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-UNION 
 
 COL. DAN McCOOK'S 
 
 THIRD BRIGADE 
 SECOND DIVISION 
 FOURTEENTH A. 0. 
 
 "ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND" 
 
 ASSAULT OF COl. DAN McCOOK'S BRIGADE ON KENESAW MOUNTAIN, OA., JUNE 27, 1864 
 
 DAN >[cCOOK 
 
 Col. 52d Ohio V. I.. 
 
 Brigadier General U. .<. Vols. 
 
 AUGUST 27TH AND 29TH, 1900 
 
 ROOM 206, COURT HOUSE 
 
 CHICAGO, - - - ILL. 
 
Headcjuarters THird Brigade, Second Division, I4 A.C. 
 
 CHICAGO. ILL., AUGUST 27. 1900 
 
 FIRST DAY MONDAY E\'ENI N.G 
 
 KOOM -.W COL'KT IIDU^K, FROM ti.lK) TO lO.lH) I'. M.. THK bX)LLO\VIN(; PkO- 
 
 GR AMME WAS PARTICIPATED IX HY ALU COMRADES OF 
 
 THE BRIGADE PRESENT. W/.: 
 
 PROGRAMMIC 
 
 FIRST DAY 
 
 MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 2 7, 1900 
 
 SOCIAL MEETING OF COMRADES 
 
 IX ROOM XO. JOt! COURT HOUSE, FROM li.iH) T{^ lO.W O'CLOCK P. >L. (.>F 
 
 coloxf:l dax mcCooks urigade. 
 
 >5th Royimeiit Inf.Htitry, Illinois Volunteer^;. 
 
 8<;tli Re.tiinietit Infantry, Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 IJoth Reginient Infantry, lUitiois Volunteers. 
 
 '-"icl Regiment Infantry, Indiana Volunteers. 
 
 v>-(.\ Regiment Infantry, Ohio Voluntoors. 
 
 Battery "I," 2tl Regiment Light Artillery. Illinois Volunteers. 
 
 SECOND DAY 
 
 TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1900 
 
 PARADE— Grand Army of tKe Republic 
 
 EVEXIXG from 6.00 TO 11.00 O'CLOCK 
 
 STATE REUNIONS 
 
 ILLIX(,ns — Tth Regiment Armory. Thos. G. Lawlor. Past Com. in Chief, 
 Rockford, lU., Chairman; Col. John C. Black. 37 111. Inf.. Vice Chairnum. 
 room 431 Monadnock Block, Chicago. 
 
 IXDIAXA — 1st Regiment Armory. Jas. R. Carnalian, Past Dept. Com., In- 
 dianapolis. Chairman; H. R. Currier, I'iSth Ind. Inf., Vice Chairman. 
 3427 South Hermitage Ave., Chicago. 
 
 OHIO— First M. E. Church Block, corner Clark and Washington Sts. John S. 
 K.nmtz, Past Com. in Chief, Toledo. Chairman ; H. Z. Eaton, 7th Ohio 
 Inf., Vice Chairman. Hyde Park P. O. Chicago. 
 
 
PROGRAMMi: 
 
 THIRD DAY 
 
 W i: I) N H S I) A Y, A (J rid ST 29, 190 
 
 First Reunion of the Third Brigade 
 
 2d Division. 14tH Arxny Corps 
 
 H l< I C. A I) i: R I: U N I O N FN 
 
 KOOM 20«, COURT HOUSE, FROM 8.C0 A. M. TO 5.59 P. M 
 
 !»,(I0 A. M. Aium:.l K.iinion ol tlif .7.''! (»ljio Volunteer Infjuitry 
 
 Business Meetings 
 
 ;i.;i<) A. M. Hr.tli Wc«iMi<rit Jlliiioi-, V olijiit<< r Infantry. 
 KMXJ A. M. mUi Uiiu\mi-nl IlIinoiH Voluntf.er Infantry. 
 UtMt) A. .M.-rr>th Ki-n'imeut Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
 ll.(X) A. M. 22<1 Ke«itn<-nt Irnliana V'<.lunteer Infantry. 
 1I.;J0 A. M. -Mattery "I,"2<1 KeKlinent, IllinoiH Li^ht Artillery. 
 
 12.00 Noon 
 
 AHHCinbly Huule Call l.y ( ornr:i'l.- W.C. Putney. Hattery 'I.' 
 
 3d Urijfade Called to Orrler l.y J. M. Work. 
 
 Tin; Senior Officer present of the iJriKade to l»e called to the Chair. 
 
 I'rayer by Kev. N. |{. .Stewart, of tlie .?^d Ohio. 
 
 Call of the Koll of KeKinients and Hatter-, I'r, •-...,' 
 
 Appointment of Committees. 
 
 Committee on Permanent f)rKanizatior). 
 
 Committee on KeHolutions. 
 
 Sp(rcial C'nnmittees. 
 
 Keport of Kenesaw Hattlefield y\ssocialiori. by Capt. J.. J. Dawdy, 
 
 Chairman. 
 Keports of Secretaries of KeKiment and iJattery Associations. 
 Reports of (Jther Committees. 
 New UiisineHB. 
 Election of OfficerH. 
 
 A.clciresses — Historical of Service and Record of Brij^ade. 
 
 < a 1.1,1 in A. I>. Cadwallader, K'jtli lllinoi-. 
 
 Captain .Samuel Kothacker, ."/.id Ohio. 
 
 Lieutenant T. J. Charlton, 22d Indiana. 
 
 Ivieutenant Thomas Jones, 22d Indiana. 
 
 Captain Charles >L Barnett, Mattery "I," L'd 111. M«lii Artill.-ry. 
 
 i)r. W'.a. I'utney, Mattery "I," 2d 111. IJ^ht Artillery. 
 
 52d Ohio KcBporise hy I'rof. Ray,."<2d fJliio. 
 
 Afljutant Charles .M. Mlackburn, r.2d C)hio. 
 
 Senior Officer and Comrades of Wth Illinois— My Cai)tain Hall, 
 
 With 111. 
 Senior Officer and Comrades of 125th Illinois. 
 Camp I'ire. 
 
 KeaditiK of Communications from iXbsent Comrades. 
 Adjournment, ')')'.i 1'. ,M. 
 
First Reunion of the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 14 A. C. Prayer 
 BY Rev. JN. B. Stewart, of 52d Ohio. J. B. Work Called 
 THE Meeting to Order. 
 
 CHARLES M. BARNETT. 
 
 Captain Battery I, 2d 111. Lt. Artillery 
 
 Vols 
 
 At 12:00, noon, Comrade W. G. 
 Putney, Battery 1, 2d 111. Lt. Artil- 
 lery, sounded the ' ' assembly bugle 
 call," using the same bugle carried by 
 him during his term of service with 
 Battery I, 2d 111. The familiar sound 
 of the bugle inspired all the survivors 
 present. 
 
