FOOR :YEIR§'::MiPAIGNING IN THE 
 ARMY OF TSE CUMBERLAND 
 
 iHSIEEOT CORPS 
 
 
 By CHARLES W. BENNEH 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 oQQiaaiQbT'^i 
 
TO THE LtBRARIAN 
 By the generosity of Mr. James W. 
 Fales (page dZ'/z) 144 Crawford Ave. 
 West, Detroit, Mich., this little book 
 is sent to your Libiary for the use of 
 all who may be interested in the his- 
 tory of the Ninth Michigan Infantry. 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 ^ 
 
HISTORICJ.L SKETCHES 
 of the 
 
 ^General Thomas' Headquarters Guards) 
 With an Account of the 
 
 BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE 
 
 SUNDAY, JULY 13, 1862 
 
 Four Years Campaigning in the Army 
 of the Cumberland 
 
 BY CHARLES W. BENNETT 
 of Company G 
 
 Regimental Meetings Since the War 
 
 By Henry C. Rankin 
 
 of Company C 
 
 Regimental and Company Organizations 
 
 By Frank A. Lester, Jr. 
 
 Son of Frank Lester, Co. C 
 
 DAILY COURIER PRINT 
 
 COLDWATER, MICH. 
 
 19 13 
 
CHARLES WILKES BENNETT 
 In Autumn of 1865 
 
 
Historical SKetches of the 
 
 Ninth Michigan Infantry 
 
 FOUR YEARS CAMPAIGNING 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The writer enlisted at Coldwater, 
 Mich., August 15, 1861, as a private 
 in Captain Mortimer Mansfield's com- 
 pany, G, of the Ninth Michigan Infan- 
 try; was mustered in as Third Ser- 
 geant, Oct. 15, 1861; made Orderly 
 Sergeant, June 22, 1862; Second Lieu- 
 tenant, Jan. 17, 1863; Captain 13th U. 
 S. Colored Infantry by order of Gen. 
 Rosecrans, Oct. 26, 1863; Breveted 
 Major Dec. 2, 1865, to date from 
 March 15, 1865, "for faithful and 
 meritorious service during the war," 
 by the Secretary of War on recom- 
 mend of Gen. Thomas; mustered out 
 of service, Jan. 10, 1866. 
 
 The greater part of this history was 
 written by request to be read at the 
 regimental reunion held at Jackson, 
 Mich., on the Fiftieth Anniversary 
 of the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn., 
 July 13, 1912, but for lack of time the 
 historical parts were not read, but 
 the regiment voted unanimously to 
 have it all published at their expense. 
 
 The information here published, 
 much of it for the first time, has been 
 mostly compiled from weekly letters 
 sent to my father during the war, 
 from a daily diary I kept, and a rath- 
 er full account of the battle sent to 
 my father soon after it occurred 
 which was published in the Branch 
 County Gazette — all of which papers 
 and records I now have; and as they 
 were "written on the spot," I believe 
 they are quite accurate. I have also 
 copied from official reports, both Fed- 
 eral and Confederate, from "Michigan 
 in the War," "Record of the Ninth 
 Michigan Infantry," "Michigan at 
 Chickamauga," and am greatly in- 
 debted to that unexcelled Roster of 
 the regiment published in 1911 by 
 Frank A. Lester, of Mason, Mich., an 
 honorary member because he is an en- 
 tliusiastic Son of Veteran, and our 
 present able Secretary. Other com- 
 rades and Col. Parkhurst's diary, kind- 
 ly loaned me by his daughter, Mrs. 
 
 Margaret Morey, have helped me to 
 verify dates and incidents. As an 
 after-thought the history of the re- 
 unions since the war has been added. 
 Comrade Henry C. Rankin having 
 written it more fully and eloquently 
 than any one else could have done. 
 
 It is not assumed that this reaches 
 the importance of a history of the 
 regiment — it is just "historical 
 sketches"; but it is more than double 
 the amount ever published before 
 about the Ninth, and it is hoped the 
 comrades will find many accounts 
 that will remind them of the weary 
 and painful "Days of '61 to '65." 
 
 C. W. BENNETT. 
 
 Coldwater, Mich., June, 1913. 
 
 THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY. 
 
 This is the Fiftieth Anniversary of 
 the most important event in the his- 
 tory of the Ninth Michigan Infantry. 
 On Sunday, July 13, 1862. it fought its 
 first and severest battle. But few 
 people remember that there were 
 three battles fought at Murfreesboro. 
 Everybody knows of the battle of 
 Stone River fought Dec. 30, 1862, to 
 Jan. 3, 1863, and some may remember 
 that on Dec. 8, 1864, Maj. Gen. R. 
 H. Milroy with a division of Federal 
 troops there completely routed two 
 divisions of Confederates, one of in- 
 fantry under Gen. Bates, and one of 
 cavalry under Gen. Forrest. But only 
 a few remember the battle of Mur- 
 freesboro in July, 1862; and still, con- 
 sidering the numbers engaged, the 
 battle of July was the most bloody — 
 the Ninth losing forty per cent of its 
 number engaged, which was greater 
 than any regiment lost at Stone 
 River, 
 SHORT HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 BY C. W. BENNETT. 
 
 The Ninth Michigan Infantry was 
 assembled at Fort Wayne, Detroit, 
 during the month of September, 1861, 
 
WILLIAM W. DUFFIELD 
 First Colonel of the Ninth Michigan Infantry 
 
 WHY HE WAS POPULAR 
 
 In a letter dated Dec. 16, 1861, I 
 wrote, "We had a bully regimental 
 drill this afternoon and the colonel 
 praised us highly for doing so well 
 afler being idle from drill so long be- 
 cause of so much sickness. We have 
 a noble colonel. I have never heard 
 him speak a cross word, and he is 
 very kind to his men. Several times 
 he has told the boys when' in line 
 on parade, before all the officers, to 
 report to him if their officers mis- 
 used them. His greatest care is for 
 
 our comfort. The colonel of the 
 
 Indiana regiment swears at his men 
 when they make a mistake in drilling 
 so he can be heard for half a mile. 
 When w^e get all mixed up in drilling 
 Colonel Duflield just indulges in a 
 hearty laugh. Then he will say, 'Now, 
 my lads, we will try it again.' He 
 has threatened to file charges against 
 the Indiana colonel for his abusive lan- 
 guage to his men. I have an auto- 
 graph letter from Col. Dufheld writ- 
 ten to me which I prize very much." 
 
and its 913 men were mustered into there within a few weeks. Several 
 
 the U. S. service Oct. 15. Oct. 17 at other regiments soon joined us here, 
 
 dress parade time three men who had Colonel Hazzard, of the 37th Indiana, 
 
 refused to be sworn into service were commanding the post, 
 
 dishonorably drummed out of camp. Across Salt River on its west side 
 
 On Oct. 23 Rev. Dr. George DufReld, is the northern end of Muldraugh's 
 
 the colonel's father, in an eloquent Hill, about 300 feet high here, and 
 
 and patriotic address, presented the quite steep on the river side. On 
 
 regiment with a beautiful silk banner. Sunday, Nov. 3, I had charge of fifty 
 
 The Ninth was the first Michigan men under Lieut. Wright as engineer- 
 regiment ordered to the Western ar- ing officer, and we graded a winding 
 my and it left Fort Wayne on the path up the side of the hill wide 
 ferry boat "Union," at nine o'clock a. enough for two to walk abreast. I 
 m., Friday, Oct. 25, 1861, going three remember that very distinctly be- 
 niiles up the river to the landing near cause it was the first time I ever 
 the Michigan Central depot. After a worked on a Sunday, and it worried 
 considerable hand shaking in the city, me very much. That was the begin- 
 left for the South on a Michigan Cen- ning of the work of fortifying that 
 tral train drawn by two locomotives, hill, on which the engineers estimat- 
 the head one nicely decorated and ed 70,000 days work was expended, 
 having a large banner reading "Death the Ninth doing a large part of it, 
 to Traitors." Went via Michigan City making it quite a strong fortification, 
 and Indianapolis. Stopped at Jackson My company, G, and company E were 
 for company C to bid good bye to specially assigned to man the fort 
 friends. At Marshall the "Fusileers" with its two pieces of artillery (which 
 (afterwards called Michigan Engi- were soon to be increased to ten), 
 neers and Mechanics), greeted us 800 and we moved Nov. 6 inside of the 
 strong, and at Niles the citizens fort and began about Dec 1 erecting 
 brought in coffee, crackers and bis- log cabins. The other companies 
 cults. When it was daylight our moved onto the hill Nov. 18, and in 
 journey through the two states was December began building log cabins 
 almost an ovation, the people cheer- outside the fort. The fortifications 
 ing us all along the way. and cabins were completed Jan. 1, 
 
 We arrived at Jeffersonville at seven and we expected to occupy them all 
 
 p. m., Saturday, and remained in the winter; but all our pleasant dreams 
 
 cars until Sunday morning, when we of comfort were shattered four days 
 
 went up the Ohio river about two afterward. 
 
 miles and pitched tents on a table Thursday, Nov. 21, Col. Duffield 
 
 land about twenty feet above the was made commander of West Point, 
 
 river. That day we received our first which was then an important base of 
 
 guns, "Belgian muskets," caliber .69, supplies for our army concentrating 
 
 that would "kill before and cripple be- at Elizabethtown and further south, 
 
 hind." Gen. Sherman was then in The supplies were brought here by 
 
 command of the "Army of the Ohio," steamers and then sent to the army 
 
 and he called on the ofl[icers and gave south by wagons. The hill was for- 
 
 orders for the regiment to go to West tified to protect this base of supplies. 
 
 Point, Ky. and to fall back to in case of defeat. 
 
 We got breakfast and struck tents During our first weeks at West Point 
 
 before daylight on Monday morning, night alarms were frequent. Tues- 
 
 Oct. 28, and at eight o'clock started day night, Nov. 12, the four regiments 
 
 down the river on two boats for West of infantry and one of cavalry were 
 
 Point, a small village situated at the rallied to arms four times! First, a 
 
 junction of the celebrated "Salt sentinel saw a pick sticking in the 
 
 River" and Ohio, twenty miles below top of a stump and immagined it was 
 
 Louisville, where we arrived at four a rebel aiming his gun, and he blazed 
 
 p. m., and camped on a flat on the away. Of course the other guards fired 
 
 east side of Salt River in an old or- their guns in the air, and then all the 
 
 chard. The ground was wet, we did drummers tried to see which could 
 
 not know then how to make bunks pound his drum the hardest. Com- 
 
 of straw or rails, and it was the most panies E and G were then alone on the 
 
 fatal camp we ever had, for we bur- hill and expected to be the first ones 
 
 ried sixty-one men on the hill near gobbled up; but reinforcements came 
 

 
 K - 
 I 
 
 
 it ^ 
 
 
 
 "i;) 
 
 ,.v- 
 
 V- 
 
 O 
 n 
 O 
 
 Mostly built by the 9th Michigan Infantry in Nov. and Dec, M 
 From sketch by Charles A. Kelley, Co. I. 
 
 This view was taken from the hills the north, and shows only the top of 
 across the river in Indiana a mile to Mnldraiigh's Hill, the lower part be- 
 
up to us on the double quick. This 
 performance was repeated three 
 times before morning, caused by oth- 
 er nervous sentinels "seeing some- 
 thing." The absurdity of it was that 
 no rebels were nearer than Bowling 
 Green, fifty miles away, and our army 
 was between us. But we were ail 
 "raw" then, and immagined there was 
 a rebel behind every bush, tree and 
 knob, and several luckless pigs lost 
 their lives by being too inquisitive aft- 
 er dark. 
 
 Saturday, Jan. 4, 1862, six com- 
 panies left for Elizabethtown, 24 
 miles south, companies B, G, H and 
 I remaining to guard the fort under 
 command of Major Fox. On Jan. 9 
 company P went to guard the Nolin 
 bridge, ten miles south of Elizabeth- 
 town. Friday, Jan. 17, companies 
 E and G started for Elizabethtown, 
 arriving there next evening through 
 rain and mud. At that time our "Ar- 
 my of the Ohio" was commanded by 
 General Buell, (General Sherman 
 having been relieved from command 
 because of his alleged "insanity!"), 
 with headquarters at Munfordsville; 
 while a rebel army under Gen. A. S. 
 Johnson was well entrenched at Bowl- 
 ing Green. After Grant and Foote 
 captured Fort Henry, Feb. 6, Johnson 
 fell back to Nashville, and Buell mov- 
 ed to Bowling Green; and after Fort 
 Donnelson was captured, Feb. 16, 
 Buell moved to Nashville — the rebel 
 army retreating to Corinth, Miss. 
 
 Quite a number of our first officers 
 resigned during the first few months 
 — some because of their self-conscious 
 inefficiency; others because they 
 
 found soldiering a moi'e serious busi- 
 ness than they expected. To illus- 
 trate: A lieutenant was ordered for 
 duty to headquarters in Louisville. 
 On arriving the general asked if he 
 had reported for duty. "Yes, for light 
 duty." "There is no such thing as 
 'light duty' in the military service, 
 but if you wish to do no other you 
 may go up leisurely on the right of 
 Main street, take a drink as often as 
 you choose, then return on the other 
 side, counting all the signs you can 
 see, and report to me tomorrow morn- 
 ing." The lieutenant took the hint 
 and immediately handed in his resig- 
 nation. 
 
 One captain became so unpopular 
 because of his aristocratic, overbear- 
 ing manners and ignorance of mili- 
 tary drills that a sergeant who was 
 also ignorant of military law got two- 
 thirds of the company to petition the 
 colonel to remove him. Sergeant 
 Major Doubblaere (who was a well 
 posted ex-French soldier) informed 
 the sergeant that he had committed 
 a very grave military offense, 
 but that Colonel Duffleld, realizing 
 that they were not so good soldiers 
 as they were citizens who thought 
 they had a constitutional right to pe- 
 tition, had concluded to overlook this 
 offense. In a kind note the colonel 
 said he had referred the petition to 
 Gov. Blair. They never heard from 
 the governor, but in two months the 
 captain resigned. 
 
 One lieutenant was "fired" because 
 he offered Adjutant Duffield fifty dol- 
 lars to detail him on recruiting ser- 
 vice. 
 
 ing hidden by the trees. There were 
 several large fields in which the var- 
 ious regiments used to drill between 
 the village and the hill, not shown. 
 You are looking into the rear of the 
 fort which faces from you to the 
 south, and commanded the great 
 Louisville and Nashville Pike, which 
 passes around the hill to the right and 
 rear. The fort was fifteen rods deep, 
 and about forty rods in a straight 
 line from right to left; but it was 
 about eighty rods to follow all the an- 
 gles, with a wide, deep ditch all 
 around it, and would mount ten can- 
 nons and 1,000 men. A corn field oc- 
 cupied the top of the hill when we 
 took possession, but all aroimd that 
 
 were large trees which were cut down 
 to give free range to the guns. 
 
 The Ninth first camped to the left 
 of figure 1, and laid a bridge on 
 scows there to cross Salt River. Fig. 
 2 is the upper half of the winding 
 path, which ran as much further to 
 the left behind the trees to the bot- 
 tom of the hill. Fig. 3 marks steps 
 to a spring, and Fig. 4 is a short route 
 to town. Both of those places were 
 as steep as ordinary stairs, but steps 
 were made in the clay by constant 
 use. Teams got onto the hill by a 
 long, winding road on the south side. 
 Sixty-one men of the Ninth were hur- 
 ried on the point of the hill just to 
 the right of the picture. 
 
8 
 
 The officers at Mnldraugh's Hill be- panies of the 7th Penn. cavalry camp- 
 came very nervous, though the rebel ing near us. The 23rd Kentucky with 
 army was at Bowling Green and all two companies of the 7th Penn. cav- 
 of our army between. So they erect- airy went east to Lebanon, 
 ed large gates at the two entrances Saturday, March 29, we started for 
 to the fort, which were already well Murfreesboro, the 8th Kentucky and 
 protected, and then sent to the colo- the cavalry and battery going with 
 nel for massive locks to fasten them us, but I think the 3rd Minnesota 
 by night. Parkhurst being in com- went to Triune. About noon Gen. Mit- 
 mand directed the Quartermaster to chel overtook us and sent the 8th 
 send them two toy padlocks less than Kentucky back to Nashville because 
 an inch in diameter. If the officers the city officials had refused to take 
 were delighted on receipt of the the oath of allegiance, and Gov. John- 
 locks they did not laugh loud enough son wanted more troops left in the 
 for us to hear them twenty-four miles city. Marched thirteen miles and 
 away! camped in a field near a small stream 
 
 Friday, March 7, Major Fox arrived and a large spring; the cavalry and 
 
 with companies H and I, having been artillery companies camping with us. 
 
 relieved at Muldraugh's Hill by Capt. Sunday, March 30, started at eight 
 
 Lanphere's Coldwater battery. The o'clock. Had to go three miles out of 
 
 same day we drew new Austrian the way through fields and a very 
 
 rifles, a fairly good gun. rough road to get across a stream, the 
 
 Sunday, March 9, orders were reaa rebels having burned the bridge on 
 
 on dress parade from Gen. Buell or- the pike. Ate dinner on this route, 
 
 ganizing the Twenty-third Brigade, to Turned out for a similar reason and 
 
 consist of the 9th Michigan, 3rd Min- forded a stream half knee deep, and 
 
 nesota, and 8th and 23rd Kentucky went into camp in a clover field near 
 
 regiments, with Colonel Wm. W. Duf- a nice spring. That night one of 
 
 field as commander, the brigade to Co. C's men (Gus. Whitney), fell 
 
 report at once to Nashville. Company while on guard and accidentally shot 
 
 F arrived the same day from Nolin. his wrist so it had to be amputated. 
 
 Tuesday, March 11, the Eleventh This is our third and most serious 
 
 Michigan relieved us at Elizabeth- accident. 
 
 town, and the Ninth left for West Monday, March 31, passed a house 
 
 Point, where we arrived at 3 p. m. where several ladies stood at the 
 
 the next day. While waiting here gate waving their handkerchiefs. It 
 
 the band received new silver instru- being the first demonstration of the 
 
 ments which so delighted them that kind on this march each companv 
 
 they serenaded almost everybody, heartily cheered them as it passed, 
 
 day and night. When within one and a half miles of 
 
 Ever since Jan. 9 Col. Duffield had Murfreesboro we turned to the east 
 
 been on a board to examine officers off the pike to wade another shallow 
 
 at Bardstown. He joined us here, stream, and went into camp on a 
 
 but immediately left for Louisville pleasant green in the edge of oak 
 
 where the other regiments of the bri- woods and peachtrees in bloom. A 
 
 gade were concentrating to embark large number of Loomis Battery came 
 
 on boats. We waited for them until out and visited us that evening. 
 
 Wednesday, March 19, when the Jacob The next morning, Tuesday, 
 
 Strader, the largest boat on the riv- April 1, we were ordered to put on 
 
 ers, came, and we boarded it, but did our best clothes because we were to 
 
 not start until about midnight, when pass so many troops, General Mit- 
 
 the other regiments came on boats chel's Division, of which we were 
 
 with Col. Duffield in command, and to form a part. We marched through 
 
 all proceeded down the river, there the city past Gen. Mitchel's tents, 
 
 being six boats in our fleet. and camped on a ridge three-fourths 
 
 Arrived at Nashville at 8 a. m., of a mile southwest of the court 
 
 Sunday, March 23, and at 3 p. m. the house on the Manchester Pike, near 
 
 Ninth marched through the city and a Mr. Avant, who was in the cele- 
 
 camped on a hill about two miles brated Charleston convention the 
 
 southeast of the city on the Murfrees- year before with Col. Parkhurst. 
 
 boro pike, the 8th Kentucky, 3rd Min- when the Democrat party split. Mur- 
 
 nesota, Hewitt's battery and two com- freesboro was a city of about 2,500 
 
population, 30 miles southeast of 
 Nashville. 
 
 April 3rd company B took posses- 
 sion of the Court House as city pro- 
 vost guards, with Capt. Rounds as 
 Provost Marshal and Gen. Mitchel ap- 
 pointed Lieut. Col. Parkhurst mili- 
 tary governor of the District of Mur- 
 freesboro. Gen. Mitchel moved the 
 most of his Division to Shelbyville 
 that day. April 7th the first train of 
 oars came from Nashville and went 
 on to Shelbyville. 
 
 Friday, April 11, companies C, F 
 and G, under command of Capt. Wil- 
 kinson, went by train to Wartrace, 
 twenty-three miles south, to aid about 
 100 men of the 42nd Indiana infantry, 
 who were suddenly attacked that 
 morning by about 250 rebels under 
 Col. Stearns. The Indiana men drove 
 the rebels away before we arrived, 
 losing four killed and over thirty 
 wounded. We stayed with them un- 
 til ne.xt day, the enemy not returning. 
 
 Tuesday, April 15, a large flag was 
 raised on the Court House, Col. 
 Parkhurst delivering a splendid ad- 
 dress. 
 
 Wednesday, April 23, after tattoo, 
 Col. Duffield received an order to con- 
 centrate the brigade by Saturday and 
 ba ready to start for Corinth. Not- 
 withstanding the lateness of the hour 
 the news soon spread to our men, and 
 then to the other regiments, and for 
 half an hour they were wild with 
 cheering. The next day the marching 
 order was countermanded, but the 
 brigade must concentrate and await 
 further orders. Saturday, April 26, 
 the 23rd Kentucky and the two com- 
 panies of 7th Penn. cavalry arrived 
 from Lebanon and camped near us. 
 
 Tuesday, April 29, Gov. Blair, Ad- 
 jutant Gen. Robertson and colonels 
 Pittman and Croul made us a visit 
 and gave stirring patriotic addresses. 
 On the same day the 3rd Minnesota 
 arrived. This was the first and only 
 time the Twenty-third Brigade was 
 all together. On May 2nd there was 
 brigade drill for the first and only 
 time. Saturday, May 3rd, the 8th 
 Kentucky and the Ninth went to Shel- 
 byville to repel an expected attack 
 from John Morgan, and the Sth Ken- 
 tucky remained there. The brigade 
 had been together a little over three 
 days and drilled once! On May 22, 
 the 23rd Kentucky left for Pulaski 
 and never joined the brigade again. 
 
 9 
 
 This scattering of the brigade lead to 
 the disasterous battle in July which 
 not only ruined our brigade organiza- 
 tion, but some thought also lead to 
 the retreat of Gen. Buell's army, and 
 that general's downfall. 
 
 Morgan's force next appeared on 
 the railroad north of Murfreesboro, 
 and so on May 4 the Ninth was rush- 
 ed back by train and at once started 
 towards Lebanon in pursuit. But the 
 officers soon realized the absurditv of 
 chasing cavalry with infantry and the 
 Ninth was sent back into camp. But 
 Col. Duffield with Parkhurst and four 
 other staff officers of the Ninth joined 
 Gen. Dumont's cavalry in the chase 
 after Morgan. After tattoo on the eve- 
 ning of May 5th the regiment was 
 aroused up to greet their return, when 
 Col. DuiTaeld said, "Well, my lads, you 
 all know we have been chasing old 
 Morgan for the last three days. The 
 whole Ninth went out at first — then 
 we were all infantry. Last night we 
 started out with only cavalry, (about 
 600), and overtook him at Lebanon. 
 We surprised him completely this 
 morning, cut him all to pieces, and 
 took 200 prisoners, with their arms, 
 etc.,, and though there were only six 
 members of the old Ninth family 
 along, the town was surrendered to 
 your own Colonel Parkhurst." 
 
 A Confederate account (Ridley's) 
 of this battle at Lebanon says Mor- 
 gan escaped with only "a few of his 
 men" who had fleet horses. He and 
 those few men got across the Cum- 
 berland River in small boats, but our 
 cavalry captured their horses, in- 
 cluding Morgan's favorite "Black 
 Bess." This put a quietus on Mor- 
 gan until he raised another force. 
 
 Friday, May 9, the regiment escort- 
 ed Col. Duflfield to the depot and re- 
 luctantly bid him good bye as he left 
 to take command of the Department of 
 Kentucky during the sickness of Gen. 
 Burbridge, though at that time we 
 thought it was permanently. This 
 left Col. Lester of the 3rd Minnesota 
 the ranking officer in command at 
 that post. 
 
 Saturday evening, May 10, Col. 
 Parkhurst was fired at by a would-be 
 assassin while he and Capt. Rounds 
 were riding in the streets. For this 
 and other similar outrages, twelve 
 prominent citizens were arrested on 
 Monday by Capt. Rounds and sent to 
 Nashville to be held as hostages to 
 
10 
 
 prevent further outrages by citizens. 
 That was in accordance with an or- 
 der that had been issued by Gov. 
 Johnson. When the Ninth turned 
 out to drill on the next day, Tuesday, 
 the 13th, they were marched to the 
 city, divided into squads and search- 
 ed all the houses for arms, and it was 
 reported 200 guns were found loaded. 
 This action greatly excited the citi- 
 zens and they swore vengence — 
 which no doubt they took later. 
 
 On this day Captain Deland issued 
 the first of several numbers of "The 
 Union Volunteer," devoted mostly to 
 local events. He was aided by print- 
 ers in the regiment, an abandoned 
 printing office being used for the pur- 
 pose. This illustrates that the army 
 was composed of men of all profes- 
 sions, and capable of doing almost 
 any work an emergency demanded. 
 
 On Thursday, May 29, the Ninth 
 took train for Shelbyville to join a 
 force of about 5,000 troops under Gen. 
 Negley in an expedition to make a 
 demonstration against Chattanooga. 
 The writer, not yet having recovered 
 from typhoid fever, was left with 
 about fifty other convalescents to 
 guard our camp, and for two weeks 
 our duties were very severe for sick 
 men, and it was the first and only 
 time I ever got "homesick." 
 
 The Ninth was assigned to Col. 
 Scribner's (of the 38th Indiana) brig- 
 age. The first day out the 38th had 
 the advance and boasted they would 
 "bush" the "feather bed" regiment, as 
 they called the Ninth; but at night 
 the Ninth was at their heels, though 
 the last half mile was made on the 
 run. Next day the Ninth had the 
 lead and when they went into camp 
 at night no Hoosiers were in sight. 
 We heard nothing about "feather 
 bed" soldiers after that. 
 
 The weather was hot and dry, the 
 roads dusty and mountainous, and 
 the object being to surprise the en- 
 emy, the marching was rapid, aver- 
 aging about 25 miles a day — one day 
 reaching 35 miles. The brigade lost 
 25 horses and mules in one day from 
 heat and fatigue. 
 
 Prom Walden's Ridge our artillery 
 shelled the rebels in Chattanooga, 
 silencing their batteries, and the 
 Ninth went to the river and while 
 two companies fired in the advance 
 as skirmishers, the regiment fired a 
 volley into the town. But no effort 
 
 was made to cross the river, greatly 
 to the disgust of our men, who pro- 
 nounced the expedition a total failure. 
 But when they returned June 12 all 
 tired out, ragged, dirty and disgust- 
 ed, they learned that some mind 
 "higher up" sent them there to scare 
 the rebels into rallying to the de- 
 fence of Chattanooga so our troops 
 could capture Cumberland Gap, which 
 was accomplished. 
 
 The Ninth lost one man of Co. B 
 drowned while bathing in Duck Riv- 
 er; Chas. W. Decker, of Co. B, killed 
 by a Kentucky cavalryman with 
 whom he was quarrelling, and one 
 man of Co. E missing. At two dif- 
 ferent times while the regiment was 
 gone Col. Lester got scared and tele- 
 graphed for reinforcements, and each 
 time two or three regiments came on 
 special trains from Nashville — only 
 to go back next day disgusted and 
 cursing him. The 11th Michigan 
 came the last time and we had a 
 splendid visit with the Quincy boys. 
 
 Water becoming scant at our cam' 
 the Ninth moved on Tuesday, June 
 17, to Maj. Manny's Grove, about a 
 mile north of the Court House, where 
 water was abundantly furnished by 
 a large spring just east of Man- 
 ny's house, which was on the 
 right of the camp to the north, 
 and about ten rods away. There 
 was an ordinary square picket 
 fence about three feet high on our 
 right separating us from Manny's pri- 
 vate yard. There being plenty of 
 room we spread our camp out for the 
 first time to full, regular army dis- 
 tances, making it the handsomest and 
 most comfortable camp we ever had. 
 the large trees making it shady and 
 cool. The regiment faced to the west, 
 the color line being on a small street 
 from town to Manny's, and about one 
 block east of the Lebanon Pike. 
 
 Friday, June 20, the 3rd Minnesota 
 came and camped on our left towards 
 town, and beyond them were the ar- 
 tillery, cavalry and all the teams and 
 wagons of the Post. Lester ordered 
 Parkhurst to condense our camp to 
 give him more room. Parkhurst re- 
 fused and was put under arrest by 
 Lester, but was released the next 
 day. There had been some friction 
 between these officers before about 
 the government of the city. Be- 
 cause of this ill feeling, which 
 began to extend to the men 
 
MAJOR MANNY'S RESIDENCE 
 From photo taken by F. A. Lester in April, 1913. 
 
 The picket fence that separated the Ninth from Manny's yard was 
 just at the front edge of this picture. Our camp was on the right of the 
 road this side of the fence where the trees were larger and more unmer- 
 ous in 1862. The big spring was east (to the right) of the residence in a 
 little gully. 
 
 of the regiments, Lester an- 
 grilly moved his regiment and Hew- 
 itt's battery to the Nashville Pike 
 northwest of the city about one mile 
 from our camp, on Thursday, June 
 26. That was another military blund- 
 er. 
 
 Do you remember the "dog killers?" 
 Dogs got so numerous in camp that 
 they were a nuisance; so one morning 
 Col. Parkhufst told the guards in- 
 stead of discharging their guns at a 
 target to take the dogs out and kill 
 them. They took a bunch of them 
 into the woods near Manny's spring, 
 tied one to a tree, and one guard step- 
 ped back a few paces and fired at it. 
 He just grazed the dog's ear, which 
 made it howl and struggle to get 
 away. Another one fired and cut the 
 rope that held the dog, when it ran 
 towards the spring, all the guards 
 opening a running fire on it. There 
 were half a dozen men at the spring 
 
 doing their washings and in spite of 
 all their screaming they could not 
 stop the firing until one of them 
 (James K. Brooks, Co. A) fell from 
 a shot across the small of the back, 
 which it was thought would be fatal; 
 but he finally ercovered. But the 
 joke of it all was that in the excite- 
 ment all the dogs escaped and noue 
 were killed afterwards. So for sev- 
 eral weeks the "dog killers" were the 
 butt of the regiment. 
 
 Quite a number of negro slaves had 
 come into camp and were helping as 
 cooks, teamsters, etc. One day two 
 slave owners came to Col. Parkhurst 
 and demanded a negro slave be turn- 
 ed over to them. Parkhurst told 
 them it was a matter he had no con- 
 trol over, but that he would order 
 the negro out of camp and then they 
 could do what they pleased. So an 
 order was sent to the negro to leave 
 camp, which he did at once through 
 
the front entrance, but immediately try, 8th, 21st, and 23rd Kentucky In- 
 ran around and came in at the rear, fantry, 5th Kentucky Cavalry, four 
 The white men chased him, but the companies of the 4th Kentucky Cav- 
 sentinel would not let them pass in, airy, four companies of the 7th Penn. 
 telling them that "citizens" were al- Cavalry, and Hewitt's Kentucky Bat- 
 lowed to come in only at the front, tery of six guns. These forces were 
 which was a fact. So they came scattered, but were ordered to con- 
 around back and reported to the col- centrate at Murfreesborough and 
 onel, who again ordered the negro Tullahoma. I did not then know that 
 out, and the same circular race was Brig. Gen. Thomas T. Crittenden 
 repeated, and again the men returned came on the same train with Col. 
 and complained. By this time a Duffield, and was to take command 
 large crowd had collected to see the of the Post and all these forces, and 
 fun, many of them jollying and jeer- so perhaps I misunderstood the order 
 ing the slave catchers. The colonel's in assuming that all were to be in- 
 ire was up and he forcefully ordered eluded in the 23rd Brigade under 
 them to leave the camp at once or he Duffield. It was the talk that we 
 would arrest them for disturbing the would go to McMinnville and extend 
 peace! Never after that did a slave eastward. If Gen. Buell had made 
 catcher come to the Ninth for a ne- such a movement two weeks earlier 
 gro. This was before the question he would not only have saved Mur- 
 what to do with runaway slaves had freesborough, but probably saved his 
 been decided. General Butler had chase to Louisville later, and the bat- 
 not yet named them "Contrabands," ties of Perryville and Stone River, 
 which he set to work for the govern- In his official report Colonel Duf- 
 ment, and later made them into sol- field says that on Saturday, July 12, 
 diers. Col. Parkhurst decided the "General Crittenden and myself visit- 
 question then and there as far as his ed the several camps, discussed the 
 jurisdiction extended. impropriety of a divided command, 
 Monday, June 30, companies D, E. and decided upon a concentration, but 
 F and I went to Tullahoma to garri- as neither of us had assumed com- 
 son that place under command of Ma- mand we deferred it until the mor- 
 jor Pox; company B still being in the row. But on the morrow the blow fell 
 Court House. That left just five com- and the danger we had anticipated 
 panies. A, C, G, H and K in camp, became a reality. General Critten- 
 There were seven roads radiating den made his headquarters in town, 
 from the city which required from while I preferred camping with my 
 ten to fifteen picket guards on each, own men, and therefore pitched my 
 which made guard duty very heavy tent with the five companies of the 
 for the Ninth, as Col. Lester refused Ninth Michigan." 
 to do his share of it. Now let us view the 
 
 weTl'/'^tn^bp°H''<;nnl''^ H^' ^^f .^r^""!^ MILITARY SITUATION IN MIDDLE 
 went to the depot and escorted Colo- 
 nel and Adjutant Duffield to our TENNESSEE IN JULY, 1862. 
 camp; the Colonel having returned At that time the front of Buell's 
 to assume his old command. The army was on the Memphis and 
 boys were delighted, and it was com- Charleston railroad extending from 
 mented on that the Colonel pitched Bridgeport, Ala., on the east, to Flor- 
 his tent in our midst instead of go- ence, Ala., on the west, with head- 
 ing to a brick house for headquarters, quarters at Huntsville, Ala. His army 
 as Lester and others had done. It was supplied by two lines of railroad 
 was such things that made Duffield from Nashville, one via Murfreesboro 
 popular with his men. That evening and Tullahoma to Stevenson, Ala., 
 an order from Gen. Buell at Hunts- and the other via Franklin and Colum- 
 ville was read on dress parade for bia to Decatur, Ala. These roads had 
 the 23rd Brigade to hold itself in to be heavily guarded, because John 
 readiness to march. It also assigned Morgan and other cavalry leaders fre- 
 the 21st Kentucky Infantry, and. the quently made raids in our rear (for 
 5th Kentucky Cavalry to the brigade, at that stage of the war the rebels 
 I wrote that evening that our Bri- outnumbered us in cavalry), and the 
 gade would then consist of the 9th Ninth Michigan was helping to per- 
 Michigan Infantry, 3rd Minn. Infan- form that service at Murfreesboro. 
 
13 
 
 It belonged to the Twenty-third Bri- in Murfreesboro on July 13th, and no 
 
 gade, which had been commanded by cavalry had been helping Co. B do 
 
 our Colonel, Wm. W. Duffield; but he provost duty. Comrade J. H. Shuster, 
 
 had been absent two months on spec- Beaver Falls, Pa., wrote me July 26, 
 
 ial duty commanding the Department 1912, that he was Q. M. Sergeant of 
 
 of Kentucky, and sick in Detroit. He company M, of the 7th Penn., and 
 
 had just returned two days before the that on Saturday, the 12th of July, 
 
 battle, but had not yet assumed com- his company numbering about forty 
 
 mand. Lieut. Col. Parkhurst was in men, turned in their Enfield rifles to 
 
 command of the regiment and also exchange for repeating carbines 
 
 military governor of the city by for- which they had not received yet, and 
 
 mer order of Gen. Mitchel. Colonel so his company had no arms when 
 
 Lester of the 3rd Minnesota being the attack came. He also says that 
 
 ranking officer during the absence of on Friday, the 11th, while the two 
 
 Duffield, had unwisely moved his reg- companies L and M were scouting 
 
 iment and Hewitt's Battery to a po- out on the McMinnville pike a loyal 
 
 sition on Stone River northwest and woman told him she had reliable in- 
 
 a little over a mile from the camp of formation that Forrest was going to 
 
 the Ninth Michigan. attack Murfreesboro on the coming 
 
 Murfreesboro was becoming so im- Sunday, and urged him to tell his of- 
 
 portant as a base of supplies that ficers. He did, but they treated it as 
 
 Brig. Gen. Thomas T. Crittenden, of a joke! He and several other un- 
 
 Indiana, had arrived Friday, July 11th, armed comrades escaped capture by 
 
 to command all the troops in that hiding in the tall grass in the field 
 
 locality (but had not yet assumed in the rear of our camp, 
 
 command), and as our brigade had Comrade Shuster also sent me an 
 
 received orders that evening to con- extract from the history of his regi- 
 
 centrate and be prepared to march, ment which says there were four 
 
 it is evident Buell was preparing to companies, B, G, L and M, of the 7th 
 
 extend his left eastwards by sending Penn. cavalry stationed at Murfrees- 
 
 our brigade to McMinnville, forty boro, but that three officers and over 
 
 miles southeast of Murfreesboro. seventy men escaped to Nashville. 
 
 (Later records show that Buell was There was no possibility for that 
 
 thus planning). At that time no rebel many men to escape after the attack 
 
 forces were known to be nearer than was made, so it is evident that the 
 
 Chattanooga, about 100 miles via Mc- most of the men of companies B and 
 
 Minnville, and the most of Bragg's G went to Lebanon the evening be- 
 
 army was supposed to be west of fore on orders from Nashville, and 
 
 there in northern Mississippi and Al- they escaped capture by going to 
 
 abama. Nashville; while companies L and M 
 
 The official reports disagree about and a few convalescents of the other 
 the cavalry at Murfreesboro on the two companies were in camp on our 
 morning of July 13th. Forrest says left, but only company L of less than 
 there were two companies of the 4th fifty men had arms, and they were 
 Kentucky Cavalry camped in the city surprised, but some of them got into 
 aiding Company B in provost duty, our camp and did good fighting, 
 and two companies of the 7th Penn. Sickness and heavy guard duty left 
 Cavalry camped near the Ninth. Duf- only about 225 effective men of the 
 field says there were two companies five companies of the Ninth in camp 
 of the 4th Kentucky Cavalry that day, and exactly forty-two men 
 camped near the Ninth, but of company B, commanded by Lieut, 
 that "Orders were received from Wright (Captain Rounds being pro- 
 Nashville the evening of the vest marshal of the city was in a sep- 
 12th directing the two Kentucky Cav- arate office), were in the Court House, 
 airy companies to proceed immediate- in the center of the public square of 
 ly to Lebanon;" but still he counts the city, acting as provost guards or 
 them at 81 in the forces for the de- city police, guarding the jail and oth- 
 fense of the place! er property and Gen. Crittenden's 
 
 From m.y own diary and extensive headquarters in a hotel, 
 
 correspondence with survivors of the Colonel Lester had nine companies 
 
 Ninth and 7th Pennsylvania, I am of his regiment, the 3rd Minnesota 
 
 sure there was no Kentucky cavalry Infantry, (one company was guarding 
 
14 
 
 a railroad train that day), numbering 
 450 men, and four guns of Hewitt's 
 6th Kentucky Battery, seventy-two 
 men. These figures are talten from 
 Col. Duflield's official report which 
 said, "The total effective strength of 
 the command at Mufreesboro on the 
 morning of the 13th of July did not 
 exceed 814 men, including pickets." 
 And he erroneously counted 81 caval- 
 rymen, when there were less than 
 fifty armed. 
 
