspapers of 1861 published in Marietta speak of Captain Koenig's company as the "German Rifies," The company was a militia company for a short time prior to enlistment for three years, and after the first vote to go into the service, it was recruited up to the maximum, 100 men, and left for Camp Colerain, near Cincinnati, all inside of a week. Captain Koenig was a brave soldier, and exceedingly kind to the men in his command. During his term of service he also served as assistant inspector general of the Fifth division. Sixteenth Army Corps. He died at Memphis, Tennessee, on the 21st day of August, 1863, leaving a wife and five children, viz. : Jacob, Julia, Caroline, Philip and William.

Capt. James C. Selby was born in Washington County, Ohio, on the 3d day of December, 1838. His father was Jeremiah J. Selby, a native of New York. The maiden name of his mother was Rosana D. Stone, At the age of four years he lost his father. His mother was his only guardian till after he was 14 years of age. Having received a good common school education, he followed the occupation of farming, and also that of carpenter.

At the outbreak of the Rebellion, he enlisted in the Union Army on July 29, 1861, at Lowell, Washington County, Ohio. On August 24, t86i (at Marietta, Ohio), he was mustered in as second lieutenant of Company A, Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. A few days after he left with his company and regiment for the field. He was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to Company F, Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantrv. March 5, 1862.

At the battle of Antietam, Maryland, while making a charge, a piece of shell went through his haversack, tearing it to pieces and scattering his hardtack over the ground.

He was promoted to captain and assigned to Company K, Tliirty-sixth Ohio \^olunteer Infantry, October 30, 1863. (Commissioned October 13, 1863.)

arm and was sent to the hospital, where he remained tiU January, when he went home. In about six weeks he joined his regiment again, and took command of his company even before he was able for duty. He had his sword changed to carry on his right side, and learned to write with his left hand in a few days.

At the battle of Berryville, Virginia, September 3, 1864, he received a gun-shot in his right thigh, severing the vein and shattering the bone. He remained in the field hospital at Berryville two or three days, and was then removed to the general hospital at Annapolis, Maryland, where he died in 10 days after he was wounded. When informed that he must die, he received it with perfect calmness, sent for the chaplain and made the necessary disposition of his property, and asked his nurse to write his lieutenant to make out his monthly returns for him.

In the regiment he was respected as a soldier and gentleman - brave to desperation, generous to a fault, possessed of an iron will, a good moral character, and a kind heart. He was loved and desired to be loved by all his comrades.

Capt. William Beale Whittlesey, son of Hon. William A. and Jane H. Whittlesey, of Marietta, Ohio, was born at Marietta. October 2, 1841. Even in boyhood he showed a taste and ambition for military life, and when a young man under age he was made an aide de camp of General Hildebrand in the State militia.

In the fall of 1862 he aided in raising a company, and was commissioned second lieutenant of Company F, Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment remained in the Kanawha \^alley until the spring of 1863, when it was ordered to Nashville, and attached to the Army of the Cumberland. It afterward joined the Fourteenth Army Corps, under that noblest of noble generals. George H. Thomas, and formed one of the many regiments which met Bragg at Chickamauga, September 17 and 18, 1863. As it became evident that a battle was imminent, Whittlesey talked freely of it - wondering how he would stand fire - how he would act, and asked the writer if he fell doing his duty to so state it to his father. He went into that battle and, in his earnestness, unnecessarily exposed himself - taking position in front of his company and directing their fire. He escaped without injury - was commended in the ofificial report of the battle, and afterward, a vacancy occurring, was made captain.

The regiment remained in Chattanooga during that fall, and formed part of the forlorn hope under command of Gen. Baldy Smith, by which communication was opened with General Hooker, coming to our relief from Bridgeport. A part went by small flatboats in the night, passed the enemy's pickets at Lookout Mountain, while the commander marched across the neck and joined them at Brown's Ferry, where a crossing was made, the boats being used to form a pontoon bridge. The army provisioned and reinforced, preparations soon began for the assault of General Bragg, securely posted on Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. From the summit of the latter shells were frequently thrown into our camp from a battery stationed there. It was not many days before the ominous order was issued to prepare three days' cooked rations, and 100 rounds of ammunition. All soldiers knew its meaning, and were also well aware that no boy's play was before them. Whittlesey made the requisite preparations and then awaited the command to move - making first his will, in which he remembered the Psi Gamma society, of which he was an enthusiastic member when at college. He expressed a wish that if struck by a ball, it might be through the heart. He led his company up that hill - so steep that it was no easy task to climb it when no enemy was on the top ; and when near the top, a minie ball went crashing through his heart. Telling his men to go on, that he was killed, he breathed his last amid the smoke and carnage of that long to be remembered evening.