 Mr. Work presented Capt. Sam- 
 uel Rothacker, of the 52d Ohio, as 
 temporary chairman. On taking the 
 chair Captain Rothacker greeted the 
 survivors of the brigade present, 
 reciting the comradeship born of 
 serving together in the 3d Brigade, 
 2d Division, 14 A. C. He said that 
 he felt gratitied at the honor of pre- 
 siding, but that he desired to divide 
 honors with others, and he therefore 
 took pleasure in presenting to the 
 brigadeforpermanent presiding officer 
 CaJDt. Charles M. Barnett, of Battery 
 I, 2d 111. Lt. Artillery. 
 Captain Barnett was elected unanimously. Captain Barnett stated 
 that owing to defective hearing he could not preside, that in the past at 
 his home, Geneva, Neb., he had tendered him the honor of presiding at 
 Republican conventions, but had never done so for the reason stated; 
 he therefore thanked the comrades for the honor and asked them to 
 select someone else. 
 
 The comrades refused to accede to the captain's wishes, and he 
 then said that if Captain Rothacker would take a seat at his side and 
 explain to him the wishes of those present he would, in consideration of 
 the honor conferred on him, and the pleasure it afforded him, for the 
 tirst time in his life assume the duties. At the request of Captain 
 Barnett, and the unanimous wish of the members of the brigade pres- 
 ent, expressed by a vote, Capt. John Hall, Company H, 86th Regt. 111. 
 Vol. Infty., was seated on the left of Captain Barnett, as an honor and 
 assistant to the chairman. 
 
 The programme for the third day was resumed, and on call of the 
 roll of regiments of the Brigade and Battery I, 2d 111. Lt. Artillery, the 
 following responded, viz : 
 
 851 h Reot. 111. Vol. Infty. 
 86th Regt. Bl. Vol. Infty. 
 125th Regt. 111. Vol. Infty. 
 22d Regt. Indiana Vol. Infty. 
 52d Regt. Ohio Vol. Infty. 
 Battery I, 2d 111. Lt. Artillery. 
 
NAMES AS FOLLOWS, VIZ : 
 
 H. W. Li,?hteof, Q. M. 85th 111., 3835 Elmwood place, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Thos. C. Eaton, Company C, 85th 111., Havanna, 111. 
 
 Isaac Fountain, Company K, 85th 111., Upland, Neb. 
 
 A. P. Collins, Company I, Soth Ill.> Bishop, Cal. 
 
 Lee Collins, Company I, 85th 111.. St. John, Mo. 
 
 T. J. Moselv, Company D, 85th 111., Englewood, 111. 
 
 Philip L. Datlenbachef, Surgeon 85th 111., Havanna, III. 
 
 W. H. Mitchell, Company C, 85th 111., 5941 Princeton Ave., Chi- 
 
 cao:o, 111. 
 Wm. H. Hole, Company K., 85th 111., Mason City, 111. 
 
 86th III. Present : 
 
 M. Murdock, Company H, Mulhall, Okla. 
 
 A. Smith, Company K, Princeville, III. 
 
 Emanuel Keller, Company K. Princeville, III. 
 
 W. H. Wisenborg, Company K, Princeville, 111. 
 
 S. W. Rilea, Company K. 6720 Lowe Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 Cyrus B. Fox, Company H, Siou.x Falls, S. Dak. 
 
 J. B. Ferguson, Company C, Princeville, III. 
 
 Ansel Crouch, Company C, West Halleck, 111. 
 
 Geo. M. Moore, Company H, 1521 Glendale Ave., Peoria, 111. 
 
 James Marsh, Company C and Battery I, Farina, 111. 
 
 Albert J. Tickner, Company I, Dexter, Dallas Co., Iowa. 
 
 Allan J. Tickner, Company I, Casey, Guthrie Co., Iowa. 
 
 Harvey B. Smith, Company G. Morion, Tazewell Co., 111. 
 
 John McGinnis, Company K, Peoria, 111, 
 
 E. C. Silliman, Company C, Chenoa, 111. 
 Joseph (Jolter, Company C, Lawn Ridge, III. 
 
 F. L. Saxton, Company C, Dana, III. 
 Henry Hosselton, Company E, Peoria, III. 
 
 W. T. Keener, Company H, 52 Randolph St., Chicago, 111. 
 
 S. Grady, Company E, Whitfield, 111. 
 
 Lewis Woodward, Company E, Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, 
 
 John R. Kinnier, Company A, Seattle, Wash. 
 
 A. T. Sanger, Company C, Concordia, Kas. 
 
 Orrin Frisbey, Company E, Sparland, 111. 
 
 Wm. R. Greenhalgh, Company D, Farmington, III. 
 
 AV. T. Shears, Company E, Pekin, III. 
 
 Ambrose Gehrt, Company E, Lawn Ridge, III. 
 
 Capt. John Hall, Company H, Peoria, III. 
 
 W. E. Hayward, 305 Indiana Trust Bldg., Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 Capt. Geo. A. Smith, Company E, Colony, Kas. 
 
 John H. Brubacker, Company A, 1372 Central Blvd., Chicago, III. 
 
 Adjutant L. J. Dawdy, Peoria, III. 
 
 125th III. Present : 
 
 D. H. Beasley, Q. M. Sergt., Attica, Ind. 
 William Frazier, Company D, Georgetown, III. 
 T. Wes. Blakeney, Sergt. Major, Westville, 111. 
 
Dennis Oldny, Company A, Danville, 111. 
 
 Wm. J. Oldry, Company A, Peotone, 111. 
 
 Jacob Grimes, Company A, Danville, 111. 
 
 Eli Fenters, Company F, Oo^den, 111. 
 
 W. A. Payton, Company C^ Danville, 111. 
 
 G. W. HoUoway, Company D, Georgetown, 111. 
 
 C. C. Parker, Company G. 
 
 Richard Golden, Company D, Uralville, 111. 
 Richard Johnson, Company IL 
 Nelson E. Ross, Company B, Hoopeston, 111. 
 W. J. Boon, Company K, Grape Creek, 111. 
 Isaac Parks, Company D, Georgetown, 111. 
 
 22d Ind. Vol. Infty. Present : 
 
 William Harvey, Company I, Little Sioux, Iowa. 
 W. J. McAti'ee, Company I, Blntfton, Ind. 
 John G. Jones, Company D, Rusk, Ind. 
 Bedford Stantield, Company B, French Lick. 
 L. L. Locke, Company E, Minneapolis, Minn. 
 William J. Myers, Company C, Grand Crossing, 111. 
 
 Battery I, 2d III. Lt, Artillery Present : 
 
 Captain Chas. M. Barnett, Geneva, Neb. 
 
 T. C. S. Brown, 6339 Jefl'erson Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 W. G. Putney, Bugler, Serina, 111. 
 
 Peter Countrymen. 
 
 Geo. A. Stolp. 
 
 Edward Smith, 110 Elburn Ave., Chicago, III. 
 
 Thos. Saunders, 5131: Armour Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 J. R. Bedford, M. D., A^erona, 111. 
 
 R. S. Stolp, 204 S. 4th St., Aurora, 111. 
 
 G. T. Ward, 268 S. 4th St., Aurora, 111. 
 
 Henry Smith, 81 Wells St., Chicago, 111. 
 
 Philip Dieter, Lockport, 111. 
 
 Lieut. Geo. T. Ward, Aurora, 111. 
 
 Thomas Betts, Naperville, III. 
 
 52d Ohio Present : 
 
 Capt. Samuel Kothacker, Company G, Richmond, Ohio. 
 
 Thomas Burns, Company G, Richmond, Ohio. 
 