 Forrest reported that he captured 
 "between eleven and twelve hun- 
 dred," but that included several hun- 
 dred teamsters of the post, and the 
 sick and nurses in all the hospitals, 
 many of whom had been sent from 
 the army In front. 
 
 I had recently been promoted to 
 Orderly Sergeant, and was so ambi- 
 tious that I usually arose at about 
 four o'clock to dress, wash and arouse 
 the men for roll call at reveille, 
 which was at five o'clock. The follow- 
 ing is the 
 
 Story of the Battle of Mufreesboro 
 
 as written to my father on August 1st, 
 except passages in parenthesis, 
 which are later additions. 
 
 "I arose at a quarter past four 
 o'clock (I am sure of that time be- 
 cause I looked at my new watch) on the 
 morning of Sunday, July 13, 1862, 
 and while in the rear of the camp on 
 the east side I heard two guns in the 
 direction of our pickets on the Wood- 
 bury Pike, the road east towards 
 Chattanooga. It aroused my suspic- 
 ions a little, but as Col. Lester had 
 allowed some promiscuous firing, and 
 negroes were hunting occasionally, 
 and as I knew of no rebels nearer 
 than Chattanooga, I did not arouse 
 the camp, especially as the camp 
 guards did not. As reveille was not 
 till five o'clock, all were quietly sleep- 
 ing except a few cooks who were 
 chopping wood for their breakfast 
 fires. I returned to our cook's fire 
 and while washing, each time I stoop- 
 ed down I could hear an unusual roar 
 like a distant wind-storm, but as I 
 raised to listen I concluded it was the 
 echoes of the chopping. But to satis- 
 fy myself I at last put my ear near 
 the ground, and then distinctly heard 
 the clatter and roar of cavarly on the 
 gallop. 
 
 "I ran to each tent in our company, 
 yelling, 'turn out, the rebels are com- 
 
 ing.' By the time I had reached the 
 second tent, our company bugler, 
 William White, began to blow the 
 alarm (poor fellow, he was killed in 
 his tent, shot through the head before 
 he got dressed), and that aroused a 
 drummer, who beat the long roll. By 
 this time the rebels had reached our 
 hospital on the Woodbury pike and a 
 few shots were fired there. That 
 aroused all the troops. The rebels 
 soon reached the brigade teamsters 
 camped about eighty rods on our left 
 towards town, and then they came to 
 the cavalry, which was beyond where 
 the 3rd Minnesota regiment and Hew- 
 itt's Battery had camped, on our left. 
 The cavalry hardly had time to get 
 out of their tents, let alone arming 
 and mounting their horses. There 
 was a good deal of yelling and scat- 
 tered firing in those camps, and the 
 ropes stretched from tree to tree for 
 hitching the horses, tumbled many a 
 rebel horse and rider; but these de- 
 layed the rebels only a few moments. 
 
 "Capt. Mansfield was sick in bed in 
 Maj. Manny's house, 1st Lieut. Hull 
 was acting Adjutant, and 2nd Lieut. 
 Sellon was Officer of the Guard, leav- 
 ing my company, G, without an offi- 
 cer. I got the company all in line, 
 counted by twos and divided off into 
 sections and platoons, and started to 
 form on the color line in front of 
 camp; but the Adjutant called me to 
 come to the left with Company C, 
 which was the only other company 
 that was then organized, company 
 C being tented next to our left and 
 were aroused by my calling out Com- 
 pany G. 
 
 "Then Col. Parkhurst rushed out of 
 his tent and commanded to form 
 square in the space on the left pre- 
 viously occupied by the four com- 
 panies gone to Tullahoma. But there 
 being no rules to form square only 
 when in line or column, each com- 
 pany rushed to that space, and while 
 in this dilemma of trying to form 
 square, the rebels came in sight yell- 
 ing like Indians, their horses on a gal- 
 lop. We were all in a huddle. The 
 rebels began firing, being armed 
 largely with shot guns loaded with 
 big shot, which came like hail. Our 
 men did not wait for orders to load 
 and fire, but at once gave the rebels 
 a hot reception. A large number fell 
 on all sides of me while in this hud- 
 dle. One ball hit my cross belt just 
 
over my heart which first aroused me 
 to a sense of danger, and I began to 
 load my gun, having been too busy 
 before trying to get the company in 
 position. After a little some one 
 (some of my company has since told 
 me it was Col. Parkhurst) ordered, 
 "fall back over the fence," meaning 
 the picket fence on the right of the 
 camp, and about eight rods away. 
 The order was obeyed by many, but 
 others fell back part way but did not 
 go over the fence, some getting be- 
 hind trees. This move made us 
 more scattered so the rebel firing was 
 not so fatal, and they did not try to 
 scale the fence — except I was told 
 one did it, but horse and rider fell 
 dead when they landed. 
 
 "The fight lasted about 15 minutes 
 (the official reports say half an hour, 
 but 15 minutes was long enough for 
 me at the time), when the rebels 
 skeddaddled, and some of our boys 
 in their eagerness chased them sev- 
 eral rods on foot. We fell in and 
 marched to a log house on the left of 
 camp towards town which was sur- 
 rounded by a high picket fence, and 
 took our position in that yard. The 
 occupants, (a Mrs. Lewis) left the 
 house and some of the boys went in 
 and made a good block house of it by 
 knocking out the chinks between the 
 logs. (I remember I thought at the 
 time that those boys were cowards; 
 but afterwards, with more experience, 
 I have thought if all of us had gone 
 into one of the large orick dwellings 
 in the vicinity we coL'ld have held it. 
 for the rebels hai no artillery). 
 
 "Company C and a sergeant and 
 eight men of company G went 
 towards town as skirmishers, and 
 for eight long hours did good execu- 
 tion in picking off small squads and 
 stragglers of the enemy. (In a letter 
 to me dated March 5, 1912, comrade 
 Anthony C. Chapaton, of Detroit, vol- 
 untarily refers to that incident, and 
 gives the names of our company, G, 
 who volunteered to go out at that 
 time, and that they went to protect 
 the Seminary Hospital. They were 
 Sergeant Andrew Nuhfer, C. R. 
 Brand, Anthony C. Chapaton. Joe 
 Lear, Frank McGurk, Conrad Ramin- 
 ger, Jacob Madler. B. J. Stoddard and 
 Charles A. Breton). We made a barri- 
 cade in our front with wagons and 
 bales of hay. 
 
 (Colonel Duffield in his official re- 
 
 15 
 
 port said, "The rebel force consisted 
 of the 2nd cavalry brigade, C. S. A., 
 commanded by Brig. Gen. N. B. For- 
 rest, over 3,000 strong, consisting of 
 one Texas regiment ('Texas Rang'- 
 ers') Lieut. Col. Walker; 1st and 2nd 
 Georgia regiments. Colonels Wharton 
 and Hood; one Alabama regiment, 
 Col. Saunders; and one Tennessee 
 regiment. Col. Lawton. The Texas 
 regiment and a batallion of one of the 
 Georgia regiments, in all over 800 
 strong, attacked the five companies of 
 the Ninth Michigan Volunteers. So 
 fierce and impetuous was their attack 
 that our men were forced nearly to 
 the center of the camp, but they fell 
 back steadily and in order, with their 
 faces to the foe; but upon reaching 
 the center of the camp (I wrote at the 
 fence on the right of camp), their 
 line was brought to a halt, and after 
 about twenty minutes of nearly hand 
 to hand fighting the enemy broke and 
 fled in the wildest confusion, follow- 
 ed in close pursuit by one company 
 as skirmishers. A squadron of cav- 
 alry at this time launched at their 
 heels would have utterly routed and 
 annihilated them. Indeed, so great 
 was their panic that their officers 
 were unable to check the fugitives for 
 a space of seven miles, and Colonel 
 Lawton, commanding the Georgia reg- 
 iment, was subsequently arrested by 
 General Forrest for misconduct under 
 the fire of the enemy.") 
 
 "Another part of the rebel force at- 
 tacked Company B in the Court 
 House. The boys barricaded the 
 doors, then went into the second 
 story and fired from the windows. As 
 there was a street on each side, the 
 rebels were much exposed and lost 
 heavily; but finally enough of them 
 got to the doors and battered them 
 in and started for the stairs. But 
 here Company B had a greater advan- 
 tage and kept them down. Then the 
 rebels started a fire on the lower 
 floor, and the 42 men of Co. B sur- 
 rendered after fighting three long 
 hours, and killing and wounding more 
 than their own number. The rebel 
 loss was severe here, but Co. B's loss 
 was only three men wounded. 
 
 "About six o'clock a force of the 
 rebels started for the Minnesota 
 camp. Col. Lester had had ample 
 time to form and had chosen a posi- 
 tion about 80 rods towards town. The 
 rebels swept around him and burned 
 

 COURT HOUSE, MURFREESBORO, TENN.. IN 1862. 
 
 The Court House was in the center building located on Main street run- 
 of a large Public Square having a ning west from the center of the Pub- 
 street on each of its four sides on lie Square, and about two blocks dis- 
 which were the stores and hotels, all tance from the Court House. During 
 facing inwards. The enemy had to the warm weather a large share of 
 cross these streets without cover or Co. B. slept in tents outside of the 
 protection, and during the three or Court House. 
 
 more hours fighting to capture this ^j^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ .^^ jj^^ ^^^^.g,. po,,,^^ 
 building from 42 men of Company B, ^^ ^^^^^.^j ^^^ ^.^^^ around, and as it 
 !)th Michigan Infantry, the Confeder- ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^1^^ ^^^.-^^ ^j^. 
 
 ates under Gen. Forrest lost more j^.^, ^.^^^ .^^ ^^nes were cheering 
 than in all the rest of the battle of ,^^y to the lone picket sentinels. 
 
 Sunday, July 13, 1862. Sergeant E. A. ' ' 
 
 Burnett, Co. B, helped make out the I am indebted to Mr. J. H. Crichlow, 
 parole papers at McMinnville and Secretary of the Board of Trade, Mur- 
 heard General Forrest tell Captain freesboro, for a photo of the old Court 
 Rounds that Co. B killed more of his House taken some years after the war 
 men at the Court House than he cap- but before it was remodeled; but the 
 tured of Co. B. This view shows the view was marred by modern tele- 
 main (east) entrance where the en- graph poles and wires not there dur- 
 emy finally made a dash and succeed- ing the war. Our artist wiped these 
 ed in battering in the door. out, making this the only picture ex- 
 
 Tho jail was a two story brick tant really like the view in 1862. 
 
17 
 
 all the tents and other property in began to write ^his paper. In his 
 
 his camps. The Minnesotans fired oflJicial report \\ritten a long time af- 
 
 but one volley, but one of its com- terwards, Col. Parkhurst said the 
 
 panies deployd as skirmishers and camp guards SiX.\e. the alarm, and Col. 
 
 this and Hewitt's Battery kept up a Duffield said, "The noise of so many 
 
 scattering fire for about two hours, hoofs at full speed upon the macad- 
 
 In the mean time the rebels burned amized road was vo great that the 
 
 the depot and all other buildings con- alarm was given before the head of 
 
 taining government property, and the rebel column reached our pickets, 
 
 gathered in the pickets on the various about one mile distant, so that our 
 
 roads, except Corporal Edward Acker men were formed and ready to re- 
 
 and five men of Company G who were ceive them, although they came in at 
 
 on the Shelbyville .pike. They es- full speed." Both of these officers 
 
 caped and joined the four companies were asleep in their tents at the time 
 
 at Tullahoma. and knew nothing about how the 
 
 "Once during the forenoon when alarm was given. The camp guards 
 
 the regular train from Nashville did nothing to alarm the camp— it 
 
 whistled for the station the rebels was alarmed as I have before stated, 
 
 thought reinforcements had arrived and I did not hear the rebel cavalry 
 
 and skedaddled from town. The en- until after they had passed our pick- 
 
 gineer saw the situation in time to ets. Gen. Forrest says in his report 
 
 stop his train and run back to Nash- that he did not begin the charge until 
 
 ville_ near in town after passing the pick- 
 
 ..T-.' ■ IT J.X, • ui 1, c ets, and the enemy was completely 
 
 r h?"'r?^nf rif^ ^ifL^Eln? ?n Surprised. I have written to eight 
 fighting Col. Lester did nothing to J company G and they substan- 
 
 boys dressed as citizens passing '"•; '7.'' the rieht of the camp and 
 
 through rebel lines, George Gillen, of ^^^^ j^ "^^ J^ n„I f^Li^ ^ofV^ro 
 
 ^ ^ ij i I- ■ c termed a better line there. Betore 
 
 company G, Coldwater, being one of J .^^ ^.^ ^^„ 
 
 them) that we were too few to go to v, ij...V 
 
 him, but if he would come to us we .?., ^. „ „.„i„„i- ^ ,>, wr^r-r'^^t 
 ,-, , ,-, ., -x- Ti i T i About one o clock p. m., l^orrest 
 
 could hold the position. But Lester , ^"""i, " t' ' 
 
 .. , J. .,11 J 1, drew up all his forces in sight on our 
 
 ;-l"!.^.iI° ^°!!l^•J^^"!i 'Z^f .^l left (towards town) and front, and 
 
 his officers, and in anger put Gil- 
 
 then sent in a flag of truce demanding 
 
 len under arrest but finally let him g^^render, with his usual threat 
 
 come"to"iur lid "" that no quarter would be given if we 
 
 come to our aid. refused. The Adjutant counted only 
 
 "There was a lull in the firing about 125 men with guns able for duty. Out 
 
 noon, and as there were no rebels in ^f about 225 men of the five com- 
 
 sight the Sutler took the opportunity to panies in camp for duty at four 
 
 give us a supply of crackers and o'clock in the morning, thirteen had 
 
 cheese, which was the first we had jjegn killed, including Lieut. Chase, 
 
 anything to eat that day. and seventy-eight had been wounded, 
 
 "The rebels had come from Chatta- including Col. Duffield, Lieut. Hiram 
 
 nooga, leaving there Friday (see For- Barrows, Co. A, and Lieut. Gaffney, 
 
 rest's report) and by a forced march Co. C. A ball went through Col. 
 
 reached us on Sunday morning. They Parkhurst's pants below the left 
 
 captured our pickets on the Wood- knee. My company, G, lost three 
 
 bury Pike by sending a force around men killed and fourteen wounded, 
 
 them through the woods, which then (Col. Duffield received two wounds at 
 
 surprised our men by coming from the first charge from a pistol fired by 
 
 towards town in their rear. But two the rebel Col. Wharton which were 
 
 of our men fired their guns before so serious that he finally had to leave 
 
 surrendering, which were tho ones I the service. Seven of the wounded 
 
 heard." subsequently died, and several un- 
 
 (I never knew but what undisputed derwent amputations), 
 
 credit was given to me for first giving "We had lost ninety-one men from 
 
 the alarm that morning until since 1 those five companies (company B in 
 
18 
 
 the Court House had only three men 
 slightly wounded) equalling forty per 
 cent of our number!" 
 
 (The official reports showed that 
 the rebel loss in killed and wounded 
 was more than double our loss). 
 
 "After consulting with his officers 
 Col. Parkhurst decided it would be 
 folly to try to hold out longer, and 
 surrendered. Some of the newspa- 
 pers and higher officers censured the 
 Ninth, but they knew nothing about 
 the situation — the blame was not with 
 the Ninth. 
 
 "The rebels rode up to us in good 
 order (which they did not do in the 
 morning), led by Gen. Forrest, who 
 assured Col. Parkhurst that our pri- 
 vate property should be respected — 
 a promise not kept. Forrest then 
 sent a flag of truce to Col. Lester 
 (compelling Adjutant Duffield to go 
 along so that Lester could see that 
 we had surrendered), and Lester sur- 
 rendered, not having fired but one 
 volley during the half day, though 
 one company and the battery had 
 done some skirmishing. 
 
 "During the morning fight Capt. 
 Mansfield came from his sick bed in 
 Manny's house and remained with us 
 until the rebels were driven out of 
 camp. Had he been a coward he 
 could have remained in safety where 
 his sickness amply excused him to 
 stay. He, Col. Duffield. and all the 
 wounded, and the sick in the several 
 hospitals were paroled, Mansfield 
 agreeing to report to the rebels at 
 Chattanooga as soon as well enough, 
 (which he did in about two weeks). 
 
 "We gathered up everything we 
 thought we could carry, the Sutler 
 gave the boys all his goods, and the 
 Quartermaster gave us all the cloth- 
 ing he had. This was packed in our 
 knapsacks, and the rebels told us we 
 need not carry them, but put them in 
 the wagons, all of which they took 
 away with our teams. We thought 
 that was very kind of them — but as 
 we never saw the knapsacks and 
 clothing again, we changed our minds. 
 Our guns and everything valuable 
 were put into our wagons, and then 
 they burned our tents and such wag- 
 ons as we had no teams to draw. 
 
 "A few days before, our cavalry 
 had captured a large number of 
 horses and mules and a number of 
 prisoners. Of course the prisoners 
 were released, but a largt> number of 
 
 our officers and men were allowed to 
 ride those horses and mules. 
 
 "About four o'clock p. m., we start- 
 ed on the road towards Chattanooga, 
 passed through Woodbury late in the 
 evening, and went into bivouac in a 
 field about midnight, the ground being 
 our only bed, with only the sky for a 
 covering. Notwithstanding, I was so 
 tired that I slept soundly till morning. 
 The mounted officers and men were 
 about ten miles ahead of us, but they 
 waited for us and we overtook them 
 about noon, and we all arrived at a 
 place where we were paroled at mid- 
 night, Monday, July 14. This was in 
 a yard surrounded by a high, tight 
 board fence, in the rear of which was 
 a large brick residence, which was 
 two miles beyond McMinnville, and 
 42 miles from Murfreesboro. 
 
 "We had not had much to eat thus 
 far except the little we took on the 
 start, and what blackberries (which 
 were quite abundant along the road) 
 we picked, though the rebels kindly 
 shared with us what they could get; 
 and some of them went ahead and 
 made the citizens fill pails and bar- 
 rels with drinking water, for which 
 the hot days and rapid marching 
 made us truly grateful. As we passed 
 through the villages of Woodbury, 
 Sunday evening, and McMinnville 
 Monday evening, both were highly 
 illuminated — to honor us, the boys 
 said! All the Johnnies were kind to 
 us, the Texas Rangers being a jolly 
 lot of fellows. The Minnesota boys 
 spent a good share of their time in 
 cursing Col. Lester for his cowardice 
 in not coming to our aid. 
 
 "Tuesday morning we received a 
 small ration of corn bread which the 
 Johnnies forced the citizens to bring 
 in, and then, fearing our cavalry 
 would overtake and rescue us before 
 they could march us to Chattanooga, 
 the day was spent until four o'clock 
 paroling us. Duplicate lists were 
 made of the names of the men by 
 companies, and each man signed 
 them pledging to not take up arms 
 again until exchanged. One set of 
 these papers was kept by Forrest, 
 and one set was given to Captain 
 •John M. Essington, of the Pennsyl- 
 vania Cavalry, who was to lead us 
 back. All the rest of the officers 
 were held and taken south. 
 
 "At four o'clock we started on our 
 return nuirch, but waited in McMinn- 
 
ville until after dark for a small 
 luncheon of bacon, corn-bread, biscuit 
 and bread which the citizens kindly 
 served to us in a school house — prob- 
 ably the best they could supply to so 
 many on short notice. Forrest allow- 
 ed the band to keep their instruments 
 (which he had no use for) except 
 the drums, and after a citizen had 
 slipped a $2.50 gold piece into Lieut. 
 Moulton's hand, they played "The 
 Star Spangled Banner," and several 
 other National airs, and then that cit- 
 izen took them to his residence for 
 supper, where several young ladies 
 quietly drew from their pockets small 
 National flags, which they did not 
 dare to show on the streets. Perhaps 
 il was largely due to some of these 
 loyal citizens that we got our suppers. 
 But they all seemed to enjoy the mu- 
 sic of the band. 
 
 "After this we went about seven 
 miles and bivouacked for the night. 
 We were not all together again until 
 we reached Nashville. Some had 
 money and hired teams to take them 
 through, some walked faster than oth- 
 ers, and we had to scatter along in 
 order to get anything to eat, which 
 was bought by those who had money, 
 and begged by those who had none, 
 but the blackberries along the road- 
 sides helped very much. 
 
 "I arrived at Murfreesboro Thurs- 
 day noon, the 17th. Here the Penn. 
 Captain gave the parole of each com- 
 pany to the First Sergeants with or- 
 ders to report all to Nashville. I vis- 
 ited Captain Mansfield and got my 
 dinner (it was the first full meal I 
 had had), visited all of our wounded 
 in both hospitals, and left for Nash- 
 ville with all of my company that I 
 could find. I learned that several of 
 our wounded had already died, and 
 several others had suffered amputa- 
 tions. 
 
 "The Fourth Kentucky (Federal) 
 cavalry took possession of the town 
 before I left, and Gen. Nelson came 
 on trains with his brigade from Nash- 
 ville the next day. The most of the 
 Minnesota boys did not go till next 
 day when they got onto the cars north 
 of Murfreesboro as they returned 
 from taking Nelson down, for Nelson 
 was so mad he forbid their riding on 
 the cars. Some of the men that were 
 ahead of me met Nelson with his 
 trains at Lavergne and he abused 
 them in his characteristic way, call- 
 
 19 
 
 ing them cowards, cursing and swear- 
 ing at them, etc., and it was said he 
 ordered one of his sergeants to take 
 some men out behind the depot and 
 shoot one of our corporals who tried 
 to speak in defense of the Ninth. 
 They took the corporal out of sight 
 of Nelson and let him go. (So when 
 the news came to us at Camp Chase 
 a few weeks after that Gen. Jeff C. 
 Davis had killed Nelson for abusing 
 him, instead of mourning, some of 
 our boys cheered and swung their 
 caps). 
 
 "I did not get to Nashville until 
 nearly night, Friday, July 18th. We 
 were sent into a temporary camp near 
 the city to await further orders. 
 
 "The newspapers ha-d published gar- 
 bled and exaggerated reports of the 
 battle, and because of Col. Lester's 
 cowardice and inaction, all the officers 
 and men at Murfreesboro were stig- 
 matized as cowards. (There was one 
 exception: I received from my father 
 over a column article from the Chica- 
 go Daily Tribune from their corres- 
 pondent at Louisville, which I still 
 have, that gave us high praise). 
 
 "Even General Buell issued a con- 
 demnatory order saying there were 
 four companies of the 4th Kentucky 
 cavalry, and three companies of the 
 7th Penn. cavalry there, which was 
 not true. All the Kentucky cavalry 
 had left there previous to that time. 
 There were four companies of the 
 Penn. 7th cavalry stationed there, but 
 two of them went to Lebanon the eve- 
 ning before, leaving only two others 
 near our left, and one of those was 
 without guns. And none of the var- 
 ious other regiments that had been 
 ordered to concentrate there under 
 Gen. Crittenden's new command had 
 arrived yet. 
 
 "Gen Buell continued, 'It appears 
 from the best information that can be 
 obtained that Brig. Gen. Crittenden 
 and Col. Duffleld of the Ninth Michi- 
 gan, with the six companies of that 
 regiment and all the cavalry, were 
 surprised and captured early in the 
 morning in the houses and streets 
 of the town, or in their camp near by, 
 with but slight resistence, and with- 
 out any timely warning of the pres- 
 ence of the enemy.' (Later official 
 reports show that both Gen. Buell and 
 Gen. Mitchel received notice that For- 
 rest had crossed the Tennessee at 
 Chattanooga and was moving towards 
 
20 
 
 Murfreesboro, but they failed to give "Buell's order set some of the pa- 
 either Gen. Crittenden or Col. Duffield pers going again, and after publish- 
 that information). ing the order the Cincinnati Commer- 
 
 "The first and last clauses were cial adds, 'The above is in good time 
 correct. We were surprised. The and tone. The affair at Murfreesboro 
 rebels came from Chattanooga Friday was the most disgraceful to our arms 
 noon (see Forest's report), a hundred that has occurred during the war. 
 miles away, and from Woodbury, There Is no excuse for companies of 
 twenty miles away, after dark Satur- men surrendering to rebel cavalry, 
 day night, and our cavalry scouts had and they will not do it if tolerably 
 returned into camp before that time, well officered. A company of infantry 
 The citizens had said we would get well posted and resolute could beat 
 cleaned out if we did not liberate the off all the guerrilla cavalry in Ten- 
 men held as hostages, but they had nessee!!' 
 
 threatened the same many times be- "This is a specimen of editorial 
 
 fore. But this time they got their bravery and good fighting! What 
 
 long threatened revenge, for they ev- judgment of military matters can 
 
 idently had posted the rebels at Chat- such a simpleton have? He is either 
 
 tanooga of the situation so that they a knave or a fool, and I guess both, 
 
 not only knew where each camp was. But we have hundreds of just such 
 
 but even the hotel and room in which editors who are and have been trying 
 
 Gen. Crittenden was sleeping. But to engineer the war. 
 
 there were no soldiers 'in the houses "We left Nashville Friday morning, 
 
 and on the streets.' except the pro- July 25, and arrived here in Camp 
 
 vost guards, and the sick in hospi- Chase on Sunday, July 27. We reach- 
 
 tals. ed Cincinnati about four o'clock Sat- 
 
 "Third charge, 'with but slight re- urday p. m. The telegraph had an- 
 
 sistance,' was outrageous. If fight- nounced that 800 rebel prisoners were 
 
 ing till nearly half our fighting men coming, and asked for guards to es- 
 
 were killed or wounded is called cort them from depot to depot 
 
 'slight resistance,' a few hundred through the city, a distance of about 
 
 against three thousand, as it was sup- two miles. Consequently about 100 
 
 posed, what better could men do? policemen were on hand, armed and 
 
 "The General adds, 'Take it in all equipped, and a row marched on each 
 its features, few more disgraceful ex- side of us, guarding us more strictly 
 amples of neglect of duty and lack of than the rebels did while they held 
 good conduct can be found in the his- us. The streets were lined with cur- 
 tory of wars. It fully merits the ex- ious spectators, and though we had 
 treme penalty which the law provides had nothing to eat all day, instead of 
 for such misconduct. The force was feeding us, as the rebel citizens of 
 more than sufficient to repel the rebel McMinnville did, they jeered and 
 attack effectually. The mortification hooted at us. To the credit of a few 
 which the army will feel at the result I will say that they cheered us after 
 is poorly compensated by the exertion they recognized our uniforms. But 
 made by some, perhaps many of the some of the city papers referred to 
 officers, to retrieve the disgrace of us in a sneering way as the men who 
 the surprise.' (It is a satisfaction to surrendered at Murfreesboro. I wrote 
 us today to know that our mishap was a reply to the Daily Commercial as 
 not half so disgraceful as was the sur- soon as we arrived here, telling the 
 prise Bragg gave Buell soon after facts about the fight and defending 
 that, when he chased him back to the Ninth, which they had the fair- 
 Louisville. But the blame was not ness to publish. But I have no copy 
 with the Ninth, nor with the men of to send you. But the Ninth will never 
 the Minnesota regiment and Hewitt's forget or forgive the unjust treatment 
 Battery, nor with Crittenden or Duf- and abuse received from the papers 
 field; but it was with Buell for not and citizens of Cincinnati, 
 notifying us that Forrest was coming, "This is as full an account of our 
 and with Col. Lester for dividing the battle at Murfreesboro as I can write 
 camps, and then not trying to help us, you now. Camp Chase, Ohio, Aug. 1, 
 and doing no fighting himself. He 1862." 
 
 and Buell both got their deserts In a report made some months aft- 
 later), erwards (after his return from cap- 
 
tivity), Colonel Parkhurst said: "The 
 I'orces attacking my camp were the 
 First Regiment Texas Rangers, Col. 
 Wharton, and a battalion of the First 
 Georgia Rangers, Col. Morrison, and 
 a large number of citizens of Ruther- 
 ford county, many of whom had taken 
 the oath of allegiance to the United 
 States Government. There were also 
 quite a number of negroes attached 
 to the Texas and Georgia troops who 
 were armed and equipped, and took 
 part in several engagements against 
 my forces during the day. (This is 
 when the "citizens" got in their oft 
 repeated threats of revenge). 
 
 "During the engagement I sent 
 three distinct messages to Colonel 
 Lester, all of which he received, in- 
 forming him of my situation and of 
 my ability to hold it till he could 
 come to my assistance, but Colonel 
 Lester refused to afford me any as- 
 sistance, refused to fight, and re- 
 fused to allow his command to fight. 
 Consequently at half past twelve 
 o'clock, having lost thirteen killed 
 and seventy-eight wounded (over one- 
 third of my command), and being re- 
 duced to one hundred and thirty- 
 seven men and officers, the enemy, 
 having nothing to apprehend from the 
 Minnesota regiment and Hewitt's 
 battery, concentrated his whole force 
 upon my camp, and sent in a flag of 
 truce with a demand for a surrender, 
 of which the following is a true copy: 
 'Murfreesboro, July 13, 1862. 
 
 'Colonel: I must demand an uncon- 
 ditional surrender of your forces as 
 prisoners of war or I will have every 
 man put to the sword. You are aware 
 of the overpowering force I have at 
 my command, and this demand is 
 made to prevent the affusion of blood. 
 
 'I am, colonel, very respectfully, 
 your obedient servant, 
 
 'N. B. FORREST, 
 'Brig. Gen. Commanding C. S. Army. 
 'Col. J. G. Parkhurst.' 
 
 "After consulting with Colonel Duf- 
 field and all of my officers we decided 
 to surrender. Gen. Forrest promising 
 that the officers and men should be 
 allowed to hold their private proper- 
 ty (a promise not kept). 
 
 "I look upon this fight of the Ninth 
 Michigan Infantry as one of the most 
 gallant of the war, and for which 
 the regiment has never received a 
 proper degree of credit, having in a 
 
 21 
 
 manner received the reproach which 
 should have attached solely to Colo- 
 nel Lester, of the 3rd Minnesota, 
 whose refusal to allow his regiment 
 and Hewitt's battery to go into the 
 fight was the sole cause of the cap- 
 ture of Murfreesboro." 
 
 In his report made after returning 
 from captivity Gen. T. T. Crittenden 
 said that he assumed command of the 
 Post of Murfreesboro Saturday fore- 
 noon, July 12. He selected Lieut. H. 
 M. Duffiield for Adjutant, and with 
 him and Col. Duffield visited the dif- 
 ferent camps, saw the impropriety of 
 a divided command and selected a 
 new camp near the old one, and told 
 Col. Duffield to concentrate all the 
 troops there; but being assured by 
 Col. Lester that there were no rebels 
 nearer than Chattanooga, action was 
 deferred for the next day, and the 
 attack came as a surprise that morn- 
 ing. He praised the Ninth for its 
 gallant fight in driving twice its 
 numbers of the enemy out of camp, 
 and holding its position for eight 
 hours after losing half of its num- 
 ber. ("This fragment of a regiment, 
 under its gallant lieutenant-colonel 
 (Parkhurst) fought splendidly, and 
 deserves honorable mention") ; and he 
 praised Company B for holding the 
 court house three hours under re- 
 peated assaults, when it surrendered 
 only because the enemy had set fire 
 in the building, and that Company B 
 kept himself from being captured un- 
 til it surrendered. He estimated our 
 effective forces did not exceed 950 
 men while that of the enemy was 
 2,600. 
 
 By request of General Crittenden 
 after his return from captivity a 
 Court of Inquiry was held at Nash- 
 ville, Dec. 17, lcS62, which reported 
 in part as follows: 
 
 "11th. That the Ninth Michigan In- 
 fantry was promptly formed and re- 
 peatedly repulsed the enemy. That 
 at about eight o'clock a. m.. they took 
 a more sheltered position, which they 
 held until 12 o'clock, when they sur- 
 rendered; their commanding officer 
 being wounded and having lost nearly 
 half their number in killed and 
 wounded. 
 
 "12th. That one company (B) of 
 the Ninth Michigan Infantry, acting 
 as provost guards, held the court 
 house in the town until eight o'clock. 
 
22 
 
 when they surrendered after it was soon halted by the Federal outpost, 
 
 set on fire. In answer to the challenge, 'who 
 
 "15th. That the estimated number goes there,' they replied that they 
 
 of troops at the post was about 1,040; were a company of the 7th Penn. cav- 
 
 that of the enemy, 2,600." airy wanting to join their regiment 
 
 The court exhonorated General at Murfreesboro. The Federal senti- 
 
 Crittenden and Colonel Duffield, and nels were not aware of their mistake 
 
 laid all the blame for the capture of until they were surrounded by the 
 
 Murfreesboro on Colonel Lester who Rangers, who, with pistols drawn, 
 
 was dishonorably dismissed. captured the entire picket force with- 
 
 THE FLAG OF TRUCE. Comrade out firing a gun to arouse the sleep- 
 
 B. G. Lyman writes me that the mes- ing garrison." {But I surely heard 
 
 senger from Forrest bearing the two guns). 
 
 white flag came in on the street where "From these pickets Forrest learn- 
 
 he and comrade H. C. Rankin were ed that Brig. General Crittenden had 
 
 on Company C's skirmish line; and superseded Col. Dufl^eld, and, what 
 
 while one of them guarded the mes- pleased him more, that the camps of 
 
 senger, the other reported the matter the Ninth Mich, and Third Minnesota 
 
 to Colonel Parkhurst, who ordered were still separate. Forrest divided 
 
 that they bring the messenger in his command into three sections — the 
 
 blindfolded, which they did. Texas Rangers under Col. .John A. 
 
 Comrade James F. 6'Loughlin says Wharton, were to take the advance 
 
 he was the youngest and smallest and assail the five companies of the 
 
 member of Company G, and at the Ninth Michigan Infantry and two 
 
 time of the battle he was an ambu- companies of the 7th Penn. cavalry; 
 
 lance driver. He was asleep in his the second section under Forrest's 
 
 ambulance when the rebels charged immediate command to attack the 
 
 past him into camp that morning. Court House, jail, and surround the 
 
 He got out, secured a gun from a hotel in which General Crittenden 
 
 wounded comrade, and after the was known to be sleeping; and the 
 
 rebels were repulsed he went after third section was to charge immed- 
 
 them with Company C on the skir- iately through the town without halt- 
 
 mish line. After using up his "forty ing- and prevent the 3rd Minnesota 
 
 rounds," he obtained a horse from a and Hewitt's battery from coming to 
 
 captain of the Penn. cavalry and car- aid the forces in town. The command 
 
 ried messages from Col. Parkhurst to was then formed in column of fours 
 
 the skirmish line, and acted there as "POii the pike, and advanced slowly 
 
 a look-out. Soon after the regiment and cautiously until just as the day 
 
 reached Camp Chase he went to De- was dawning they were in sight of 
 
 troit and enlisted in the Eighth Mich- the tents of the Federal encampment, 
 
 igan Infantry, then in the Army of The command to charge was then giv- 
 
 the Potomac. Later he was transfer- en, and away Wharton sped down the 
 
 red to the 2nd U. S. Cavalry. While Pi^e at the head of the Texans. The 
 
 in those two regiments he experienced >'oar and clatter of the horses' hoofs 
 
 hard service in the battles of Fred- upon the macadamized turnpike, and 
 
 ericksburg. South Mountain, Antie- the wild yells of the entire Confed- 
 
 tam, Gettysburg, and other important ®''ate command as they swept onward, 
 
 battles in the East. arroused the sleeping Federals from 
 
 their beds. Before the Penn. cavalrv 
 
 Confederate Account of the Battle. could get to their horses the Texans 
 
 General Forrest's biographer says were among them, and those not cap- 
 that Forrest crossed the river at Chat- tured or killed rushed over to the 
 tanooga on Wednesday, July 9, went camp of the Ninth Michigan, which 
 on two roads to McMinnville where by this time was in wild confusion 
 they arrived the next day. A few as the result of the surprise. The 
 scattering companies joined him here plucky Michiganders, however sud- 
 making his whole force about 1,500 denly and unexpectedly assailed, were 
 strong. They left McMinnville Friday not to be taken without a fight. Act- 
 noon, July 11, and arrived near Mur- ing Brigadier General Wm. W. Duf- 
 freesboro soon after daylight Sunday field, running out of his tent, called 
 morning. "A company of Wharton's to his men to get their guns and 
 Texas Rangers went forward and was stand their ground. He had scarcely 
 
given this command before the Tex- 
 ans were riding in among them, firing 
 at them, as the gallant Duffield said 
 in his official report, at short range 
 with 'shot guns and pistols.' 
 
 "A pistol shot from Wharton him- 
 self seriously wounded Duffield, who 
 was forced to relinquish the command 
 of the infantry to Lieut. Colonel John 
 G. Parkhurst. By this time the Fed- 
 erals had rallied, and under Park- 
 hurst's inspiration poured a heavy fus- 
 illade into the Confederates, who had 
 lost their organization and were scat- 
 tered in all directions through the 
 camp. Here Col. Wharton was badly 
 wounded, and, being unable to take 
 further part in the melee, the Texans 
 were thrown into temporary confu- 
 sion and driven back some 200 yards 
 from the Federal position. The Un- 
 ion commander, with great judgment, 
 rallied his troops in an enclosure or 
 lot fenced with heavy cedar picket 
 posts set on end in the ground, and 
 by the use of a number of wagons 
 which were loaded with hay and other 
 army supplies, within a few minutes 
 had extemporized a formidable stock- 
 ade, and now held a strong position. 
 Lieut. Col. Walker, who took com- 
 mand of the Rangers after Wharton 
 was disabled, recognizing the great 
 loss of life which would follow^ any at- 
 tempt to take Parkhurst's position 
 by storm, deployed his men around it 
 in order to hold them penned up until 
 Forrest could come to him with his 
 aid." 
 
 Then follows a description of the 
 fighting through the forenoon similar 
 as I have given it. He estimated 
 their loss at 25 to 30 killed, and about 
 100 wounded, but says that Duffield 
 said in his report that the Confeder- 
 ate loss was doubly that of the Fed- 
 eral, and does not doubt but Duffield 
 was correct. He claims they captur- 
 ed 1,100 or 1,200, w^hich may have 
 been about right, for they counted all 
 the sick and nurses in the hospitals, 
 teamsters, and other men there on 
 detatched duty. He says the 3rd Min- 
 nesota lost two killed and eight 
 wounded; the Penn. Cavalry, five kill- 
 ed and twenty wounded, and Hewitt's 
 battery had one killed and three 
 wounded. Gen. Forrest's biographer 
 claims that the capture of Murfrees- 
 boro was his greatest exploit, and he 
 quotes Lord Woolsey as saying it was 
 
 23 
 
 the most brilliant feat of the war. 
 But I can see nothing very brave or 
 brilliant for 1,500 men to attack half 
 their number by surprise when they 
 were well informed by their friends, 
 the citizens, that the Federal troops 
 were divided into three camps over a 
 mile apart, and they knew the loca- 
 tion and strength of each camp. Their 
 own reports admit that, though the 
 225 men of the Ninth were taken by 
 surprise, we repulsed their charge 
 and drove their 800 cavalrymen in 
 confusion out of our camp, and held 
 them out of shooting distance eight 
 hours. And though our little band 
 had been reduced to 125 armed men, 
 they did not think it prudent to re- 
 new the attack until Forrest confront- 
 ed us with his whole force and de- 
 manded us to surrender under penalty 
 of being slaughtered as at Fort Pil- 
 low. 
 