to possess the qualities of the electric shock; the shock that took the life of the son signaled the father, a thousand miles away. On the next Thanksgiving Day, 1863, taking his usual morning walk, Mr. Whittlesey said to a friend : "I feel that there has been a great battle, and Beale is killed." He was advised to dismiss it as a fond father's fancy, and went home. Soon after, seeing another friend .coming towards his house, he said : "There comes Mr. P. to tell me of Beale's death" - which was too true - the telegram from Dr. Cotton, the regimental surgeon, sent that morning from Chattanooga, conveyed the sad news - news that made that Thanksgiving Day one memorable in more than one family, and among the friends and acquaintances of Whittlesey a:id Turner. The funerals of both were held the sace day some weeks afterwards. The bodies lay in state in the Psi Gamma iiall for a season. Mr. Whittlesey never seemed to recover from the shock of Beale's death, and soon followed him.

Capt. Madison Hoon, Sixty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was reared on a farm in Waterford township: volunteered with J. W. Fonts and was mustered into service at the organization of the company at Camp Putnam, in Marietta, Ohio, October 9, 1861, and W2S appointed corporal; was promoted to sergeant of his company, then to sergeant major the regiment, then to first lieutenant, and lastly to captain. Captain Hoon served through the war; was mustered out with the regiment at Louisville, Kentucky, July 8, 1865; went to his home, and died of disease the same fall. Captain Hoon gained his promotions by true merit, both in business and as a commander. Sagacious in battle, considerate in camp, he won the confidence of his men and the respect of all who knew him.

Capt. Augustus T. Ward was born October II, 1840. in Fearing township, Washington County. Ohio. He was the second son and fourth child of Robert and Lucy M. Ward ; the former an English emigrant, the latter a native of the township.

He was brought up on the farm, attending the district school in summer terms until the age of nine, and winter schools until he was 16, after which he taught common schools during the winter until 1861.

When the Rebellion broke out in 1861, he was filled with indignation at the insults the flag received from the traitors of the south, but did not enter the army on the first call of President Lincoln, because of his parents' strong desire that he should remain at home. After the expiration of the term of the three months troops, and when the second call was made for 300,000 men, he felt that his country needed his services, and that he owed her his first duty. Capt. Jewett Palmer, Jr. .(afterward major) was at that time enlisting a company for the Thirty-sixth Ohio Infantry, at Lower Salem, of this county, and Ward hastened to enroll his name with the young patriots there assembled. This was on the 12th day of August, 1861. Captain Palmer marched his company to Camp Putnam, at Marietta, the same evening and reported to Lieut. -Col. IM. Clarke, commanding regiment.

He was immediately appointed second sergeant of his company (G) by Captain Palmer, and served as such until the 6th of April following, when a vacancy occurring in the first sergeancy, he was appointed to fill that position. The two last appointments were made while the regiment was in barracks at Summerville. West Virginia.

Having served faithfully as first sergeant through Pope's and McClellan's campaigns in the east in August and September. 1862. and for gallantry in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, he was promoted to second lieutenant (commission dating from the latter engagement), and assigned to dutv in Company A of the Tliirty-sixth Regiment, of which J. Gage Barker, of Muskingum, was then captain, and John L. Palmer, of Salem, first lieu- tenant. He served as second lieutenant through the campaign of Rosecrans to Chattanooga, and under Thomas during the winter of 1863 and 1864, in camp at that place. Remained with the regiment on its re-enlistment as veterans, in February, 1864, visiting home then for the first time since his entry into service.

On the expiration of the veteran furlough the regiment was ordered to Charleston, West Virginia, where he received a commission as first lieutenant, dated April 21, 1864, and assigned to duty in the same company, in which he remained until the 13th of January, 1865, when he received his appointment to a captaincy, commission dated December 31, 1864.

While first lieutenant he passed through the raids to the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad and to Lynchburg, under General Hunter, and the memorable campaign of General Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley, fighting his last battle at Cedar Creek, on the 19th day of October, 1864.

As captain he was assigned to the command of Company F of his regiment, of which company he retained command until the muster out and discharge of the regiment, which took place at Columbus, Ohio, July 27, 1865.

Having served nearly four years honestly and faithfully, and seen the honor of the American flag completely established and the Rebellion crushed, he received his discharge with a degree of satisfaction that only an old soldier can feel, and retired from the army with the entire good will of his company.

[In the summer of 1865 the Military committee of Washington county caused a letter to be written to each of the officers in the army from this county, requesting them to give a short account of their life in the service, and the foregoing was written by Captain Ward in response to such letter.] ,

In the year following the close of the war Mr. Bartmess, the county recorder, having died. Captain Ward was appointed to fill the vacancy. He afterward engaged in business in Marietta, in which he was very successful.

In 1869 he was married to Kate L. Wakefield, daughter of B. A. Wakefield, of Lawrence County. Tllie following are their children: Charles Augustus, born July 27, 1870; Willia Wakefield, born March 25, 1872.