 Thomas H. Montgomery, Company G. Toronto, Ohio. 
 
 Rev. N. B. Stewart, Company E, Clayville, Ohio. 
 
 J. B. Work, Company G, 6914 Chauncey Ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 J. H. Hirst, Company D, Angola, Ind. 
 
 J. M. Kniseley, Chief Musician, Dr. Mjr. New Philadelphia, Ohio. 
 
 J. C. Peck, Company D, New Comerstown, Ohio. 
 
 John W. Hance, Company C, Columbus, Ohio. 
 
 Jerome Miller, Company C, Quincy, 111. 
 
 D. B. Fish, Company I, Cleveland, Ohio. 
 Jos. Kannel, Company A, Rockford, Ohio. 
 
 John Smith, Jr., Company D, Uhrichsville, Ohio. 
 
Henry Dillev, Couipauy D, Lima, Ohio. 
 
 Dr. W. J. Fiinston, Compauy E. Plattsville, Wis. 
 
 Adam Story, Company 11, Delhi, Ohio. 
 
 A. II. Kaufman, Company B, Pittsburgh, Pa. 
 
 James Conway, Company A, Bluti'ton, Ind. 
 
 W. H. Fleming, Company B, Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
 R. E. Baxter, Company A. 
 
 Geo. B. Hodgson, Company, H, 3584 Eden Ave.. Sta. O, L'in- 
 
 ciunati, Ohio. 
 J. C. Harrison, Company G, Smithfield, Ohio. 
 John M. McLaughlin. Company B, Atali^sa, Iowa. 
 Isaac K. Henry, Company B, Updegraff, Ohio. 
 J. S. Baxter, Company A, Updegratl, Ohio. 
 Samuel Grimshaw, Company B, Havensville, Kas. 
 Alfred Peck, Company D, Coshocton, Ohio. 
 Frank W. Lesley, Company A, Van Wert, Ohio. 
 John Seals, Company B, Barnesville, Ohio. 
 W. H. Ray, Carrollton, Ohio. 
 
 And the following named registered but did not give their P. O. 
 address, viz : 
 
 A. H. Lighthall, Wapello, 111. (no Regt. given). 
 James S. Weatherby, Atwood, 111. (no Regt. given). 
 
 Recapitulation of Numbers Present : 
 
 SothReiTt. 111., 9 
 
 86th Re^t. 111., 26 
 
 125th Regt. III., 15 
 
 22d Regt. Ind 6 
 
 52d Regt. Ohio, 29 
 
 Batterry I, 2d 111. L^ Artillery, . . . .12 
 
 Making a total of . . . . . . . 97 
 
 comrades who registered as present. 
 
 The chairman appointed the following committees : 
 
 Committee on Permanent Organization : 
 
 85th 111., P. L. Dift'enbacher 
 
 S6th 111., S. W. Rilea 
 
 125th 111., W. A. Paxton 
 
 22dlnd., L.L.Locke 
 
 52d Ohio Capt. Saml. Rothacker 
 
 Battery I, 2d 111. Lt. Artillery. . Dr. W. G. Putney 
 
 Committee on Resolutions : 
 
 85th 111., W. H. Mitchell 
 
 86th 111., E. C. Silliman 
 
 125th 111., Chairman Isaac Parks 
 
 22dlnd., W. J. McAtiee 
 
 52d Ohio, Saml. Grimshaw 
 
 Battery I, 2d 111. Lt. Artillery, . Dr. J. R. Bedford 
 
Adjutant ><titl 
 Wouu'ted and captured at Kenesaw. Gb 
 June 27, 1864. 
 
 REPORTS, 
 
 Capt. L. J. Dawdy, 86th III., Peorl\, III., made a verbal report 
 
 AND SUBMITTED SKETCH OF THE PLOT PURCHASED, AND SAID: 
 
 Comrades: — 1 thank you for this 
 
 greeting; years have not broken our 
 ties, but only wekled them strong- 
 er. We meet here to-day as the 
 remnant of Cob Dan McCook's Bri- 
 gade to renew the comradeship of 
 thirly-tive years ago and to consider 
 and devise ways and means to per- 
 petuate the memory of the heroes 
 who fell in that terrible assault of 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 
 1864, and you have generously called 
 on me to lay before you what has 
 been done that you may consider the 
 matter. In response to your request 
 for this statement in reference to the 
 buying of the Kenesaw battlelield and 
 the organization of a Memorial Asso- 
 ciation for the preservation and im- 
 provement of that historic tield. I 
 will be as brief as I can and at the 
 same time make myself understood. 
 Four years ago the members of 
 the s6th regiment infantry, lUiuois volunteers, in re-union selected a 
 committee of three to select the proper location for the monument to 
 the 86th Illinois at Chickamauga National Park. To this committee 
 was also assigned the duty of ascertaining what the other regiments 
 of the brigade thought of the proposition to buy the land at Kenesaw 
 and erect monuments to those of our comrades who fell on that 
 memorable day of June 27, 1864. 
 
 This committee took no action in reference to this proposition, 
 each member expecting the others to do it. 
 
 Two years ago the chairman of that committee asked me to do 
 what they failed to do; that is, find out the wishes of the other regiments. 
 This I undertook to do, and as fast as I could ascertain the ad- 
 dresses of the officers of their re-union associations, I wrote to each and 
 found, without any exception, all were anxious to enter an organization 
 for the improvement of the historic spot. These facts were reported by 
 me to the members of the 86th regiment, Ill.V, I., in re-union August 
 27, 1899, and the different letters received in reference thereto were 
 read, and I think so pleased the comrades present that they authorized 
 me to purchase the land if it could be bought at a reasonable price, such 
 to be left to my judgment. 
 
 In my correspondence with the regiments of the brigade I had 
 
 thought and suggested that twenty acres would suffice, provided we 
 
 could buy it to cover that portion of the tield where we did the lighting. 
 
 In November of last year I visited that tield and found the land 
 
 owned by a farmer, who owned altogether sixty acres, and on which he 
 
 10 
 
had pat in the way of improvements a dwelling house, barn, well and 
 out-buildings to the value of about four hundred dollars. These im- 
 provements were on the south side, while that portion desired by us 
 was near the centre of the tract. To sell twenty acres, where we wished 
 it, would destroy the value of what he would have left, hence it would be 
 unreasonable to suppose that he would sell it at a reasonable price. 
 Therefore I bought the whole tract, for which I paid one thousand 
 dollars. 
 
 I submit herewith a plat of the land showing the location of the 
 works thereon, together with the position of the three brigades which 
 made the charge and I hope will be understood by all who may examine 
 it. I reported to the 86th regiment at our re-union, August 25th and 
 26th just past. The members approved my action in buying the laud 
 and some even expressed the idea that the 86th Illinois could alone afford 
 to hold that piece of land if the other regiments did not see fit to join 
 or unite with us. 
 
 It is the desire of the S<)th regiment, Illinois, to organize the 
 "Kenesaw Memorial Association," under the laws of Illinois, and to 
 that end have made the selection of one of their members for trustee in 
 such Association, and have raised the money to pay their part of expense 
 of the land bought. 
 
 This land is no\v held in trust by tw'o comrades of the 86th Illinois 
 regiment, but as soon as the association is organized according to law 
 and the land paid for, the same will be deeded to the "Kenesaw Memo- 
 rial Association." 
 