 The facts are that Forrest, Morgan 
 and Moseby were never known to at- 
 tack a force that they knew was 
 stronger than their own. Those men 
 made their reputations for "brillian- 
 cy" by surprising and defeating small- 
 er forces guarding bridges and sta- 
 tions out of reach of reinforcements, 
 being previously posted by citizens 
 who were always their friends in the 
 localities attacked. 
 
 Some writers, especially Forrest's 
 biographer, claim that the rebel vic- 
 tory at Murfreesboro was so disas- 
 trous to our cause that it lead to 
 Bragg's invasion, and Buell's retreat 
 to Louisville; but it is absurd to 
 claim that the loss of 1,000 men and 
 that small town should lead to such 
 results. The facts were that Bragg's 
 army had been driven south from 
 Corinth and was still confronted in 
 Western. Tennessee by Grant's army, 
 and in Middle Tennessee by Buell's 
 army, and the only hope the rebels 
 had was for Bragg to quietly concen- 
 trate his army in Eastern Tennessee 
 and rush to the Ohio river, expecting 
 to beat our army in the race and add 
 to his own by new recruits which he 
 was induced to believe he would secure 
 in Kentucky. But he failed in both 
 objects, and was in a losing game 
 from that time on to the end of his 
 career. Rebel official records now 
 show that the raid on Murfreesboro 
 by Forrest was planned as a prelim- 
 inary to Bragg's invasion of Kentuc- 
 
24 
 
 ky, which Buell was too slow to dis- the 18th Ohio wounded, Lieut. Wal- 
 
 cover and prevent. lace of Co. D had an ear clipped, and 
 
 _._,,. _ Corporal Edward S. Acker, of com- 
 
 The Tullahoma Companies. p^^y q ^^,^^^ escaped with his pickets 
 
 Companies D, E, F and I had rather from Murfreesboro and was then stay- 
 strenuous duties during the summer ing with company D, was severely 
 of 1862 in building a large stockade wounded in the hip. Company D re- 
 at Tullahoma, guarding the town, ceived special commendation for its 
 and guarding railroad trains south to part in this affair in later reports. 
 Decherd, and on the branch roads Captain W. Y. Houston was a 
 eastward to McMinnville, and west- nephew of the celebrated Gen. Sam 
 ward to Winchester. In the latter Houston, and in honor of that uncle 
 part of July the men were loaded into Joseph Hanchett and some others of 
 wagons one night after ten o'clock, Co. D made a coffin out of a farmer's 
 and made a raid with some cavalry wagon box (the only boards they 
 to Manchester and captured several could find), and buried him in a sep- 
 hundred barrels of flour. arate grave under a large wild cher- 
 
 August 13 on receiving an inquiry ry tree, and Joe is sure he could find 
 
 from General Thomas about the for- it to this day. 
 
 tifications and forces under his com- After the battle Capt. H. R. Mil- 
 
 mand. Major Fox replied, "A few ler, of the 18th Ohio, commander of 
 
 rifle pits — no fortiflcations. Colonel the post (Lieut. J. N. Wallace had 
 
 Wagner's Brigade left last night for command of Company D, of the 
 
 Manchester. I have only 200 infantry. Ninth) desired to send messages to 
 
 150 cavalry, no artillery. Am good the Federal forces at McMinnville and 
 
 for any rebel force of 600 without Manchester informing them of his 
 
 artillery. dangerous situation, but as the mis- 
 
 "D. M. FOX, Major Commanding." sion was so dangerous he called for 
 
 The same day he received the fol- volunteers, and Henry T. Thayer, of 
 
 lowing order: Company C (one of Acker's pickets), 
 
 "Headquarters 1st Division, Dis- volunteered to go to Manchester 
 
 trict of the Ohio, Decherd, Tenn., (eight miles away) and Clinton L. 
 
 Aug. 13, 1862. Lee, Company A, 18th Ohio, volun- 
 
 "Major D. M. Fox, Commanding, teered to go to McMinnville. Both 
 
 Tullahoma. went on foot and got safely through 
 
 "Build at once a strong stockade the enemies lines, and gave informa- 
 
 sufllciently large to accommodate all tion of the critical situation. 
 
 your infantry. When Buell's army was falling back 
 
 "GEO. H. THOMAS, to Louisville our four companies with 
 
 "Major General." two ten pound Parrott guns of Capt. 
 
 About August 24 company D went Swartz's 7th Indiana Battery left 
 
 to a point about six miles south of Nashville Sept. 9th, as a rear guard. 
 
 McMinnville to help two companies On Sept. 10, after passing Gallatin 
 
 of the 18th Ohio infantry build a large they were erroneously ordered to turn 
 
 stockade to guard a bridge there, west towards Springfield, Tenn., but 
 
 About noon, August 29, as our men at night learned their mistaken order 
 
 were out eating, some of Forrest's and returned to the Nashville Pike 
 
 dismounted men crept up a ravine be- the next morning. This put them so 
 
 hind some willow bushes and made far in the rear that at a little after 
 
 a rush for the stockade, which was noon, Sept. 11, 1862, (the records are 
 
 not yet completed; but our men just wrong that give the date as Sept. 
 
 succeeded in beating in the race by 22), near Tryee Springs, Tenn., their 
 
 getting inside first. Then followed a advance guard was suddenly sur- 
 
 severe fight by our two hundred men rounded and captured by rebels that 
 
 against Forrest's whole force of 1,500, were in ambush. Lieuts. Fox and 
 
 which finally resulted in an ignomini- Schofield being mounted rode forward 
 
 ous retreat of the rebels, who left to learn the trouble, and both wor(> 
 
 thirteen dead, including Capt. Hous- shot. 
 
 ton, of the Texas Rangers, and 41 Major Fox at once put his command 
 
 wounded, and it was reported that in good position, sent company I for- 
 
 more than twenty wounded rode ward as skirmishers, and the artillery 
 
 away. The Federal loss was seven of opened on the enemy lively with 
 
5 s 
 
 E « 
 < o 
 
25 
 
 shells. After about two hours ot camp and prison guard duty, 
 
 skirmishing Forrest withdrew, leaving This the men utterly refused to do, 
 
 several wounded, two of whom died claiming it would be a violation of 
 
 the next day. That was Forrest's their parole oath. For over three 
 
 third encounter with men of the weeks the situation was critical, all 
 
 Ninth. Lieuts. Fox and Schofield, kinds of punishments being threaten- 
 
 and Charles Heckling, of the battery, ed to compel the men to perform 
 
 were severely wounded, and Dr. Cy- guard duty; one punishment being the 
 
 rus Smith, C. B. Andrews of company refusal to let us have any clothing, 
 
 I and a company F man took them to though none of us had had a change 
 
 a hotel and remained with them. In since the rebels took all our surplus 
 
 about a week Lieut. Schofield recover- over a month before. But the boys 
 
 ed so he and his nurse went by a finally won, for on Aug. 18, the daily 
 
 chance conveyance to Bowling Green, papers had an order from the War 
 
 Lieut. Fox died Sept. 23, and Corporal Department that paroled prisoners 
 
 Byron Roath, Co. F, came with an should not bear arms for any purpose, 
 
 ambulance under a flag of truce and when this was shown to the colonel 
 
 took the body to Bowling Green. he consented to let the Orderly Ser- 
 
 Just as Fox died another party of geants draw clothing for the men. 
 
 rebels took comrade Andrews away After that our fare was good. Toss- 
 
 and kept him a prisoner four days j^g unlucky victims in a blanket was 
 
 in an old cotton gin. then paroled him one of the" pastimes, and one day be- 
 
 and he marched "single file" to Bowl- fore the trouble was settled the Ma- 
 
 ing Green. Alex. M. Bennett, Co. D, jor commanding our regiment tried 
 
 was one of the captured advance to stop it, when he was suddenly 
 
 guards. The enemy put him on a siezed and tost until he begged, 
 mule led by a kid rebel and hurried j petitioned Gov. Blair to get per- 
 
 them away; but when the fight began mission for us all to go home and 
 
 the mule took fright, broke away stay until exchanged and thus save 
 
 from its leader and ran away with our keeping. He replied he would try 
 
 Bennett into a thicket of brush where to do so, but urged us to be patient 
 
 he was knocked off. He ran and hid and stay there till orders came. (The 
 
 in a straw stack near by and remain- "Rebellion Records" show that Gov. 
 
 ed until after dark, then found his g]j^jj. (jid telegraph the Secretary of 
 
 way back to the pike and went on ^ar, asking to have the regiment 
 
 after his company. The other cap- ^^^^' ^o Detroit). But the time 
 
 tured guards were paroled the next dragged so that the men grad- 
 
 day and followed on. ^,^11^, slipned away by night on 
 
 On reaching Bowling Green, Ky.. p^ench leaVe until so few were left 
 the four companies were left to help ^-^^^ ^y chum, Henry Kenyon, and I 
 garrison that place, and occupied the decided to go too. We had to go to 
 principal fort on the hill in rear of ^ station about ten miles out to take 
 the town when the paroled men of ^^le train because the officers had 
 the other six companies joined them pieced guards at the depot and six 
 Nov. .3, 1862. miles out to keep our men from go- 
 Camp Chase to Nashville. ing on the cars. We arrived home 
 
 Camp Chase was located four miles Wednesday Sept 10, but on Monday 
 
 out of Columbus. Ohio, on a plain got news tjat the regiment was ex- 
 
 where the state had erected barracks changed and that all men inj-he state 
 
 to accommodate several thousand '«"«* J^port « Detroit where ^e 
 
 men as a rendezvous for organizing ^vent the next day. havmg enjoyed 
 
 new regiments. At the time of our only five days visit. 
 
 arrival, there was also a large prison 
 
 At that time Kirby Smith was 
 
 there in which were several thousand threatening Cincinnati, and mi^^tia, 
 rebel prisoners guarded by state farmers and every one that had any 
 militia. The camp was also kind of guns were rushing to its de- 
 used to care for Federal f°nce. When we arrived at Camp 
 paroled prisoners, the Ninth be- Chqse Adjutant Duffield and Lieut, 
 ing among the early arrivals. Wright had gone to Covington with 
 The commander of the camp, all of our men, about sixty, who were 
 a Colonel Allister, at once or- put on guard near the front with poor 
 dered us to do our share of guns and no amunition! They got 
 
26 
 
 suspicious that they were not yet ex- 
 changed and Duffield left for Michi- 
 gan to see Gov. Blair about it. 
 
 One night about forty laid down 
 their guns and under the lead of Ser- 
 geant Bertrand of company G, who 
 secured a pass for the party, came 
 over to Cincinnati. Our party of 
 about twenty-five arrived the night 
 before; we were all being fed at a 
 city market house, where the citizens 
 were feeding everybody free that had 
 a gun or a uniform, and finally the 
 two parties were brought together by 
 some officers who had received notice 
 to arrest some Michigan men as de- 
 serters, and were placed in the city 
 barracks and all held alike as prison- 
 ers. I finally got out and went to 
 Maj. Gen. Wright, commander of all 
 the forces there, and explained the 
 matters to him, and after investigat- 
 ing it he coucluded the regiment was 
 not yet exchanged, and gave me next 
 day an order to take the men back 
 to Camp Chase, where we arrived 
 Sept. 25, to find Capt. Mansfield had 
 come. 
 
 In a few days positive orders of ex- 
 change came and we started south 
 under Capt. Mansfield, arriving at 
 Portland, four miles below Louisville, 
 Oct. 7, where Lieut. Wright and his 
 men joined us soon after. There we 
 were united with an "Independent 
 Battalion" (the boys called it the 
 "Mackrel Brigade"), of over twelve 
 hundred men belonging to various 
 regiments that had remained in Nash- 
 ville to hold that city. A Major Ray- 
 mond, of the 51st Illinois, acted as 
 Colonel, and Capt. Mansfield as Ma- 
 jor. The Ninth men were organized 
 into two companies of about fifty 
 men each, under command of Lieu- 
 tenants Hiram Barrows and Wright, 
 the only other officers present. For 
 lack of officers all the First Ser- 
 geants served as Lieutenants. The 
 Battalion was completely clothed, 
 armed and equipped like a new regi- 
 ment. It started on cars south Mon- 
 day night, Oct. 20, to help chase John 
 Morgan, who was then at Elizabeth- 
 town. Our men under Lieut. Bar- 
 rows were left at Salt River bridge 
 to strengthen the Home Guards there, 
 and when in about two miles of Eliza- 
 bethtown we overtook another train 
 with the 107th Illinois infantry on 
 board. All quietly left the cars and 
 formed line, sent skirmishers for- 
 ward, and as soon as day dawned wo 
 
 rushed into town. But the rebels had 
 fled, though Morgan had barely time 
 to dress, and our advance killed a 
 captain and wounded a captain and 
 four men of his escort. Our Batal- 
 ion bivouacked in the grove where 
 the Ninth formerly camped, and wait- 
 ed for the men left back, and for our 
 wagon train of forty wagons. Snow 
 fell there an inch deep Saturday 
 night, Oct. 25! Cars then ran only 
 to Munfordsville, w'here passengers 
 walked over Green River on a foot 
 bridge, and then took other cars from 
 Bowling Green — the large bridge 
 there not having been rebuilt after 
 its destruction by Bragg's men. 
 
 Our train having arrived we left 
 Elizabethtown on foot on Sunday 
 morning, Oct. 26, and reached Green 
 River at Munfordsville Monday eve- 
 ning. Thursday afternoon, Oct. 30, 
 we crossed the river single file on 
 planks placed on scows, and took the 
 cars to Cave City, where we had to 
 disembark to wait for other trains. 
 
 While waiting here the first through 
 train from Louisville arrived, Satur- 
 day, Nov. 1, with the new commander 
 of the army. Gen. Rosecrans, and staff 
 on board. His train had to wait al- 
 so. He got oif and our "Mackrels" 
 quickly formed in line and saluted 
 him, and he gave us a nice little 
 speech, after which we gave him 
 "three cheers and a tiger." 
 
 We arrived at Bowling Green by 
 cars Saturday evening, Nov. 1, and 
 joined the four companies of the 
 Ninth in the fort on the hill in rear 
 of town on Monday, Nov. 3rd. Our 
 100 men and three officers made the 
 whole force there of the Ninth 370 
 men, with two captains and five lieu- 
 tenants, under command of Capt. 
 Jenny, Major Fox having gone to 
 Michigan with the body of his son 
 killed at Tyree Springs. He got ap- 
 pointed colonel of the twenty-seventh 
 Michigan Infantry, and did not return. 
 Capt. Deland also became colonel of 
 the Michigan Sharpshooters. 
 
 General Rosecrans kept his head- 
 quarters at Bowling Green about two 
 weeks, and on Nov. 8 issued the fol- 
 lowing order: "Col. S. D. Bruce, with 
 four companies of the 9th Michigan 
 Infantry, four companies of the 2Sth 
 Kentucky Infantry, ten companies of 
 tlie 7th Kentucky Infantry, and the 
 Konrtli and Eighth Regiments of Ken- 
 
tucky Cavalry will proceed to clear 
 of rebels the country lying between 
 Green River and the Cumberland, and 
 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad 
 from Muhlenburg to Hopkinsville, and 
 stop contraband trade in that region. 
 By command of Maj. Gen. Rosecrans." 
 
 In a few days after our arrival at 
 Bowling Green another rumor got cir- 
 culated that we were not yet exchang- 
 ed, and there was no little excite- 
 ment. Many of the men refused to 
 go on duty. Telegrams were sent to 
 Col. Duffield and Gov. Blair at Detroit, 
 and to Washington; and official re- 
 ports now show that for some days 
 even the authorities at Washington 
 were "balled up" over the matter, as 
 they twice sent a dispatch that the 
 regiment was not yet exchanged, but 
 finally, on Nov. 11 a dispatch came 
 from Gen. Boyle at Louisville, saying 
 that the regiment was surely exchang- 
 ed, the order having been sent to him 
 from Washington. We had no more 
 trouble over that matter after that. 
 
 Nov. 23rd we were temporarily brig- 
 aded with the 2.3rd Michigan, and 
 104th, and 111th Ohio regiments with 
 Brig. Gen. Gordon Granger in com- 
 mand, and had several brigade drills. 
 
 We left Bowling Green Dec. 2, 
 marching on the pike, and arrived at 
 Edgefield, opposite Nashville, Dec. 5. 
 Tuesday, Dec. 16, Capt. Wilkinson, 
 company A, Capt. Rounds, company 
 B, Lieut. Curry, company K, and Ad- 
 jutant Duffield joined us. The next 
 day by order of Gen. Thomas we start- 
 ed back to Gallatin to garrison that 
 town, but while eating dinner at noon, 
 nine miles on the way, a messenger 
 arrived on a foaming horse with 
 an order from Gen. Rosecrans for us 
 to return, which aroused tumultuous 
 cheering, and we came back to Edge- 
 field. The next day we moved to four 
 miles south of Nashville on the 
 Franklin pike, camping near Rous- 
 seau's division. Saturday, Dec. 20, 
 Wilkinson received commission as 
 Major, and took command. It was 
 said that Capt. Loomis persuaded Gen. 
 Rosecrans to order us back from go- 
 ing to Gallatin on garrison duty, as- 
 suring him that the Ninth was a fight- 
 ing regiment, and he wanted it assign- 
 ed to the brigade he was in; but Gen. 
 Thomas chose otherwise. 
 
 The day before Christmas three 
 things happened that made great re- 
 joicing in the Ninth regiment. First, 
 
 27 
 
 a Court of Inquiry into the affair at 
 Murfreesboro reported that the Ninth 
 not only did good fighting there, but 
 that soon after company D with oth- 
 ers badly repulsed Forrest near Mc- 
 Minnville, and that the four compan- 
 ies also repulsed him again at Tyree 
 Springs. It praised the Ninth, and 
 laid all the blame for the failures at 
 Murfreesboro on Col. Lester, whom 
 it cashiered. (The history, "Minne- 
 sota in the War," says that four oth- 
 er oflficers of the 3rd Minnesota were 
 dismissed for cowardice at Murfrees- 
 boro). 
 
 Second, in view of this report it 
 was reported that Gen. Thomas said 
 he had special duties for a regiment 
 that had repulsed Forrest three times. 
 Whether he did say that or not, we 
 got an order that day making the 
 Ninth his headquarters guard, and 
 we moved to near his tents two miles 
 nearer the city that afternoon. 
 
 Third, and greatest of all — Colonel 
 Parkhurst arrived that evening, 
 which made the boys fairly wild with 
 rejoicing. It was like a long absent 
 father returning to look after the wel- 
 fare of his family, and at once restor- 
 ed spirit and confidence to the men 
 of the regiment. 
 
 Now notice the changes brought 
 about in six months: — Gen. Nelson, 
 who cursed and abused us at La- 
 vergne, was dead — killed for his 
 abusiveness; Gen. Buell, who so mis- 
 represented and maligned us in his 
 orders, was dismissed from command 
 of the army for greater "incompeten- 
 cy and bad conduct" than was shown 
 by any one at Murfreesboro; and the 
 Court of Inquiry cashiered Col. Les- 
 ter, the real culprit in the disaster. 
 Col. Parkhurst and the Ninth were 
 vindicated and honored, and there is 
 no doubt that if our beloved Colonel 
 Duffield had not been so prematurely 
 disabled from the service, he would 
 have been given a Star with a prom- 
 inent command. 
 
 The report of the Court of Inquiry 
 was so favorable that Gen. Thomas 
 at once appointed Lieut. Col. Park- 
 hurst (soon after promoted to Colo- 
 nel), Provost Marshal of the 14th Ar- 
 my Corps, which Thomas commanded, 
 and the regiment was made provost 
 guards of the corps. Thus all our 
 malignant enemies had been disgrac- 
 ed and punished, and Col. Parkhurst 
 
28 
 
 and the Ninth vindicated and honored 
 by promotions. 
 
 Prom this time on the Ninth al- 
 ways camped near Gen. Thomas' 
 Headquarters, whether at night on 
 marches, or in permanent camps. It 
 guarded his office and tents, his sup- 
 ply train of 25 to 40 wagons, guarded 
 prisoners on the battle field and on 
 trains, and stopped our own strag- 
 glers, and was the police of his com- 
 mand. 
 
 The Stone River Campaign. 
 
 Under Generals Anderson, Sherman 
 and Buell the army was called "Army 
 of the Ohio," but under Rosecrans it 
 was changed to "Army of the Cumber- 
 land." 
 
 On Friday, Dec. 26, 1862, this army 
 began its movement against Bragg at 
 Murfreesboro. The Ninth moved south 
 a little on the Franklin pike, and then 
 crossed through fields to the Nolen- 
 ville pike and marched four miles 
 south and camped for the night. Dec. 
 27 we went one mile south of No- 
 lenville and camped, being sixteen 
 miles from Nashville. It rained all 
 day and the muddy roads were so bad 
 that some of our wagons did not 
 reach us till two o'clock at night, 
 and some of the companies had no ra- 
 tions for supper. Crossed over a mill 
 dam single file on planks and timbers. 
 
 Sunday, Dec. 28, we came back two 
 miles and marched on a dirt road 
 across eight miles to the Murfrees- 
 boro pike which we struck two miles 
 south of Lavergne, and went south 
 to within ten miles of Murfreesboro. 
 Col. Parkhurst's diary agrees exactly 
 with mine in these dates, routes and 
 distances, and Capt. B. H. Stevens 
 and Comrade Frank Lester say their 
 diaries show that we were on 
 the Nolenville pike on Dec. 27. So 
 the records that credit the Ninth as 
 fighting at Lavergne, Tenn., Dec. 27. 
 1862, are wrong. The regiment was 
 eight to twelve miles from there on 
 another pike that day. The Ninth 
 was never in a fight at Lavergne, 
 though it had two narrow escapes 
 north of there the next week. 
 
 Wednesday, Dee. 81, the great 
 battle of Stone River began 
 at day-break. Our right wing 
 was crushed-, and soon our de- 
 feated men came by the hundreds to 
 cross Overall's Creek on the Murfrees- 
 boro pike where there was the only 
 
 bridge saved by our men in advanc- 
 ing. Sergeant E. A. Burnett, company 
 B, was the first to see the panic 
 stricken men coming, and he rallied 
 his company to stop them. But the 
 Colonel soon deployed the regiment 
 across the road in rear of the bridge, 
 letting them come over, and extend- 
 ed the line to the right and left to 
 the creek, and thus stopped about 5,- 
 000 men, including cavalry, infantry 
 and artillery. After noon we marched 
 them all back across the bridge. Soon 
 after the rebel cavalry got in our rear 
 and came there to gobble us and burn 
 the bridge, but the cavalry and artil- 
 lery that we had stopped opened on 
 them furiously and drove them away, 
 capturing and killing about forty. Be- 
 fore night all these stragglers were 
 sent to their respective regiments. 
 The Ninth received special praise in 
 general orders for thus saving so 
 many men to again join their regi- 
 ments and help in the fight. 
 
 In his official report Colpnel Park- 
 hurst said: "On the morning of the 
 31st of December the battle was open- 
 ed by the enemy attacking General 
 Rosecrans' right, which was under 
 the immediate command of Major 
 General McCook ,and the attack was 
 made with such force as to put our 
 forces on the right to rout and utter- 
 ly demoralize them, and a general 
 stampede was the result. Teamsters, 
 army transportation, cavalry and in- 
 fantry came rushing in confusion and 
 terror, and it seemed that the whole 
 army had broken and was rushing 
 to the rear and for the Nashville Pike. 
 My regiment being in the rear of the 
 center of the line of battle and at the 
 bridge over Overall's Creek on the 
 Nashville Pike, and believing that the 
 fate of the army depended upon 
 checking the stampede and stopping 
 the fleeing and frightened troops, 1 
 at once put the regiment in line of 
 battle extending either side of the 
 pike, with fixed bayonets, with flank- 
 eds extending on either flank, and 
 with orders to stop everything but 
 wounded men. I had barely time to 
 form when our cavalry rushed upon 
 my line with great force and like men 
 making a desperate charge, and it 
 was with the utmost difficulty that 
 we were enabled to check the first 
 charge made upon o>ir line, but by a 
 free use of the sabre and tlie l);iyonet 
 we were enabled to hold the first rush 
 
MAJOR GENERAL GEO. H. THOMAS 
 
 Affectionately called "Pap Thomas" 
 
 by his Army. 
 
 "The Rock of Chickamauga." 
 
 "He Never Lost a Battle." 
 
of the cavalry; then came infantry, 
 then more cavalry, but by this time 
 I had succeeded in organizing the 
 fleeing cavalry and forming them in 
 line on our flanks, and in placing sev- 
 eral pieces of fleeing artillery in po- 
 sition. 
 
 I now had a force of about two 
 thousand cavalry and about three 
 thousand infantry, and eleven pieces 
 of artillery in position, and all or- 
 ganized from the stampeded and de- 
 moralized troops of our army. At 
 this juncture the rebel cavalry fol- 
 lowing our routed army made a 
 charge upon my advanced lines, 
 which was handsomely repulsed by 
 the cavalry I had organized from the 
 troops which but a few minutes pre- 
 viously had given way in despair and 
 were fleeing for dear life. After the 
 repulse of the rebel cavalry our cav- 
 alry pursued the enemy till he reach- 
 ed the woods to the right of the pike; 
 and soon after a brigade under com- 
 mand of Colonel Walker, of the 31st 
 Ohio, came to my aid from Stewart's 
 Creek, and immediately set to work 
 organizing the stragglers and sending 
 them under a guard, from the 9th 
 Michigan Infantry, to their commands 
 as fast as their locations were dis- 
 covered. For this service the 9th 
 Michigan Infantry received a very 
 flattering mention by Major General 
 Thomas in his report of the battle 
 of Slone River. I feel, and have no 
 hesitancy in saying, that had not the 
 9th Michigan Infantry by her deter- 
 mined courage checked the stampede 
 of the right wing of General Rose- 
 crans' army on the morning of the 
 31st of December, the demoralization 
 would have extended to the whole 
 army, the battle of Stone River would 
 have resulted in the defeat of the 
 Federal arms, and General Rose- 
 crans would have been compelled to 
 fall back to Nashville." 
 
 At nine o'clock that night we 
 marched onto the battle ground, hear- 
 ing the pitiful groans of hundreds of 
 wounded, making us realize the hor- 
 rors and inhuman savagery of war. It 
 was very cold, which must have added 
 greatly to the suffering of the wound- 
 ed. We did not sleep much lying on 
 the ground among the cedars, for at 
 three o'clock the next morning, Jan. 
 1, 1863, we were aroused and started 
 for Nashville to guard a train. After 
 we had gone a few miles north of La- 
 
 29 
 
 vergne, Wheeler with about 3,000 reb- 
 el cavalry attacked a wagon train be- 
 hind us, and burned about 75 wagons. 
 A part of the train not captured stam- 
 peded onto our rear, and nearly de- 
 moralized our teamsters; but the Col. 
 onel formed the regiment across the 
 road and stopped them, and then we 
 waited in line of battle some time ex- 
 pecting the rebels to attack us. But 
 they did not, but went back and at- 
 tacked the Michigan Engineers who 
 were building a stockade at Lavergne. 
 The Engineers had only an abatis of 
 brush around them, but they with- 
 stood seven assaults of the rebels, 
 who then retreated, having lost forty 
 or fifty killed and wounded. We ar- 
 rived safely in Nashville and went to 
 our former camp at eight p. m., hav- 
 ing marched thirty miles that day. 
 
 Saturday, Jan. 3, started back with 
 train. When nine miles south a lady 
 in a covered carriage came out of 
 the woods on our right and told the 
 colonel that Wheeler's whole force 
 was just over the hill lying in wait for 
 us. Corporal B. A. Roath, Company F, 
 had captured a nice horse the day be- 
 fore, and the colonel sent him as a 
 scout ahead of the advanced guard. 
 He got too far ahead when eight reb- 
 els fired at him from the bushes. One 
 bullet wounded his horse in the neck, 
 another went through his saddle, a 
 third cut away his canteen, and a 
 fourth badly tore his coat under the 
 right arm. Of course he surrendered, 
 and was taken to where the rebels 
 were congregated, and it looked to 
 him as if there were eight thousand 
 of them! They did not molest us, but 
 about two hours afterwards a long 
 train with amunition came along and 
 they attacked that furiously, Roath 
 being a witness to the fight. But the 
 rebels did not know that a whole 
 brigade was guarding that train, and 
 they got unmercifully whipped, with 
 many killed and wounded. Roath and 
 about thirty others were paroled and 
 reached Nashville the next day. 
 
 When we arrived at Lavergne the 
 Michigan Engineers were again ex- 
 pecting an attack, and we stayed with 
 them over an hour, but none came. 
 The Ninth no doubt escaped a fight 
 on both those occasions because the 
 rebels were looking for bigger game. 
 We arrived at the front late in the 
 evening and found Gen. Thomas 
 about where we left him, and bivou- 
 
30 
 
 acked the best we could in the mud, 
 rain and cold, gathering cedar twigs 
 to help keep us out of the water; 
 but the most of us were drowned out 
 before morning. Just before dark the 
 rebels made their final desperate as- 
 sault on our left, but were terribly 
 slaughtered by fifty-seven pieces of 
 artillery concentrated against them. 
 Sunday both armies were rather quiet. 
 
 Monday, Jan. 5, it was learned that 
 the rebels had evacuated the city and 
 fled south, and the army moved in. 
 We passed over a part of the battle 
 field and the ground was covered 
 with the dead of both sides. 
 Col. Parkhurst wrote to his sister 
 that day that "It was the proudest 
 day of his life when he was permitted 
 to enter, with his regiment at the 
 head of a victorious army, the town, 
 where, but a few months before, they 
 had been made prisoners." And the 
 regiment was permitted to go into its 
 old camp in Manny's Grove, which we 
 did with much cheering. 
 
 After the battle Frank Lester 
 wrote, "The town is full of wounded 
 men and the rebel wounded died by 
 the hundreds at first for lack of med- 
 icines and surgeons; but we soon aid- 
 ed them, and also supplied them with 
 rations." 
 
 During the winter and spring of 
 1863 the Ninth had to perform heavy 
 guard duty at headquarters and 
 guarding government property, so 
 that at times some men had to go 
 on every other day. In addition to 
 that forty men were mounted under 
 command of Adjutant Duffield or 
 Lieut. Hull (changing), who did police 
 duty for the whole army around Mur- 
 freesboro, arresting drunken and dis- 
 orderly men, who were sent to their 
 regiments with instructions from Col. 
 Parkhurst that they be properly pun- 
 ished "By command of Maj. Gen. 
 Thomas." The boys soon humorously 
 named them the "Forty Thieves." 
 
 On January 25, I wrote, "Our regi- 
 ment went foraging last Tuesday, and 
 again Wednesday, passing through 
 whore our Right Wing (McCook's) 
 was driven back and lost so heavily 
 on the first day of the battle of Stone 
 River. To see the effects of that bat- 
 tle one wonders how a single man 
 escaped. The underbrush was liter- 
 ally mowed down by bullets, the large 
 trees did not have a space as large 
 as one's hand free from scars, and 
 
 I saw trees from all sizes up to eigh- 
 teen Inches in diameter cut down by 
 bullets, shot and shell." 
 
 Comrade Frank Lester wrote to his 
 folks about this same trip, "I saw 
 trees eighteen inches in diameter 
 that had been cut down by cannon 
 balls." 
 
 Again on Jan. 29, "Our regiment 
 went our foraging east of the Nash- 
 ville pike. We passed over the bat- 
 tle field where our Center fought, 
 and saw the same work of destruction 
 as mentioned last week about our 
 Right Wing." 
 
 Again, Feb. 8, "We used to think 
 13 to 16 miles was a good day's march, 
 but last Thursday we arose at four 
 o'clock, got breakfast and went with 
 two other regiments and two guns 
 of Church's (Coldwater) Battery and 
 200 wagons twelve miles out north- 
 east on the Liberty pike; loaded all 
 our wagons with forage and returned 
 at 8:30 p. m., making 24 miles through 
 mud, and fording two rivers. But my! 
 we were tired!" 
 
 Again, Feb. 14, "Our last foraging 
 trip was in rear of our extreme Left 
 where the rebel cavalry frequently at- 
 tacked our foraging parties, and had 
 sometimes captured a few wagons, 
 and so we went three regiments 
 strong. Today the Ninth went alone 
 in search of forage in a safer locality. 
 We went eight miles northwest on the 
 Nashville pike, then five miles east, 
 and had the luck to find enough at 
 one rebel plantation to fill all of our 
 thirth wagons. While loading them 
 some cavalry appeared in the dis- 
 tance. Thinking they were rebels we 
 quickly formed in line of battle and 
 they did the same. Then they slowly 
 approached us and when near enough 
 each discovered that both wore the 
 Blue. The "lumps" in our throats 
 went down! It rained the most of the 
 day, and the twenty-six miles' march 
 through mud and wading streams, in- 
 cluding Stone River after dark when 
 returning, kept us busy until 8:30 
 p. m., and you can bet we were soak- 
 ing wet, cold and tired!" 
 
 The Liberty Raid. 
 
 On Monday morning, April 27, a 
 large part of the regiment and two 
 companies of the 37th Indiana, in all 
 about ^no men, with 54 wagons, start- 
 ed for Liberty, a village 20 miles 
 south(>ast. Wo niarehod 22 miles 
 
and camped that night on ground 
 where a rebel cavalry force had 
 camped the night before. When we 
 reached Liberty near noon the next 
 day we found General Wagner's and 
 Colonel Starkweather's brigades 
 there. They had just arrived from 
 McMinnville which had just been cap- 
 tured by General Reynold's Division, 
 to which they belonged. They ex- 
 pressed surprise that so few men 
 were sent into such a dangerous lo- 
 cality. We went after a large amount 
 of bacon and some forage that had 
 been found, but more especially to 
 rescue a large number of loyal fami- 
 lies (nearly 200 people in all), who 
 had been so pillaged by the rebels as 
 1o be in a starving condition. It was 
 a pitiful sight to see feeble old men 
 and women, and younger women and 
 children haggard from hunger, and so 
 destitute for clothing and other com- 
 forts. The most of their men were 
 in our army, largely in Colonel 
 Stoke's Tenn. Cavalry, which came 
 with Wagner, and helped us to gather 
 the people in from a circle of three 
 or four miles around, for which pur- 
 pose the train and men were divided 
 into four parties. All these assembled 
 at a point four miles towards Mur- 
 freesboro about ten o'clock Wednes- 
 day, and started for Murfreesboro via 
 Milton on a road farther to the north 
 and supposed to be safer; one brig- 
 ade going before and the other be- 
 hind us and the wagon train, the 
 cavalry keeping with the train, and 
 also scouting. When we arrived 
 Thursday noon, April 30, everybody 
 was surprised, because it had been 
 reported that we were all captured; 
 and on the last two mornings our 
 whole army had stood at arms be- 
 cause the rebels were so active in 
 front. But they made no attacks, and 
 were quiet again. 
 
 Card playing was most resorted to 
 for whiling away the monotony of carr^^ 
 life, but during these warm spring 
 evenings, as there were several vio- 
 lins in camp, the boys engaged in 
 stag dances in our smooth streets. 
 No little part of the fun was caused 
 at times to distinguish which were 
 the "ladies." One evening the offi- 
 cers got a lot of negroes from town 
 1o give us a sample of negro "shin 
 digs." 
 
 In the early spring Capt. Connely 
 went to Michigan and found that base 
 
 31 
 
 ball was becoming a popular game, 
 and so he brought back a supply of 
 balls, bats and bases and a copy of 
 the rules. The officers organized two 
 clubs and did some playing, but we 
 developed no Ty Cobbs before the 
 army began the Chickamauga advance 
 on June 24, and I never saw any ball 
 playing in the army after that. 
 
 During all of this spring Lieut. Col- 
 onel Von Schrader, Inspector Gener- 
 al on Gen. Thomas' staff pitched his 
 tent in our beautifully shaded camp. 
 He was a thorough German soldier, 
 an expert swordsman and an all- 
 around athlete, and for several weeks 
 he drilled the officers mornings be- 
 fore breakfast in sword drills, "set- 
 ting up" exercises, and some took 
 boxing lessons. His drills were very 
 beneficial to us in developing muscle 
 and agility. His "setting up" exer- 
 cises were of his own devising and 
 not in print. So one day I copied his 
 orders and instructions as he was go- 
 ing through the drill, and later he had 
 it published in pamphlets for the use 
 of the army. I still have that original 
 "copy" for his pamphlet. 
 
 Aside from ignorance of sanitation 
 which killed more than twice as many 
 men as were lost in battle, intemper- 
 ance was the greatest bane of the 
 army. As is usually the case, drunk- 
 enness caused nearly all of the "dis- 
 orderly conduct" in camp. The pity 
 was that it was not confined to a 
 minority of the enlisted men, but too 
 many officers were equally as bad, 
 and in too many cases drunken offi- 
 cers caused disasters in battle. The 
 time will come when only sober men 
 will be wanted in the army, just as 
 only sober men are now allowed to 
 run our locomotives. 
 
 Nearly every company contained 
 one or more jokers — men who seemed 
 to never get tired, never got "blue," 
 and seemed to need only "half ra- 
 tions" of sleep. No day's march was 
 so tedious that they could not at its 
 close dance a jig, sing a song, tell a 
 story or crack a joke. They were the 
 last ones to go to sleep and the first 
 ones to wake up. Even on the battle 
 field their witty tongues were not al- 
 ways silent, and no doubt they were 
 "blessings in disguise" for the spirit 
 of the army. 
 
 On Feb. 12 a little incident occur- 
 red that was quite important to the 
 writer — he was appointed Second 
 
32 
 
 Lieutenant and assigned to Company 
 F, and soon after the company pre- 
 sented him a beautiful sword, belt and 
 sash, which he still keeps in grateful 
 remembrance of the men of Company 
 
 F. First Lieut. Ephriam Marble made 
 the presentation speech. He was a 
 veteran of the Mexican war, having 
 served in the 15th U. S. Infantry, and 
 at this time was acting Commissary 
 of the regiment. He was later on 
 Gen. Thomas' staff as Assistant Com- 
 missary of the Fourteenth Corps. He 
 and Major Jenny are the only original 
 officers of the regiment living in June, 
 1913. 
 
 Wednesday, June 3rd, the regiment 
 joined General Negley's Division in 
 large fields east of the town and was 
 reviewed by General Rosecrans. 
 Serg't Charles M. Bertrand, Company 
 
 G, had made a light frame for his 
 knapsack that made it set so square 
 on his shoulders that it attracted Gen. 
 Rosecran's attention. He stopped 
 and inquired his name, company and 
 regiment, complimented him for the 
 neat appearance of his knapsack and 
 his whole personal equipment, and 
 suggested to the regiment to imitate 
 him. Such kind noticing of enlisted 
 men was characteristic of General 
 Rosecrans. 
 
 Tullahoma and Forward. 
 
 The Ninth started with the army on 
 the Tullahoma campaign June 24, 
 1863. It immediately began to rain, 
 and continued nearly every day for 
 two weeks, making the roads almost 
 impassible for men, wagons and ar- 
 tillery, and swelling the streams so 
 they were more difficult to cross. 
 Thomas went out on the Manchester 
 Pike, and that afternoon Wilder of 
 the Left Wing of our army took the 
 enemy by surprise and captured Hoo- 
 ver's Gap after a brisk fight, which 
 the rebels tried in vain to recapture 
 the next day. Mc Cook's men on the 
 Right Wing captured Liberty Gap, a 
 similar strong position, which the reb- 
 els also tried to retake the next day. 
 These two strong positions were the 
 right and left keys to Bragg's strongly 
 fortified position at Tullahoma, and 
 as our army began to close in on his 
 flanks. Gen. Thomas learned July 1st 
 that Bragg was retreating. 
 