Captain VVard was compelled to give up business on account of failing health. The disease, doubtless the result of exposure in the service, now made rapid strides, and Captain Ward seeking relief by change of air and medical treatment, went to Green Springs. Ohio, where he died on the 13th of August, 1874.

C-XPT. Arthur D. Eei.i.s was born at Unadella, Otsego County, New York, February 6, 1838. He was the son of John Fells, formerly of New Canaan, Co^nnecticut. and a grandson of Gen. John Mead, who served his country through the Revolutionary War. Captain Fells came to Marietta in February, 1859. Soon after the rebellion broke out he commenced recruiting men for the Union army and in August, 1861, took a squad of twenty odd men to Parkersburg. West Virginia, and continued to recruit men for the Union Army until about the 26th of October. 1861, when the Second Virginia Cavalry Regiment was organized and he was commissioned captain of Company F, the regiment being mostly composed of Ohio men. Soon after the regiment was organized, it was sent to Guyandotte. on the Ohio River, and remained there through the winter of 1861-

62. Tn May, 1862, the regiment in part joined General Crook's brigade, at Lewisburg, West Virginia, and went on the raid through the mountains to White Sulpher Springs, Covington, and Jackson Depot, tearing up the railroad track and doing much damage to the enemy. The march was so rapid that the enemy was entirely taken by surprise and could not gather force sufficient to attack them. General Crook with his little army returned to Lewisburg. The day previous to the battle of Lewisburg, Captain Eells with a small detail of men was sent out liy General Crook on a reconnoitering expedition. On this expedition he came very near being captured, having gone very nearly within the lines of the enemy's pickets. He and his men escaped by strategy, as he personally learned from prisoners captured in the Lewisburg fight the next day. While at a farmer's house, he learned facts that were of sufficient moment to put him on the alert, and in a very careless way gave orders to his men to fall back to the main force, indicating that there was quite a force close at hand. One of the men at the farm house was a Rebel soldier in citizen's dress, who at once reported these facts to the enemy, as one of the prisoners told Captain Eells the next day that they thought by letting him go that they would likely capture the main body of men, not supposing that he would venture to come so near their lines with such a small squad of men. Captain Eells and his men after having gone a reasonable distance from the enemy made good time in getting back to headquarters with his men, and reached camp at about nine o'clock in the evening of the 22nd of May and made his report to^ General Crook, giving him valuable information. In the early nrorning of May 23d General Crook was attacked ; the enemy drove in his pickets and the fight commenced. The enemy numbered from 2,300 to 3,000 men, and were defeated, losing six men killed, 175 prisoners and manv wounded, four pieces of artillery and a large number of small arms. This was a grand victory for General Crook and his brave little army. In one of Captain Eells' scouting expeditions, he came suddenly on a Rebel picket armed with a double-barreled shotgun. The picket fired one barrel of his gun at Eells, who returned the fire with his revolver. The picket dropped his gun and ran into the woods, evidently wounded. Captain Eells captured the gun and brought it home with him. The hardships of army life and the mountain campaigns were more than his health could bear. .Some time in June, 1S62, he resigned his commission and came back to Marietta. With quiet and rest came better health and renewed strength. Tn the following August, the government called for a regiment of cavalry for border service, to be known as the "River Regiment." Captain Eells at once commenced recruiting men for this regiment. In a very few days he reported to the military committee of Washington county that he had a company of 100 men ready for the service. He went to Columbus and was commissioned as captain of Company H, Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, August 25, 1862. He was very soon ordered to report with his company at Ripley on the Ohio River above Cincinnati, notwithstanding the regiment was raised for border service. Early in December of the same year the regiment was ordered to the front. They crossed the Ohio River below Maysville into Kentucky, reaching Lexington about the first of January, 1863. While in camp at Lexington, Captain Eells was taken sick with typhoid fever and was unable to do any military duty until some time in April following. He joined his regi- I ment at Stanford, Kentucky, and was on duty until the 23rd of June, 1863. While stationed at Somerset, Kentucky, it became evident to him that he could not stand the hardships of an active army life. It was often remarked by his brother officers that there was not another man in the regiment who would think he was able to do military duty even when he was in his best health. He was full of hope, always cheerful and ready for duty, a good soldier, and every man in the regiment his friend. He greatlv desired to live to see the war ended. He never for a moment doubted the final result. On the 28th of June. 1863, he sent in his resignation and severed his connection with his company and regiment as a comrade and an officer. He came back to Marietta with the hope that rest and good care would again bring him better health and more strength. But not so; the exposure and hardships of an army life had done the work for him - the destroyer's hand was on him - his health gradually failed him. His ambition and cheerful disposition kept him -up even to the last, and when death came he was ready for the call and died with the courage of -a Christian soldier the thirteenth of September, 1864.. and was buried in Mound Cemetery at Marietta, Ohio.