 The first step for each regiment to take in the matter is to select 
 one of their members for trustee, and when each regiment has done this 
 I will organize the association under the laws of this State, and as soon 
 as the land is paid for it will be deeded to the association. 
 
 I expected to meet a committee of the 22d regiment Indiana Vol. 
 Inft. here to-day, but so far I have been unable to do so; that regiment 
 has held its re-union and had appointed this committee, as I understand 
 it, to confer with the brigade for the very purpose of forming this Me- 
 morial Association. The other three regiments, i. <?., 85th and ]25th Illi- 
 nois and the 52d Ohio, have been anxious from the first for such organi- 
 zation, and I am sure that each will, at their re-unions soon to take place, 
 select their member for trustee and raise the money to pay for the land 
 as the S6th Illinois has already done. 
 
 Just as soon as the trustees are selected, whether the land is paid 
 for or not, I will apply to the proper officer at Springfield, III., for arti- 
 cles of incorporation. I hope to hear in the next few weeks that each 
 regiment is prepared to meet its share in the organization. 
 
J. R WOBK (gad Ohio.i 
 Secretary and Tr>5-asTtrer CoL Dan McCook's Brigade Association. 
 
 J. B. WoKK. 52d Ohio, said that the qaestion of forming a 
 Brigade Kenesaw Memorial Association had been presented to the 
 52d Ohio Association at its annual remiion held at Bamesville. 
 Belmont County. Ohiu. in September, 1S99. and that a resolution was 
 adopted endorsing the action of the S^th Illinois in purchasing the 
 Kenesaw Battlefield, and had instructed its Secretary to advise the 
 Chairman. Captain L. J. Davrdy, of the action of the .52d Ohio voting to 
 become a member of the association: that the pro rata allotment to be 
 paid by the 52d Ohio had been contributed by Col. John J. McCook, 
 of New York, and would be piid when called for. The object sought 
 has the earnest support of every 52d man. Kenesaw Mountain is par- 
 ticularly sacred to us: in this assault our beloved Col. Dan McCook 
 fell on the enemy's works mortally wounded, and his last spoken com- 
 mand was ''forward with the colors. " Kenesaw assault of June 27. 1S64, 
 was the distinctive battle between Dalton and Atlanta of the Atlanta 
 campaign, the preliminary contests which so severely tested the bravery 
 and endurance of both armies met the test on that field, a battle that 
 conferre»i imperishable lustre upon the valor of American s«3ldiery. 
 The attack of Col. Dan McCook's Brigade showed the vigor, pluck and 
 persistence which in themselv^ eminently deserve success. For cour- 
 
11 
 Park?. 
 
 RfjriiT^: That we. 
 
 
 as tiie *z 
 
 and : 
 
 Daoi-- > of this brigade wbo -wf 
 
 inscr. 
 
 the -- . - - 
 
 -a executlTe committee, for tbe Brigade As^: - - 
 
 Or. motion c-f C-omrade Isa^c Parks, lioth L-i.. s^vx-Dued bv 
 Comrade Samuel Grimshaw of the ori-d Ohio, the resolnt:<>iis were 
 nnanimously adopted. 
 
 The chairman. Captain Bamett, Battery L 2d El., stated that the 
 next business in order was the report : 
 organization: thereufK-n C-apt. Samuel P. 
 
 nized and submitted on behalf of the c. „-...: -r ...r :. .. ■ .-^- r^v n 
 and recommende<i its adoption, viz.: 
 
 For President of the :>d Brigade i'd Dir.. 14th A. C. — 
 
 S. "W. Rilea, SHth 111.. ♦r^Ti'O Lowe ave.. Oiicago, 111. 
 
 Vice Pres-.Geo. Drake, Soth 111.. Clinton, la. 
 
 •2<\ •• L. J. Dawdv. S6lh BL. Peoria. LI. 
 
 3d • T. W. Blakelv. 125th Bl., Wesrville, Bl. 
 
 4th •' Abe Holmes. *52d Ohio. New Philadelphia. O. 
 
 5th •• Capt. Chas. 3tL Bamett, Batterv L Geneva, Xeb. 
 
 6th - T. J. Charlton. 2i>d Ind.. Plainfield. Ind. 
 
 For Secretary and Treasurer. J. B. Work, 52d Ohio. 6914 Chaun- 
 cey are.. Chicago. Bl. 
 
 Historian. W. T. Keener. S6th BL. 52 Randolph St.. Chica^^o. 111. 
 
On motion of Capt. Samuel Rothacker, seconded by Dr. W. G. 
 Putney, the report of the committee on permanent organization was 
 adopted. 
 
 On motion of N. B. Stewart, 52d Ohio, the following were elected 
 members of the Kenesavv Memorial Association, and in case one or more 
 of the regiments and Battery I, 2d 111. L. A. having held their reunions, 
 then the secretary of such association is hereby elected as a trustee of 
 said association until his successor is elected and qualified as may be 
 provided by the Kenesavv Memorial Association when its charter and 
 by-laws have been obtained and adopted. 
 For President Kenesaw Monument Association — 
 
 L. J. Dawdy, 86th 111., Peoria, 111. 
 For Secretary and Treasurer — 
 
 Julius B. Work, Chicago, 111. 
 For Trustees — 
 
 For 52d Ohio, Capt. Frank B. James, P. O. Box 525, Cincinnati, O. 
 
 For 85th 111., no trustee selected by regimental organization; 
 therefore the Brigade appointed Comrade John F. Seay, sec'y, Havanna, 
 111., Trustee, 85th III., Havanna, 111. 
 
 For 86th 111., L. J. Dawdy, Trustee, Peoria, 111. 
 
 For 125th 111., no trustee selected. C. E. Tcnnery, sec'y. Trustee 
 125th 111., Danville, 111. 
 
 For 22d Ind., no trustee selected. W. R. England, sec'y. Trustee, 
 Seymour, Ind. 
 
 i- • sK/M^%£^^^ 
 
 1 ^ 
 
 i 
 
 1- 
 
 T. C. S. BROWN, 
 Q. M. Sergt. Battery "I," 2d 111. L. A. 
 Sec. Battery Ass'u. 
 
 For Battery I 2d 111. Light Artilery, no trustee elected. T. C. S. 
 Brown, Sec'y Battery I, 6339 Jefferson ave., Chicago, 111. 
 
 The motion of Comrade J. H. Montgomery, 52d Ohio, was seconded 
 
 14 
 
by Comrade John McGinnis, 86th 111., the trustees and officers hereto- 
 fore recorded were elected by the adoption of the resolution as read. 
 
 The Chairman, Captain Chas. M. Barnett, announced the next 
 order of business to l)e addresses and called on comrade John McGinnis, 
 86th 111., of Peoria, 111., who responded as follows: 
 
 Address of John McGinnis, S6th III., Peoria, III. — Mr. Chair- 
 man and Comrades: I am happy to meet you. It is now thirty-five 
 years since we separated. I note that our hair has grown gray, that 
 voices are tremulous, eyes have grown dim by time but the same devotion 
 to the Union and the Flag remains as determined as when we stood in 
 Chickamauga Avood or stormed the heights of Kenesaw. Comrades, I 
 well remember these phices and also remember Perryville, Lookout 
 Mountain, Mission Ridge, march to Knoxville, Tenn., and return, 
 Ikizzard Roost, Resaca, Rome, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree 
 Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, with all the tighting along the line from 
 Chattanooga, Tenn., to Atlanta, Ga. and our charge at Jonesboro, Ga. 
 