 Thomas started in pursuit via Man- 
 chester, but at Elk river the rebels 
 had burned the bridge which so delay- 
 
 ed us that on July 2nd Bragg was 
 safely going over the mountains into 
 the Tennessee valley, to finally con- 
 centrate at Chattanooga. 
 
 The Ninth then went into a camp 
 with Gen. Thomas in a beautiful grove 
 near Decherd, Tenn. Here a new du- 
 ty developed. The hundreds of re- 
 covered sick and wounded men now 
 returning from northern hospitals 
 every day were all sent to Col. Park- 
 hurst who detailed members of the 
 "Forty" (who were supposed to know 
 the position of every regiment) to 
 pilot them to their various regiments. 
 
 We also built a "bull pen" about 
 25 feet square by standing fence rails 
 close together on end in a trench. In- 
 to that all the "drunk and disorder- 
 lies" of the army so luckless as to be 
 nabbed by the vigilent "Forty" (our 
 mounted men) were taken during 
 each day and evening where they 
 were kept till next forenoon, when 
 one of the "Forty" took each man to 
 his regiment with an order to the 
 colonel to properly punish him. "By 
 order of Gen. Thomas; J. G. Park- 
 hurst, Provost Marshal." Thus the 
 army was disciplined. 
 
 Monday, Aug. 17, the Ninth began 
 with the army moving over the moun- 
 tains for the south. It was tedious 
 work getting wagons and artillery up 
 the steep, poor roads, but we finally 
 reached Bolivar Springs, two miles 
 east of Stevenson, Ala., Aug. 21. Com- 
 pany C was sent onto a mountain 
 about a mile northeast to help estab- 
 lish and guard a signal station. 
 
 One morning while camped here 
 the writer applied through the colonel 
 for an appointment in a negro regi- 
 ment, was at once ordered by General 
 Thomas before an examining board 
 consisting of Gen. Beatty (for many 
 years member of congress from Ohio 
 after the war), a Colonel and Major. 
 then in session at Stephenson, two 
 miles away to where he walked, and 
 from one to six o'clock that afternoon 
 was kept in a "sweat box" by ques- 
 tions from those three officers. When 
 through the Major privately assured 
 him that he had passed a first class 
 examination and would receive an 
 appointment. It came October 15 
 from General Rosecrans as a Captain, 
 with an order to report to the 13th 
 U. S. Colored Infantry, then organiz- 
 ing at Nashville. Lieut. James N. 
 Wallace also went with me as cap- 
 
JOHN G. PARKHURST, in 1865 
 Lieut. Colonel and Colonel of the Ninth. Brevet Brig. General; 
 Marshal General, Department of the Cumberland 
 
,4 P 
 
 E 13 
 
 O J2 
 
 Z >; 
 
 - S 
 
 ]0 
 If ml'' L 
 
33 
 
 tain. If our first officers liad been ready over, and so tlie balance of the 
 subjected to as rigid an examination corps is rushing to his aid. Gen Rose- 
 as we were, half of them would have crans moved his headquarters to 
 stayed at home. Chattanooga today. 
 
 Thursday, Sept. 3, we marched to The Ninth remained in camp wait- 
 the Tennessee river and waited for ing for the corps to cross the moun- 
 the engineers to lay a pontoon bridge, tain until 10 o'clock Sunday, Sept. 13, 
 It was over 1,200 feet across the riv- when, after many hours of hard work 
 er here, and it took sixty boats to we got the train up, and crossed over, 
 reach across. They laid the bridge it being about five miles across by the 
 in just four hours and twenty min- route we took to Cooper's Gap (the 
 utes, and the Ninth was the first to most of the corps went down at 
 cross on it. Marched seventeen miles Steven's Gap, a shorter route) where 
 up on the south side of the river, we descended and marched southward 
 and turned to the right up a small up Chattanooga Valley about two 
 valley into Raccoon Mountain, and miles to near Steven's Gap 26 miles 
 camped long after dark near Moore's south of Chattanooga and camped by 
 Spring. The day had been terribly Gen. Thomas. About 10 o'clock that 
 hot and dusty, and we were a tired evening Col. Parkhurst gave a warm 
 lot, and we did not know but we were supper to Generals Rosecrans and 
 all alone in the valley; but about nine Garfield, Charles A. Dana, Ass't Sec- 
 o'clock to our surprise a band on top retary of War, and several of their 
 of the mountain began to play "The staff officers, all of whom were de- 
 Star Spangled Banner," and as the lighted by the unexpected feast, 
 music rang out through the still Sept. 14 was a quiet day in our vi- 
 night and echoed down the valley cinity, but there was some skirmish- 
 thousands of soldiers both in the val- ing at the front, and tlie armies were 
 ley and on the mountain began to concentrating. Gen. Rosecrans re- 
 cheer, and I never heard that tune mained with Gen. Thomas all day. 
 when it was more thrilling and in- Gen. Negley sent 25 prisoners to the 
 spiring. Other national airs soon fol- Ninth that he had captured the two 
 lowed and the thousands of weary previous days of skirmishing; and, 
 soldiers bivouacking there soon for- unfortunately for the writer, I was of- 
 got the weary day's marching. ficer of the guard and stayed up with 
 
 It was slow and tedious work get- them all night, and then started on a 
 
 ting wagon trains up the mountains hard day's march without any rest or 
 
 when teams had to be doubled, and sleep. 
 
 in many cases men with long ropes Tuesday, Sept. 15, Company F was 
 
 helped to pull them up. The Ninth sent with twenty-five prisoners and 
 
 had to give others the precedence, nine wagons to Stevenson, Ala., for 
 
 and we went into camp the next day rations for Gen. Thomas' headquar- 
 
 only four miles on top of the moun- ters. One prisoner, an old man 
 
 tain near a mill that was run by a nam.ed Powell, who lived on Lookout 
 
 creek. Raccoon Mountain was about Mountain, cut his throat with a dull 
 
 eight miles across here, fairly level, jackknife just before we reached his 
 
 and there were occassional cleared home, and not believing he would 
 
 patches with log huts occupied by live, we left him there, but sent a 
 
 "poor white trash." message to have our doctor come and 
 
 Sunday, Sept. 6, we went down the treat him, which was done, and when 
 
 mountain at Brown's Spring, and went we returned he was improving. We 
 
 into camp within three miles of Tren- had many experiences and adventures 
 
 ton, in Lookout Valley, near Gen. on this trip, but nothing serious until 
 
 Thomas, where we remained several returning. 
 
 days. Wednesday, Sept. 9, we march- AH day Sunday, Sept. 20, the second 
 ed up Lookout Valley five miles to day of the Battle of Chickamauga, we 
 Easley's. The 10th we marched about were returning with our train up 
 five miles to the head of Johnson's Lookout Valley, in hearing of the can- 
 Crook where all of the 14th Corps nonading. We should have gone the 
 crossed over Lookout Mountain. En- other way, northward to Chattanooga, 
 emy reported to be concentrating in but our orders were to return to the 
 force bevond this mountain, threaten- place where we started. We arrived 
 Ing Negley's Division which was al- in Johnson's Crook that evening and 
 
34 
 
 were all the forenoon Monday getting 
 the train up the mountain, as teams 
 had to be doubled and oive wagon 
 taken at a time, and men also push- 
 ing behind. 
 
 It is about four miles across the 
 mountain here, and as we were about 
 to go down at Cooper's Gap at three 
 o'clock three regiments of cavalry 
 came rushing up like bees swarming 
 from a hive. They had been defeated 
 by Wheeler's cavalry, and lost all 
 their forty wagons and about 200 men. 
 We immediately turned our train 
 northeast towards Chattanooga, 24 
 miles away, all the cavalry deserting 
 us but two companies who held the 
 Gap and killed seven rebels when 
 they tried to come up. The colonel 
 commanding the cavalry ordered us 
 to burn the wagons and save the 
 mules, but we refused, though we ex- 
 pected the rebels would soon over- 
 take us, for there were two other 
 passes where they could come up the 
 mountain. Our wagons were loaded 
 with rations for Gen. Thomas's head- 
 quarters, and we resolved to not aban- 
 don them — if captured we would go 
 with them. But the cavalry waited 
 for us towards nignt, and we felt 
 safer. I never experienced such a 
 hot and dusty march before nor 
 since, but you can bet we made fast 
 time, expecting an attack by the reb- 
 els every minute. The road on the 
 mountain top was fairly level, but in 
 places the mountain was so narrow 
 that one could look down into the 
 valley each side, and in other places 
 varying to three miles, well timbered, 
 except an occasional cleared patch 
 and log dwelling. 
 
 The cavalry left us soon after dark, 
 but we did not reach the north end 
 of the mountain where the road goes 
 down until after midnight. It was 
 about a mile down the mountain by 
 the most crooked road I ever saw. 
 Wagons frequently tipped over at the 
 short turns and had to be uprighted 
 "by main strength" and reloaded. 
 About two o'clock three overturned 
 at once and we gave up, discouraged 
 and exhausted, and sent the teams 
 down to hunt for water. But some 
 signal officers soon came down saying 
 the rebels would be on the mountain 
 there by daylight. So we sent for 
 the teams, reloaded the wagons, and 
 by hard work reached the foot of 
 Lookout at daybreak, Tuesday morn- 
 
 ing, Sept. 22, 1862, just as the head 
 of our army was coming in from the 
 battle field. (If you hear any one say 
 that our army was defeated at Chick- 
 amauga just remind them that 
 Thomas held his positions all day 
 Monday, Sept. 21, unmolested, and 
 then quietly retired and took posses- 
 sion of Chattanooga, which was the 
 object of the campaign.) 
 
 We crossed Chattanooga creek 
 and bivouacked to rest and get break- 
 fast, but before we had finished to 
 our surprise the army had thrown up 
 a line of breastworks in our front, and 
 another line in our rear. So we pull- 
 ed out and went into the city and soon 
 found our regiment. They were de- 
 lighted to see us for they had conclud- 
 ed that we were all captured. The 
 rebel flag floated from Pulpit Rock, 
 the brink of Lookout, soon after we 
 got into town. From Monday morn- 
 ing to Tuesday morning company F 
 had marched over thirty miles besides 
 getting our train up and down the 
 mountain, had taken no time to rest, 
 eat or sleep, and nearly suffocated 
 from dust and suffered much from 
 thirst. But we saved the train with 
 Gen. Thomas' rations! 
 
 Battle of Chlckamauga. 
 
 Our story left the regiment with 
 General Thomas near Steven's Gap on 
 the morning of Sept. 15. That day 
 Gen. Rosecrans left our camp, and 
 near evening Gen. McCook and staff 
 camped by us. His corps crossed 
 Lookout 17 miles further south, and 
 was now hastening north to join in 
 the coming struggle. 
 
 It was all quiet near us during the 
 16th. Sept. 17th the regiment moved 
 with the train north to Dickey's post- 
 office on the Chattanooga Valley Road. 
 Friday, the 18th, the regiment moved 
 with train east to Crawfish Springs, 
 where it remained over night. Com- 
 rade Frank Lester says that on that 
 evening a detail of two men from 
 each company took the headquarters 
 train and started down the Chatta- 
 nooga Valley Road for Chattanooga, 
 where, after an all night tedious 
 march, they arrived the next morning, 
 and camped on the bank of the Ten- 
 nessee River. Col. Parkhurst does 
 not mention this. 
 
 All night long of the l<Slh Thomas's 
 coips was moving northward in rear 
 of Crittenden's corps, making its 
 
35 
 
 memorable "night march over the hill (where his corps was over- 
 hill, and through forest and valley," powered) and riding slowly about a 
 and at sunrise of Saturday, Sept. 19th, mile and a half, I met Col. Parkhurst 
 it was in line on Crittenden's left in with his regiment and men enough — 
 possession of the main roads to Chat- whom he had stopped — to make an- 
 tanooga on which the enemy (having other regiment of ordinary size, and 
 received heavy reinforcements) was who seemed to be well organized, 
 planning to rush to Chattanooga. The colonel rode up to me and asked 
 Thus, instead of being the center of if I would not take command. I told 
 the army as usual, Thomas's corps him no, that he was doing good ser- 
 became the left wing and held that vice; and I directed him to hold his 
 position all through the two days bat- position and let the artillery, wagons 
 tie against the repeated assaults of and wounded pass, and then follow on, 
 the greater part of the rebel army. covering the rear." 
 
 On the morning of the 19th the Colonel Parkhurst continued to 
 regiment went back to Dickey's post- stop stragglers until he had several 
 ollice, on the Chattanooga Valley thousand, held his position, but did 
 Koad, and later. Colonel Parkhurst not "follow on" after his superior 
 wrote, "by order of the commanding officer, who went to Chattanooga, 
 general (apparently Gen. Rosecrans) Early in the stampede Lieut. El- 
 took train to Chattanooga and parked kin, of Gen. Baird's staff, reported to 
 it on the bank of the Tennessee Riv- Gen. Negley, "Colonel Parkhurst with 
 er." He does not tell what train it his provost guards of the Fourteenth 
 was, but comrade Thad. S. Vinning Corps is stationed at the Chattanooga 
 !-ays he was Corps Wagon Master at road, stopping the disorganized 
 that time and had charge of the train, troops, and forming a new line." Gen. 
 and that it was the Medical Supply Negley remarked, "To save the army 
 (rain. from rout, a new line will have to 
 
 So during all of the first day of the be formed." Making desperate efforts 
 
 great battle the Ninth was guarding in vain to stop the struggling mass, 
 
 that precious train down the Valley Gen. Negley finally came to where 
 
 Road in rear of our army to save it the Ninth had effectually blockaded 
 
 from capture. the pass by its line of bayonets, of 
 
 All accounts agree that at six which he reported. "I found Colonel 
 o'clock on Sunday morning, Sept. 20, Parkhurst with the Ninth Michigan 
 leaving one company (or the detail Volunteers energetically checking the 
 of men) to guard the headquarters stragglers." He joined in the work 
 train at the river, Col. Parkhurst of stopping and reorganizing the re- 
 started with the remaining eight treating troops, and near evening, 
 companies to escort the Medical Sup- moved the whole force of several 
 ply train to the field hospital at the thousand to Rossville, and placed 
 front, going through Rossville and them in line for defending that im- 
 turning south up the Dry Valley portant position. 
 
 Road; but on arriving at McFar- Captain Alfred L. Hough, A. C. M., 
 
 land's Gap, within one and a half in reporting about the repulse of the 
 
 miles of the hospital, Col. Parkhurst right wing and conditions near Mc- 
 
 learned that the enemy had posses- Farland Gap, said. "The only organ- 
 
 sion of the hospital, and he halted ized body I saw there was the Ninth 
 
 (he train there. He wrote in his Michigan, Col. Parkhurst, stopping all 
 
 diary, "About 12 o'clock McCook's persons except the wounded." 
 
 and (Crittenden's corps gave way and In his report of the battle to Gen. 
 
 fell back in great confusion. I sue- Halleck, Gen. W. S. Rosecrans said, 
 
 ceeded in checking them and prevent- "Major General Thomas says that as 
 
 ing a stampede. All the troops went provost marshal at the head of his 
 
 to Rossville later and took up new regiment. Col. J. G. Parkhurst did 
 
 positions. General Thomas saved the most valuable services on the 20th in 
 
 army from utter defeat by his brav- arresting stragglers and in reorganiz- 
 
 cry and heroism. Our loss today has ing the troops who had been driven 
 
 been very heavy." from the field." 
 
 That was all the modest colonel In relating those "most valuable 
 
 wrote in his diary, but General Cril- services" rendered by the Ninth on 
 
 lenden reported that "After leavin,"; l-hat occasion. "Michigan at Chicka- 
 
36 
 
 mauga," written by Capt. Charles E. 
 Belknap, says, "About 12:30 o'clock 
 stragglers began to make their ap- 
 pearance from the front, and two 
 companies, (D and E, under command 
 of Capt. Wiggins) were deployed to 
 the right and left of the road to halt 
 these men and form them into com- 
 panies. 
 
 "These men were not demoralized, 
 but simply needed leaders or com- 
 manders, and cheerfully joined the 
 Ninth in their work. In the mean 
 time trains, sections of batteries, am- 
 bulances with wounded, and camp 
 followers with led horses came rush- 
 rng in confusion over the road, and 
 the entire regiment with bayonets fix- 
 ed were formed across the Gap and 
 the stampede checked. 
 
 "The artillery was placed in com- 
 mand of a Captain Hotchkiss, and 
 the stragglers under command of Ma- 
 jor Jenny, of the Ninth. The trains 
 were loaded with the severely wound- 
 ed and in an orderly manner sent 
 through the defiles in the hills to 
 Chattanooga. Lieutenant Doubblaere, 
 with one company, was sent back to 
 Chattanooga with the medical train. 
 Retiring on this road some distance 
 to an open field, the line was again 
 halted and General J. C. Davis, hav- 
 ing arrived with part of his division, 
 assumed command. Later Generals 
 Sheridan and Negley came up and 
 the lines reformed." 
 
 "Again the Ninth Michigan Infan- 
 try was the savior of the left wing 
 of the Army of the Cumberland. As 
 at Stone River, this gallant regiment 
 was in the right place. General 
 Thomas' at that stage of the battle 
 was the only organized force in po- 
 sition of defence. The Corps of Mc- 
 Cook and Crittenden were broken and 
 in retreat, only parts of the divisions 
 and brigades in condition for action 
 and very few of them in place. 
 
 "Thomas' au.fJroS.en. lines were one 
 and a quarter miles to the left, fight- 
 ing for dear life. The only avenue by 
 which the remnants of the right wing 
 could go to his p.ssistance was the 
 Dry Valley Road; and it, and indeed 
 the whole valley, was filled with a 
 struggling mass of stragglers, wag- 
 ons, batteries, ambulances and troops 
 of all arms, on a stampede for Chat- 
 tanooga, pressed botli by the enemy's 
 infantry an^ cavalry. Here the mas- 
 ter hand of the Ninth, Colonel John 
 
 G. Parkhurst, placed his veterans with 
 bayonets fixed, and every unhurt man 
 was halted. The 'rank and file' were 
 not panic-stricken, were not whipped, 
 but needed some strong hand and 
 head to guide. With cheers the men 
 rallied on the lines designated, not 
 by states and regiments, but the men 
 of different states, shoulder to should- 
 er. 
 
 "The wounded, and there were 
 thousands of them, were passed to 
 the rear. The wagons and transpor- 
 tation of the army were filled with 
 those unable to walk and then sent 
 on their way. The artillery was turn- 
 ed about, 'the guns shotted,' and 
 with new life and courage the gun- 
 ners stood at their posts. 
 
 "Soon 5,000 men, good and true as 
 ever wore the blue, bid defiance to 
 the foe, and the rout was no longer 
 a rout of the men who carried the 
 musket. Generals, 'tis true, had gone 
 to Chattanooga, giving up the field 
 as lost, not so the soldiers of the 
 ranks. The advance of the enemy on 
 the Dry Valley Road was checked 
 and the transportation of the army 
 saved, as were also thousands of the 
 wounded. 
 
 "Had not the Ninth Michigan 
 stretched its lines across the narrow 
 gap and checked the rout, the enemy 
 would soon have swept through with 
 a resistless wave, not only captur- 
 ing men, wagons and batteries, but 
 it would have cut off all lines of re- 
 treat to General Thomas towards 
 Chattanooga, and caused the destruc- 
 tion of the army. 
 
 "If the two roads converging nt 
 Rossville had been relinquished to, 
 and had been seized by the enemy, it 
 would have in all human probability 
 sealed the fate of General Thomas' 
 command. The influence this judi- 
 cious movement exerted over subse- 
 quent events may be designated in 
 future history as an accident; but it 
 was one of those military accidents 
 which restored order with equilib- 
 rium, and changed the front of a de- 
 feated army, and unquestionably 
 saved Chattanooga. 
 
 "The soldiers of the Army of the 
 Cumberland were students of war. 
 They studied the topography of the 
 country through which they passed. 
 They were not machines, but intelli- 
 gent men, quick to grasp the idea of 
 battle, as they did later at Mission- 
 
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 u ^ =,- 
 
 
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 2 S ^ 
 
 I i 
 
 UJ S2 
 
 o . 
 
 z 
 
 Z c 
 
 i a 
 
 S o 
 
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 1 « 
 
 £ I 
 
 i " 
 
ary Ridge — a battle that was not 
 fought as planned, and not planned as 
 fought — but was a battle of generals 
 and privates, in which the matchless 
 courage and devotion of those men 
 in the ranks out-shone the plans and 
 strategy of the generals. The depart- 
 ment commander and two corps com- 
 manders with their retinue of staff 
 ollicers and escorts had gone to the 
 rear. They no doubt were whipped, 
 but the men with the saber and the 
 musket had remained in the woods 
 and the mountain jungles to fight it 
 out and bring glorious victory to their 
 cause. 
 
 "The Ninth alTorded a rallying point 
 for the disorganized right, and when 
 there came an hour's time in the con- 
 tost, regiments, brigades and divis- 
 ions came together as if by magic; 
 order cume out of turmoil, and the 
 morning of the 21st of September 
 found these men in ranks eager to 
 renew the fray. The men of the right 
 wing had not lost courage, but were 
 defiant and full of confidence, and 
 were disappointed that they were not 
 to be led back to meet the foe. 
 
 "It may not be out of place to say 
 tliat it was the firm belief of the men 
 in the ranks that the enemy were 
 badly punished and broken, that an 
 advance in force would have met easy 
 success. And it is the firm belief to- 
 day of the survivors of that bloody 
 battle, that a great mistake was made 
 in not renewing the attack on the 
 morning of the 21st." 
 
 The state of Michigan has erected 
 a fine monument bearing a life sized 
 statue of Colonel Parkhurst near the 
 grounds where the Ninth stopped the 
 great stampede. 
 
 The Ninth remained in line of bat- 
 tle at Rossville with the reorganized 
 troops under command of General 
 Negley during the night of Sept. 20 
 until two o'clock on Monday morning, 
 the 21st, when, on receipt of an or- 
 der from Gen. Thomas, the regiment 
 again went to the main road leading 
 to Chattanooga to be ready to stop 
 stragglers if any came from the bat- 
 tle that was expected to be resumed 
 that day. But, with the exception of 
 an artillery duel, no fighting occurred 
 — the enemy had got enough. 
 
 During the day Col. Parkhurst ar- 
 rested 167 men with arms who were 
 skulking to the rear, and sent them 
 under guard to Chattanooga, and they 
 
 37 
 
 were later sent to Nashville to be 
 courtmartialed for cowardice. 
 
 After lying in line all day undis- 
 turbed, the Ninth with the whole ar- 
 my quietly retired during the night to 
 Chattanooga, where it arrived early 
 Tuesday morning, Sept. 22nd. 
 
 The Ninth immediately went into 
 camp close to General Thomas on the 
 foot of Cameron Hill, which was be- 
 tween the city in a bend of the Ten- 
 nessee river. The Signal Corps es- 
 tablished a station on the top of 
 that hill, and several times I had 
 the privilege of viewing the rebel 
 army, and especially Gen. Bragg's 
 Headquarters on Mission Ridge, 
 which could be plainly seen through 
 their glasses. One day I was present 
 when they discovered the "key" to 
 the rebel signals so that they could 
 readily read them, and they almost 
 went wild with joy. 
 
 For several weeks following the 
 great battle the army was very scant 
 of rations and forage, because every- 
 thing had to be hauled by wagons 
 from Stevenson, Ala., over fifty miles 
 away, and over mountainous roads on 
 the north side of the river. Hundreds 
 of horses and mules died of starva- 
 tion, and at times the men were on 
 quarter rations. And to make the 
 situation worse, on Oct. 2, Gen. 
 Wheeler captured and burned a large 
 supply train in Sequatchie Valley, in- 
 cluding eight of our headquarters wag- 
 ons, and several guards of the Ninth 
 were also captured, though paroled 
 soon after. But the balance of our 
 headquarters train got through and 
 the Ninth fared much better than the 
 most of the army. 
 
 During the siege all the supplies 
 from Stevenson for the army were 
 brought across the river over a big 
 pontoon bridge that the engineers had 
 laid at the upper end of the city. For 
 the purpose of destroying this bridge 
 the rebels went several miles up the 
 river on the south side, cut a large 
 number of big logs, made them into 
 an enormous raft, and one dark night 
 started it down the river. But our 
 men were not asleep and got word 
 of it in time to make a large opening 
 in the bridge, then met the raft, 
 piloted it through the opening and 
 floated it to one of our saw mills just 
 below, where it was later sawed into 
 lumber and used for building several 
 steamboats, one of which is shown in 
 
38 
 
 this book. Thus the rebs unwitting- 
 ly aided us. 
 
 Those bridges were built, saw mills 
 run, steamboats constructed, and rail- 
 road bridges built and tracks relaid 
 by men from the ranks; and if we 
 captured a flour mill or a locomotive 
 men were at once found to run them 
 — showing that our army was compos- 
 ed of men of all trades and profes- 
 sions. 
 
 October 16, 1863, the War Depart- 
 ment appointed Gen. Grant to com- 
 mand the "Military Division of the 
 Mississippi," including the Depart- 
 ments and armies of the Tennessee, 
 the Cumberland, and the Ohio, and 
 the same order made Gen. Thomas 
 commander of the "Department of 
 the Cumberland," succeeding Gen. 
 Rosecrans. Thomas assumed the 
 command on Oct. 20, several days be- 
 fore Grant arrived, and immediately 
 began to "do things" to get supplies 
 to the besieged army. 
 
 Saturday, Nov. 7, he appointed Col. 
 Parkhurst Commander of the Post of 
 Chattanooga in addition to his other 
 duties, and the 44th Indiana and 15th 
 Kentucky regiments were assigned to 
 him for post duty; and Nov. 28 the 
 18th Kentucky regiment was added. 
 Among his first acts Parkhurst se- 
 lected grounds for burying the Union 
 dead, and this later became the first 
 part of the now famous National cem- 
 etery at Chattanooga. 
 
 In addition to his many other du- 
 ties as commander of the post and 
 Provost Marshal of the 14th corps, 
 Colonel Parkhurst conducted the in- 
 vestigation of all prisoners and de- 
 serters from the Confederate army, 
 as well as the reports of all the indi- 
 vidual scouts and spies of our armies, 
 keeping his commanding officers well 
 informed of all that was transpiring 
 within the Confederate lines. 
 
 During the battles on Lookout and 
 Missionary Ridge, Nov. 23 to 25, the 
 Ninth continued its duties as provost 
 and prisoner's guards. 
 
 Friday, Dec. 25, Christmas, three 
 hundred and six of the regiment re- 
 enlisted for three years, "Veteraniz- 
 ed," and, in accordance with the offer 
 of the government for that action, 
 Col. Parkhurst received an order to 
 take the regiment to Michigan for 
 thirty days leave. All those that did 
 not re-enlist were assigned to duty 
 in the Eleventh Michigan, where they 
 
 remained until March 24, about a 
 month after the Ninth had returned, 
 when they rejoined the Ninth and 
 served out their original three years 
 term. 
 
 After waiting three days for a boat, 
 on Monday, Dec. 28, the Ninth board- 
 ed the steamemr "Paint Rock" (built 
 by the army men) for Bridgeport, 
 where they took cars for the north. 
 They arrived at Louisville at two 
 o'clock p. m., Dec. 31, but their fer- 
 ryboat had two accidents and did not 
 land them in New Albany until dark. 
 They were in a drenching rain all the 
 afternoon, wet to the skin, and a sud- 
 den change froze their clothing stiff 
 on their bodies. They built fires on 
 the track in the depot to keep from 
 freezing while w^aiting for their train. 
 
 No train came and the boys spent 
 that awful "Cold New Year" with 
 much suffering until toward night the 
 citizens kindly gave them a warm 
 supper. They left at 9 o'clock that 
 evening, but it was so cold the train 
 stopped frequently to let steam ac- 
 cumulate, and to load on wood, which 
 the locomotives then used for fuel. 
 They suffered so much on the cars 
 (freight) that they layed over at 
 LaFayette, Ind., from Sunday noon to 
 Monday noon, where the citizens fed 
 them, quartered them in the court 
 house, and did all they could for our 
 comfort, for which the boys will be 
 ever grateful. 
 
 Trains ran so slow because of the 
 cold that the regiment did not reach 
 Coldwater, where it was to rendez- 
 vous and reorganize with recruits, un- 
 til 11 o'clock a. m.. Tuesday, Jan. 5, 
 1864. The boys were much disappoint- 
 ed because there were no people at 
 the depot. Colonel Parkhurst wrote 
 in his diary, "A very cool reception. 
 No one met us at the depot." Capt. H. 
 Barrows wrote the same words, and 
 added, "This town is not only Cold- 
 water, but it appears to be a cold- 
 hearted town. The people don't seem 
 to think soldiers amount to much." 
 
 But probably the reason for the ap- 
 parent neglect was the severity of the 
 cold, and the fact that the regiment 
 had been expected on each train for 
 several days and did not come, be- 
 cause when the regiment was ready 
 to return south the citizens gave them 
 two receptions and banquets — one to 
 the men and one to the officers. 
 
The men marched to the barracks 
 at the fair grounds north of the city 
 and stayed over night, but it was so 
 cold there that the next day they 
 moved into the Court House, and 
 Fireman's and Crippen's halls. 
 
 On Friday, Jan. 8, all the men were 
 given furloughs and transportation by 
 Col. Parkhurst, which he had been 
 to Detroit and secured from the Ad- 
 jutant General, and all left for their 
 various homes. 
 
 Col. Parkhurst left for the South 
 Feb. 5, and on arriving at Chattanoo- 
 ga Gen. Thomas immediately appoint- 
 ed him "Provost Marshal General of 
 the Department of the Cumberland." 
 
 The regiment left Coldwater Feb. 
 20. under command of Lieut. Col. 
 Wilkinson, who from that time on 
 till their muster out was in command 
 of the regiment the most of the time, 
 though its movements and duties 
 were ordered by Col. Parkhurst from 
 Gen. Thomas. The regiment had se- 
 cured about 200 recruits and left 500 
 strong. When near LaFayette, Ind., 
 the train ran off the track demolishing 
 four cars, and about 25 miles south 
 of Indianapolis the train again ran 
 off, eight cars being smashed or tip- 
 ped over, but fortunately not a man 
 was hurt. 
 
 On reaching Chattanooga Feb. 29, 
 the regiment resumed its duties as 
 provost guard at Gen. Thomas' head- 
 quarters, guarding the military pris- 
 on, and also guarding prisoners on 
 trains to Knoxville and Nashville. 
 About 100 recruits had been sent 
 there in advance during January, and 
 later in the year the regiment was 
 filled with recruits to a full regimen- 
 tal number. 
 
 The Atlanta Campaign. 
 
 The armies under Buell, Rosecrans, 
 Grant and Sherman each had a Right 
 Wing, Left Wing and Center, and in 
 each one Gen. Thomas commanded 
 the Center, which also had the most 
 men. During the Atlanta campaign 
 the Ninth took charge of rebel pris- 
 oners on fields and on trains north, 
 and was in care of Gen. Thomas' 
 Headquarters. It started out with 
 him on May 4, 1864, and was with 
 him in the following battles and 
 movements: 
 
 Tunnel Hill, Buzzards Roost, Rocky 
 Face, May 5 to 12. Snake Creek Gap, 
 May 12. Resaca, May i:^ to 15. 
 
 39 
 
 Adairsville, May 17 to 18. Kingston, 
 May 19. Euharlee, May 23. Burnt 
 Hickory, May 24. Dallas, Pumpkin- 
 vine Creek, AUatoona, May 25 to 30. 
 New Hope Church, May 31. Big 
 Shanty, June 10. Movements about 
 Kenesaw Mountain, June 10 to July 
 2: — Pine Mountain, June 14; Lost 
 Mountain, June 15 to 17; 
 Pine Knob, June 19; Assault 
 on Kenesaw, June 27. Vining's Sta- 
 tion, July 4, 5. Chattahootchie River, 
 July 6 to 17. Peach Tree Creek, July 
 19, 20. 
 
 Siege of Atlanta, July 22 to Aug. 
 25. One day during the siege the 
 headquarters camp was so near the 
 front that the rebel sharpshooters and 
 artillery recognized it as of some head- 
 quarters and directed a fire on it. 
 Private James Quinn, company H, 
 was wounded so that he died Sept. 18. 
 Gen. Thomas directed that the camp 
 be moved to one side out of range of 
 the rebel fire. 
 
 Flank movement around Atlanta 
 via the west on Jonesboro, Aug. 25 to 
 29— Mount Gilead Church, Aug. 27; 
 Red Oak, Aug. 28; Jonesboro, Aug. 
 30 to Sept. 1. Over 1,600 prisoners 
 were taken at Jonesboro who were 
 listed and sent north on trains in 
 lots of 500 per day guarded by mem- 
 bers of the Ninth and two other regi- 
 ments, all under the orders of Col. 
 Parkhurst. 
 
 Lieut. Frank A. Palmer writes: 
 "While on the Atlanta campaign 
 march (Capt. H. Barrows mentions 
 this on May 25), an incident occurred 
 whereby the 9th found itself in rath- 
 er a dangerous and doubtful position. 
 While on the advance, Gen. Thomas' 
 headquarter train and guard were giv- 
 en special privileges, if circumstanc- 
 es permitted, whereby the use of the 
 highway that would not interfere with 
 the advance of other troops, was as- 
 signed to them. 
 
 On the occasion mentioned, Gen. 
 Hooker, commanding the right wing 
 of the army, had taken a road to the 
 west of the road assigned to the 9th 
 and its train, which road veered to 
 the west, thus opening up a gap be- 
 tween the center and the right wing; 
 the road assigned to the 9th took us 
 right through the gap, and not until 
 descending quite a hill into a small 
 valley, late in the afternoon, did we 
 discover our situation, and probably 
 would not have done so then only for 
 
40 
 
 the fact that a detail of cavalry scouts 
 who were stationed on top of the hill 
 on the other side of the valley dis- 
 covered us first as being Federal 
 troops, and hastened to meet us with 
 the information that we were in dan- 
 gerous territory, that the left wing 
 of the rebel army was camped just 
 over the hill beyond, and he and his 
 companions were watching them. Or- 
 ders were at once given to park the 
 train in an open field where we had 
 halted; extra ammunition was issued 
 to all and orders given to remain per- 
 fectly quiet until further orders. Aft- 
 er some little time the train was 
 about faced and started on the road 
 back, and later the regiment was or- 
 dered to follow. It was then nearly 
 dusk, and soon after started to rain, 
 and was so dark that it was difficult 
 to keep in the road or see our com- 
 rades in front of us. About midnight 
 one of the advance wagons had the 
 misfortune to break an axle, bringing 
 the train and regiment to a halt. Aft- 
 er standing for some time in the mud 
 and water an order was passed down 
 the line to make ourselves as com- 
 fortable as we could, until further or- 
 ders. It being so dark we did not 
 dare move out of our tracks, so just 
 had to sit or lie down in the mud. 
 Just as daylight began to show, the 
 wagon having been repaired so it 
 could be moved, we fell into line and 
 began to move on, and it was not un- 
 til about nine o'clock in the forenoon 
 when we reached Gen. Thomas' head- 
 quarters, receiving "a scolding" for 
 our escapade, and congratulations 
 for our narrow escape with the train." 
 
 Here are some extracts from let- 
 ters written by Comrade Frank Les- 
 ter, Company C, during the Atlanta 
 campaign: 
 
 "Ringgold, Ga., Friday, May 6, 
 1864. AVe left Chattanooga May 4 
 about nine a. m., and reached this 
 place about sunset, having marched 
 about 25 miles, carrying our knap- 
 sacks and three days' rations — a hard 
 march for the first day. We were as- 
 signed to duty at headquarters." 
 
 "Camp near Big Shanty, June 18. 
 (This is the place where the Andrews 
 Raiders captured a locomotive two 
 years ago). There has been a contin- 
 uous roar or artillery and musketry 
 all day. The rebels have a good po- 
 sition in the ranges of the Alatoona 
 mountains, and seem determined to 
 
 fight hard before retreating. We have 
 taken a good many prisoners during 
 the last few days." 
 
 "Camp near Marietta, Ga., Sunday, 
 June 26. There is an average of 50 
 to 100 prisoners sent to Chattanooga 
 daily. Last Monday we sent 300, the 
 most we have sent at any one time. 
 A good many rebels are deserting and 
 coming into our lines every day. Sat- 
 urday night the rebels were driven 
 out of their breastworks, which were 
 the strongest 1 have yet seen. The 
 trees were literally cut to pieces by 
 the shell and bullets. Tuesday and 
 Wednesday was the hardest cannon- 
 ading we have heard." 
 
 "Near Kenesaw. Mountain, July 2. 
 Our lines were advanced last night 
 but not until many hours hard fight- 
 ing. Our men filled boxes and bar- 
 rels with sand and pushed them be- 
 fore them as they 'crawled' along 
 towards the enemy, and drove them 
 back without losing many of our 
 men. Our lines are now about 30 
 rods apart, but both sides have good 
 breastworks, and the first man that 
 looks over gets a hole through him." 
 
 "Tuesday, July 12. I returned from 
 Chattanooga last night where we went 
 with 500 prisoners. We have taken 
 nearly 5,000 during the campaign so 
 far. We are now ten miles from At- 
 lanta. It is very hot now, but we 
 have plenty to eat and the boys are 
 in fine spirits." 
 
 "Friday, July 29, camped near At- 
 lanta. We have a string of prisoners 
 at headquarters a 'mile long.' The 
 rebels shelled us out of our last camp 
 and we moved to the rear last Mon. 
 day. Some of the shells tore down 
 several of our tents." 
 
 "Saturday, Aug. 6. We have over 
 300 prisoners today, and they keep 
 coming in. 
 
 "The bridge over the river (Chat- 
 tahoochee) has been finished and the 
 cars now run to our lines. (This 
 shows how rapidly the army engi- 
 neers rebuilt bridges and repaired the 
 railroad so Ihat supplies were brought 
 with little delay). We have 300 pris- 
 oners today." (Every day during this 
 campaign the Ninth was receiving and 
 sending to Chattanooga more or less 
 prisoners). 
 
 "Camp near Chattahoochee River, 
 Sunday, Aug. 28. A detachment from 
 the Ninth is in camp here guarding 
 400 deserters whom we brought from 
 
-Mi- u% mH 
 
 r 
 
 'iM&a^ 
 
 
 / ^gll^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^^BH 
 
 1 
 
 WILLIAM H. WILKINSON 
 
 Captain, Major and Lieut. Colonel 
 
 Commanded the Ninth from Feb. 5, 
 
 1864, to its Muster Out, Sept. 15, 1865 
 
41 
 
 Chattanooga. We have orders to during the Atlanta campaign, the 
 turn them over in the morning, when movements and duties of each regi- 
 we will go on to the regiment, which ment being generally different, and 
 is now near the city." under the direction of Colonel Park- 
 
 "In the field 25 miles south of Atlan- hurst. The two regiments marched 
 ta, Sunday, Sept. 4. We have just together from Atlanta to Chattanooga, 
 completed one of the greatest raids having in care a long train of ninety- 
 of the campaign. We moved to the six wagons with six-mule teams, and 
 right and got in rear of the rebels, thirty-two ambulances, with Thad. S. 
 tore up the Atlanta and Montgomery Vining, of Company C as Wagon 
 railroad, and then moved onto the Master of the Army of the Cumber- 
 Macon railroad. The rebels tried hard land. The brigade was discontinued 
 to stop us and we had one of the when the Ninth went to Nashville in 
 hardest fights of the campaign, but March, 1865. 
 
 we drove them from the road, tore When Gen. Thomas went to Nash- 
 it up, and took possession of Jones- ville to organize an army to oppose 
 boro Sept. 1." (The Ninth took ac- Hood, Col. Parkhurst went with him, 
 five part in destroying the railroads), but the Ninth remained as a part of 
 
 About 3,000 prisoners were taken the garrison to hold Chattanooga, 
 there, but 2,000 of them were exchang- The guard duty of the never-to-be-for- 
 ed in a few days, and others were gotten winter campaign at Chatta- 
 sent north by Colonel Parkhurst, as nooga, with Hood's despairing forces 
 previously stated. preying upon our outskirts, was ar- 
 
 On Thursday, Sept. 8, the Ninth duous in the extreme, 
 marched to Atlanta and went into a The Ninth also guarded steamboats 
 very comfortable camp in the north on the Tennessee river up to Knox- 
 part of the city, and resumed its du- ville and down to Decatur, Alabama. 
 ties as provost guards, which became After the battle of Nashville Gen. 
 quite arduous. Thomas was made commander of 
 
 Again Frank Lester wrote: "Atlan- "The Military Division of the Ten- 
 ta, Monday, Oct. 24. The regiment is nessee," which included all of Ken- 
 still with General Thomas' Headquar- tucky, Tennessee and Northern Mis- 
 ters. The boys are interested in the sissippi, Alabama and Georgia, with 
 coming election. Every loyal soldier headquarters at Nashville, and he 
 will vote for Lincoln. The rebels want again promoted Col. Parkhurst to 
 McClellan elected and when our Provost Marshal General of that Di- 
 prisoners heard he had been nominat- vision. 
 
 ed" th^ gave him three cheers." We of the "rank and file" had but 
 
 ji^G|4tp5er 29, General Thomas start- a faint idea of the amount of work 
 editor Nashville to organize an army and responsibility that was entrusted 
 to oppose Hood, and on Monday, Oct. to Col. Parkhurst. He had charge of 
 31, the Ninth left for Chattanooga our scouts and spies; interviewed 
 with Headquarters train and office and "pumped" rebel deserters, from 
 equipments. They had a long train, whom it was said he could get more 
 it rained nearly every day so they had information than any other officer in 
 to sleep under the wagons for shelter the army, and he had to take charge 
 part of the time, and it was so mud- of all rebel prisoners captured by 
 dy and the march so tedious that they Thomas' army. Over 1,600 prisoners 
 did not reach Chattanooga until Sun- were captured at Jonesboro in one 
 day, Nov. 6. But that was in time day, and at Nashville over 4,000 were 
 to give all the "Boys" over 21 an op- taken in one day. Van Home's "Life 
 portunity to vote on Tuesday, Nov. of General Thomas" says, "According 
 8, for Abraham Lincoln, which the to report of Colonel Parkhurst, Pro- 
 most of them gladly did. vost Marshal General of the army, 
 
 On June 1, 1864, the Ninth and Hood lost during the Tennessee in- 
 Twenty-Second Michigan Infantry vasion over fifteen thousand men by 
 were organized into a brigade design- capture and desertion." All of these 
 ated as the Reserve Brigade, Depart- and those taken during the Atlanta 
 ment of the Cumberland, with Col. campaign under Thomas passed 
 Heber La Favour, of the 22nd the through Parkhurst's department, 
 commander, and both regiments act- Lists of them had to be made, and 
 ed as Provost Guards of that army then all sent under guards to north- 
 
42 
 
 ern prisons. Of course he had aids, 
 Adjutant DufTield being one of them 
 for a long time, and at times one, 
 two, and at one time three regiments 
 besides the Ninth performed that 
 guard work on the field and on trains 
 under his command. He also issued 
 and refused passes to the hordes of 
 citizens who wanted to come into or 
 go through our lines for all kinds of 
 purposes, loyal and disloyal, and so 
 he had to be on the alert for the dis- 
 loyal ones. For example, for several 
 weeks before and after the battle of 
 Nashville no citizens were allowed to 
 ride or ship goods on the railroad 
 south of Louisville without his per- 
 mit; and the same rule applied to all 
 the roads south of Nashville — he con- 
 trolled them for military purposes. 
 
 The following cut from a daily pa- 
 per at the time shows a sample of 
 Parkhurst's orders: 
 
 "Headquarters Department of the 
 Cumberland, Office Provost Marshal 
 General, Nashville, Feb. 19, 1865. 
 
 "On and after the 22nd inst. no 
 citizen not in Government employ will 
 be permitted to come to Nashville 
 over the Louisville and Nashville 
 Railroad except upon a military pass 
 from these headquarters. 
 
 By command of Major General 
 Thomas. John G. Parkhurst, Col. and 
 Provost Marshal General." 
 
 Feb. 16, 1865, Gen. Thomas sent him 
 into Northern Mississippi with staff 
 and escort under a flag of truce, and 
 he arranged with Generals Forrest 
 and Taylor for the exchange of sev- 
 eral thousand prisoners, which were 
 later passed north and south through 
 Vicksburg. Of the Federal prisoners 
 thus exchanged, 1,866 left Vicksburg 
 for their northern homes on the ill- 
 fated steamer "Sultana," and 1,101 
 of them cruelly perished when that 
 boat was destroyed by explosion and 
 fire just above Memphis on the morn- 
 ing of April 27, 1865. 
 
 On his return from that mission, 
 March 23, General Thomas compli- 
 mented Colonel Parkhurst for his suc- 
 cess, and then suggested that he or- 
 der the Ninth to Nashville, which he 
 did. Captain S. A. Wiggins, of Co. E, 
 was on Gen. Thomas' staff and in 
 charge of the Military Prison at 
 Chattanooga from September, 1864. 
 to September, 1865, and Company E 
 and enough otlicr men to make his 
 
 force 100 were left with him for sev- 
 eral months to guard that prison. 
 
 The regiment arrived at Nashville 
 by rail on March 29, and was at once 
 assigned to duty by General Thomas 
 as guards for his headquarters, and 
 also at the Military Prison there. Men 
 of the Ninth guarded the notorious 
 guerrilla. Camp Ferguson, from pris- 
 on to court and back during the sev- 
 eral weeks of his trial. (He was con- 
 victed of over 100 cold-blooded mur- 
 ders, and the writer witnessed his 
 execution by hanging on Friday, Oct. 
 20, 1865). 
 
 Comrade Frank Lester wrote, 
 "Nashville, April 16, 1865. Yesterday 
 morning there was to have been a 
 grand military parade here and at 
 night an illumination of the city. That 
 morning the flags floated from every 
 house and every one was rejoicing 
 over the good news of Lee's surrend- 
 er. 
 
 Just then the news came that the 
 President was dead — that he had been 
 assasinated! Then everything was in 
 a turmoil. No one believed it at first 
 and the men rushed to the telegraph 
 office and to Headquarters to learn 
 if it was true. Every one was dum- 
 founded and did not know what to 
 say. At noon every flag was at half 
 mast, and was tied with black crepe. 
 All the business places in the citj' 
 were closed and every military head- 
 quarters was a place of mourning. 
 There were several men shot by 
 guards because they rejoiced over 
 the death of Lincoln. A strong patrol 
 was kept through the city all night." 
 
 "Nashville, April 23. There was a 
 grand display here on Wednesday, 
 the 19th. All the soldiers in the city 
 led the procession, then came Gen. 
 Thomas and his staff and others with 
 their staffs, then the hearse-wagon 
 drawn by twelve horses, one black 
 and one white horse in each span. 
 The wagon had three platforms. On 
 the top one was the Stars and Stripes. 
 The wagon was trimmed with black 
 and white. After this came the fire 
 companies and all the other societies, 
 and then came the citizens. It was 
 estimated that there were 40,000 in 
 the procession, as it took an hour and 
 40 minutes to pass a given point. The 
 soldiers all mourn the loss of Lincoln, 
 our great martyred leader." 
 
 On June 25. 1865. about 100 men of 
 the 18th Michigan Infantry whose 
 
term of service had not expired were 
 temporarily assigned to the Ninth be- 
 cause the 18th was to be mustered 
 out the next day. In a measure that 
 may account for the larger enroll- 
 ment given the Ninth in "Michigan 
 in the War." 
 
 The regiment continued at Nash- 
 ville performing the same general 
 services until September 15, 1865, 
 when it was mustered out of the ser- 
 vice, and the day following, in com- 
 mand of Lieut. Col. Wilkinson, left 
 for Michigan, arriving at Jackson on 
 the 19th, and on the 26th and 27th 
 was paid off and disbanded. 
 
 On recommend of Gen. Thomas, Col. 
 Parkhurst was made Brevet Brigadier 
 General May 22, 1865, and he held 
 his position on Thomas' staff until 
 mustered out of the service Nov. 10, 
 1865. 
 
 As early as June 24, 1862, the Ninth 
 had attracted such favorable atten- 
 tion that O. D. Green, Assistant Adju- 
 tant General at Nashville Headquar- 
 ters in an official letter recommend- 
 ed the regiment to General Buell who 
 was then at Huntsville, Ala., for his 
 headquarters provost guards, and 
 Lieut. Colonel Parkhurst for provost 
 marshal on his staff. 
 
 The Ninth was assigned to General 
 Thomas because he desired a few 
 men as provost guards for his (the 
 14th) corps; the Ninth numbered 
 only 350 when it arrived at Nashville 
 in December, 1862, and General 
 Thomas had got a favorable impres- 
 sion of the regiment because of its 
 fighting at Murfreesboro in July, a 
 fact that had just been established by 
 the Court of Inquiry about that bat- 
 tle. As the regiment increased in 
 numbers by the return of the ex- 
 changed officers and men. increased 
 duties developed for it to perform. 
 The regiment held its position be- 
 cause the men and officers took great 
 pride in being the special guard for 
 General Thomas whom they delighted 
 to honor, and so did all they could 
 to please him. Second. Col. Park- 
 hurst's legal ability made him a use- 
 ful member on the general's staff to 
 
 43 
 decide legal questions for manage- 
 ment of the loyal and disloyal citi- 
 zens; and his training as a lawyer 
 fitted him for "pumping" information 
 from citizens and spies (in which he 
 excelled) and instructing our own 
 scouts and spies, thus keeping Gen. 
 Thomas informed about the citizens 
 and the enemy. Thus, because of 
 dilligence in duty and industry in use- 
 fullness, both the regiment and its 
 colonel were kept with Gen. Thomas 
 several months after the close of the 
 war when most other regiments had 
 left the service. 
 
 Comrade H. C. Rankin writes, "The 
 Ninth saved the day at Stone River, 
 and again at Chickamauga by stop- 
 ping thousands of stragglers and 
 turning them back to their regiments 
 when they were sorely needed. 
 
 "The Atlanta campaign from May 
 4, 1864, when we left Chattanooga, un- 
 til Sept. 6, when we entered Atlanta 
 on the south side from Jonesboro, was 
 the greatest campaign of modern 
 times. 
 
 "For ninety successive days there 
 was not an hour, perhaps not a min- 
 ute of the time when cannonading 
 or musketry, shot or shell, firing sin- 
 gly or by vollies, could not be heard. 
 It' was one continuous battle from 
 Ringgold to Atlanta. Somebody was 
 under fire all the time. We had to 
 fight for every inch's advance. 
 
 "To have been Thomas' Headquar- 
 ters Body Guard, and to have helped 
 to make "it possible for the great Vir- 
 ginian to push back the enemy 100 
 miles through his own country, was 
 glory enough for one regiment." 
 
 During the larger part of its ser- 
 vice the Ninth was the trusted body 
 guard of General Thomas, and pro- 
 vost guard of the different armies he 
 commanded, receiving his entire con- 
 fidence for courage and fidelity in the 
 discharge of duty, which on marches 
 and battle fields was arduous. On 
 two occasions, at Stone River and 
 Chickamauga, the regiment received 
 special commendation in general or- 
 ders for valuable services in restor- 
 ing several thousand lost and panic- 
 stricken men to their regiments at 
 
44 
 
 times when their help was sorely 
 needed. That both Col. Parkhurst 
 and the Ninth performed their duties 
 well and meritoriously must be evi- 
 dent or they would not have been 
 so constantly advanced and kept in 
 such important positions of trust and 
 
 responsibility all through the war 
 under the immediate eye of "The 
 Rock of Chickamauga." Repeated 
 compliments coming from such a 
 source give the regiment an endorse- 
 ment scarcely equaled by that of any 
 other regiment in the service. 
 
 The Ninth Michigan Infantry Association 
 
 "One Country, One Language, One Flag." 
 
 By Henry C. Rankin 
 
 Tradition rather than history marks 
 the origin of the Ninth Michigan In- 
 fantry Association. As the early his- 
 tory of Nations, Greece, Rome, Per- 
 sia, Germany, the beginnings of our 
 association are involved in obscurity. 
 Various legends have been in vogue, 
 each claiming to have given rise to 
 what we call our reunions. As an- 
 cient cities strove for the honor of 
 Homer's birth, so Detroit, Jackson, 
 Fowlerville, Portland, claim this later 
 honor, the founding of the Ninth 
 Michigan Infantry Association. 
 
 In 1866 there was a meeting of 
 some Ninth Michigan men in Detroit. 
 In October, 1868, there was an inform- 
 al gathering of ex-soldiers of the 
 Ninth at the old Hibbard house in 
 Jackson. No regular reunions, so far 
 as we knew, of any Civil War regi- 
 ment were held at that time. The 
 idea was new to us. During the next 
 ten years other informal meetings 
 took place. A semi-organization was 
 made in 1872 at Jackson. Officers 
 were chosen. No set time was ap- 
 pointed for another meeting, hence 
 this organization fell into disuse. De- 
 troit, Fowlerville, Portland, Cold- 
 water, Lansing and other towns in 
 the seventies endeavored to form a 
 reunion of the ex-soldiers of the 
 Ninth. 
 
 Lack of available written records 
 are the veils of obscurity, which, in- 
 tervening, together with the final 
 mustering out of so many of the 
 Ninth's citizen-soldiers, may keep 
 from posterity the exact facts in the 
 case. Hence this brief resume of our 
 
 association from best records obtain- 
 able. 
 
 This we do know for certainty that 
 during the reunion of the soldiers and 
 sailors of south western Michigan 
 held at St. Joseph in August, 1883, a 
 few of the Ninth did effect a perma- 
 nent organization. Comrade John 
 Mater, of Dowagiac, was elected pres- 
 ident for the ensuing year. Comrade 
 W. F. Hurlbutt, secretary-treasurer. 
 Twenty-two ex-soldiers at St. Joseph 
 formed the mucleus of our regimental 
 association. The dues were placed 
 at five cents to be used to get in 
 touch with as many P. O. addresses 
 of the veterans as possible. Almost 
 the entire night of August 22 was 
 spent in talking over old times and 
 making preparations for future re- 
 unions. 
 
 August 21, 1884, the association 
 met in a grove under a big tree near 
 Battle Creek. President Mater called 
 the assembly to order. H. M. Duffield, 
 Capt. Marble, Capt. Carris, George L. 
 P'isher, and some thirty other Ninth 
 Michigan men were brought together 
 during the day. A letter was read 
 from General W. W. Duffield. others 
 from other ex-soldiers. Comrades 
 Duffield and Marble made enthusias- 
 tic speeches commending in strong 
 terms the idea of annual reunions. 
 Upon invitation of Geo. L. Fisher 
 backed by his Post and W. R. C. the 
 association voted to go to Fowler- 
 ville in '85. Gen. W. W. Duffield was 
 chosen president, H. C. Rankin vice- 
 president, W. W. Hurlbutt secretary 
 and treasurer. The dues, on motion, 
 were raised to ten cents per annum. 
 
NINTH MICHIGAN MONUMENT 
 at Chickamauga Park 
 
HON. HENRY C. RANKIN 
 
 Company C. 
 
 President Ninth Michigan Association 
 
One hundred four names and address- 
 es, through dint of considerable ef- 
 fort, were on the roll at the close of 
 the Battle Creek meeting. 
 
 Wednesday, Aug. 12, 1885, Fowler- 
 ville set a great pace for future re- 
 unions. There had been a business 
 meeting held the evening before, fif- 
 ty of the Ninth being present. It was 
 voted, then, to meet the incoming 
 trains on the morrow, the Boys 
 marching, as of old, headed by the 
 Fowlerville cornet band. The next 
 day brought a hundred other Ninth 
 Michigan men. To see them scan the 
 faces of each other, the Boys on the 
 platform greeting those alighting 
 from the various trains; to watch 
 mutual recognition; to observe, even 
 then,, war-worn and furrowed faces 
 light up eargely, with more than 
 brotherly affection when they could 
 recall one another; again to see the 
 looks of disappointment when some 
 found 21 years too long an interval 
 to recollect with distinctness — these 
 were common occurrences. Other 
 memories, however, were induced, 
 later in the day, to come out of their 
 hiding places, thus revealing many 
 old-time reminiscences supposed to 
 be forgotten. Acting president Ran- 
 kin had a busy time at Fowlerville; 
 Col. Parkhurst served in the humble 
 capacity of assistant secretary. All 
 the old Co. K Boys played host. Fish- 
 er was here, there, everywhere taking 
 care of the guests. John Gilluly Post. 
 No. 114, G. A. R., the W. R. C. and the 
 ladies of Fowlerville extended every 
 possible courtesy to the visitors. One 
 comrade had walked 25 miles to get to 
 a train. Several had driven 50 miles, 
 others had made what seemed, then, 
 to be great sacrifices to be on hand. 
 It was our first great reunion, 169 of 
 the Boys enrolled. There was a rous- 
 ing banquet, with many patriotic 
 toasts; there were hours and hours 
 of story-telling and face to face Col- 
 loquies; the greetings were cordial, 
 the partings at the close, regretful. It 
 was a great home-coming, as it were, 
 and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. Col. 
 Parkhurst was chosen president for 
 the following year, Lieut. Curry, vice 
 president, Comrade Rankin, secretary- 
 treasurer. 
 
 The next year (1886), the Associa- 
 tion met at the old Biddle House in 
 Detroit. There was a much smaller 
 
 45 
 
 attendance than the year before at 
 Fowlerville, but Comrades Duffield, 
 Starkweather, Fales, Andrews, Guth- 
 ard, Cole, and other Detroit men put 
 forth their best efforts to make the 
 Boys feel at home. The regiment went 
 by the steamer Sapho to visit Fort 
 Wayne. A business meeting was 
 held on the steamer, Comrade Rhodes 
 beating the assembly call. The dues 
 were raised to 25 cents at this meet- 
 ing. In the evening there was a camp 
 fire held at the Biddle House during 
 which time, more slumbering, war- 
 time recollections were awakened. 
 Lansing was chosen for the next re- 
 union, Capt. Starkweather was made 
 president and Capt. Dobbelaere sec- 
 retary-treasurer. 
 
 August ;31, 1887, we met in the State 
 House. Among other good things 
 were the patriotic recitations and war 
 songs of a Miss Mabel Plummer with 
 whom the comrades were so pleased, 
 that, on motion of Capt. Marble, they 
 elected Miss Plummer daughter of the 
 regiment. At this reunion. Col Park- 
 hurst, in the name of the Association, 
 presented to the Military Museum in 
 the capitol a picture of a group of the 
 Ninth's officers taken at Chattanooga 
 in 1864. A camp fire was held in 
 Representative Hall in the evening 
 during which time certain state offi- 
 cials were orators of the occasion. 
 Capt. Dobbelaere was the toastmaster. 
 Capt. Marble was made president for 
 the ensuing year. Comrade C. A. Kel- 
 ley, secretary-treasurer. 
 
 Grand Ledge entertained the asso-^ 
 elation in 1888. There was a fine 
 program. The Grand Ledge cornet 
 band was in attendance. Fisher sang 
 the Army bean. Miss Plummer again 
 sang and recited, there was a good 
 banquet, and a good time generally. 
 Capt. Marble was re-elected president 
 for the next year, C. A. Kelley, secre- 
 tary-treasurer. Fowlerville pressed 
 the Boys to return for their 1889 re- 
 union. Remembering what a send- 
 off we had in '85, this invitation was 
 gratefully accepted. 
 
 The second Fowlerville reunion 
 (1889) made headquarters at Comrade 
 Fisher's home. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher 
 played host and hostess that day to 
 a pretty big family. The yard and 
 house were fitly decorated for the 
 occasion. Lieut. Curry delivered the 
 oration. Fulsome resolutions were 
 drafted in commendation of the Fish- 
 
46 
 
 ers and other Co. K comrades and the 
 good citizens of Fowlerville for an- 
 other pleasant and memorable re- 
 union. A letter was read from Gen. 
 W. W. Duffield and many others from 
 absent comrades at the evening camp 
 fire at Fisher's home. This reunion 
 is memorable for the many tete-a-tetes, 
 an especial era of good feeling pre- 
 vailing. 
 
 August 26, 1890, we met at Penton, 
 president Fisher in the chair. Rev. 
 Mr. Kennedy delivered a most wel- 
 come and memorable address which 
 was responded to by General W. W. 
 Duffield in characteristic, gentle 
 words of tenderness and warm ex- 
 pressions of fraternal regard for the 
 men who marched with him in 1861. 
 Those who heard the courteous old 
 commander will never forget those 
 fatherly anxieties and admonitions. 
 Capt. Dobbelaere was made assistant 
 secretary, C. B. Andrews, secretary- 
 treasurer; Lieut. C. R. Brand, presi- 
 dent for the next reunion to be held 
 in 1891 at the time of the National 
 Encampment at Detroit. 
 
 This reunion (1891) was in point 
 of numbers the greatest of all since 
 the war closed. Three hundred twen- 
 ty-nine ex-soldiers answered to their 
 names when the roll was called. De- 
 troit was crowded to its utmost capa- 
 city during this high tide of Encamp- 
 ments, State and National, three de- 
 cades after the Civil War began. The 
 Association found quarters In the 
 Barstow^ school building where they 
 were called to order under not very 
 promising conditions for holding a 
 reunion, but receiving a cordial invi- 
 tation from Judge Brown at his com- 
 modious home, 702 Jefferson Ave., 
 they repaired thither to hold the ex- 
 ercises. A letter from W. W. Duffield 
 was read at this meeting. Some ex- 
 tracts are as follows: 
 
 "Pineville, Ky., Aug. 1, 1891. 
 
 "I need not tell you that I am bit- 
 terly disappointed. For the past two 
 months I have looked forward with 
 great pleasure to meeting with you 
 once more — receiving the warm grasp 
 of your hands and listening to the 
 hearty welcome I well know you 
 would give me. But although I shall 
 not meet you in person I will be with 
 you in heart and feeling. Looking 
 back to that happiest portion of my 
 life spent with you in the field, with 
 grateful remembrance of the kindness 
 
 and courtesy received at your hands 
 I pray the Good Father to spare us all 
 till our next reunion which I sincer- 
 ely trust will unite us all once more. 
 
 "Till then I shall gratefully remem- 
 ber your great kindness and cherish 
 that bond of comradeship — stronger 
 than the ties of kindred — which en- 
 dears you all to 
 
 "Your sincere friend and comrade, 
 "W. W. DUFFIELD." 
 
 It was voted at this meeting to get 
 up a complete roster of the regiment. 
 Comrade J. W. Fales made it possi- 
 ble by donating $50 towards this 
 purpose. Much credit is due Com- 
 rades Dobbelaere and Andrews for 
 their painstaking efforts to get the 
 enrollment and addresses. Eleven 
 hundred survivors w'ere registered in 
 this little book which did duty until 
 Frank A. Lester of Mason with infi- 
 nite pains brought out a complete 
 roster twenty years later. 
 
 Albion was chosen as place of hold- 
 ing next (1892) reunion; Comrade 
 Bissell, president, Comrade Sibley, 
 secretary. The usual order of exer- 
 cises was followed at Albion with a 
 comparatively small number present. 
 Lansing was selected for the 1893 as- 
 semble; Captain Dobbelaere, presi- 
 dent, Comrade Caleb Smith, secre- 
 tary, the time being coincident with 
 that of the State Fair. 
 
 August 15, 1893, we again met in 
 the State House. President Dobbe- 
 laere cordially welcomed his old com- 
 rades to Lansing. This was largely 
 a social gathering. Letters were read 
 from Col. Parkhurst and others who 
 thought they could not be present. 
 Resolutions were drafted in memory 
 of the daughter of the regiment, 
 whose demise was reported the pre- 
 vious May. The time was principal- 
 ly spent in little groups recalling old 
 times. The organization elected Capt. 
 Stevens president for 1894, Comrade 
 Van Horn, secretary-treasurer and 
 selected Portland as the place of next 
 meeting. 
 
 This reunion (1894) was attended 
 by an unusually large number of 
 wives and daughters of the veterans. 
 The Portland Observer said that it 
 was owing to the prevalence of hard 
 times and no reduced rates on rail- 
 roads that so many of the old Ninth 
 were absent. What was lacking in 
 numbers, however, was made up in 
 good social time. Rev. D. E. Mil- 
 
lard read an original poem. Good let- 
 ters were received and read from 
 Major Fox and Capt. Marble, letters 
 which ought to have a place in the 
 history of the regiment. Comrade 
 Rankin was elected president for the 
 ensuing year, Comrade Dobbelaere 
 chosen secretary, Detroit selected as 
 place for reunion in 1895. 
 
 The legislature of the following 
 winter provided that a delegation 
 from each Michigan military organi- 
 zation participating in the battle of 
 Chickamauga, September 19-20, 1863, 
 might be sent to Chickamauga Sep- 
 tember, 1895, to take part in the 
 dedication of Chickamauga Park. 
 Some forty of the Ninth took advan- 
 tage of the time and occasion to re- 
 visit Muldraugh Hill, Nashville, Mur- 
 freesboro, Lookout Mountain, Mis- 
 sionary Ridge, Chickamauga and oth- 
 er points of interest to them in '61- 
 '65. A reunion was held on Mul- 
 draugh hill, another in the court 
 house yard in Chickamauga, Presi- 
 dent Rankin in the chair, a third 
 when a little coterie of enthusiastic 
 Ninths gathered round the regimental 
 monument, surrounded by a statue of 
 General Parkhurst, and erected at Mc- 
 Farlan Gap. The dedication of that 
 great National Park held special in- 
 terest for the men of the Ninth from 
 the fact that their esteemed comrade, 
 H. M. Duffield, delivered the oration 
 and because Chattanooga was head- 
 quarters so long. The book, "Michi- 
 gan at Chickamauga," speaks of the 
 Ninth's reunion of 1895 on that me- 
 morable battle field. At the Chatta- 
 nooga meeting Mrs. Margaret Park- 
 hurst Morey, Col. Parkhurst's daugh- 
 ter, was elected daughter of the reg- 
 iment. 
 
 On account of the '95 reunion be- 
 ing held on historic ground in Ken- 
 tucky, Tennessee and Georgia, De- 
 troit naturally received the meeting 
 in '96. President Rankin called the 
 Boys to order at 3 p. m., November 
 11, in Odd Fellow's hall. Adjt. Duf- 
 field had seen to it that the old bat- 
 tle flags in custody of the Q. M. Gen- 
 edal were loaned to us for one day. 
 The Boys received the familiar ban- 
 ners with three rousing cheers. Un- 
 der such inspiration they fell in by 
 twos and marched to Comrade Duf- 
 field's residence on Jefferson Ave., 
 where the entire body, the old stand- 
 ards in their midst, was photograph- 
 
 47 
 
 ed. The reception to the Ninth in 
 the Duffield home was gracious in the 
 extreme. The Duffields had provid- 
 ed a stately orchestra to enliven the 
 occasion. The Boys sang the old 
 war ..,songs as interludes and pre- 
 ludes to the classic music. Patriotic 
 recitations delighted the company, 
 and then the feasting for the comrad- 
 es and the members of their families. 
 After this necessary part of every 
 successful reunion the Association re- 
 turned to Odd Fellow's hall and held 
 their camp fire into the wee sma' 
 hours. The next morning at the bus- 
 iness meeting a motion was made and 
 carried that the president, first vice 
 president, and the secretary be lecet- 
 ed for life. In pursuance of this pur- 
 pose Col. Parkhurst was elected pres- 
 ident, Adjt. Duffield first vice presi- 
 dent, Capt. Dobbelaere secretary. 
 Coldwater was chosen for place of 
 next meeting. The Association finally 
 marched to the foot of Woodward 
 Ave. and by the courtesy of the D. 
 U. R. was treated to a couple hours' 
 ride within the city. 
 
 Coldwater was fitly decorated for 
 such an auspicious event — the com- 
 ing of Gen. Thomas' body-guard to 
 the home of his old-time Provost Mar- 
 shal General, October 6-7, 1897. At 
 4:30 p. m. the Ninth, headed by the 
 Coldwater band, marched to Gen. 
 Parkhurst's residence on North Clay 
 street. On arriving the company was 
 first photographed and then swarmed 
 in through the spacious portals where 
 thirty Mesdames and Misses stood in 
 the receiving line with Gen. Park- 
 hurst and our daughter of the regi- 
 ment, Mrs. Morey. The Coldwater 
 Mandolin Club added to the pleasure 
 of the gathering. Delighted with their 
 reception, the Old Boys were loath 
 to disperse from such congenial quar- 
 ters. At. 8 p. m. came the banquet at 
 the G. A. R. rooms where covers had 
 been laid for one hundred fifty. From 
 thence to the capacious reception hall 
 where Gen Parkhurst in his happiest 
 vein introduced Mayor Sherman who 
 turned over to the old guard the keys 
 of the city. An enthusiastic camp fire 
 concluded the festivities. Of former 
 officers of the Ninth present at Cold- 
 water to greet Gen. Parkhurst were 
 Adjt. Duffield. Captains Marble, Con- 
 ely, Dobbelaere; Lieutenants Bennett, 
 Bunnell, Curry. Palmer; among visit- 
 ing comrades were Benjamin. Coy, 
 
48 
 
 Hubbard, Sibley, Lester, Lyman, 
 Leach, Coder, Kramer, Pixley, Guth- 
 ard, Siggins, Holt, Sine, Bissell, Fish- 
 er, Garrison, Tiech. 
 
 During the second day the boys 
 marched in a body with a flag to the 
 city high schools, where Duffield and 
 others made patriotic speeches to 
 crowded rooms of students. 
 
 During October 4 and 5, 1898, fol- 
 lowing the Cuban imbroglio, the 
 Ninth Michigan Association met at 
 Marshall. E. Marble and wife head- 
 ed the enrollment followed by seven- 
 ty-five comrades, not a few accom- 
 panied by their wives. Upon Capt. 
 Marble largely rested the responsibi- 
 lity of giving his old comrades a fond 
 reception and, as always hitherto, 
 nobly did the hero of two wars rise 
 to the opportunity. Dinner was served 
 at the M. E. church under the auspices 
 of the W. R. C, chicken pie and de- 
 licious coffee, with all besides that 
 make up a square meal. There was 
 not a break or jar in all the feasts — 
 those of the inner man, those of rea- 
 son and flow of soul, others in the 
 friendly walks and talks. The toasts, 
 the impromptu speeches, the songs, 
 the recitations, the handshakings, the 
 tete-a-tetes, were all the best, the 
 liveliest the regiment had ever been 
 favored with. A big delegation of the 
 Ninth visited the city schools and 
 gave some lessons in unmistakable 
 patriotism. The Marshall reunion 
 has been held in grateful, ever fond 
 remembrance by all who were fortun- 
 ate enough to be present. 
 
 The Army of the Cumberland meet- 
 ing in Detroit the year following, it 
 was thought appropriate and profita- 
 ble by our Executive Committee to 
 hold our '99 assembly at that time. 
 The bigger obscured the lesser, how- 
 ever, and the reunion was not a great 
 success. There was, after a long 
 waiting time, however, a boat ride on 
 the river, a vote to go to Mt. Clem- 
 ens next year, and some big speeches 
 at the camp fire of the Army of the 
 Cumberland well worth listening to. 
 
 Sixty-two comrades, a dozen ac- 
 companied by their wives, met at Mt. 
 Clemens, October 16 and 17. 1900. 
 Several hours were spent correcting 
 the roster made nine years before. 
 During this long rollcall the ex-sol- 
 diers seemed to be in retrospective 
 moods, associating the names called 
 with events of by-gone days of the 
 
 early sixties. Mt. Clemens did the 
 agreeable during this reunion; there 
 was plenty of time for visiting, to 
 many of the veterans always most en- 
 joyable part of these annual gather- 
 ings; the banquet room was brilliant- 
 ly lighted, the Stars and Stripes in 
 profusion amid the decorations. 
 
 The Association sent Comrades 
 Marble, Joy Warren, Sibley, and Ran- 
 kin to visit the city schools and talk 
 patriotism. This committee was en- 
 thusiastically received. Warren had 
 enlisted in Macomb Co.; Sibley's 
 brother was from the Mt. Clemens 
 high school and had given up his life 
 for his country; Marble had been 
 prominent in educational circles all 
 his life; Rankin was a teacher by 
 profession. Marble's address on the 
 occasion ought to have been pre- 
 served to coming generations. Mar- 
 ble's patriotism has always been 
 of the Adams-Otis stripe. He comes 
 by it naturally. His father was with 
 Scott at Lundy's Lane, his grandfath- 
 er with Warren at Bunker Hill. In 
 no sense does he ever glorify war nor 
 recommend resorting to it, except 
 when other methods fail. His amor 
 patriae is the deepest and most abid- 
 ing, the purest patriotism conceive- 
 ble. 
 
 The next year in October found the 
 Association at Fowlerville again, 1901, 
 the fortieth milestone in the history 
 of the regiment, two score years 
 since the struggle of giants began, in 
 that final test for supremacy whether 
 national or state sovereignty was to 
 prevail. The Boys felt this fortieth 
 year was an epoch in their lives; 
 that that reunion would be one where- 
 in they must call a halt and pass 
 in review. Eighty-five were enrolled, 
 -about the same old standbys who 
 could always be depended on. There 
 was a seriousness about that gather- 
 ing we all felt, yet could not explain. 
 Parkhurst, the princely soldier, born 
 to command, yet gentle as the most 
 refined woman, was, on this occasion 
 more dignified, more stately, more 
 reserved than usual. The afternoon 
 of Tuesday, October 1, was given over 
 to quiet greetings, warmer ones than 
 customary. The veterans seemed to 
 notice in each other evidences of ap- 
 proaching old age. They would deny 
 it, personally, but each saw it in his 
 comrade. There was an inspiring 
 camp fire in the evening at the opera 
 
Four Nith Michigan Men DepTrtmer.t Commanders G. A. R. 
 William Siggins. Dep't Florida; Geo. M. Mott. Dep't California; Henry 
 Duffield, Dep't Michigan; Perry Starkweather. Dep't Minnesota. 
 
49 
 
 house. Comrade Miner described the of business, then the annual banquet, 
 old battlefields and camp grounds as The camp fire which followed was 
 he saw them the previous winter, and, made up, principally, of one lengthy 
 while doing so, made a great hit in address which shut off all other 
 presenting his old regiment with a would-be participants. The Mason re- 
 beautiful gravel which he himself union is agreeably memorable, too, 
 had made. Wednesday morning the from the fact that the Association 
 exercises opened with "The Battle found its champion there in the per- 
 Hymn of the Republic," a solo by son of Frank Lester, Comrade Les- 
 Mrs. Rankin. The secretary read at ter's son, whose zeal and devotion to 
 some length from the files of a Mur- the Association and to every man of 
 freesboro newspaper of 1862 recalling the Ninth was without a parallel at 
 vividly the old scenes. The following that time, and has remained so up 
 resolutions were adopted: to this present. It was a gracious act 
 
 "Whereas, our comrade and fellow- at Mason on the part of the old regi- 
 
 soldier, Wm. G. Miner, of Co. D, has ment to make an honorary member of 
 
 presented to the regimental organiza- the Association, "bread cast upon the 
 
 tion an emblem of authority in this waters," which has returned many 
 
 gravel, made by him from laurel and times in the days which have follow- 
 
 hickory grown on historic old Look- ed. 
 
 out Mountain, embedded with a bullet The next year, 1903, the Ninth held 
 
 from consecrated Chickamauga and its reunion at Grand Ledge. Comrade 
 
 adorned with the red, white and blue Tracy is the only representative of 
 
 of Old Glory; be it the old regiment there but he always 
 
 "Resolved, that we accept from his works like a beaver for the comfort 
 hands and heart this token which ex- of his comrades. The usual number 
 presses, more forcefully than words, registered, about seventy. Wednesday 
 memories olden passed into history of afternoon, September 9, was spent in 
 the campaigns in Tennessee and renewing old friendships and in trans- 
 Georgia. That we desire to place on acting the routine of business. The 
 record our thanks to the comrade for responses to toasts in the evening, 
 his thoughtfulness in the gift which during the banquet, brought out all 
 has in it so much of associated val- the old-time eloquence and pathos, 
 ue. Gen. Parkhurst spoke on "The Rock 
 
 "Resolved, further, that we ac- of Chickamauga;" Capt. Starkweath- 
 
 knowledge ourselves deeply indebted er on "Early Recollections of the 
 
 to the ofllcials and to the citizens of Ninth;" Capt. Marble responded to 
 
 Fowlerville, to the press, the clergy, the address of welcome. Comrades 
 
 the musical club, for all unusual fa- Pales, Dobbelaere, Hubbard, Stevens, 
 
 vors and courtesies extended to us on Fisher, Miner, Palmer, Lyman and 
 
 our third visit to Fowlerville, acts of Mrs. Rankin took active parts during 
 
 kindness which touch our hearts and the camp fire, which, after an hour's 
 
 bring from us hearty and unanimous interval for visiting, followed the 
 
 responses of gratitude and gladness." banquet. 
 
 Mrs. Rankin then sang the "Star Howell entertained us in 1904. Its 
 Spangled Banner." On motion the citizens had said to Lieut. Sargent, 
 comrades voted to visit the Fowler- "Yes, Sargent, call upon us for what 
 ville Union School in a body which, you will for the boys in blue." Gen. 
 headed by the regimental drum corps, Parkhurst was ill and could not be 
 they proceeded to do, seventy-five present. Adjt. Duffield, life vice pres- 
 strong. The village president, Mr. ident, oflficiated. The following tele- 
 Cole, announced to the school the ob- grams were sent out. To Col. Duf- 
 ject of this G. A. R. visit. Comrades field, Washington, "Your old regiment 
 Parkhurst. Marble, Fales and others rejoices in the hallowed, inspiring 
 made forceful addresses. They were memories which endear every one of 
 in the proper spirit and gave voice us to our first commander and be- 
 with prophetic utterance. loved friend." To Col. Parkhurst, 
 
 October 22, 1902, the reunion was Coldwater, "With sincere sorrow your 
 
 held at Mason, home of Comrade Les- comrades regret your enforced ab- 
 
 ter. Mayor Whitman welcomed the sence, but rejoice because your in- 
 
 Association, President Parkhurst re- domitable spirit still guides us." To 
 
 sponded; there was the usual routine Marshall, "We miss you, dear Com- 
 
50 
 
 rade Marble, but join with you in 
 hopeful expectation of clasping hands 
 next year." Comrade Kelley's draw- 
 ing of Muldraugh Hill, Kentucky, so 
 vividly reproducing the old times was 
 exhibited and called forth a good deal 
 of attention. Major Jenny made the aft- 
 er dinner speech. The secretary call- 
 ed attention to the recent publication 
 by the state of the regimental histor- 
 ies which could be had by application 
 to the Adjutant General at Lansing. 
 He also read a roster of 89 officers 
 of the staff and line, more than fifty 
 of whom had passed from earth. 
 