 All along the line red clay marked our comrades' graves, whose 
 valor is undimmed by time, their record is inscribed on tablets of im- 
 mortal fame, their names can never die. 
 
 Comrades, sixty acres of the Kenesaw battlefield, of June 27, 
 1864, has been purchased and it is desired to effect an organization of 
 the Third Brigade, Second Division, 14th A. C, consisting of the 85th, 
 86th and 125th Regiments Illinois Volunteers, the 22d Regiment Indiana 
 Volunteer Infantry, the 52d Ohio Regiment Volunteer Infantry and 
 Battery "I" 2d Regiment Illinois Light Artillery, which commands 
 composed the Third Brigade, and in such manner to raise funds to pay the 
 purchase money and such other incidental expenses as may occur, then 
 deed the battlefield to the Brigade through trustees chosen to represent 
 every survivor of that sanguinary battle. 
 
 Lieutenant L. J. Dawdy of the 86th Illinois has fully explained 
 the objects sought and it is not necessary for me to refer to them. 
 General Sherman once remarked that " war is hell " and I never yet 
 felt disposed to dispute the General's wisdom on that subject and when 
 I remember Chickamauga, how we went into the fight on double quick, 
 and Captain Barnett's battery thundered defiance while our brigade 
 guarded in defense, I then felt as now that, Col. Dan. McCook, com- 
 manding the brigade. Captain Chas. M. Barnett, Battery " I '' 2d 111. 
 L. A., and Col. Magee, the 86th Regiment Illinois Vol. lufty. (excuse 
 me for swearing), " all hell could not have driven us from our 
 positions." 
 
 Comrades, let us effect a grand organization and memorialize 
 achievements, erect monuments on Kenesaw battlefield commemorative 
 of our heroes, hoping our next re-union may assemble on the battlefield 
 and with our then enemies clasp hands across the bloody chasm. 
 
 Our flag was borne in triumph to the sea, in triumph to Appomattox 
 and Durham's Station, N. C, then planted in honor throughout the 
 United States, and we all acknowledge "one country and one flag," 
 and may it ever wave over the land of the free and the home of the 
 brave, honored by the world and feared on sea. Let us give honor to 
 those whose duty it was to command but the victory belongs to the 
 boys who carried the musket and the thunder of the artillery. Com- 
 
 15 
 
rades, we can have no higher aim than to commemorate the past, honor 
 the present and inspire the future. 
 
 When comrade McGinnis closed the comrades made wild demon- 
 strations of approval of his remarks. 
 
 Captain John H. Hall, 86th Illinois, of Peoria, avas recognized 
 BY Captain Barnett, and he spoke as follow's: 
 
 Comrades, I am highly pleased 
 to have the privilege of meeting the 
 comrades of the old Third Brigade and 
 to see so much interest taken by the 
 comrades in a move to organize a 
 Brigade Re-union Society, for the 
 purpose of keeping alive the friend- 
 ships formed as we marched, shoulder 
 to shoulder, when the touch of elbows 
 sent a thrill of confidence along the 
 line as we advanced in line of battle. 
 Did you forget the first encounter on 
 the 8th day of October, 1862, at 
 Perry ville, Ky., where we were 
 initiated into the mysteries of war ? 
 The greatest part of our number 
 being very young men and boys 
 fresh from the farm, the store or the 
 shop ? Did you forget the sensation 
 which was caused by the order to 
 form in line at three a. m. that 
 morning to meet the enemy, and how we crossed the valley and took 
 our place in the line on Chaplain's Hill, where we learned the first 
 lesson in war? There the Third Brigade began to write her history, 
 and the formation of this society will be the means by which we will 
 erect an historic monument to the memory of our fallen comrades, to 
 whose memory the nation owes a debt of gratitude far beyond its 
 ability to pay ; but we still have some among us who denounce the 
 old soldiers and the widows and orphans of our fallen comrades, as 
 government paupers and pension frauds, but "forgive them, for they 
 know not what they say." We, who have been through the trials and 
 fire of war, are fully convinced that the nation owes its very life and 
 all the blessings that we enjoy to those fallen comrades and the surviv- 
 ors of the Union Army. 
 
 Mr. Chairman and Comrades, it is a long time since we have met 
 face to face and had the pleasure of taking by the hand the comrades 
 of nearly forty years ago. Does it affect you as it does me ? Why, I 
 can look back in my mind's eye and see you in camp, and on the 
 march, seemingly, with only one object in view, viz. : Fighting, until 
 Old Glory should wave over a united country, and to meet so many 
 of those with whom I spent so many months in canjp and on the 
 march, as well as on the skirmish line, and in many battles in which 
 as members of the Third Brigade we participated, it fills me almost 
 too full for utterance. We have many experiences to bind us together, 
 for war is a great factor in the history of the world, and those who 
 
 16 
 
 J. H. hall. 
 Captain 86tli 111. V. I. 
 
took part in our civil war and were associated together in the same 
 brigade for three years, where we formed friendships whicli to me 
 seem nearer than that of brother, and it docs me good to meet with 
 you and tallv over the many incidents of camp life, and 1 hope that this 
 re-union may be continued from year to year until we all meet in the 
 grand re-union on the other shore. I will not occupy your time in 
 further digression. We have another object to accomplish at this time. 
 It is to perfect the organization of our Brigade Park and " Kenesaw 
 Monument Association." 
 
 The Ilighty-sixth Regiment Infantry Illinois Volunteers have held 
 re-unions at Peoria, Illinois, for years, and pul)lish the reports of such 
 reunions every year, and you do not know what tine times we have 
 when from year to year we meet comrades from South Dakota, 
 Montana and Oklahoma, as we did last week in Peoria, and I see here 
 a comrade from South Dakota and one from Oklahoma; with such a 
 spirit on the part of comrades, to accomplish any object all we want 
 is to make a start, and for that reason, at the Eighty-sixth re-union last 
 year, we appointed a comrade to go to Marietta, Ga., and, if possible, 
 purchase ten or twenty acres of land Avhere the Third Brigade made 
 that memoral)le charge on the 27th day of June, 186-i. The purpose 
 was, that should we get the land, to convert it into a park, and as soon 
 as possible to inclose and improve it, and make an effort to get the 
 state to erect suitable monuments for the Illinois regiments; and we 
 were confident that the 52d Ohio and the 22d Indiana regiments would 
 join hands with us in an effort to honor their fallen comrades ; and let 
 me say, that we are more than pleased with the hearty support given 
 by the comrades of the 52d Ohio, 22d Indiana, and last, but not least, 
 our gallant comrades of Battery "I," 2d Illinois Light Artillery. 
 
 When Captain L. J. Dawdy, of the committee of the 86th Illinois, 
 went to Marietta, Ga., he found he would have to purchase sixty-five 
 acres. The particulars he has given you. He bought the land, and 
 from his statement, you know the object in view is to have the whole 
 Brigade co-operate in doing honor to those who died on that hot 27th day 
 of June, 1864, with the boiling hot sun melting us, as we lay on the 
 point opposite and facing the rebel breastworks on the east side of the 
 little valley that lay between the two lines of battle. As we lay 
 there the Brigade formed en masse, five regiments deep. Do you 
 recall the fact that we had three men shot and taken to the rear as we 
 lay waiting for the signal to charge? and when it came, how we 
 charged down the slope, across the valley, and up the opposite slope, 
 the fallen trees, the tops pointing towards us, the ends of the limbs 
 cut sharp, making it almost impossible to get through the abattis ? Do 
 you remember how we forced our way up to the enemy's breastworks? 
 Colonel Dan McCook fell wounded and was carried to the rear. 
 Colonel Oscar F. Harmon, of the 125th Illinois, took command of the 
 Brigade, only to be shot down, instantly killed, and was succeeded by 
 Colonel Caleb J. Dilworth, of the 85th Illinois, who commanded the 
 old Third Brigade ? Can you recall the scene where, on the right and left 
 of our Brigade line, men fell like the leaves of trees after a heavy 
 frost, the companies on the right and left nearly wiped out 't 
 
 We reached the works, but could not take them. Then we 
 
re-formed our line about oue hundred feet from their works, and lay 
 on our sides, the officers with their swords and the men with bayonets 
 loosened up the ground and used their tin cups and plates for shovels 
 to throw the dirt up for temporary breastworks. Do you remember 
 how we lay thus all that fearful day, our dead and wounded comrades 
 all around us, for it was not possible either to advance or retreat, 
 which was not to be thought of, for we went there to stay ; but how 
 the scene changed when the sun rose on the 28th. We had, under 
 cover of the night, sent details for picks and spades, and the light of 
 dawn revealed to the Johnnies four good lines of breastworks, where 
 we kept them company until July 2d, on the night of which day they 
 fell back. 
 
 After that you know we followed them to and across the Chatta- 
 hoochee to Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro and back to Atlanta, 
 then to the battle of and taking of Savannah, Ga. Then look back to 
 our march through South Carolina. I think those who lived there w^ill 
 not forget as long as they live. Then on to Bentonville and Averysboro, 
 North Carolina, where our last shots in the civil war were tired. 
 
 Comrades, can we do too much in our endeavor to adorn and 
 beautify the spot where so many of our comrades laid down their lives 
 that the nation might live, and the whole people can enjoy the liberties 
 for which they paid such a fearful price? 
 
 Commander and comrades, I thank you. 
 
 (The boys made loud demonstrations of approval of Captain 
 Hall's remarks and gathered around him, shaking his hand, etc.) 
 
 Comrade Dr. Wm. G. Putney, of Battery "I," 2d III, Light 
 Artillery, residing at Serena, III., on behalf of the 
 Battery, said: 
 
 Captain Barnett and comrades — It was the misfortune of Battery 
 " I " to be placed on a different part of the battletield of Kenesaw, so 
 its members did not have the view of that part of the line, made 
 famous by the desperate charge of our dear Third Brigade, June 27, 
 1864. The history of our Battery says, that the 27th of June the 
 battle of Kenesaw was fought and met with no beneficial results. It 
 taught General Sherman the lesson that it does not pay to rush men 
 against well-manned breastworks. The Battery occupied the position 
 at the foot of Kenesaw in heavy bastions and began firing at ten o'clock 
 a. m. A steady fire was kept up while the Infantry was moving up 
 the side of the mountain by the twenty-four guns in line with the 
 Battery. 
 
 By twelve o'clock the charge had spent its force, but more or less 
 desultory firing was kept up through the rest of the day to prevent a 
 return charge by the rebels. 
 
 A more or less constant fire was directed on the enemies' batteries 
 until the 2d of July, when during the night the Johnnies abandoned 
 Kenesaw Mountain and evacuated their lines and works in front of 
 General Sherman's lines. The Battery joined the Second Division of 
 the 14th A. C, from which it had been separated during the battle a 
 short distance south, opposite the position where the Third Brigade had 
 charged the rebel works. What a splendid assault they made. Eight 
 
 18 
 
up and on to them they went. Colonel Dan McCook, commanding the 
 Brigade, fell, mortally wounded, as he stood on top of the rebel 
 breast works leading his brigade — Our Old Brigade — one that we 
 knew was true gold and as fully to be trusted. That body of heroes 
 dug themselves into the ground with bayonets and canteen scoops, not 
 more than one hundred feet from the rebel breastworks, and held the 
 line until the rebels evacuated, fighting ''tooth and nail'" till trees, 
 eighteen inches through, were literally cut down by Minnie bullets. 
 Balls of candle-wicking, saturated with turpentine, were lighted and 
 thrown between the lines by the Rebs to keep our boys from charging 
 at night. 
 
 Tunnels were started and nearly completed when the evacuation 
 took place. That was Col. Dan McCook's Brigade, upon which 
 Battery "I'' banked all of its capital. There are few places in the 
 war of the Rebellion that can show as desperate fighting as that of the 
 Third Brigade on the 27th of June, 1864. 
 
 In your enterprise of commemorating the heroic deeds of 
 McCook's Brigade on that bloody field, I feel warranted in saying that 
 Battery "I" is in full accord with you, and while we cannot pledge 
 the Battery to contribute any large sum of money to the object, we can 
 be relied upon to assist you in every way we possibly can whenever 
 your committee will advise us of what you require of us. Comrades, 
 our hearts and hands are with you now as of the days of thirty-five 
 years ago. 
 
 Comrade Cyrus A. B. Fox, 86th 111., Sioux Falls, S. Dak., said : 
 Captain Barnett and comrades of the 5'2d Ohio, 22d Indiana, 125th and 
 85th 111., and Battery I., 2nd 111. L. A., and my own dear old regiment, 
 the 86th 111.; thirty-five years ago we parted at Washington, "D. C, 
 after having been companions for three years in arms, trying as best we 
 could to defend our Union of States and the Old Flag; since then we 
 have builded homes in many of these States, and assisted in adding 
 many new States, but have met here to-day for the first time in these 
 thirty-five years to talk over some of our army experiences, and more 
 especially the part our Grand Old Third Brigade of the Second Division 
 of the 1-lth A. C. took in the charge on Kenesaw Mountain, on that 
 memorable 27th day of June, 1864. I was not permitted to be with you, 
 having been assigned to duty in the 1st Division Hospital, and was near 
 Big Shanty, when you boys rushed into the jaws of death with such 
 force and valor as the annals of war nowhere record its equal, charging 
 down to the ravine and then up to and on top of the rebel fortifications, 
 which were too well filled for any others to occupy, and while you were 
 forced to fall back, still you only fell back the distance of twenty paces, 
 and builded fortifications right in the faces and bullets of these rebels, 
 staying there until the rebels were compelled to evacuate. I met many 
 of the wounded upon their arrival at Big Shanty, and assisted in pre- 
 paring Colonel Oscar F. Harmon's body for shipment home, the next 
 day or two after your charge. I went over the field after the charge 
 and visited Co. "H" of the 86th 111. in the trenches; what fearful havoc 
 was made with the young trees which grove you passed through. They 
 were torn into basket shrives for ten to fifteen feet high. It did not 
 appear possible that a bird could have gone through there without being 
 
 19 
 
torn in small bits, still many of you went through and a few of you are 
 here to-day. Truly the battletield of Kenesaw ^lountain is a fitted spot 
 for a time-honored cemetry to be protected and cared for by a generous 
 government, antl it should be received by the people most heartily. 
 