 At 7:30 o'clock the Howell band 
 appeared, discoursed some patriotic 
 airs, after which they headed the pro- 
 cession to the camp fire at the Court 
 House. The Howell schoolgirls did 
 the singing. W. P. Van Winkle's ad- 
 dress was a masterly effort which re- 
 ceived hearty commendation from a 
 crowded courtroom. After the 
 speeches the veterans visited at the 
 hotels until a late hour. 
 
 At the morning session return tele- 
 grams were received, from Gen. W. 
 W. Duffield, Washington, "My heart 
 replies gratefully to your loving mes- 
 sage;" from Gen. Parkhurst, "My 
 sincere thanks for your kind sympa- 
 thy and loving remembrance." It was 
 especially urged that the ex-soldiers 
 thereafter plan to make the second 
 day of the reunion an essential part 
 of the annual gathering and not 
 break up until they do so in a body. 
 Comrade Miner's gracious invitation, 
 seconded by Comrades Klotz, Jordan, 
 Wade and by other Co. D boys, to 
 come to Portland for 1905, made evi- 
 dent the fact that Portland would out- 
 do itself the next year to entertain 
 the Ninth Michigan Infanry, so we 
 accepted the urgent invitation and 
 went to Portland the following Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 Promises at Howell the year before 
 were made good. Everything which 
 could be done, was done. The resi- 
 dent comrades. Miner, Klotz, Jordan, 
 Van Horn, etc., backed by a loyal con- 
 stituency of patriotic citizens, by the 
 W. R. C. and by the G. A. R.'s general- 
 ly, vied with one another in making 
 possible a joyous and profitable gath- 
 ering. The usual program was car- 
 ried out. The Association had its 
 "picture taken" the first day when 
 everybody was on hand; a great deal 
 of time was devoted to visiting. A 
 
 goodly number of comrades brought 
 their wives and daughters. The pres- 
 ence of the ladies in later reunions 
 has been a growing feature which ev- 
 eryone recognizes as a source of in- 
 terest, helpfulness and pleasure. This 
 was Gen. Parkhurst's last reunion in 
 the flesh. He was full of years yet 
 straight as an arrow. His presiding 
 at Portland was dignified and impres- 
 sive as of yore and yet his Boys, as 
 he always called them, felt intuitively 
 that the General's days were number- 
 ed, so they gladly accepted his press- 
 ing invitation to make Coldwater their 
 place of rendezvous in 1906. His ad- 
 dress at Portland, however, still show- 
 ed much of the old forceful utterances 
 which always marked his speeches. 
 The Colonel, as the veterans loved to 
 call him, was "in the saddle" to the 
 last. He joined the immortals the 
 following May, 1906. 
 
 October 12, 1906, but thirty-five of 
 the once powerful regiment met at 
 Coldwater, a feeble remnant of a once 
 mighty host when an army of volun- 
 teers was marshaled for a great con- 
 flict of arms upon a thousand battle- 
 fields in behalf of the most righteous 
 cause for which men ever contended 
 for mastery. The daughter of the reg- 
 iment would have it so" that her fath- 
 er's old Boys must come once more 
 to Coldwater though the General slept 
 with the long roll of illustrious men 
 who once had unflinchingly stood as 
 leaders amidst the Nation's defenders. 
 We were most cordially received, wel- 
 comed and feasted. Motor cars met 
 the veterans and their wives at the 
 depot; a reception was given us in 
 the Parkhurst home; we looked upon 
 the General's belongings and sat, 
 some of us, in his familiar chair; we 
 clustered in little groups in the li- 
 brary where the Coloney was so long 
 a central figure; portraits of great 
 Americans looked down upon us from 
 the walls of the various rooms; the 
 General's own military yet loving face 
 among them, attracting, knitting and 
 endearing us still more closely to the 
 scenes and memories he, in life, 
 adorned; we had beautiful and sug- 
 gestive souvenir programs at the eve- 
 ning banquet, with the well-known 
 features of Coldwater's most distin- 
 guished citizen and our greatly loved 
 friend exposed to view as the flaps 
 of the tent were lifted; General Dul- 
 field in his most graceful, charming 
 
manner assumed the gavel of authori- 
 ty as our second life President; Mrs. 
 Margaret Parkhurst Morey was the 
 most gracious of hostesses; the citi- 
 zens of Coldwater left nothing for our 
 entertainment and comfort which 
 could be done; there were good ad- 
 dresses at the banquet by some of 
 Cold water's most gifted orators; and 
 yet a quiet, solemn and impressive 
 awe permeated the entire reunion. 
 The Association had purposed visiting 
 the cemetery the next morning to 
 strew with flowers the General's last 
 resting place, but a violent snow 
 storm unprecedented for the time of 
 year prevented. Owing to the debili- 
 ty of Capt. Dobbelaere it was neces- 
 sary to have him relieved from active 
 work. Comrade Rankin was therefore 
 elected assistant secretary and press 
 correspondent. Comrade H. S. Hub- 
 bard, treasurer. 
 
 The next year (1907) the Associa- 
 tion met in Detroit. There was a 
 good attendance. After the business 
 session, the executive committee pro- 
 vided a steamer for a ride on Detroit 
 river. Arrangements had been made 
 also for a banquet and toasts on the 
 boat but owing to some misunder- 
 standing the program miscarried. 
 Comrade Miner's son. Rev. Frank Min- 
 er, was scheduled for the principal ad- 
 dress. There was plenty of good mu- 
 sic, plenty of wholesome food, a most 
 delightful excursion down and up the 
 river, but someone seriously blunder- 
 ed and the exercises prepared with 
 so much care had to be postponed. 
 The Association, however, banquet- 
 ted later in the evening, and, rising 
 to the necessities of the hour, as the 
 Ninth Michigan were trained to do in 
 Dixie, the standbys of the society 
 managed to put in a couple hours' 
 customary flow of soul. The daugh- 
 ter of the regiment's presence at this 
 reunion was one of the really enjoy- 
 able features. There was plenty of 
 time for visiting and the veterans 
 made the most of it. As the years 
 pass, our columns are more and more 
 broken. We, therefore, feel the ne- 
 cessity of drawing nearer and nearer 
 tigether as we close up our ranks and 
 with faces turned forward continue 
 life's battle until we, in turn, are 
 mustered out. 
 
 In 1908 our steps were once again 
 turned towards Fowlerville where 
 three times before the regiment had 
 
 51 
 
 been received with open arms; upon 
 the visiting veterans and their loved 
 ones every fond care had been lavish- 
 ed; for the ex-soldiers only to ask, 
 Fowlerville responded quickly with 
 costliest gifts. There was an early 
 gathering of the faithful ones for well 
 they knew that participation at Co. 
 K's home always exceeded the joys 
 of anticipation. The first arrivals 
 were confident that Benjamin or Fish- 
 er, Copeland or Lockwood, some or 
 all of the resident members of the 
 Ninth would be at the train to meet 
 and welcome them home, for Fowler- 
 ville was beginning to seem like home. 
 Indeed it was earnestly discussed at 
 the business meeting later whether it 
 would not be better to settle on Fow- 
 lerville or Portland as permanent 
 headquarters of the Association, 
 abandoning for aye our itinerary sys- 
 tem. 
 
 It was a camp fire worth while that 
 night. President Duffield's eloquent 
 response to the welcome address 
 sounded the keynote of the reunion; 
 Comrades Hubbard, Guthard, Quinn 
 and Fales followed the General with 
 appropriate incidents and reminis- 
 cences; there were patriotic songs 
 and recitations, music by the band at 
 frequent intervals and then the thrill- 
 ing, pathetic words, that fairly breath- 
 ed inspiring thoughts, that brightly 
 burned, of the daughter of the regi- 
 ment, Mrs. Margaret Parkhurst Mor- 
 ey in her loving and comforting mes- 
 sage in response to the toast, "My 
 Father's Boys." There was nothing 
 more to be said or done after her 
 memorable address though we linger- 
 ed until late the next day indulging 
 our fancies in reveries or tete-a-tetes 
 as we discussed means and measures 
 which had in view the vital interests 
 of our Association. 
 
 When the hour arrived for the cus- 
 tomary bids for the honor of next 
 year's entertainment there was a pain- 
 ful silence; for the nonce we were 
 homeless, orphaned, men without a 
 country, when Comrade Miner, dear 
 faithful Miner, rushed into the breach 
 and upon his own responsibility with 
 heartfelt solicitation invited his old 
 regiment to Portland for 1909. 
 
 So we went to Portland the next 
 year (1909) and had the time of our 
 lives, one continuous round of soul- 
 stirring rejuvenations. A large mi- 
 nority of the veterans took the late 
 
52 
 
 train home, not awaiting the exercises 
 of the second day. But to those who 
 remained the love feast of the morn- 
 ing, with Vice President Curry in the 
 chair, proved to be the ne plus ultra of 
 all previous exercises. The secretary 
 was instructed to call the roll. In re- 
 sponse each veteran in answer to his 
 name arose to let us look fondly into 
 his well-known face while he told us 
 briefly what the Association and its 
 reunions meant to him. This was our 
 life vice president's last meeting with 
 us. (Six of his old comrades went 
 to Fenton the following summer to 
 join in the final sad rites to all that 
 was mortal of Lieut. Curry). The lit- 
 tle company was photographed to be 
 framed and preserved in Portland's 
 public library. The old Boys were 
 profuse with thanks for many kind- 
 nesses received and especially so for 
 the generous spirit shown among the 
 good people of Portland in meeting 
 promptly all the local expenses of 
 the reunion. 
 
 The visft to the public schools was 
 the crowning event. The entire body 
 went as a committee. The orators of 
 the Association were conspicuous by 
 their absence but it is typical of 
 American life for supposed subordin- 
 ates to rise to great occasions when 
 necessity obliges. The secretary took 
 charge of the program and was him- 
 self surprised to see his comrade 
 Miner lead off in a tribute to Chris- 
 tianity, patriotism and education 
 which would have done credit to Web- 
 ster, or Beecher in their prime had 
 those great apostles of eloquence oc- 
 cupied the rostrum. There were oth- 
 er patriotic addresses far above the 
 ordinary. It was a time for memory 
 and prophecy, for impressive lessons 
 on the sacredness of liberty and free- 
 dom, for kindly words of warning, for 
 — tears. 
 
 It may well be supposed that the 
 high tide of attendance and high 
 grade entertainment had been reach- 
 ed at Portland in 1909. It could not 
 well be surpassed and not a few of 
 the veterans were led to think that 
 any new place as Ypsilanti must 
 prove a boomerang. Notice had been 
 sent out by the secretary that all who 
 would ask for it a few days in advance 
 would be regarded as preferred guests 
 by the good people of Ypsilanti, would 
 be housed and fed without expense, 
 and all who did not send any word 
 
 would be, at least, furnished lodgings. 
 
 Whether this had any great in- 
 fluence in bringing the veterans is 
 uncertain, but there were far larger 
 receipts for dues than at any other 
 reunion. The best homes in the city 
 were opened to the visitors. Mrs. 
 Deubel generously provided lodging 
 for eleven veterans or the members 
 of their families. She surprised them 
 all, too, with a hearty invitation to stay 
 to breakfast. The elegant and com- 
 modious rooms of the Masonic Temple 
 were placed at the disposal of the or- 
 ganization; one hundred fifty dollars 
 were subscribed by a loyal and gen- 
 erous public to banquet the Associa- 
 tion and its invited guests. Covers 
 were laid for 250. Every seat was 
 taken. The repast was both delicate 
 and plentiful, the service by the East- 
 ern Stars all that could be desired. 
 The Ninth had five distinct welcomes, 
 by the city, by the F. and A. M. fra- 
 ternity, by the State Normal College, 
 by the G. A. R.'s and by the W. R. 
 C. Those present will remember Mrs. 
 Phillip's flowery and spirited address 
 on behalf of the W. R. C. That was 
 General Duffield's last banquet with 
 the boys he loved. He was very fee- 
 ble at the time but determined to 
 come to Ypsilanti. The General, 
 whom Ypsilantians delighted to hon- 
 or, was entertained by Mr. and Mrs. 
 W. B. Hatch. Comrade H. M. Gal- 
 lup after thirty-five years absence 
 came from Long Lake, Minnesota, to 
 clasp hands with his former comrades. 
 A committee of five was appointed to 
 design and get ready for the fiftieth 
 anniversary a metal badge which 
 should tell the story of the regiment's 
 four years in the Civil war, one which 
 might be worn at all future meetings 
 of the Association. That this fiftieth 
 anniversary reunion should be held 
 in old Fort Wayne went without say- 
 ing and it was so decreed. 
 
 There was some figuring and a 
 good deal of hard work done between 
 September, 1910, and September, 
 1911, to make ready for the Fort 
 Wayne reunion. Mr. F. A. Lester, 
 for more than a decade had been as 
 untiring in his efforts as determined 
 in his purpose, to bring into close 
 touch with his old regiment every 
 former Ninth Michigan soldier. To 
 effect this desired result it was first 
 necessary to find the fellows, who. 
 during the years since muster out had 
 
scattered from Dan to Beersheba, and, 
 then some. No one except his own 
 people will ever know with what in- 
 finite patience and unwearying re- 
 search our "Stanley found his lost 
 Livingstones." His entire time at 
 his own expense and on his own re- 
 sponsibility was at the Association's 
 disposal for the entire year. The 
 beautiful and serviceable roster he 
 brought out speaks for itself. Com- 
 rade C. A. Kelley designed the per- 
 manent badge; the committee saw 
 to its being made on time. 
 
 One hundred thirty-seven of us 
 greeted one another at Fort Wayne 
 those September days of 1911. Com- 
 rades Mott from California, Bunker 
 from Kansas, Perse from Oklahoma, 
 Wallace and Kenyon from Iowa, Colby 
 from New Hampshire, Gallup and 
 Starkweather from Minnesota, Bur- 
 nett from Missouri, O'Laughlin from 
 Wisconsin, Hasset from New York, In- 
 gersoll, Rabedeau, Brewster, Arm- 
 strong and Vining from Illinois, Co- 
 der and Eggleston from Indiana, Hub- 
 bard, Mansfield and Evans from Ohio. 
 There were eighty-one present who 
 were mustered in at Fort Wayne fifty 
 years before, making it a great and 
 notable gathering. 
 
 The genial commander of the Fort, 
 Col. Booth, his aids and his allies, 
 had prepared for our coming in every 
 accord with the committee's express- 
 ed desire. Two long rows of tents 
 had been pitched with cots and blan- 
 kets furnished. There was a big 
 tent for holding the exercises. Old 
 Glory floated proudly from the tall 
 flag pole. We messed in the quarters 
 of the different companies. There 
 were many reminders of war times. 
 We had but to hint, to receive. The 
 U. S. band concerts every evening in 
 lieu of the customary camp fire were 
 entrancing. Some of the comrades 
 camped there four days and were then 
 loath to go. Gen. Duflield was pres- 
 ent a few minutes — long enough to 
 sit with the Boys for the regular As- 
 sociation photograph. There were 
 many interesting, (some of them in- 
 tensely pathetic) letters, from those 
 absent, read by the secretary. The 
 response to the request for additional 
 funds to meet the extra large outlay 
 was prompt, hearty and most gener- 
 ous. The roster and the badges mer- 
 ited and received general approval. 
 The days of Auld Lang Syne were 
 
 53 
 
 idealized. And thus the fiftieth anni- 
 versary i-eunion in turn passed into 
 history. 
 
 July 13, 1862, was one of the piv- 
 otal days in the history of our old 
 regiment. It was highly fitting that 
 we should hold our second anniver- 
 sary gathering just fifty years from 
 thai eventful morning. In memoriam 
 of one of the six companies which 
 was in the fight at Murfreesboro we 
 voted at Fort Wayne to assemble at 
 Jackson July 12 and 13, 1912. We 
 put Comrade Sutton at the head of 
 the executive committee and our con- 
 fidence M'as not misplaced. The drum- 
 mer of the Rappahonnock, doubtless 
 the greatest living Civil War drum- 
 mer, our own Robert Hendershot, and 
 his gifted son, had promised to be in 
 Jackson for the reunion. As another 
 great world conqueror, they came, 
 they saw, they conquered all our 
 hearts. Michigan's executive, the 
 brilliant Chase S. Osborn, took noth- 
 ing from the occasion, himself honor- 
 ed, by his presence at 4 o'clock of the 
 twelfth. He came to talk to us by 
 especial request, and, what an ad- 
 dress! Who wouldn't be inspired to 
 do his best with the survivors of the 
 Ninth Michigan Infantry, their wives 
 and their friends as his interested au- 
 ditors? He made a plea for banish- 
 ing the American saloon — every voice 
 applauded; he presented forcibly and 
 convincingly the great and growing 
 cause of universal suffrage — every- 
 body stood upon his feet and thus 
 tacitly pledged himself to vote for it 
 at the polls until it should be triump- 
 hant; he deftly referred to the ex- 
 alted service of the immortal Lincoln 
 and his great and mighty army of 
 volunteer citizen-soldiers — ■ everyone 
 said, "Amen." 
 
 The second day's session was a re- 
 plica of Portland, another genuine 
 love feast with the secretary in the 
 chair. How, one by one, each laid 
 bare his inner heart and poured forth 
 its choicest offerings. Comrade Ben- 
 nett, tall Bennett, gave his version 
 of the first Murfreesboro fight, which 
 the Boys with unanimous voice 
 thought best to have put in book 
 form that it might be sent out for all 
 the Ninth to read and ponder over at 
 will. (That action brought forth this 
 book). What a coincidence that, while 
 we were listening eagerly to our com- 
 rades' inviting stories, our president 
 
54 
 
 DufReld was quietly being mustered decimated their serried ranks; dis- 
 out! Strange tliat during our reunion eased incident to camp life, the rigors 
 he should pass from earth! Life-sec- of the march, the exposures of cam- 
 retary Rankin seemed to be the Asso- paigns, the privations of prison pens, 
 ciation's choice for permanent pre- each and all of those had taken fear- 
 siding officer. It was so voted, ful toll of the flower of America, the 
 Whereupon Frank A. Lester was im- men and youths who offered their 
 mediately elected secretary. After lives on freedom's altar that the Na- 
 some animated discussion whether tion might endure. 
 
 to go to Detroit or Fowlerville for Though the great war between the 
 
 1913, by a narrow margin the vote states had virtually ended at Appo- 
 
 was recorded in favor of Detroit, niattox, such necessitous conditions 
 
 Comrade Davis having been elected of adjustment arose during the recon- 
 
 vice president and chairman of the struction period as to cause gravest 
 
 Executive Committee. anxiety and alarm lest the conflict 
 
 (There were thirty-five comrades of arms might, indeed, prove to be 
 
 present who were in the battle of an irreconcilable one. The assassin's 
 
 Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 13, 1862, bullet had ruthlessly striken down 
 
 viz:— Co. B, John L. Decker, Leban- the people's chieftain with the in- 
 
 nah E. Coder, Lewis W. Nathans, Rob- spired utterances of his second inau- 
 
 ert H. Hendershott, Cyrenius Hano- gural, with pathetic words of forgive- 
 
 ver; Co. C, Henry C. Rankin, Frank ness yet warm on his lips. Very 
 
 A. Palmer, Frank Lester, E. Guy Ly- many good people had feared the re- 
 man. Wellington Moulton, Thad. S. suits of suddenly disbanding more 
 Vining, Henry S. Hubbard, Alford A. than a million armed men. These 
 Leach, Gilbert B. Hogle, Levant fears, however, were groundless. The 
 Bangs, Harrison T. Miller; Co. G, citizen-soldiers were glad to lay down 
 Charles W. Bennett, Thomas Rhodes, their arms and resume the arts of 
 James F. O'Laughlin, Anthony C. peace into which they melted like the 
 Chapoton, Ben. J. Stoddard, George snows of midsummer without causing 
 Gillen, Barlow Smith, Purchase W. so much as a ripple on the waves of 
 Hilliar; Co. H, Jacob Guthard, Geo. F. peaceful pursuits. 
 
 Burgess, James Hendryx; Co. K, Lu- The realignment within the Union 
 
 cius E. Fuller, Wm. E. Bennett, Geo. of the seceded States; how far am- 
 
 L. Fisher, Henry C. Tanner, Charles nesty should be extended to the lead- 
 
 B. Lake, John G. Copeland, Alvin ers of the Confederacy; whether slav- 
 Stage and Henry West.— F. A. Lester), ery was to be abolished, once and 
 
 for all, within the entire United 
 
 "This Nation under God, shall have States; what the political and civil 
 
 a new birth of freedom, and that gov- status of the freedmen ought to be; 
 
 ernment of the people, by the people, whether the gigantic debt of the 
 
 for the people, shall not perish from country was to be funded at lower 
 
 the earth." rates of interest and paid, or be en- 
 
 tirely repudiated — these were some 
 
 Not alone for the social and remin- of the great problems that had to be 
 
 iscent benefits has our old regiment solved in the Council Chambers at 
 
 made much of its reunions. The men Washington. The right solution and 
 
 who had comprised it, found them- settlement of these tremendous ques- 
 
 selves intuitively called together tions of state would call for highest 
 
 again in response to a new common patriotism, exhaustless forbearance, 
 
 need. The Civil War had summoned superhuman wisdom and untiring pa- 
 
 into the armies of the Union two mil- tience. 
 
 lion of the Nation's brightest and best To meet such strenuous emergen- 
 young men from all the walks of life, dies would require the united service 
 All of them were patriotic else they and counsel of the Nation's best ad- 
 would not have volunteered their visers and workers. It was during 
 services; they were the most intelli- these strenuous times that the Grand 
 gent body of soldiers the world had Army of the Republic was called into 
 ever seen, not a few of whom were being, and later on began the reunions 
 highly educated, men of large vision, of regimental war organizations. The 
 wise beyond their generation. A W. R. C, that devoted and self-sacri- 
 thousand battle fields had woefully ficing body of loyal women rnlliod to 
 
the support and care of the Nation's 
 defenders and their widows and or- 
 phans. In these civic organizations 
 was latent a liind of power behind the 
 throne to bind up the Nation's wounds 
 and hold up its lawmakers' hands, 
 needed organized service of those 
 who had manned the Old Ship of 
 State in '61-'65 and brought her safe- 
 ly into port, through the wild storms 
 of disunion amid the raging tempests 
 of secession and threatened National 
 dissolution. 
 
 In the marvellous expanse of Amer- 
 ica during the past four decades, 
 growth without a parallel in history, 
 the ex-soldier has played conspicuous 
 and heroic parts. Organization and 
 concentration have redoubled the ben- 
 eficient results arising therefrom. In 
 the fascinating allurements of mater- 
 ial developments, patriotism might 
 have lost much of its sterling quali- 
 ties; Old Glory might, possibly, have 
 had some of its stars erased or some 
 of its stripes polluted; the states 
 might not have been recemented to- 
 gether into the bonds of Federal Un- 
 ion, one and inseparable, had it not 
 been for the guilding hands and loy- 
 al hearts of the ex-soldiers. Future 
 historians, a century hence, will read 
 aright the signs of the times, the les- 
 sons of our day, and ascribe to the 
 soldier-citizen, during the era of re- 
 construction, much of the credit for 
 piloting the good ship. Union, safely 
 between the Scylla of sectionalism 
 and the Charybdis of misunderstand- 
 ing and prejudice, into the peaceful 
 and prosperous haven we now enjoy. 
 
 Heroic example has infinite power. 
 True Americans will never forget the 
 valuable influence exerted on the spir- 
 it of a great people by those examples 
 of signal heroism and chivalric devo- 
 tion, for which a magnanimous war 
 gave occasion, and which it exalts, 
 as peace cannot, before men's minds. 
 The imperishability of great examples 
 is the pledge of human progress, the 
 inspiration of human hope. 
 
 A resplendent halo surrounds the 
 silent marrh of Gideon and his three 
 hundred. Gideon's battle cry rings 
 down the centuries. Thermopylae's 
 soil though bare and barren is sacred 
 ground where Leonidas and his three 
 hundred perished in the cause of 
 western freedom; the daring deed and 
 magic name of Arnold Winkelried 
 still stirs every courageous Switzer. 
 
 55 
 
 History's pages fairly glisten with the 
 records of valiant lives not all of 
 which heroism by any means, consists 
 in military achievements alone. Elo- 
 quence and song delight ever to re- 
 hearse and impress the story of chiv- 
 alric devotion to principle and up- 
 rightness. 
 
 The exalted virtue and cherished 
 memory of the peerless Washington, 
 the impressive personality and rev- 
 ered integrity of the idolized Lincoln, 
 whose names and fame gather added 
 luster as time passes on, stand apart 
 from the attainments and accomplish- 
 ments of other men as mountain 
 peaks rear aloft their snow-encrust- 
 ed cliffs far above the plain. 
 
 Peace, too, has its victories, its 
 long roll of illustrious achievements 
 no less renouned than the conflicts 
 of arms. If we can preserve peace 
 and maintain virtue, who shall set 
 bounds to our continued progress? 
 If we shall exalt peace, if we shall 
 reverence religion, morality, and good 
 government, there are high hopes and 
 gratifying prospects in store for our 
 children's children. The finger of the 
 Almighty can be so clearly traced in 
 our country's history, he is worse 
 than an infidel who lacks faith in the 
 recognition of His guiding hand; he 
 would be more than wicked who could 
 be so ungrateful as not to acknowl- 
 edge his continued obligation to our 
 fathers' God and ours. 
 
 We shall hold at best, but few more 
 reunions. We are like scattered hem- 
 locks in a forest stripped and bare. 
 The winds of more than seventy win- 
 ters have whistled through our 
 branches; we are dead at the top. 
 Other men and other times are tak- 
 ing our places. The activities of life 
 shall know us but for a brief period 
 longer. Shall not those of us, while 
 we remain, with purity of purpose and 
 with high resolve, gather annually in 
 our regimental reunions though we 
 can do little more than merely to 
 point to the emblazoned National 
 pathways we have helped to construct 
 in our country's onward march to 
 power, fame and physical greatness? 
 
 "Sail on, sail on. O Ship of State! 
 
 Sail on! O Union, strong and great! 
 Humanity with all its fears, 
 With all the hopes of future years 
 
 Is hanging breathless on thy fate." 
 
Regimental Statistics 
 
 "Michigan in the War" says the ^o^- 1st Lieut. Charles T. (At Tyree 
 
 records of the Ninth sliow a total Springs, Sept. 23, 1862) 1 
 
 membership of 2,272 officers and men Hamilton, William A. A 
 
 during its entire service. The "Rec- Knowles, William K 
 
 ord of the Ninth Infantry," published Newberry, George K 
 
 more recently by state authority, Quinn, James (At Atlanta, Sept. 18, 
 
 gives the total enrolment as 1,947 1864) H 
 
 I have detected some omissions from Reynolds, James G 
 
 that book, but I think it is more ^^st, Samuel K 
 
 nearly correct, for it was edited by Schaffer, George K 
 
 that pains-taking officer, Lieut. Col. Webster, Hugh G 
 
 George H. Turner, Assistant Adju- White, William (bugler) G 
 
 tant General, to which "Record" I WOUNDED IN ACTION. 
 
 nnl.i«'^t\f \% i^^ T^^ ""^ *^^ (All at Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 13. 
 
 names of the killed and wounded ^oco . xu l ^s 
 
 Like all new regiments the Ninth , , '^^^: ^"""TvT"'", ""T I 
 
 suffered severely from sickness in Acker, Corporal Edward S. (Aug. 
 
 the early part of its service and ^^' ^®^^" McMinnville) G 
 
 three officers and 268 men died of ^^^ams, John H 
 
 disease. Two officers and fifteen A^^^' Charles . (died July 17) K 
 
 men were killed in action, and eleven ^^*^'^' Samuel (died July 19) A 
 
 men died of wounds, making a total barlow, Job D. G 
 
 loss by death of 297; and 208 were ^^"^^s, Levant C 
 
 discharged for disability from wounds Barnes, James G 
 
 and disease. Barrows, 1st Lieut., Hiram A 
 
 oAT-i-i F-rs -^.^ Benjamin, Ryal (died July 15) A 
 
 BATTLES ENGAGED IN. Blessing, John C 
 
 The regiment participated in en- Bohn, Peter G 
 
 gagements at Murfreesboro, Tenn , Borden, Brayton B. B 
 
 July 13, 1862; Company D, stockade Brink, Charles K 
 
 near McMinnville, Aug. 29, 1862; Bronson, Chauncy J. C 
 
 Companies D, E, F and I at Tyree Brooks, Martin C. A 
 
 Springs, Tenn., Sept. 11, 1862; Stone Buell, Marcus A 
 
 River, Tenn., Dec. 29 to 31, 1862, Jan Burns, Michael A 
 
 1 and 2, 1863; Chickamauga, Ga.i Burnham, Philip A 
 
 Sept. 19 and 20, 1863; Mission Ridge' Buzzell, Marcus A. A 
 
 Tenn.. Nov. 25, 1863; Rocky Face! Bryan, William C. C 
 
 Ga., May 8, 1864; Resaca, Ga May Campbell. Ira (discharged Aug. 15) K 
 
 14, 1864; Dallas, Ga., May 27, 1864; Canady, Wm. F. (Feb., 1864) B 
 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 25, Chamberlain, Oscar A 
 
 1864; Chattahoochee River, Ga., July Chambers, John H 
 
 5 and 6, 1864; Siege of Atlanta, Ga., Clarke, Franklin C 
 
 July 22 to Aug. 25, 1864; Jonesboro Coats, Andrew J. H 
 
 Ga., Sept. 1, 1864. Coleman, Charles D. H 
 
 Collier, Corporal Hamilton G 
 
 KILLED IN ACTION. Crandall, John A. (disch'g'd Oct. 2) A 
 
 (All at Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 13. DufTipld, Col. Wm. W. (discharged 
 
 1862. except two). Duinohl. Adjt. Henry M. (At Chick- 
 Company, amauga Sept. 20, 1863) 
 
 Abbott, Amos W. A Evarts, Corp'l Lysander W. A 
 
 Austin, William H Fitzmire, David C 
 
 Chase, Lieut. Alpheus H Florence, James M. C 
 
 Deimer, Edward D. C Fowler, George (Wounded again 
 
 Flagler, Myron A May 12, 1864) K 
 
MILITARY PRISON, CHATTANOOGA 
 Guarded Several Months by Capt. S. A. Wiggins with Men of the Ninth. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 Men of the Ninth Guarding the Notorious Guerrilla. Champ Ferguson. 
 
FRANK A. LESTER 
 
 Secretary Ninth Michigan Association 
 
 Son of Frank Lester of Co. C. 
 
57 
 
 Fox, Major Dorus M. (At Peters- liam W. Duffield (an ex-army officer 
 
 biirg, Va., while Colonel 27tli and graduate of West Point), Colonel; 
 
 Mich. Inf. June 17, 1864) John G. Parkhurst, Lieut. Colonel, 
 
 Gaffney, Thomas H., 2nd Lieut. C and Dorus M. Fox, Major, of the 
 
 Gass, Norman R. (died Oct. 5) A Ninth Mich. Infantry, and it was with 
 
 Gould, Sergt. John G. K these field officers that the regiment 
 
 Graham, Henry C first entered the service. 
 
 Haskins, Francis (disch'd Sep. 18) H Col. Duffield was wounded at Mur- 
 
 Hathaway, Scott A freesboro, July 13, 1862, which so 
 
 Henderson, Henry (No further rec- disabled him for service that he re- 
 
 ord, probably died of wound) C signed Feb. 6, 1863, and Lieut. Col. 
 
 Hill, Joseph F. B Parkhurst took command of the reg- 
 
 Hilliar, Harvey J. G iment. The other officers of the 
 
 Hilliar, Corp'l P. W. (discharged) G field were William Wilkinson, Major 
 Hogg, John K and Lieut. Colonel, and William Jen- 
 Holiday, William H. A ney. Major, both promoted from the 
 
 Jersey, 2nd Lieut. Nathan R. B line. 
 
 Leach, Alfred A. C The first regimental staff was com- 
 
 Linderman, Benj. F. A posed of Henry M. Duffield, Adjutant; 
 
 Linderman, Henry A Ennis Church, Surgeon; Cyrus Smith, 
 
 Luscher, Rudolph (Near McMinn- Ass't. Surgeon; Charles H. Irwin, 
 
 ville. Aug. 29, 1862) D Quartermaster, and James G. Port- 
 Mills, Harrison T. C man, Chaplain. During its term of 
 
 Morton, Barry O. C service the other staff officers were 
 
 Morton, Robert H. A A. H. Canfield, W. A. Hull and J. D. 
 
 Olmstead, Daniel G. (died Sep. 14) K Hyde, Adjutants; Cyrus Smith and 
 
 Owen, Sergt. John R. C George G. Smith, Surgeons; Geo. G. 
 
 Parrott, Joseph H. G Smith, who was promoted from Co. 
 
 Phillips, Geo. H. K K, Wm. H. Palmer, Geo. Barnes and H. 
 
 Price, Freeborn H. A. King, who was promoted from Co. 
 
 (discharged Sept. 6) A G, Assistant Surgeons; Lieut. G. D. 
 
 Rielly, Thomas C Tucker and Lieut. A. M. Dobbelaere 
 
 Rogers, William A were detailed as Quartermaster, and 
 
 Rose, Silas H. A C. O. Thomas and W. H. Low^ry were 
 
 Sargent, Everett D. K commissioned Quartermaster. Steph- 
 
 Schofield, Lieut. R. H. (At Tyree en E. Root was promoted from Co. 
 
 Springs, Sept. 11, 1862) D E to be Chaplain. 
 
 Se^cor Ira I (At Tyree Springs, LINE OFFICERS. 
 
 Sept. 11, 1862) I 
 
 Smith, John B. H The Officers of the Line numbered 
 
 Springman, William G sixty-nine. Two, Capt. Wilkinson, 
 
 Strayer, Daniel (died Nov. 30) H Co. A, and Capt. Jenney, Co. I, were 
 
 Swartz, Ferdinand B advanced to the Field. Seven, name- 
 Tanner, Charles K ly, Charles W. Bennett, David F. Fox, 
 
 Thomas, Sergt. Charles O. H Thomas H. Gaffney, Geo. K. New- 
 
 Vanauken, James A combe, Moses A. Powell, R. H. Scho- 
 
 Wallace, Lieut. J. N. (Aug. 29, 1862, field, W. R. Sellon and James N. Wal- 
 
 near McMinnville) H lace, were promoted and served in 
 
 Welcher, Charles K other regiments. Three were killed 
 
 Woods, George H or died of wounds received in action 
 
 — Lieut. Alpheus Chase of Co. H, 
 
 r,.-^....-»..^» . «».,, ,»^..r,»»,v, ^r. Killed at Murfreesboro, July 13, 1862; 
 
 REGIMENTAL AND COMPANY OR- Lieut. Chas. T. Fox, Co. I, died Sept. 
 
 GANlZATlONb. 23, 1862, of wounds received in action 
 
 Sept. 11, 1862, at Tyree Springs, 
 
 (Mostly From Frank A. Lester's Ros- Tenn., and Lieut. T. H. Gaffney of 
 
 ter of 1911). Co. C, wounded at Murfreesboro, died 
 
 June 20, 1864, of wounds received be- 
 
 FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. fore Petersburg, Va., while Captain 
 
 in Mich. 1st Sharpshooters. Three 
 
 General Orders No. 74, dated at De- died of disease — Capt. Albert Nye, Co. 
 
 troit, Sept. 10, 1861, designated Wil- E, June 23, 1862; Lieut. J. H. lott, 
 
58 
 
 Co. C, March 16, 1862, and Lieut. 
 Lambert Barshite, Co, B, Feb. 19, 
 1862. 
 
 NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF 
 OFFICERS. 
 The original non-commissioned 
 was A. M. Dobbelaere, Sergeant Ma- 
 jor, who was followed by Wm. R. Sel- 
 lon, A. C. Pond, Charles D. Coleman, 
 F. A. Mimiford, Geo. R. Elms, Frank 
 A. Palmer, Charles A. Kelley and Dan- 
 iel W. Cole. Lambert Barshite, first 
 Quartermaster Sergeant was followed 
 by N. R. Jersey, Wm. C. Armstrong, 
 Charles Tanner, Jas. W. Higgins, G. 
 A. Watkins, Richard Cliff, and A. B. 
 Hathaway. David Fox, the first Com- 
 missary Sergeant was followed by C. 
 O. Thomas, Jacob Carris, Wm. H. 
 Lowrey, Alfred S. Bunnell, Alex. Good- 
 all, Alonzo Barrett and Adna K. 
 Frain. Leonard Goodrich. Drum Ma- 
 jor, was followed by Henry C. Tan- 
 ner. Wm. H. Palmer, Hospital Stew- 
 ard, was followed by Jas. D. Hyde 
 and Wm. Wilkinson, Jr.; and Geo. H. 
 Newell was Fife Major. 
 
 James Clark writes me that Chamber- 
 lain was transferred from Co. A and 
 died soon after at West Point, and 
 the Band sent the body home to Rom- 
 eo, Mich., at their own expense. Jol- 
 ly "Dick" Wirts, being unarmed, es- 
 caped capture at Murfreesboro by a 
 free use of his legs during the fight, 
 and when we arrived at Nashville he 
 ran out half a mile to meet us, cheer- 
 ing and swinging his hat. 
 
 REGIMENTAL BAND. 
 
 The Ninth Infantry Band was or- 
 ganized at Ft. Wayne September, 
 1861. It was composed of nineteen 
 members, some being enlisted for 
 that purpose while others were trans- 
 ferred from the companies. S. H. 
 Moulton, of Coldwater, was leader. 
 It was one of the best regimental 
 bands in the service and was fre- 
 quently complimented for its excel- 
 lent music. They remained with the 
 regiment until after the battle of 
 Murfreesboro, at which time they 
 were taken prisoners (except Wirts) 
 with the other six companies. After 
 being paroled and sent to Camp 
 Chase, Ohio, the Band was mustered 
 out by an order of the War Depart- 
 ment August 6, 1862, when the gov- 
 ernment dispensed with regimental 
 bands. 
 
 The members were Samuel Corbus, 
 Adonijah Chamberlain, Jam.^s W. 
 Clark, Leonard Goodrich, Orlo B. 
 Gray, Monroe D. Halladay, Albero 
 McKegg, S. H. Moulton, Geo. H. 
 Moulton, Orlando G. Noyes, Geo. R. 
 Reed, Thomas Rhodes, Justin Scott, 
 Ezra Sibley, Orlando A. Smith, Wel- 
 lington White, Geo. K. Wilder, Rich- 
 ard H. Wirts, Charles Woodard. 
 
 COMPANY ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 COMPANY A was raised in Macomb 
 county, enlistments being dated Aug. 
 13, 1861. The company was com- 
 manded by Wm. Wilkinson, with Al- 
 bert Nye, 1st Lieut., and Hiram Bar- 
 rows, 2nd Lieut., and they were suc- 
 ceeded by Hiram Barrows and J. J. 
 Huntley as Captains and Hiram Bar- 
 rows, N. R. Jersey and Geo. K. Bang- 
 ham, 1st Lieuts.; A. M, Dobbelaere, 
 C. S. Hicks, Andrew Nuhfer, C. O. 
 Thomas and D. W. Cole. 2nd Lieuts. 
 There were about 220 members car- 
 ried on the rolls of the company dur- 
 ing the war. 
 
 The company was engaged at Mur- 
 freesboro, Tenn., July 13, 1862, where 
 it lost four men killed — A. W. Abbott, 
 W. A. Hamilton, Myron Flagler and 
 Norman Gass, and Ryal Benjamin 
 and Samuel Baird died of wounds re- 
 ceived in that engagement. Several 
 others were seriously wounded. The 
 other losses during its term of ser- 
 vice numbered about 25, mostly from 
 disease. 
 