 Commander and Comrades, I appeal to you to take such action 
 at this Brigade Re- union as will insure success of the Kenesaw Mem- 
 orial Association, and I thank you for this opportunity, to greet and 
 trust to meet you all again. 
 
 Captain Chas. M. Barnett said he was pleased to see the face of one 
 of that band of brave men who touched elbows with Illinois and Ohio on 
 the fields of glory and victory from Atlanta to the sea, as he recognized 
 Comrade W. J. McAfee, Sergeant Co. "!'" 22d Regiment, Indiana, 
 and asked him to respond for that regiment. Comrade McAfee said : 
 Comrades of Colonel Dan McCook's Brigade, when the old brigade 
 formed in line of battle for the terrible charge, there was a gap left for 
 the 22d Indiana, which was always filled by it — and this is no excei> 
 tion — and while there is only two of the grand old 22d here to-day, 
 we propose fillmg the gap as of yore. 
 
 Perhaps the most trying time in a soldier's life is the first roll call 
 after a great battle, when so many are missing and their fate is un- 
 known. We look over the battlefield searching for comrades some still 
 in death, others helpless from wounds and oft-times many missing, no 
 one knows where, and whose record and last resting place bears that 
 familiar name "Unknown". I am proud that I am an American 
 citizen. I am proud that I was an American soldier in the Avar 
 from 1861 to 1865, but the proudest boast of my life is that I served 
 with the 22d Indiana and in Cqjionel Dan McCooks' Third Brigade, 2d 
 Division of the 1-lth A. C. from beginning to finish, who never struck 
 our colors in disgrace and never turned our backs to the foe. And as 
 for the brave 22d Indiana, its dead marks almost every battlefield from 
 Pea Ridge, Mo., to Bentonville, N. C, and when we stormed the heights 
 of Kenesaw Mountain, almost one-half of our number who started in 
 the charge fell to rise no more. Noble, brave, they gave their lives 
 that this nation might live, and that the Grand Old Flag should not be 
 trailed in the dust. And wherever the stars and stripes have been 
 planted by American bravery of American soldiers, let no man dare to 
 tear it down. Neither the history of this war nor probably the annals 
 of any battle furnishes a loftier example of obstinate bravery than of the 
 troops comprising the three brigades that made the forlorn hope at 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864. The assault being made on 
 a part of the enemy's lines that was naturally strong and had been 
 strengthened artificially by all the ingenuity that a brave foe could 
 invent with heavy earthworks protected by "head logs" and well 
 manned by a defiant foe that greatly outnumbered us. But we pushed 
 our lines close up to their works and maintained them there and never 
 gave back an inch until the enemy retreated and left us master of the 
 field. It was on this spot that the brave Colonel Dan McCook fell in 
 the lead and apex of that thin line standing alone on the rebel breast- 
 works erect, holding aloft in his hand the flag; in his front holding the 
 inside of the breastworks was his foes, the rebs; on the other side of 
 the breastworks a scattered few of his brigade fighting like heroes to 
 
 20 
 
hold the ground where he led. When he fell the Brigade was com- 
 manded by Colonel Oscar F. Harmon, of the 125th 111.; he, too, was 
 killed in the forefront of our line of battle; also Colonel Marker, com- 
 manding one of the other brigades which made the assault, and tifteen 
 hundred of our coiurades who went down to rise no more, and many 
 wounded. 1 was wounded there and there were very few of the 22d 
 Indiana but were killed or woundetl. I think there is no spot in all the 
 South where there could be monuments erected that would represent 
 more l)raverv than was shown by the charge on Kenesaw Mountain, 
 Ga.. June 27, 1S»)4. And 1 would here say it woukl be a grand 
 tribute to those who fell on that day and appreciated by the living, if 
 the States that were represented by such a band of heroes had suitable 
 monuments erected to each organization. 
 
 Captain Barnelt said that he now had great pleasure in presenting 
 Captain Samuel Rot hacker, of the 52d Ohio. 
 
 Capt. Samuel Rothacker, 52d 
 Ohio, said: 
 
 Capt. Barnett, ladies and com- 
 rades of the Third Brigade and Bat- 
 tery "I." I want to say to you that 
 I have traveled from East Ohio to 
 meet and to greet you; to say that 1 
 am glad to be here is certainly putting 
 it very mildly. Yes, comrades, lam 
 more than glad to l)e here and to meet 
 so many of those heroes of Dan Mc- 
 Cook's fighting brigade, men we were 
 so intimately associated with during 
 the darkesttlays this republie has ever 
 })assed through. You all know there 
 is a something that binds the com- 
 rades, a bond tliat could only be weld- 
 ed in a conflict such as we passed 
 through, from 1861'65. This Grand 
 Army is the most unique organiza- 
 tion on the face of God's green earth, 
 no other is bound as it is — its fetters 
 were forged in the hell of battle and 
 One of the saddest thoughts to me is that it is passing 
 away, that ere long the Grand Army man will slowly and painfully 
 wentl his way to the iKist-room, call himself to order, transact the busi- 
 ness, and ere another meeting taps is sounded, lights out, and this great 
 organization has passed from the face of the earth forever. 
 
 Thirty-live years have 'passed away since our muster out. In this 
 thirty-tive stirring and eventful years many of the old boys have an- 
 swered the call and gone to join that great army on the other shore. 
 
 Comrades, when we look at your bent forms, gray heads and wrink- 
 led faces, we can clearly read the story of the passing years. But, 
 while old in years many of you seem young in feeling, verifying the 
 old saying that a "man is just as old as he feels.'' 
 
 Now, comrade!, what is the [)aramount duty of every Grand Army 
 
 21 
 
 SAMUEL KOT HACKER. 
 
 Captain Co. "(i'TirM Oliio V. I. 
 
 Tliird C'umniander :>:.'(1 Ohio at Kenesaw. Ga 
 
 .III lie :.'7. ISC)^. 
 
 prison pen. 
 
man to-day? In my humble opinion it is to teach the rising generation 
 love of country and the flag. In the mad rush after wealth, God, coun- 
 try, and even home, are relegated to the rear, so it seems to me that 
 our duty is to teach the youth and children that reverence to God and 
 loyalty to country is what makes the nation great and its people happy. 
 
 Comrades, at the time we were making history I thought very little 
 of our organization oth( r than we always did our duty, but as the years 
 have come and gone I have thought much, and the more I think of it 
 the prouder I am of the old Third Brigade and Barnett's Battery, and 
 the part they played in the great war of the rebellion, and of all the 
 achievements (and they were many) none surpassed for dash, daring and 
 brilliancy the charge it made at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 186i, 
 by us called " Little Kenesaw," by the Confederates '' Cheatham's Hill." 
 When the history of that charge comes to be fully made up in all its 
 details and all the facts fully set forth, then will it stand as one of the 
 most brilliant in execution and daring of any in the war. 
 
 One of the very unusual things was, that every man in the brigade 
 knew that we were brought there for the purpose of charging a key 
 point, and were so informed just before the charge was made — all that 
 was added to that information was the country expected every man to 
 do his whole duty. I want to add here, that I believe all did their duty 
 to the fullest extent in this hour that tried men's souls. 
 