 COMPANY B was raised at Niles 
 and vicinity. The date of the en- 
 listment was Aug. 12, 1861. Capt. O. 
 C. Rounds, 1st Lieut. M. A. Powell 
 and 2nd Lieut. L. J. Wright were the 
 first officers. They were followed by 
 E. Marble, W. C. Armstrong and C. 
 C. Starkweather as Captains; L. J. 
 Wright, W. C. Armstrong, B. H. Stev- 
 ens and Augustus Ditman, 1st Lieuts., 
 and Lambert Barshite. N. R. Jersey, 
 E. C. Chubb, W. H. Lourey and E. D. 
 Sargent, 2nd Lieuts. 
 
 There were about 210 members 
 during the war and the los?es were 
 about 30 from disease, etc. 
 
 The company was in the engage- 
 ment at Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 
 13, 1862, when it was stationed in the 
 Court House as provost guards which 
 it defended from 4:30 until eight 
 o'clock in the morning, and surrend- 
 
59 
 
 ered then only because the rebels had quarters in Detroit. The original of- 
 set fire to the building. ficers were Cyprian H. Millard, Cap- 
 COMPANY C was recruited and tain, Moses A. Share, 1st Lieut, and 
 organized at Jackson, Sept. 6, 1861, S. S. Barrows, 2nd Lieut. These were 
 and was composed almost with- followed by S. S. Barrows, Albert Nye 
 out exception of Jackson conn- and Samuel A. Wiggins as Captain; S. 
 ty boys, and went to the front Samuel A. Wiggins as Captains; S. 
 with C. V. DeLand, Captain, S. Barrows, A. C. Pond, J. J. Hunt- 
 Mho was later promoted Colonel 1st ley, C. C. Starkweather and A. S. 
 Mich. S. S., Joseph H. lott, 1st Lieut., Bunnell 1st Lieuts., and D. F. Fox, 
 and J. C. Purdy, 2nd Lieut. They J. J. Huntley, C. R. Brand, G. A. Wat- 
 were followed by J. C. Purdy and kins and Joseph Phelps, 2nd Lieuts. 
 
 C. O. Thomas as Captains; J. C. The company was in the engagement 
 Purdy, E. C. Chubb and J. G. Gould against Forrest at Tyree Springs, 
 1st Lieuts., and T. H. Gaffney, C. D. Sept. 11, 1862. It had a total enroU- 
 Coleman, J. G. Gould, A. S. Bunnell ment of about 195 members during 
 and Alonzo Barrett, 2nd Lieuts. its service, and lost about 27 by death 
 
 The company had a membership from disease. 
 
 of about 200 during its service. COMPANY F was raised in Shia- 
 
 At Murfreesboro July 13, 1862, wassee and Calhoun counties, Owos- 
 
 they were deployed as skirmishers, so being the principal place of en- 
 
 and for eight long hours kept the reb- rollment and Aug. 14, 1861, date of 
 
 els from our front, one man. Edward organiza,tion. It was commanded by 
 
 D. Demier being killed and several Captain Geo. K. Newcombe, with S. 
 others seriously wounded. S. Bangs, 1st Lieut, and Ephraim 
 
 The company lost about 30 from Marble, 2nd Lieut. The later officers 
 
 disease. were S. S. Bangs and S. S. Barrows, 
 
 COMPANY D was enlisted in Ionia Captains; E. Marble, G. D. Tucker, 
 
 county and organized at Lyons Sept. F. A. Mumford and F. A. Palmer, 1st 
 
 5, 1861. Its first officers were John Lieuts.; C. W. Bennett, B. H. Stev- 
 
 E. Smith, Captain; Daniel C. Moore, ens, P. A. Mumford and M. C. Wade, 
 1st Lieut.; James N. Wallace, 2nd 2nd Lieuts. The company was with 
 Lieut. They were followed by D. C. companies D, E and I in the success- 
 Moore, L. J. Wright and C. D. Cole- ful engagement against Forrest at 
 man as Captains; A. M. Dobbelaere, Tyree Springs, Sept. 11, 1862. 
 
 R. H. Schofield, C. D. Coleman and About 160 members were enrolled 
 
 J. V. Henry, 1st Lieuts.; W. C. Arm- during its service, and about 25 died 
 
 strong, Geo. K. Bangham, Augustus from disease. 
 
 Ditman and J. B. Gunning, 2nd Lieuts. COMPANY G was composed of 
 
 The company was at Tullahoma about forty-five men from Branch 
 when the fight occurred at Murfrees- county enlisted by Mansfield, about 
 boro, but a detail of the company as- thirty from Wayne county enlisted by 
 signed to duty with the Quartermas- Chase, and a party of twenty-three en- 
 ter's department was taken prisoners, listed from the mines in Ontonagon, the 
 two of whom received wounds during date of organization being Aug. 15, 
 Forrest's cavalry attack. The com- 1861. Geo. N. Chase became Captain, 
 pany had a severe fight with For- Mortimer Mansfield, 1st Lieut, and 
 rest's cavalry in a stockade near Mc- William A. Hull, 2nd Lieut. Capt. 
 Minnville, Aug. 29, 1862, when the Chase resigned Jan. 7, 1862, and 
 rebels were severely defeated. Aid- Mansfield served as Captain after that 
 ed by Companies E, F and I, they al- all through the service of the regi- 
 so had another brush with Forrest's ment. The 1st Lieuts. were W. A. 
 men at Tyree Springs, Tenn., Sept. Hull, C. O. Thomas and C. S. Hicks, 
 11, 1862, when the rebels again re- and the 2nd Lieuts. were W. R. Sel- 
 treated. Ion, A. H. Canfield, J. D. Hyde and 
 
 The company had a total enroll- Alex. Goodal. 
 
 ment of about 250 inembers, and lost The company was in the battle of 
 
 35 from disease. Murfreesboro, July 13, 1862, where 
 
 COMPANY E was recruited large- it lost William White, Hugh Webster 
 
 ly from Wayne, St. Clair and Wash- and James Reynolds killed, and sev- 
 
 tenaw counties during the months of eral others seriously wounded, P. W. 
 
 August and September, with head- Hilliar being soon after discharged 
 
60 
 
 therefor. About 25 members died 
 from disease. The total membership 
 during its entire service was 210. 
 
 COMPANY H was recruited from 
 several counties, principally from 
 Washtenaw and Ionia, the date of 
 the organization being August 16, 
 1861. Andrew M. Adams was the first 
 Captain, being followed by S. S. Bangs 
 and Jacob Carris. S. A. Wiggins was 
 1st Lieut, and he was followed by 
 A. H. Canfield and C. R. Brand. 
 Charles T. Fox was 2nd Lieut, and 
 was succeeded by Alpheus Chase and 
 John D. Williams. 
 
 The company was engaged at Mur- 
 freesboro July 13, 1862, where it lost 
 Wm. Austin, killed, and Daniel Stray- 
 er, died of wounds. The company 
 suffered a severe loss from disease, 
 amounting to about 35. The roll 
 shows a total membership during its 
 service of about 200. 
 
 COMPANY I was composea of men 
 from Macomb, Wayne, Livingston 
 and the adjoining counties. The date 
 of its organization was August 15, 
 1861. William Jenney was its Cap- 
 tain, B. W. Hornbeck, 1st Lieut, and 
 A. P. Dickinson 2nd Lieut. Captain 
 Jenney was promoted to Major and 
 his successors were W. A. Hull, A. 
 M. Dobbelaere and B. H. Stevens; C. 
 T. Pox, W. R. Sellon, C. D. Coleman, 
 J. R. Owen and G. A. Watkins were 
 1st Lieuts., and A. C. Pond, Jacob 
 Carris, C. C. Starkweather, J. V. Hen- 
 
 ry, F. A. Palmer and C. A. Kelley 
 were 2nd Lieuts. of the company. It 
 was in the successful engagement 
 against Forrest at Tyree Springs, 
 Tenn., Sept. 11, 1862, when it lost 
 several men taken prisoners, and 
 Lieut. Charles T. Fox was mortally 
 wounded, dying Sept. 23. Their loss- 
 es from disease were not so large as 
 some other companies, only about 20 
 dying from that cause. During its 
 term of service there were about 200 
 names on the roll. 
 
 COMPANY K was mostly Livingston 
 county men, enlistments being made 
 in August and September, 1861. 
 John A. Tanner was Captain, Thos. 
 J. Conely, 1st Lieut, and Lewis V. 
 Curry 2nd Lieut. These were follow- 
 ed by T. J. Conely and A. C. Pond, 
 Captains; J. N. Wallace, Jacob Car- 
 ris, J. W. Higgins and Andrew Nuh- 
 fer 1st Lieuts.. and G. D. Tucker, J. 
 W. Higgins and J. R. Owen, 2nd 
 Lieuts. The total membership dur- 
 ing its term of service was about 225, 
 of whom about thirty died from dis- 
 ease. 
 
 The company's loss at the battle 
 of Murfreesboro, July 13, 1862, was 
 very severe, George Newberry, Sam- 
 uel Rust and George Shaffer being 
 killed; and Charles Avis, William 
 Knowles and D. G. Olmstead mortal- 
 ly wounded, while several others sus- 
 tained serious wounds. 
 
 "Stand by the Flag, on land, and ocean billow; 
 
 By it your fathers stood, unmoved and true, 
 Living, defended— dying, from their pillow, 
 
 With their last blessing, passed it ou to you. 
 
.imr-^WII 
 
 
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 """"■laiiffliiH 
 
 I- " 
 
 O E 
 
 CO ™ 
 
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 tU Q. 
 
 ^ a: 
 
 QC o 
 
 UJ o 
 
 I m 
 
 g i 
 
 tr Q 
 
HENRY M. D'JFFIELD 
 
 First Adjutant of the Ninth at age of 
 20 years. Captain and Ass't Provost 
 Marshal General on General Thomas' 
 Staff, Feb., 1864 to April, 1865; Col- 
 onel of State Militia; Brigadier Gen- 
 eral in Spanish-American War; De- 
 partment Commander of Michigan G. 
 A. R. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 THE FORTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY Capitol resounded with most excel- 
 REUNION HELD AT LANSING. ^T^ martial music from these good 
 
 players. 
 ■ Mayor J. G. Reutter gave an elo- 
 
 The Executive Committee of the quent address of welcome to the vis- 
 National Encampment, having finally itors, which was responded to in an 
 decided to hold the great assembly able manner by Comrade W. N. Sig- 
 of G. A. R.'s for 1913 at Chattanooga, gins. Company G, of Zephyr Hills, 
 that, under national supervision, fit- Florida, who is the Department Com- 
 ting recognition might be given and mander of the G. A. R. of that state. 
 proper observance made of the 50th The "Roll Call" was then begun, 
 anniversary of the battle of Chicka- The fourth name called, Serg't Henry 
 mauga, the date of our 1913 reunion C. Kenyon, Co. G, Jessup, Iowa, 
 was changed from Sept. 19 and 20 to brought forth a very patriotic re- 
 July 22 and 23, the place, from De- spouse. Comrade Kenyon is 82 years 
 troit to Lansing. old, quite feeble, yet determined to 
 
 Gettysburg may have the honor of meet his old comrades once more, 
 the largest gathering of the Blue and Comrade Henry Ries, Co. F, came 
 the Gray, but the state Representative from the distant northwest, travelling 
 Hall at Lansing was the scene of the from Dayton, Wash., to meet with the 
 greatest assembling of the survivors old Ninth for the first time since his 
 of any one regiment in the state of muster out. 
 
 Michigan — that of the Ninth Michi- One of the oldest members present 
 gan Infantry on July 22 and 23, 1913, was Elias B. Brown, Co. B, of Reed 
 when over 130 of the regiment met City, Mich., who has already passed 
 in honor of the semi-centennial anni- the 86th milestone, 
 versary year of Stone River, Chick- Ten answered "present" for the 
 amauga and Chattanooga. first time at this reunion: John Van- 
 
 Early in the morning of that, to us, Horn, Co. I, of Marquette; M. H. How- 
 eventful Tuesday of July 22, 1913, the ard. Co. H, Hamilton, Ind.; Wm. Eber- 
 Old Boys, many with their wives, not hard, Co. G, Colon; J. E. Weller, Co. 
 a few of them accompanied by other K, Kalamazoo; Hamilton Davis, Co. 
 members of their family, began to G, Corunna; Charles Sickles, Co. H, 
 congregate, and by noon 100 had reg- Marion; H. A. Choate, Co. D, North 
 istered with Ass't Secretary Tread- Adams; J. L. Dunn, Co. E, Onondaga, 
 way, and received a fine blue badge There were a number present for 
 from Miss Hope Atkins, the grand- the first time for the past 15 or 20 
 daughter of Comrade Treadway, of years, and Lieut. Dan Cole was with 
 Lansing. the boys after an absence of several 
 
 Company D marched in with fife years, 
 and drum, played by Comrades Fed- It was indeed remarkable to see 
 ner and Fox. the veterans greet each other, many 
 
 At two o'clock President H. C. Ran- for the first time in fifty years, and 
 kin called the association to order, also to notice how well they remem- 
 and presented Maj. R. H. Hendershott, bered, after all these years, the com- 
 the Drummer Boy of Co. B, who, with rades they knew way back in the six- 
 H. B. Hendershott, his son, and Colo- ties. There were many happy reun- 
 nel L. H. Ives, Mayor of Mason, who ions, warm clasps of hands, enjoya- 
 volunteered to beat the bass drum, ble tete-a-tetes, stories of memorable 
 At frequent intervals all day and eve- incidents, songs listened to and felt, 
 ning. and until high noon of the next recitations, and none but witnesses 
 day, the corridors and rooms of the can realize the enthusiasm and 
 
62 
 
 warmth of those greetings. That com- Fales, Bennett and Secretary Lester, 
 rades came such long distances to A copy of this history can be ob- 
 visit each other illustrates what tained from the secretary, 
 strong bonds of friendship the mutual Comrade Andrews made a motion, 
 dangers, privations and sufferings of seconded by Comrade Kinne, that 
 army life built up during the war. $50.00 be taken from the treasury to 
 There were sixty-four of the '61 Boys apply on costs of history already ad- 
 present, vanced by Comrade Bennett, which 
 
 Supper was served by the W. R C. motion was carried, 
 
 at six, and the campfire, presided Major Hendershott and son said 
 
 over by Pres. Rankin, began at eight they would give $125, and more if 
 
 with several selections by Maj. Hen- needed, towards expenses at any 
 
 dershott and his aides. time the association would meet with 
 
 Short speeches were made by Rev. them in Chicago. He also made the 
 
 Coglan, D. E. McClure, Col. L. H. statement that the famous Horace 
 
 Ives, Prof. C. E. Holmes and Comrade Greeley drum, which he had with him, 
 
 Siggins. Comrade Miller of an- should be turned over to the Ninth 
 
 other regiment presented the Michigan Association when he was 
 
 association with a hatchet be- through with it. 
 
 longing to Barry O. Morton of Co. H. C. Rankin was elected president, 
 
 C during the war, which had come W. P. Treadway 2nd vice president, 
 
 into his possession. It was taken in F. A. Lester secretary. A committee 
 
 charge by Serg't Lyman, a tentmate consisting of P. A. Lester, sec; 
 
 of the deceased comrade. W. G. Miner, Co. D; C. B. 
 
 It was brought to the attention of Andrews, Co. I; H. S. Hub- 
 the association that the flag which bard, Co. C; and W. P. Tread- 
 was saved from capture at Murfrees- way, Co. P, was elected to select the 
 boro, July 13. 1862. by Calvin Moon time and place for holding the next 
 (Lockwood) of Co. K, was in the pos- reunion, and also to select the 1st 
 session of a Mr. Spencer of Powler- vice president. 
 
 ville, and a committee consisting of A resolution was adopted asking 
 
 Comrades Fisher, Kelley and Andrews that the error in the date of enlist- 
 
 was appointed to call upon him and ment of Comrade Hendershott be rec- 
 
 ask him to turn the flag over to the tified. 
 
 association. The following telegram was sent to 
 
 Wednesday morning session was Captain Marble: "Your former com- 
 opened at nine o'clock with prayer rades in reunion at Lansing convey 
 by Comrade W. G. Miner. The busi- to you and your devoted wife their 
 ness part of the session centered affectionate regards and greetings." 
 around Captain Bennett's "Histori- Throughout the entire reunion there 
 cal Sketches" which went over from were more ladies present than ever 
 last year at .lackson, and which were before — soldiers' wives and daughters, 
 ordered printed by the association, widows of deceased soldiers; and 
 The captain's presentation of this sub- there were more guests than on any 
 ject upon which he had put so much previous occasion — all friendly, cheer- 
 thought and effort was entertaining ful and enthusiastic as possible, 
 and convincing; following which sev- Everybody was in accord and 
 eral assistants were kept busy dur- agreed that they had enjoyed them- 
 ing a brief recess registering orders selves, and that the effort to be pres- 
 for the history, comrades subscribing ent was worth all the cost. And ev- 
 usually for two. three and four copies eryone promised to be on hand next 
 for themselves and children. year and tell every other comrade 
 
 Comrade J. W. Fales generously about this great anniversary reunion, 
 paid $25.00, and was followed by sev- The following is the "Roll" as call- 
 oral others by smaller amounts ed, all residing in Michigan except 
 towards a fund for placing cloth as noted: 
 
 bound copies of the history of the Company A. — Lieut. D. W. Cole. i2. 
 
 regiment and of its reunions in all P. Draper, .T. T. Watrus, Chas. Van 
 
 libraries in Michigan in localities Ness, John Hall, True Hart. M. W. 
 
 where the different companies enlist- Dickerson. 
 
 ed, as may be recommended by the Company B. — L. E. Coder, North 
 
 Committee on Distribution— Comrades Liberty, Ind.; R. H. Hendershott. 
 
Chicago, 111.; Francis Hanover, E. B. 
 Brown, W. W. Crocker, O. A. Carley, 
 L. C. Spink, T. P. Bristow, C. A. 
 
 Brunk, H. B. Hendersliott (honorary). 
 Company C. — E. G. Lyman, Frank 
 
 Lester, A. A. Leach, T. S. Vining, Lt. 
 
 F. A. Palmer (C, I and F), H. C. Ran- 
 kin, H. S. Hubbard, Toledo, Ohio; 
 
 G. N. Halsey, Stephen Wyman, C. 
 E. Redner, Fred Coons, H. T. Mills, 
 Henry Anderson, B. B. Anderson, J. 
 A. Lockwood. 
 
 Company D.— J. W. Klotz, W. G. 
 Miner, E. D. Calkins, Sam Bingham, 
 Joseph Hanchett, C. T. Smith, M. S. 
 Howell, R. Luscher, J. A. Dalzell, 
 James Jourdan, John Waters, D. W. 
 Lightner, Geo. Lininger, D. D. Sabin, 
 A. A. Miner, H. A. Choat, Sylvester 
 Rumsey. Theron Gladden. John Van 
 Horn, H. C. Glines, O. B. Willey. E. 
 C. Fox (honorary). 
 
 Company E. — Lieut. A. S. Bunnell 
 (D, CandE), J.L.Dunn, Jacob Strong, 
 J. A. Sutton, D. J. Holbrook. 
 
 Company F. — Henry Ries, Dayton, 
 Wash.; E. E. Tiech, W. P. Treadway, 
 C. E. Rhodes, LaFayette Davis, S. A. 
 Crane, M. H. Miller, Geo. Graham, J. 
 W. Fales, W. D. Storrs, J. A. Rhodes, 
 H. E. Newton, S. A. Spaulding. 
 
 Company G. — H. C. Kenyon, Jesup, 
 Iowa; Fred Lantz, Lieut. C. W. Ben- 
 nett (F), Wm. Eberhard, Thomas 
 Rhodes. J. F. O'Loughlin, Milwaukee, 
 Wis.; D. G. Parker, John Thompson. 
 C. L. Fish, Warren Newton, William 
 Tadman. Obediah Johnson, W. N. 
 Siggins. Zephyr Hills, Fla.; C. H. 
 Yates, Gottlieb Kramer. Hamilton 
 Davis. 
 
 Company H. — E. G. IngersoU, Chi- 
 cago. 111.; J. W. Quinn, Madison, Wis.; 
 M. A. Howard, Hamilton, Ind.; N. W. 
 Tracy, W. O. Hendryx, Chas. Sickles, 
 W. O. Horton, L. A. Bronson, T. L. 
 Millard, J. C. Hills, Edwin Camp. 
 
 Company I. — Capt. B. H. Stevens, 
 John VanHorn. C. B. Andrews, Lieut. 
 C. A. Kelley, H. L. Crippen, G. W. 
 Haynes, Harrison Crippen, Ernest 
 Crippen, Henry Doty, S. E. House. 
 
 Company K. — W. H. Ostrom, Dan. 
 McCoIlum. Oren Bowen, L. E. Fuller, 
 Marvin Benjamin, J. G. Copeland, Al- 
 vin Stage, J. S. Stage, G. L. Fisher. 
 Edgar Durfee, V. C. Smith. Isaac 
 Morse, T. E. Morse, W. H. Sheffield. 
 J. A. Tanner, W. H. Gould, Samuel 
 Garrison. J. E. Weller. J. E. Kinne. 
 
 63 
 
 N. R. Scott, H. B. Appleton, C. D. 
 Parsons. 
 
 Resolutions were passed during the 
 closing hours thanking the entire 
 Treadway family for their activities 
 in playing host and hostesses on a 
 big scale, also acknowledging obliga- 
 tions to the bass drummer. Mayor L. 
 H. Ives, of Mason. 
 
 The attendance was the third 
 largest of all our forty-five years of 
 meetings, and secretary Lester read 
 scores of letters and cards from com- 
 rades all over the country who sent 
 fraternal greetings, and regrets that 
 they could not be present. 
 
 The year 1913 will be always held 
 in vivid remembrance for its half-cen- 
 tury recollections of the war — Lin- 
 coln's Emancipation Proclamation 
 taking effect, Gettysburg's tide of in- 
 vasion and great set-back of the Con- 
 federates, Vicksburg's triumphant 
 capture, Chickamauga's long death 
 roll of the Blue and the Gray, and 
 scores of other consecrated Civil war 
 memories of '63. (From reports by 
 Comrades Rankin and Lester). 
 
 Letters of Regret. 
 
 Letters and cards of kindly greet- 
 ings and regrets that they could not 
 be present were received and read 
 from the following: 
 
 Staff— Major Wm. Jenney, Dr. A. K. 
 Frain, Commisary Serg't., M. D. Hall- 
 aday, Band. 
 
 Company A — Alex. Abar, David Ad- 
 amson, Geo. W. Green, Alpheus Grov- 
 enburgh, Robt. A. Hamilton. 
 
 Company B — E. A. Burnett, W. D. 
 Burroughs, John Decker, Joseph Hill, 
 Wm. F. Hurlbutt, E. M. Pressey, W. 
 C. Tanner, J. H. Thatch, Mrs. Martha 
 Conquest-Hutchinson, W. F. Canady. 
 
 Company C — Hiram Beardsley, Ben 
 Dearing, E. H. Davis, A. H. Gallup, 
 Arnold Lamdin. C. W. Shepard. 
 
 Company D — Alex. M. Bennett, Ran- 
 som Braman, H. R. Cunningham, H. 
 R. Harper, W. H. Hassett, James Hag- 
 erty. 
 
 Company E— E. E. Carter, C. L. 
 Hogue, Geo. M. Mott. 
 
 Company F— Capt. E. Marble, W. W. 
 Brown, John Colby, L. L. Davis, J. P. 
 Rhodes, B. A. Roath, C. D. Whitman. 
 
 Companv G — A. J. Brown, Goo. Gor- 
 ball, P. W. Hilliar, G. W. Hubbell, Bar- 
 
64 
 
 low Smith, Benj. Stoddard, A. B. Whip- 
 ple. 
 
 Company H — Jacob Giithard, Lieut. 
 J. V. Henry, Mrs. O. M. Corey. 
 
 Company I — Joseph Brown, J. F. 
 Cotton, L. O. Ford, Lieut. J. B. Gun- 
 ning, Peter Lehman, Alex. Scougale, 
 I. J. Secord, Perry Starkweather, 
 Elias Whitcomb. 
 
 Company K — C. L. Brinck, D. L. 
 Brinck, H. H. Hause, Josiah Miller, 
 Albert Slater, Wm. E. Surine. 
 
 THE FORT WAYNE MEETING. 
 
 The following attended the Fiftieth 
 Anniversary Reunion at Fort Wayne, 
 Sept. 20, 21, 1911. Nearly all of their 
 portraits are in the cut at the close 
 of this book. 
 
 Field and Staff— Major William Jen- 
 ney, Adjutant Henry M. Dufheld. 
 
 Band — James W. Clark, Thomas 
 Rhodes, Wellington White. 
 
 Company A — Alex. Abar, W. H. 
 Crawford, Charles Finch, A. K. Frain, 
 Samuel Fuller, True Hart, H. A. 
 Smith, J. T. Watrous. 
 
 Company B — E. A. Burnett, L. E. 
 Cole, J. Conquest, W. H. Converse," 
 James Kelley, L. C. Spink. 
 
 Company C — H. Anderson, F. Coons, 
 
 E. H. Davis, M. M. Dickerson, A. H. 
 Gallup, C. W. Hubbard, H. S. Hub- 
 bard, A. A. Leach, F. Lester. E. G. 
 Lyman, H. T. Mills, D. W. Moulton, 
 
 F. A. Palmer, W. W. Pixley, H. C. 
 Rankin, L. E. Springsteen, C. Tripp, 
 T. S. Vining. 
 
 Company D — A. Barrett, D. L. 
 Boyden, A. Bunker, A. S. Bunnell, E. 
 
 C. Fox, Geo. R. Gibbs, H. C. Glines, 
 J. Hanchett, W. H. Hassett, M. S. 
 Howell, J. Jourdan, J. W. Klotz, D. 
 Lightner, Geo. Lininger, R. Lusk, A. 
 A. Miner. W. G. Miner, S. Rumsey, D. 
 
 D. Sabin, D. F. Saxton, C. T. Smith, 
 J. W. VanHorn, J. N. Wallace, O. B. 
 Wiley. 
 
 Company E — W. E. Armstrong, W. 
 A. Benjamin, C. Brace, C. E. Brace, H. 
 Evans, D. J. Holbrook, Geo. M. Mott. 
 L. N. Rabedeau, J. A. Sutton, J. 
 Strauss, Geo. VanNest. 
 
 Company F — J. Allen, W. F. Brews- 
 ter. J. E. Colby, J. Downey, J. W. 
 Fales, Geo. Graham, M. H. Miller, A. 
 Nevins, E. E. Tiech, W. P. Treadway, 
 R. Wallace, R. C. WilliaiAs, W. W. 
 Wines. 
 
 Company G — C. W. Bennett, A. C. 
 Chapaton, H. C. Kenyon, G. Kramer, 
 F. Lantz. S. A. Mansfield, W. Newton, 
 
 J. F. O'Loughlin, G. Sedelow, B. J 
 Stoddard, C. H. Yates. 
 
 Company H — J. Ackley, L. A. Bron 
 son, W. H. Egleston, J. Guthard, F 
 T. Hawkins, W. O. Horton, E. G. In 
 gersoll, G. R. Perse, E. Slayton, W 
 H. Taylor, J. H. VanArmon. 
 
 Company I — C. B. Andrews, J. P. 
 Armstrong, J. F. Cotton, E. M. Crip 
 pen, H. L. Crippen, H. Doty, S. E 
 House, W. Howton, C. A. Kelley, H 
 C. Paddock, Jas. Remington, J. Sorter 
 P. Starkweather, B. H. Stevens, Chas 
 Thompson. 
 
 Company K — H. B. Appleton, W. E 
 Bennett, J. G. Copeland, M. Dennison, 
 E. Durfee, Geo. L. Fisher, S. Garri- 
 son, W. H. Gould, D. McCollum, L 
 Moore, T. E. Morse, C. D. Parsons, V. 
 C. Smith, A. Stage, J. F. Stage, J. A. 
 Towner. E. VanWormer. 
 
 The address of every comrade men- 
 tioned in this book can be found in 
 Frank A. Lester's unequalled Roster 
 of 1911, which every member of the 
 Ninth should have. 
 
 Comrades should make every possi- 
 ble effort to attend all these enjoya- 
 ble gatherings, because. 
 
 Our eyes are growing dim, 
 Our ranks becoming thin; 
 X few more years in sweet commun- 
 ions 
 Will mark the last of our reunions. 
 "On mountain sides 
 In ocean's tides. 
 Our slumbering heroes calmly wait. 
 Till years are run. 
 Time's work all done. 
 One Mighty Hand shall swing 
 death's gate. 
 And bear us all beyond the sun" — 
 To join an everlasting Union. 
 
 HON. HENRY C. RANKIN 
 
 President of Ninth Michigan Infantry 
 
 Association. 
 
 Comrade H. C. Rankin, who has so 
 ably and eloquently written the his- 
 tory of our reunions, has been active 
 either as an ofTicer or on committees 
 nearly all these forty-five years of our 
 meetings. He was elected represen- 
 tative to the legislature from the 
 second district of Washtenaw county, 
 Nov. 8, 1910, and served two years 
 as a "live wire" of that body. The 
 Michigan Red Book says: 
 
 "He was born in Rending. Ponnsyl- 
 
MORTIMER MANSFIELD, In 1875 
 Captain Co. G. Breveted Colonel 
 
 "for gallant and moritorions services 
 
 during the war." 
 
GENERAL JOHN GIBSON PARKHURST, in 1905 
 
 Died at Coldwater, Mich., May 6, 1906 
 Was Secretary of the Charleston Convention, 1860; 
 U. S. Marshal Dlst. of Mich., 1866-69; Minister to 
 Belgium, 1888-89. 
 
vania, December 1, 1843. The Ran- 
 kins moved to Michigan in 1856, set- 
 tling on a farm in Jackson county. 
 During the Civil war Mr. Rankin 
 served three years in the Ninth Mich- 
 igan Infantry and one year in the 
 U. S. veteran volunteers. During 
 Grant's administrations he was an 
 active figure in Jackson county poli- 
 tics, although he persistently declined 
 office. In 1876 he graduated from the 
 Ypsilanti Normal and later took the 
 full classical course in Olivet College, 
 receiving his degree from that insti- 
 tution. He was superintendent of 
 schools at Cassopolis, Leslie, Buchan- 
 an and Lapeer. For more than twenty 
 years his services as an educator 
 were in demand. He has been suc- 
 cessful in soliciting college endow- 
 ments and in late years has taught 
 in the Cleary Business College at Yp- 
 silanti. He is married and has three 
 children. One daughter is Mrs. Dr. 
 Grawn, of Duluth, one is assistant 
 instructor in English in the State Nor- 
 mal College, and his son, Paul, thir- 
 teen years old, is a junior in the Yp- 
 silanti high school. He is a Republi- 
 can and was elected to the legisla- 
 ture November 8, 1910, by a vote of 
 1,993 to 1,885 for Frank Johnson and 
 116 for Albert D. Newton." 
 
 Comrade Rankin is not only an ar- 
 dent Republican, but he was a lead- 
 er for woman suffrage and in all tem- 
 perance legislation, and he hopes to 
 live to see his wife a voter, and the 
 whole state of Michigan "Dry." 
 
 Governor Chase S. Osborn appoint- 
 ed him Honorary Colonel "for merit- 
 orious services to the state of Michi- 
 gan." He is a teacher of mathematics 
 in the Cleary Business College, where 
 he is known as "the lightning calcu- 
 lator." 
 
 THE DRUMMER BOY OF THE 
 RAPPAHANNOCK. 
 
 Comrade Hendershott, the original 
 drummer boy of Company B, on Dec. 
 11, 1862, at Fredericksburg, perform- 
 ed an act of so much bravery for a 
 boy that he won the title of "The 
 Drummer Boy of the Rappahannock." 
 For 29 years he held that title un- 
 disputed, giving exhibitions of his 
 skill all over the country. But, 
 though he held certificates of com- 
 mendation for that act from Gens. 
 
 65 
 
 Scott and Burnside, and from Stan- 
 ton, Lincoln and others, and all that 
 time carried the drum presented to 
 him three months after his brave act 
 by Horace Greeley before a large au- 
 dience in New York city, at the Na- 
 tional Encampment held in Detroit in 
 1891, some of the 7th Michigan infan- 
 try raised the claim that Hendershott 
 was not the boy that won the honors 
 at Fredericksburg, but that it was a 
 drummer of their regiment. They 
 did not notify Horace Greeley when 
 he sent for Hendershott to come to 
 New York to be honored by a public 
 reception that he was giving the 
 drum to the wrong boy, and for 29 
 years they had neglected to honor 
 their own boy! 
 
 In reading the letters written to 
 my father during the war in search 
 of data for these sketches I found 
 one dated Murfreesboro, Tenn., Sun- 
 day, March 15, 1863, containing the 
 following passage: 
 
 "The drummer boy, Hendershott, 
 that you see mentioned so much in 
 the papers, came with Co. C from 
 Jackson. He was so young (less than 
 eleven years old) that the mustering 
 officer refused to muster him into 
 the regiment. But he was so deter- 
 mined to go that he went as a waiter 
 for my Captain, Chase. While at 
 West Point he got mustered in as a 
 drummer in Co. B, though by an over- 
 sight the muster did not appear on 
 the roll until in the following spring 
 of 1862. He was captured, paroled 
 and sent to Camp Chase with his com- 
 pany, and there was mustered out 
 because of his extreme youth. Soon 
 after he re-enlisted in the 8th Michi- 
 gan infantry and was with that regi- 
 ment at Fredericksburg when he won 
 his fame. He is a small, bold, father- 
 less city boy, but naturally smart and 
 intelligent. I enclose a clipping from 
 a Nashville daily paper that tells 
 about his adventure and reception in 
 New York." 
 
 The following is the clipping from 
 the daily paper: 
 
 "The drummer boy who crossed 
 the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg 
 with the first boat of soldiers, in the 
 face of the enemy, was pi'esented to 
 the great war meeting in New York 
 city, on Friday night last. Gen. Wet- 
 more, in presenting him said: 
 
 " 'You will remember, that at the 
 battle of Fredericksburg, many men 
 
volunteered to cross the river and 
 spike the guns of the enemy. This 
 boy insisted upon going with them 
 but was told that he was too small. 
 When the first boat shoved off he 
 hung on to the stern of the boat, and 
 went over in the water. (Applause). 
 While on the other side he picked 
 off a rebel, got his gun and brought 
 it over. (Applause). General Burn- 
 side praised him in the face of the 
 army. He is a drummer boy, and has 
 got his drum here. It was presented 
 to him today by Mr. Horace Greeley. 
 of the Tribune, for his gallantry. 
 His name is Robert Henry Hender- 
 shott — and he shot a rebel. (Ap- 
 plause). He belongs to the Eighth 
 Michigan infantry. He will now beat 
 a tune for you!' (Cheers). The boy 
 then came forward and beat a tat- 
 too on his drum in a truly artistic 
 style, very much to the gratification 
 of the audience, who cheered him 
 loudly." 
 
 Now that letter and newspaper 
 clipping written a few days after the 
 event in New York (which were ex- 
 hibited and read at the Jackson re- 
 union, and a vote of confidence given 
 to comrade Hendershott) give incon- 
 trovertible evidence that Robert Hen- 
 ry Hendershott (and not any other 
 name) was the original "Drummer 
 Boy of the Rappahannock." 
 
 Drummer Boy of the Ninth. 
 
 Thomas Rhodes enlisted in Moul- 
 ton's Ninth Michigan Cornet Band or- 
 ganized in Coldwater in August, 1861, 
 as snare drummer; served with the 
 band until captured at Murfreesboro, 
 paroled at McMinnville, and on reach- 
 ing Camp Chase was mustered out 
 under a general order from the War 
 Department discharging all regimental 
 baiids. 
 
 When the regiment was in Cold- 
 water to reorganize as Veterans in 
 January, 1864, the officers unanimous- 
 ly elected him Drum Major of the reg- 
 iment, but because of his extreme 
 youth he modestly declined. But in 
 the following summer (Aug. 20, 1864). 
 he re-enlisted and was assigned to 
 Ihe Ninth and arrived at Chattanooga 
 in October after Hood's army had 
 torn up the railroad in several places 
 south of there. Finally Lieut. Col. 
 Wilkinson arrived from Michigan, 
 where he had been on furlough, and 
 
 by his request Rhodes selected fifteen 
 volunteers to go through to Atlanta, 
 when it was considered so dangerous 
 that teams were not allowed to go. 
 They secured some old Belgian mus- 
 kets and sallied forth, Wilkinson in 
 command. One day while sitting down 
 to rest a rebel cavalry force came 
 within a few rods of them, but for- 
 tunately overlooked them. After some 
 days they reached Resaca, where they 
 took a train for Atlanta, arriving 
 there on Sunday, Oct. 30. Capt. Mans- 
 field immediately disarmed Rhodes, 
 giving him a drum instead, and he 
 used that until mustered out of the 
 service. The joke on Rhodes was 
 that the next day, before he had time 
 to rest, the regiment started for Chat- 
 tanooga, and he had to march that 
 138 miles all over again, through rain 
 and mud! 
 
 Since the war he has been almost 
 continuously playing in some band, 
 and this summer (1913), he is playing 
 two or three times a week in the 
 Coldwater Light Guard Band. He is 
 not only the oldest (having exper- 
 ienced fifty odd years of service), but 
 he is also considered the best drum- 
 mer in the state. 
 
 PARKHURST AND LOOMIS. 
 "What Might Have Been." 
 
 The firing on Ft. Sumpter on Fri- 
 day and Saturday, April 12 and 13, 
 1861, and its evacuation on Sunday, 
 followed on Monday, April 15, by a 
 proclamation by President Lincoln 
 calling for 75,000 volunteers created 
 intense excitement all over the 
 North. On Wednesday evening of the 
 17th a "war meeting" was held in the 
 Branch county court house, when 
 .Tohn G. Parkhurst, a prominent at- 
 torney, "unexpected.'y made a soeech 
 that was enthusiastically cheered," as 
 h<^ wrote it in his diary. The speech 
 was considered so good that it was 
 published in the local paper. He 
 later addressed many war meetings 
 in the city, Quincy, Batavia and oth- 
 er parts of the county, in the mean 
 time applying to Gov. Blair for a 
 military appointment. 
 
 For several weeks entries like the 
 following are to be found in his diary: 
 "Spent most of the day in war ex- 
 citement;" "So much war excitement 
 I could do no business;" "There was 
 
a large crowd in town today and all 
 excited." 
 
 Monday, April 29, the "Coldwater 
 Cadets" (Captain Butterworth, Com- 
 pany C, First Michigan three months 
 service), left for Detroit, and on be- 
 half of the ladies Miss Louise Noyes 
 (sister of Orlando Noyes and Mrs. 
 Parkhurst) made a speech and pre- 
 sented a flag to the company, to which 
 Parkhurst responded on behalf of the 
 company; and when they returned 
 from service in August he again made 
 a speech for the company in response 
 to a speech of welcome by the Mayor. 
 
 The next day, Tuesday, April 30, 
 the "Coldwater Light i^rtillery" left 
 for Detroit on three months service, 
 with Henry C. Lewis, Captain, and 
 John W. Culp and Wm. Cartshuff, 
 Lieutenants. Both of these compan- 
 ies were already in the state militia. 
 The government finally decided to ac- 
 cept artillery only on three years 
 terms, and so the officers and a 
 large part of the men who had not 
 arranged to be absent that long came 
 home. But action was at once taken 
 to fill the artillery company with 
 three years men, and H. C. Lewis, 
 John W. Culp and John H. Young call- 
 ed on Parkhurst and solicited him to 
 take the appointment as Captain of 
 the company, which he at once ac- 
 cepted. But when the time came for 
 him to join the company he wrote 
 in his diary, "Amelia (his wife) is so 
 seriously sick I could not leave her 
 to go to Detroit today." After long 
 suffering, during which he gave her 
 his undivided attention day and night, 
 I\Irs. Parkhurst died on July 26. 
 
 September 3 Parkhurst received no- 
 tice from Gov. Blair of his appoint- 
 ment as Lieut. Colonel of the Ninth 
 Infantry, which he at once accepted. 
 
 No one can tell what different his- 
 tories Battery A and the Ninth Infan- 
 try might have written had Mrs. Park- 
 hurst not been sick at that time. 
 
 Saving the Flag. 
 
 Comrade Geo. L. Fisher, of Com- 
 pany K, writes the!: while the officers 
 were considering the demand by G^n. 
 Forrest for the surrender at Murfrees- 
 boro, Calvin Moon, of Company K, 
 who was then employed at regimental 
 headquarters, secured the Headquar- 
 ters Flag with the soldier's sentiment 
 of keeping it from the hands of the 
 
 67 
 
 enemy. By suggestion of Lieut. L. V. 
 Curry they wrapped it around Moon's 
 body under his blouse, and when the 
 i-ebel officers inquired for it no one 
 seemed to know where it was. Moon 
 thus carried the flag safely to Mc- 
 Minnville where we were paroled, 
 and then to Camp Chase, where he 
 was discharged for disability and 
 went home to Fowlerville, Mich. He 
 has exhibited the flag at several re- 
 unions, and kept it until his death 
 several years ago, since which it has 
 been in possession of James P. Spen- 
 cer, of Fowlerville. 
 
 It ought to be deposited with our 
 other flags in the state museum at 
 Lansing, with the story of its preser- 
 vation. (At the Lansing reunion, July 
 22-23, 1913, a committee was appoint- 
 ed to try and get this done). 
 
 Indebted to General Hooker. 
 
 Comrade John W. Klots, of Com- 
 pany D, says that one day when the 
 army was near Atlanta he was Order- 
 ly in front of General Thomas' tent 
 and General Hooker called on him. 
 After conversing some time about the 
 campaign he overheard Thomas tell 
 Hooker that so many regiments were 
 jealous and so much complaint had 
 been made because he had kept the 
 Ninth so long for his headquarters 
 guard — the claim being made that 
 other regiments should be given the 
 honor for a time — that he had just 
 told General Whipple (Chief of Staff) 
 to send the Ninth to Gen. Jeff C. Davis 
 for assignment to regular field ser- 
 vice in his (14th) corps. (The Ninth 
 belonged to the 14th corps but was 
 on special duty with Thomas). Gen- 
 eral Hooker replied, "If I had a regi- 
 ment that had stopped stampedes in 
 my army twice at critical times when 
 a battle was raging, I would stick by 
 it rather than to change for an un- 
 tried regiment. If I had had such a 
 regiment to perform that service and 
 stop my right wing when it broke at 
 Chancellorsville I would not have lost 
 that battle." 
 
 After Hooker left General Thomas 
 seemed to meditate a few moments 
 and then called to Klots, "Orderly, 
 give my compliments to Gen. Whip- 
 ple and tell him if he has not yet 
 issued that order about the Ninth to 
 not issue it; if he has issued it, re- 
 call it." Klots delivered the message. 
 
and the Ninth held its position of 
 honor and trust all through the war 
 and to the close of its service 
 months after, by this advice of Gen- 
 eral Hooker. Klots could not relate 
 this incident during the war as it 
 would have subjected him to disci- 
 pline for breach of confidence. 
 
 A CONFEDERATE MUNCHAUSEN. 
 
 In the spring of 1912 while search- 
 ing for information to write an ac- 
 count of the Battle of Murfreesboro 
 I found in Wyeth's "Life of General 
 Forrest" the following story, briefly 
 summarized: 
 
 A Captain William Richardson said 
 that he and another man were held 
 in the Murfreesboro jail as spies; 
 that Saturday afternoon, July 12, 
 1862, they were Informed that they 
 would be executed at sunrise the next 
 morning (having had no trial), and 
 if they had any preparations to make 
 they should make them at once; that 
 they spent the fore part of that night 
 with a minister, a Rev. Hensley; that 
 when Forrest attacked the place just 
 after daylight on Sunday morning, 
 July 13, several of the soldiers guard- 
 ing the jail (Co. B men) rushed into 
 the passageway in front of their cell 
 and attempted to shoot them through 
 the bars in the door, but they 
 saved themselves by crouching 
 in a corner out of range of 
 the guns; that then one of 
 the guards set a bundle of papers 
 on fire and shoved it under some 
 loose boards in the floor, thus set- 
 ting the jail on fire, and then all the 
 guards ran to their company in the 
 Court House, carrying the keys of the 
 jail; that it was only with great ef- 
 forts that Forrest's men saved their 
 lives by prying the door open a lit- 
 tle with a heavy iron bar so they 
 could just crawl out. 
 
 "After the fighting had ceased and 
 the Federal prisoners were all 
 brought together Gen. Forrest came 
 to me and said, 'They tell me that 
 these men treated you inhumanly 
 while in jail. Point them out to me.' 
 I told him there was but one man I 
 wished to call his attention to, and 
 that was the one who set fire to the 
 jail in order to burn us up. Forrest 
 asked me to go along the line with him 
 and point the man out. I did so. 
 (How could he select the right one 
 
 who set fire when at that time the 
 spy said he was hiding in the cell out 
 of sight of the guards?) A few hours 
 later, when the list of the private sol- 
 diers was called, the name of this 
 man was called and no one answered. 
 Forrest said, 'Pass on, it's all right.' 
 The Michigan company in the Court 
 House lost three men wounded, and 
 one WNACCOUNTBD FOR;" which 
 meant that Forrest had executed the 
 company B man they claimed set the 
 jail on fire. This story was repub- 
 lished in the Nashville Sunday Demo- 
 crat of Sept. 22, 1912, where it was 
 asserted that a gallows had been 
 erected. 
 
 Now notice the absurdities of that 
 story. I had never heard of it before, 
 and as it was a disgracing charge 
 against the humanity and soldierly 
 conduct of Company B men, I decided 
 to investigate it. Col. Parkhurst and 
 all the officers that might know of 
 such occurrences are dead, and so I 
 had to write to sergeants and pri- 
 vates for information. After writing 
 dozens of letters I have been unable 
 to find a single man of the Ninth who 
 ever heard of such an occurrence. 
 Such an unusual event as executing 
 two spies would have been the talk 
 of the army there. Spies were never 
 executed without a trial — never ex- 
 ecuted privately. All the troops in 
 the city would have been paraded on 
 that morning to witness ihe execution 
 for its moral effect. At least some 
 one ought to know about the build- 
 ing of the gallows. Col. Parkhurst, 
 as military governor of che district, 
 would no doubt have had to approve 
 the sentences, and he did not mention 
 it in his diary, and neither he nor any 
 one of the regiment has ever mention- 
 ed such an event at any of our an- 
 nual reunions and "camp-fires" held 
 for over forty years past. It was sav- 
 agery to shoot unarmed prisoners — 
 it was fiendish to try to burn them 
 up! There were not only about a 
 score of citizens in the jail, but also 
 half a dozen Federal soldiers held 
 for disorderly conduct. It is unthink- 
 able that any man of company P. 
 would burn up his own comrades and 
 a score of other people for the sake 
 of killing two spies. 
 
 In my extensive correspondence 
 about the matter I learned that Capt. 
 Richardson was still living, and a 
 member of Congress from Huntsville 
 
> 
 
 UJ 
 
 o ■£ 
 
 M 
 
 (S) en 
 
 DC ui 
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Alabama. So I wrote him to kindly second story. The jail was not set 
 give fuller detailed particulars. He on fire. He knows it was brick, and 
 replied briefly under date of Sept. saw it and walked all around it four 
 23, 1912, "I was in jail with another days afterwards, when it was stand- 
 prisoner and we were delivered by ing uninjured. Company B lost no 
 Forrest's men substantially as stated man killed or missing. He and his 
 by Dr. Wyeth (Forrest's biographer), squad did fearful execution by firing 
 His account of the affair is substan- on the rebels from the windows and 
 tially correct. The jail was on fire roof of the hotel, and fearing the reb- 
 when we were delivered. It was a els might wreak special vengence on 
 frame affair and was consumed in a them if taken there, when the sur- 
 very short time after we were tak- render came they slipped around the 
 en out." You see he still adheres to back way and surrendered with Gen- 
 the false tale— and he is a Congress- eral Crittenden as if a part of his 
 man! guards. 
 
 Now for the evidence. The jail Comrade Wm. F. Hurlbutt, Co. B, 
 was located on a street running west Buchanan, Mich., writes that he went 
 from the Court House and about two on guard at the jail Saturday morn- 
 blocks from it. It was a two story ing, July 12, and was there all the 
 building; all who express an opin- time until the attack came on Sun- 
 ion say it was brick; the guards oc- day morning, a little after four 
 cupied one room on the first floor, o'clock. No minister entered the jail 
 and five or six Federal soldiers were during all of that time. There were 
 in another room on the first floor, no spies in the jail; no gallows had 
 held for various misdemeanors, been erected; no one tried to shoot 
 About twenty citizens, including the the prisoners, who were above out 
 "hostages" and others held for dis- of reach of our guns; the jail was 
 orderly conduct, were on the second not set on fire. "Only one man was 
 floor. on guard with me in the jail when 
 
 Sergeant E. A. Burnett, of Co. B, the attack came. We each fired two 
 4204 McPherson Ave., St. Louis, Mo., or three shots at the enemy in the 
 writes me that he was Sergeant of street before they bursted in the back 
 the jail guards on the Friday before door, when we at once surrendered, 
 the fight and mingled freely with the I had the keys of the jail and gave 
 prisoners in delivering them delica- them to the rebels who unlocked the 
 cies sent in by friends; that there cell and released Tom Morgan, a 
 were no spies in the jail— that story young brother of Gen. Morgan, who 
 is all a myth; that the only impor- was the only important prisoner in 
 tant prisoner was a boy brother of the jail and the only one m a cell, 
 Gen. Morgan. Tom Morgan, whom the and then all the rest of the prisoners 
 cavalry brought in from the country were set free. After the company 
 a few days before, and who was surrendered at the Court House there 
 so nice that he at once became a gen- was no line-up of the company so a 
 eral favorite, but was to be sent to man could go along and select out 
 Nashville the next Monday. Burnett a man, and there was no roll call ot 
 savs no person was condemned to the company until we got back to 
 death while Co. B occupied the Nashville. The company had three 
 Court House. When the attack came wounded, but not a man was killed 
 on Sunday morning Burnett had five or 'missing.' " 
 
 men quartered in a vacant hotel at Comrade E. M. Reynolds, Co. B, 
 the corner of the public square. The Prineville, Ore., says he never heard 
 jail was the first object of attack in of that spy story before, and pro- 
 the city, and was in plain view from nounces every item false from begin- 
 his hotel. The jail guards did not ning to end. 
 
 try to go to the Court House for it Comrade Francis Hanover, Co. B, 
 was two blocks awav, and the street Galien, Mich., pronounces the whole 
 full of rebel cavalry; the guards did story a fabrication from start to fin- 
 not try to shoot any prisoners for ish. 
 
 they were too busy shooting at the Comrade W. F. Canady, Co. B, Ma- 
 rebels in the street, and could not nette, Wash., writes that he is very 
 have reached the prisoners if they positive that there was no roll call 
 had tried because they were in the of his company after the battle, and 
 
7(D 
 
 company B did not have a man kill- they all agree that the jail was a 
 
 ed or missing. brick structure, was not burned dur- 
 
 Comrade E. M. Pressev, Co. B, Che- i^S the fight on July 13, 1862, but was 
 
 topa. Kan., writes July 10, 1913, "That "^ed many years after. He sends me 
 
 spy story is a one-sided falsehood from ^^e name of a Confederate soldier 
 
 start to finish. I know the jail was living at Readyville (near Murfrees- 
 
 brick, and no man was killed by For- boro) who was with General Forrest 
 
 rest, and only three wounded." i" that battle, and he confirms those 
 
 Comrade R. H. Hendershott, Co. statements. 
 
 B, Oak Park, 111., wrote me thkt he ^^^ourtesy forbids my publishing 
 
 never heard of any spies in the jail, these names, but I can use them if 
 
 "That is a story for an occasion— "®^, ^ ,, . . .,. * ., ^ 
 
 a fake." Later, while on a concert ^ The following is positive proof that 
 
 tour in the south he wrote me, "Tal- ^^n ^"""^^^ J^if^ not execute a man 
 
 lapoosa, Ga., Oct. 19, 1912. We play- o^ Company B for setting fire to the 
 
 ed for the Blue and the Gray parade •" »i+„.„ ^f n^-^, • . ,. . ^ ^ 
 
 yesterday. Some of the Gra?s be- ...K^^^^l ^/^l^^^' ^^.^.^L^^L?^^" 
 
 longed to the Georgia regiment that 
 captured Co. B at the Court House. 
 
 eral's Office, Lansing, November 8, 
 
 1912. 
 
 "Mr. C. W. Bennett, Coldwater, Mich. 
 
 They remember me as the little drum- ..^^ o- rp^ .^ ^^ +i • ^ 
 
 mer boy. They say there were no . ^^ h t n '^u ""L^^ilf 
 
 spies in the jail at that time; that ^^^ "I'T V'^* Company B, 9th Mich- 
 the jail was a brick building, and ^^^^ ^"fr*'^;;-,?'^ """^ ?'^ "" ''"?^ 
 was not set on fire " "^^'^' ^^ther killed or 'unaccounted 
 
 ^ . ' . ■ for,' in the battle of Murfreesboro, 
 
 I have received a letter from a Tenn., July 13, iab2, nor in any other 
 relative of the spy, a prominent per- battle in that year, 
 sonage, in which he wrote, "It is pos- "Yours very truly, 
 
 sible that such a story was allowed "ROY C. VANDERCOOK, 
 
 to go out when it was not based on "Adjutant General." 
 
 ^^ts. J might keep on quoting similar evi- 
 
 A letter from a prominent business dence if space did not forbid, 
 man of Murfreesboro, a Conferedate It is regretful that the author of 
 soldier, says, "I lived close to this so important a book as a "Life of 
 place at that time. I don't believe General Forrest" should have been 
 the statements in the Wyeth book, inveigled into publishing such a 
 A long time after the war men are "cock and bull story" and a picture 
 apt to 'stretch the blanket.' " of the alleged hero. Is it possible 
 
 Another prominent merchant of that such an absurd story was in- 
 Murfreesboro writes me that "The vented, as it would seem, just to gain 
 jail was a brick building; it was not cheap notoriety, and to stigmatize the 
 burned during the battle July 13, 1862, men of Company B with cruelty to 
 but was used as a jail until 1887, prisoners — perhaps to help offset the 
 when it was destroyed by fire." horrors of Andersonville? The story 
 
 A well known lady, an old resident resembles some of the heroic tales 
 of Murfreesboro, who witnessed the humorously told by our boys at our 
 battle on July 13, writes me, "The "camp-fires" when the most absurd 
 jail was a brick building; it was not yarns are supposed to take the palm, 
 burned down." The Ninth spent the greater part 
 
 A prominent official of the city of of its four years service guarding 
 Murfreesboro writes me, "The jail prisoners on battle fields, on trains 
 was a brick building; it was not and in prisons, and it was never 
 burned down in the battle of July 13, known to mistreat them. Had it done 
 1862, but remained standing until so it would not have so long held its 
 1887, when it was destroyed by fire, position under the immediate eye of 
 and three prisoners were burned to General Thomas. 
 
 death in it." He sends me a copy of I have written over fifty letters to 
 the official records of the county court surviving members of the Ninth. 
 to prove this. largely to Company B men who were 
 
 A Federal soldier now living in in the Court House and jail: and to 
 Murfreesboro writes that he has in- Pennsylvania cavalrymen and to old 
 terviewed several old residents and residents of Murfreesboro. and I am 
 
71 
 
 prepared to prove by eye witnesses the mules proved to have the best 
 
 that there is not only no foundation "wind," and Eberhard escaped with 
 
 for that spy story, but thai every his team to Nashville, 
 
 item in it from beginning to end is He "veteranized," served four years, 
 
 utterly false. There were no spies and was mustered out with his regi- 
 
 in the jail at that time; no minister ment. After the war he managed a 
 
 came there; no gallows had been big cattle ranch for several years in 
 
 erected; no one tried to shoot any Nebraska, 
 prisoner; the jail was not set on fire; 
 it was not a frame building and did 
 
 not burn down; the guards did not (The following article copied 
 run to the Court House; the company from a Cold water paper is insert- 
 was not lined up so a man could be ed here in accordance with a un- 
 picked out; there was no roll call; animous vote of the regiment at 
 General Forrest did not execute a its reunion held in Jackson. Mich., 
 man for setting the jail on fire! July 13^ 1912.) 
 
 It is for the reader to decide wheth- ' ' 
 
 er or not that Munchausen tale was 
 
 told simply to glorify its author — and a PROTEST FROM 
 
 perhaps thereby gain a seat in Con- aw ni n vfxpram 
 
 gress! No such occurrences took '^'^ ^""^ vtit«MiN 
 
 place in Murfreesboro, Tenn., July Against Honoring Robert Lee in the 
 
 13, 1862. The honor and conduct of Public Schools of the City. 
 
 Company B men have been complete- ^ ^, ^,.^ 
 
 ly vindicated. To the Editor: 
 
 . I notice an annovincement that the 
 
 public schools are to celebrate the 
 
 HE SAVED HIS MULES. 
 
 birthday of General Lee next Friday. 
 
 I have never heard of their celebrat- 
 William Eberhard left Coldwater ing the birthday of Grant, Sherman, 
 with Company G, and on reaching the Sheridan or Thomas. Has it come to 
 South chose to be a teamster. He this, that traitors to their country are 
 seemed to "take" to mules, and they to be honored above those who helped 
 "took" to him. They fairly ate to- to defend it? Will this be followed 
 get her and slept together, and what he by celebrating the birthdays of Bene- 
 did not know about mules was not diet Arnold, Aaron Burr, Jeft'. Davis 
 worth knowing. All new and balky and Wilkes Booth? Is this the way 
 mules were turned over to his train- to teach patriotism to the children, by 
 ing. He was a unique character; ev- specially honoring the country's trait- 
 erybody knew "Bill" Eberhard. So ors? Have we not heroes enough that 
 whenever a mule was found loose any- fought for their country to receive 
 where some one would cry oirt, "Bill the admiration of the children? Would 
 Eberhard, here's your mule." This it not instill more patriotism into the 
 became so common that finally "here's hearts of the children to remind them 
 your mule" became a by-word in the of Barrett, Butterworth, Gilbert, 
 regiment, and later in the army, Loomis, Parkhurst, VanPelt and hun- 
 whenever anything was found loose dreds of other Branch county men 
 or out of place. who offered their lives to save the 
 
 After the surrender at Murfrees- country General Lee was trying to 
 boro he told a rebel officer that his destroy? 
 
 mules had had no water all day and If you honor Lee because he was a 
 he wanted to take them to the river great general, then also honor Bene- 
 to drink. The officer consented and diet Arnold who did not do one-tenth 
 sent a guard with him. He drove as much injury to his country as Lee 
 well out into the stream and while did. But Lee was only a subordinate 
 drinking the mules suddenly became of Jeff. Davis who inspired his ac- 
 unmanagable ( ?) and started for the tions. Why not place Jeff. Davis on 
 opposite shore. When across Mie reb- a pedestal by the side of Abraham 
 els fired at him, but missed, and Lincoln as another "typical Ameri- 
 "B'll" waved his hat to them, shouted can?" 
 
 "good bye," and put the whip to his When celebrating Lee's birthday 
 mules. The rebels gave chase, but please tell the children that he was 
 
72 
 
 not only a traitor, but he was also 
 a base ingrate — he was educated by 
 the government, was an honored offi- 
 cer in the army when the rebellion 
 began, was offered a higher command, 
 but deliberately chose to go with 
 traitors and fight to destroy the very 
 government that had educated him 
 and made him what he was! 
 
 Lee was an able general, but he 
 fought on the inside of a great cir- 
 cle among friends who knew all the 
 roads and lay of the country and will- 
 ingly told him. He generally fought 
 on the defensive, chose his own battle 
 ground, usually behind fortifications. 
 It was vastly different with the Union 
 generals who were among enemies 
 who would give no information, were 
 on the outside of that great circle and 
 so had to cover much more territory, 
 had to fight on the offensive, general- 
 ly assaulting fortifications where one 
 man is considered equal to three on 
 the outside. The only time Lee took 
 the offensive in the enemies' country 
 was at the battle of Gettysburg where 
 he met with such a terrible defeat 
 that it marked the beginning of his 
 downfall. 
 
 But when you are extolling Lee's 
 ability, tell the children it was that 
 ability that prolonged a war that sent 
 half a million of the most vigorous 
 men of the nation to untimely graves, 
 and cost the nation six billion dol- 
 lars, and that the nation is still pay- 
 ing over $150,000,000 a year to care 
 for those who lost health and limbs 
 in that war. 
 
 Tell them there are scores of vet- 
 erans of that war and widows in 
 Branch county that have to be aided 
 by a direct county tax to keep them 
 from starvation. 
 
 Tell them that Lee's army render- 
 ed hundreds of thousands of wives 
 suffering widows, and made half a 
 million children fatherless and depen- 
 dent. Ask them to consider how they 
 would like to have their fathers and 
 brothers compelled to go and suffer 
 and die to save the country from be- 
 ing destroyed by such an ambitious 
 traitor. 
 
 Just remind the children that 
 scores of them have grandfathers and 
 great-uncles lying in unknown graves 
 in the South, laid there by rebels un- 
 der the leadership of that General 
 Lee. Remind them that there are 
 scores of old men in this county who 
 
 are walking on wooden legs or crutch- 
 es, have lost an arm or a hand, or 
 are decrepit from wounds received 
 because of the rebellion headed by 
 "ihe General Lee they are extolling. 
 
 Tell them that Lee became noted 
 because he headed a most wicked re- 
 bellion to destroy the Union for the 
 purpose of pertuating human slavery. 
 If Lincoln and his loyal soldiers were 
 right in fighting four years to perpet- 
 uate the Union, then Lee and his fol- 
 lowers were radically wrong in try- 
 ing to destroy it, and you cannot hon- 
 or Lee or celebrate his acts without 
 dishonoring and insulting Lincoln and 
 the loyal men who fought to save the 
 nation. You cannot honor Lee and 
 celebrate his deeds without honoring 
 the unholy cause he represented and 
 led. 
 
 The rising generation that knows 
 nothing about the awfulness of the 
 great Civil War should be taught that 
 there is a vast difference between pa- 
 triotism and treason. They cannot ap- 
 preciate that difference if the leaders 
 of that rebellion are honored equally 
 with the defenders of our country. 
 And if leading traitors are to be thus 
 extolled what incentive will there bo 
 for coming generations to offer to ex- 
 pose their lives to defend and save 
 our country? 
 
 The children should be taught the 
 eternal truth that those who fought 
 to preserve the Union were everlast- 
 ingly right — those who tried to de- 
 stroy it in order to perpetuate human 
 slavery were everlasting wrong. 
 
 Now I am not "shaking the bloody 
 shirt." • I am not unfriendly to those 
 people of the South who are today 
 sincerely loyal to our country, and 
 honor "Old Glory" in preference to 
 the emblem of rebellion. But hav- 
 ing had four and a half years exper- 
 ience in that terrible war, I realize 
 something of its cost of suffering, 
 health and treasure, and I cannot 
 keep silent and hear traitors who pro- 
 longed that painful struggle eulogized. 
 
 Therefore, in the interests of pa- 
 triotism and loyalty to our country, 
 and in the names of the hundreds of 
 veterans still living in Branch coun- 
 ty, 1 protest against this insulting and 
 unpatriotic celebration of an arch 
 traitor to our country; and if the 
 teachers do not have sense enough to 
 see the absurdity of such a move, 1 
 earnestly appeal to the board of edu- 
 

 t' 
 
 w 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 -i^^i 
 
 L 
 
 '"^ 
 
 '^ 
 
 
 .- , ^llf- 
 
 * "'^' ''''• X: 
 
 
 Court House. Public Square, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1862. 
 
 MAJOR MANNY'S RESIDENCE 
 
73 
 
 cation to prevent this insult to vet- bial; the word fear does not seem to 
 erans and loyal citizens by having our be in his vocabulary, 
 children honor the leader of the most "One morning during the Atlanta 
 causeless, most cruel, most bloody, campaign while he and his staff were 
 most costly and most unholy rebellion mounting to go to inspect the lines 
 
 a rebel battery caught sight of them 
 and our camp, and opened fire on 
 them. The shells plowed through our 
 camp lively and one passed just over 
 
 civilization has ever known. 
 "The war for the Union was everlast- 
 ingly right; 
 
 The war against the Union was^ ever- ^^^^ general's head and buried itself 
 " ^ ^-''^ jj^ g^ large tree just behind him. While 
 
 his staff officers and others were dodg- 
 ing and "ducking," Thomas did not 
 seem to move a muscle, but calmly 
 
 lastingly wrong."— Garfield. 
 
 howe'er you ex- 
 
 -let us use 
 
 Treason is treason, 
 
 cuse it; 
 Patriotism, right, for aye 
 
 it. 
 
 C. W. BENNETT. 
 
 Coldwater, Mich., Jan. 13, 1912. 
 
 turned to Parkhurst and said, 'Colonel, 
 you better move the camp to one side 
 a little, out of range of that battery,' 
 and then slowly walked his horse 
 
 fTelenhones from all over the city away. 
 
 ueiepuoutb i um , ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ 
 
 jnigled f'',}:^l'l^^^%^^''J^^^^^^^ wavering before the murderous fire 
 
 board °f ^^f^^^^^t °n and ^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^ Chickamauga, Thomas 
 
 durmg that evening and the next fore ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ .^^^ ^1^^ ^^.^^, 
 
 noon that ^he ^tter had to hav^ an ^^^^ ^^ encourage the men, 
 
 assistant to hflP rePly' ^^^ ^^^ ^incy remarking to his staff, 'Gentlemen, 
 
 Tent^TlS tLTfTLrLeT^'^f you ^e^^r retire ^a little ;^I^ fear ^yo^^^ 
 thanks. The "celebration" did not 
 occur.) 
 
 will get hurt' — appreciating their dan- 
 ger but thoughtless of his own." 
 
 A historian has written, "His pres- 
 ence is commanding, and his manners 
 winning. In personal appearance he 
 is dignified and manly, in manners 
 gentle and courteous, in habits tem- 
 exacT coi/"or"th7"on°e in this Perate and virtuous. His military and 
 t-Actui, <^uyy w personal record is without a blot; 
 
 'none know him but to praise.' " 
 
 George Henry Tliomas was born in 
 Southampton county, Virginia, July 
 
 «miTpr a"nd" that" Rosecrans and 31, 1816. He graduated at West Point 
 smiles, and that Kosecians ana ^^ ^^^^^ standing twelfth in a class 
 
 the of forty-two, and was assigned as 2nd 
 
 Major General George H. Thomas. 
 
 On sending a picture of General 
 Thomas to my father during the war 
 
 (an 
 
 book), I wrote, "In his personal ap- 
 pearance General Thomas is sober, re- 
 served and dignified. It is said he 
 never jokes, and seldojn laughs or 
 even 
 
 Parkhurst are the only ones who ven 
 ture to joke him. But it 
 
 ;r;ndng sn;erioi^Y of me man that Lieut, to C^. E, 3rd Artillery, with 
 gives these impressions to the strang- 
 er, because to his subalterns and as- 
 sociates he is kind and affable, and 
 to everybody a courteous gentleman. 
 
 "I have never seen him ride on a • +u„ 
 
 gallop, and it is said his horse seldom L^^, « %-f-"L«^". ''l 
 
 which he served in the Indian wars 
 in Florida, and in the Mexican war. 
 For his brilliant services in Mexico 
 he was breveted Captain, and again 
 Major. Dec. 24, 1853, he was promot- 
 artillery. 
 May 12, 1855, he was appointed junior 
 Major of the Second Cavalry, of which 
 regiment Albert Sidney Johnston was 
 Colonel, Robert E. Lee was Lieut. 
 Colonel, and W. J. Hardee was sen- 
 nspire confidence ior Major. He held that position 
 when the rebellion began. That reg- 
 that everything is iment was organized by Jefferson 
 Davis then secretary of war, and near- 
 
 even trots. Even on the battle field 
 when other generals are rushing from 
 point to point, though he keeps his 
 aids fiying. his horse usually walks. 
 And, strange to say, his slow move- 
 ments at such times i 
 in the men; his apparent calmnes 
 makes them feel 
 
 ^%"ff ^sTid^hft^wMfe^watching the ly all of the officers were of southern 
 progress of a battle he has the pecul- birth-eviden ly ^« ^?\e«ted fo a pur- 
 !ar habit of stroking his beard-down- pose as nearly all of them joined the 
 ward if all is going well; upward, if rebellion. 
 
 • '^ '*' 6 ft prover- Thomas had had much service in 
 
 not. 
 
 His personal bravery if 
 
74 
 
 Indian wars, had been a teacher at 
 West Point, and was a thorough mili- 
 tary, scientific, legal and historical 
 student. When the rebellion began he 
 was on a year's leave of absence, and 
 though a native of Virginia, when his 
 state seceded he did not hesitate a 
 moment to side with the national gov- 
 ernment, but at once offered his ser- 
 vices for the defense of the Union — 
 thus showing a true patriotism high 
 above that of his fellow officers. 
 
 Pew generals were so fully acquaint- 
 ed with the minutest details and con- 
 ditions of his army, or so thoroughly 
 acquainted with the soldiers of a large 
 army in their minor organizations. 
 Lieut. Col. Wilkinson, commanding 
 the Ninth Michigan Infantry, which 
 for a long time was headquarters 
 guard, once said that he was in con- 
 stant fear lest General Thomas should 
 evince a more complete knowledge 
 of his regiment than himself. At 
 times the general did not see the 
 regiment for several months, and yet 
 he could give the names of the ser- 
 geants and the companies to which 
 they belonged. He was a close observ- 
 er, and having a retentive memory, 
 he often surprised his staff officers 
 and others about him by his intimate 
 knowledge of the minutest details of 
 matters pertaining to their several 
 departments, to which he had seem- 
 ingly given but little attention. 
 
 And few generals have been so ex- 
 haustive in preparation for campaigns 
 or battles as he, when time permitted. 
 His wisdom in this is vindicated when 
 it is known that "He never lost a bat- 
 tle." He was the "Brilliant Victor" 
 at Mill Springs, the "Solid Center" at 
 Stone River, the "Rock of Chickamau- 
 ga," the "Invincible Phalanx" at 
 Missionary Ridge, the "Victorious An- 
 nihilator" at Nashville. 
 
 The nation has not yet adequately 
 honored his superior personal abili- 
 ties, and his eminent services to the 
 country. 
 
 To have been the headquarters and 
 body guard of such a general for 
 nearly three years continuously, and 
 to have been kept in that position 
 several months after the war closed 
 and after most other regiments had 
 been mustered out, as was the Ninth 
 Michigan Infantry, was an honor not 
 enjoyed by any other regiment dur- 
 ing the Civil war. There must have 
 been good reasons for it. 
 
 "THE ROCK OF CHICKAMAUGA" 
 
 Let rebels boast their Stonewall brave 
 Who fell to fill a traitor's grave, 
 We have a hero grander far, 
 The Union was his guiding star. 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga." 
 
 When, foot by foot, stern Rosecrans 
 'Round grim Lookout, with bold advance. 
 Pressed back the rebels from their lair. 
 Our Thomas was the foremost there, 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga.' 
 
 And when, in mightier force, they came 
 With serried ranks and sheets of flame, 
 Sweeping apart our shattered bands, 
 Who snatched the palm from rebel hands? 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga." 
 
 All day they surged and stormed in vain. 
 Lost Chattanooga to regain, 
 In vain each furious battle shock; 
 They were but waves, and he the rock. 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga." 
 
 His clarion voice with cheering word. 
 Above the din of battle heard. 
 His bearing firm, his kindling eye 
 Fired every breast with ardor high. 
 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga." 
 A new Thermopylffi we found 
 On Chickamauga's bloody ground; 
 And in that rugged mountain pass 
 He stood our true Leonidas, 
 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga." 
 
 Gone is our hero, strong and brave, 
 Columbia weeps above his grave. 
 While high upon the roll of fame 
 She writes that loved and honored name. 
 The "Rock of Chickamauga." 
 
 — Wm. B. Hamilton, Lieut. 22d Mich. 
 
 CAPTAIN EPHRAIM MARBLE. 
 
 Ephraim Marble, Marshall, Mich., 
 has been a representative of the high- 
 est and best type of Americans. 
 
 He came to Michigan in November, 
 18.34, then a lad of but eight and a half 
 years. His has been a busy, capable, 
 willing, responsible life; patriot, far- 
 mer, scholar, teacher, educator, useful 
 citizen. 
 
 He was teaching a country school 
 when the call came for volunteers in 
 1846. Like Israel Putnam in the Rev- 
 olution, he responded at once, enlist- 
 ing in the 1.5th U. S. Infantry, in which 
 he served throughout the war with 
 Mexico, never a single day off duty. 
 
 When the Stars and Stripes wero 
 fired upon at Fort Sumter, Marble had 
 a devoted, scholarly wife and five chil- 
 dren. They were busy on the farm, 
 but he immediately began prepara- 
 tions to take part in the fray which he 
 foresaw would be a long and fiercely 
 contested warfare. 
 
 He enlisted as 2nd Lieut, in Co. F, 
 9th Michigan Infantry, Aug. 14. 1861; 
 was promoted to 1st Lieut. April 21. 
 

 
 
 i 
 
 ^^^BBks:^ .^^S 
 
 ^^^^HT^j^pTfl^^^B 
 
 rv^ 
 
 ^^i>:.:l 
 
 
 FIFTIETH-ANNIVERSARY REUNION. NINTH MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER INFANTRY AT FORT WAYNE, SEPTEMBER 20 AND 21, 1911. See names on page 64. Cut from H. C. Rankii 
 
1S62, and to Captain Co. B, Aug. 7, 
 1863. He resigned Sept. 26, 1864. He 
 was Acting Commissary at General 
 Thomas' headquarters from Dec, 1862, 
 to July, 1863; and Acting Ass't Com- 
 missary of the 14th Army Corps from 
 July, 1863, to Sept., 1864, during which 
 time millions of dollars in army sup- 
 plies passed through his hands, and 
 not a dollar went wrong. He was hon- 
 est, loyal, fearless, efficient, trustwor- 
 thy; was valued, trusted and honored 
 by Gen. Thomas, and to know him was 
 to love him. 
 
 When County Superintendent of 
 Schools Marble refused to give certi- 
 ficates to teachers who would not fore- 
 swear strong drink and tobacco while 
 teaching. 
 
 He was county treasurer four years, 
 and later a deputy in that office. Dur- 
 ing these years he met the present 
 Mrs. Marble, to whose patient, devot- 
 ed and self-sacrificing ministrations 
 he owes, in no small degree, his length 
 of days; for if he is spared until Lin- 
 coln's and his next anniversary, Feb. 
 12, 1914, Marble will be 88. 
 
 Since he first saw and heard Lin- 
 coln he has been an ardent, unswerv- 
 ing and enthusiastic Republican, and 
 is still loyal to that party. 
 
 Unusually forceful in all lines that 
 make for true manhood, doing the 
 right without any fear of personal con- 
 sequence, obedient to God, strong in 
 faith, loving his fellow men and anx- 
 ious to serve them, watched over ten- 
 derly by the best of wives, loyal to 
 every aspiration and inspiration which 
 has in vieAv the permanent betterment 
 of his beloved and almost revered 
 country. Captain Marble is sure of an 
 inheritance beyond when he shall ans- 
 wer "Here" to the final roll call. — 
 H. C. Rankin. 
 
 ERRATA 
 
 When this work was begun it was 
 planned to not exceed a 24 page pam- 
 phlet with no" illtistration^; but as it 
 progressed thie officers urged me to 
 include everything of interest about 
 the regiment that I could learn, and 
 to illustrate it. To trace out addition- 
 al stories and accounts, and to hunt 
 up photographs and get cuts made has 
 taken much time and correspondence; 
 but every month's delay has added to 
 the size of the book, and I hope to 
 its worth. 
 
 75 
 
 In July, 1913, an effort was made to 
 complete the work to be delivered at 
 the Lansing meeting, and in the haste 
 to accomplish that, proofs were read 
 only once (not re-read after one cor- 
 rection), which resulted in several er- 
 rors, especially in Comrade Rankin's 
 history. 
 
 Page 45, line 21, read, "light up eag- 
 erly." 
 
 Page 46, col. 2, line 31, "for the 1893 
 assembly." Last line, "a good social 
 time." 
 
 Page 47, line 30, "monument, sur- 
 mounted by a statue of General Park- 
 hurst." 
 
 Page 49, col. 2, line 15, "the old reg- 
 iment to make him an honorary mem- 
 ber." 
 
 Page 53, col. 2, line 16, "The Drum- 
 mer Boy of the Rappahannock." 
 
 Page 54, col. 2, line 1, "diseases in- 
 cident to camp life." In list of names 
 on that page Harrison T. Miller should 
 be Mills, and Henry West, Wert. 
 
 Page 56, line 7, "a needed organized 
 service." 
 
 Lieut. D. W. Cole reminds me that 
 it was Robert S. Granger who drilled 
 us at Bowling Green, as mentioned on 
 page 27. Robert Lee and Barney Mc- 
 Caffrey of Co. I were two of the ad- 
 vance guards captured at Tyree 
 Springs, as mentioned on page 25. 
 John C. Love, Co. C, should be in- 
 cluded in the list of wounded at Mur- 
 freesboro. 
 
 Besides the cut of Major Manny's 
 dwelling, Frank A Lester also sup- 
 plied the cut of the military prison at 
 Chattanooga from a photo he took in 
 April, 1913. He also supplied the cut 
 of Gen. Thomas, the Champ Ferguson 
 guards, Company E, and Lieut. Col. 
 Wilkinson. The latter he got made 
 from a photo he took from an oil 
 painting in the Capitol at Lansing, 
 the only picture of the Lieutenant Col- 
 onel in existance. I am also indebt- 
 ed to him for causing several other 
 cuts to be sent to me, and for many 
 helps and suggestions; as I also am 
 to Comrade Rankin. Both have been 
 Aarons to hold up my hands in the 
 work — a gratuitous work performed 
 with the sole hope that it will revive 
 in the minds of my comrades many 
 war time memories, and be handed on 
 to their children as a record of our 
 services in the great war for the Un- 
 ion. 
 
9tli SieiMENT! 
 
 MICHIBAS TOllJiraRS!! 
 
 'Mil 
 
 IE1UATEL7! 
 
 Pa J and M^mwm ct^iMiiieneei^ from the 
 
 time of sis^ning the muster rol!. 
 
 The Mt ;;h»eist will rendezvous September 9th, at Ft. 
 Wa^He, Detroit. 
 
 AH j>oo<l aiKl true men \\\u> can fight if neeessarj, will 
 ajipljC at onee at the 
 
 REPUBLICAN BUILDING.' 
 
 MORTIlflER 9IANSFIELD, Captaia* 
 CoidnaU 1% Aug. 27, 1 861. 
 
 Reduced copy of Co. G poster. (Orioinal kindly loaned by W. C. Bailey.)