 Many of you no doubt remember how our being there was charged 
 to the ambition of our brigade commander. I did not think so then and 
 do not now; it got to be talked through the Fourteenth Army Corps, and 
 indeed through the army generally, that Col. Dan McCook's brigade 
 was second to none for fighting and marching; it was known as "Dan 
 McCook's fighting brigade." General Sherman had determined to de- 
 monstrate to the rebel commander that he could make a direct success- 
 ful assault as well as strategetic flank movements; he therefore chose 
 Col. Dan McCook and his brigade to lead the charge. The General and 
 Colonel Dan had been associated as law partners before the war, and 
 while in nowise detracting therefore from the bravery and fortitude of 
 the many brigades under his command, the General naturally turned to 
 the one who combined those qualities of impetuous energy and dash so 
 essential to success; so you can readily see why we were detached from 
 our corps and marched there to charge the key point. The dead of our 
 brigade were found against the works in our front and our intrepid 
 leader, Col. Dan Mc'Cook, received his death wound while battling on 
 the rebel breastworks and from which he died two weeks later. But I 
 need not recount any more of this. You have in these years lived it 
 over and over many times, how, after the brigade losing our third com- 
 mander. Col. Dan McCook mortally wounded. Col. Oscar D. Harmon, 
 of the 125th Illinois, killed, and Col. Caleb J. Dilworth, of the 85th Illi- 
 nois, wounded. After we fell back thirty paces, where we intrenched 
 and made it so hot for the enemy that they were compelled to leave on 
 the night of the 2d of July. 
 
 Now, comrades, I must close with the hope that we may all be 
 spared to re-une in the fall of 1901. 
 
 Capt. Barnett said he would keep the 52d on the firing line and in- 
 troduced Comrade W. H. Ray of that regiment, who said: 
 
 Mr. President and Comrades of the Third Brigade: — I am glad to 
 
 22 
 
be permitted to attend this reunion and join witii you in these reminis- 
 cences. What precious memories till our miods at this moment. It is 
 true that our joys are not unmingled with sorrow, sorrow on account 
 of those who fell and whose bodies lie buried on the battlefields of no 
 less than six states of this union. But we are proud of their valor and 
 self-sacrifice for our common country's sake, and in this we may rejoice. 
 Comradeship obliterates state lines. I well remember that Sunday 
 afternoon at Chickamauga when the third brigade was advancing to a 
 
 N. B. STEWART. 
 Secretary 52d Ohio Association. 
 
 new position and the 52d being in the advance, was having to contend 
 with the fire which was spreading over field and wood and burning up 
 everything in its path, w^e heard the voice of Colonel McGee right in 
 our rear ordering the 86th 111. to stack arms. We thought it a queer 
 place to stack arms, l)ut when the 86th boys, each of them having 
 broken a limb from the nearest tree, ran to our front and began to 
 thrash out the fire from which we had recoiled, then we understood. 
 Now, they said, " 52d you can go in.'" Thoh^e were the times and those 
 the scenes that bound men's hearts together. And I do not forget how 
 
 23 
 
glad we always were to have Captain Barnett and his battery close at 
 hand whenever a fight seemed imminent. With a McCook at the head 
 of a brigade and a Barnett at the head of a battery there did not seem 
 to be anything wanting to accomplish a victory. But comrades, while 
 it is pleasant to meet together as we are this afternoon and fight our 
 battles over again, and speak the praises of those of our number who 
 gave up their lives, is there not something that we can do to perpetuate 
 the memery of the brave men who have gone to answer to the final roll- 
 call ? It has been suggested that there should be suitable memorials 
 erected on the site of the battle of Kenesaw mountain in order that our 
 children and others after us may be able to recall the scenes of that 
 patriotic struggle and learn to honor the men who participated in it. My 
 dear comrades, this project meets with my hearty approval. Let the 
 committee be appointed to-day, and let us render them all the assistance 
 we can to bring it to a successful conclusion. To my mind nothing can 
 be more fitting nor more in accordance with the spirit and purpose of 
 our institutions. Col. Dan McCook received the fatal bullet on the 
 parapet of the Confederate works. He had placed himself at the right 
 of the 85th 111. and was leading his brigade in the charge on the works. 
 In a short time afterward Colonel Harmon also fell. In honor of these 
 brave leaders and of the other brave men who fell that day, there should 
 be monuments with suitable inscriptions. 
 
 Captain Barnett then introduced the secretary of the 5 2d Ohio's 
 association, the Rev. Nick B. Stewart, who responded as follows : 
 
 Comrades of the old Third Brigade: — We have looked forward to 
 this reunion with the deepest interest, and as heart beats to heart and 
 hand touches hand, we feel like saying glory to God for the good will 
 to these men who are closer to me than any other this side of the grave. 
 What thrilling memories come crowding upon me as I think of you and 
 what you did to save our country. But the one all-absorbing thought 
 is the bloody field of the Kenesaw, and what happened there June 27, 
 1864, and how our children shall share in its glory. Nothing so inspires 
 the rank and file of our army as faith in their leaders, and no army had 
 any better than we had. Such men as Generals Sherman, Thomas, 
 Davis and Col. Dan McCook, who led us, were sure to make us braver 
 and nobler every time we were tried. 
 
 The clear, shrill voice of Col. Dan McCook was heard in forming 
 the brigade in line that morning; we had heard that voice many times 
 before as he had led us from the Ohio to that mountain base. Moving 
 rapidly into position we formed into columns of regiments in the follow- 
 ing order : 85th, 125th and 86th 111., and 22d Ind. and 52d Ohio. The 
 sun was shining clear upon the lines with their glistening guns and 
 waving banners and the words of Hebei''s sweet old song came to me 
 in war's bold autograph, and 
 
 "You see tliem on their winding way, 
 About their ranks the sunbeams play." 
 
 Not quite eighteen hundred men with five pairs of flags that had 
 rose and fell on the surges of battle ! How sublime was the thunder of 
 artillery; it was like the foot of God on the mountain side. Look and 
 you see the most startling episode of the war standing in front of the 
 
 24 
 
brigade. Col. Dan McCook turned his face to his men and repeated 
 Macauley's Horatius : 
 
 "Then out spake brave Horatius, 
 
 The Captain of the Gate : 
 To every man upon this earth 
 
 Death cometh soon or late, 
 And how can man die better 
 
 Than facing fearful odds. 
 For the ashes of his fathers 
 
 And the temples of his God's." 
 
 The battle is on; we move promptly at signal. The race of flags 
 grew every moment more terrible. See those banners that were borne 
 at Perry ville, glorified atChickamauga and riddled at Resaca. Plunging 
 shot and shell tear away comrades on right and left; we are facing the 
 steady fire of two thousand infantry in our front; we wrestle with the 
 mountain, but our brave men are steadily climbing up. The enemy 
 are growing desperate; they light the fuse and throw hand grenades in 
 our faces. Col. Dan is at the front — he falls; Captain Fellows fell 
 within a foot of him; Col. Oscar F. Harmon, who succeeds in the com- 
 mand, dies in the arms of his men, and Col. Caleb J. Dilworth, next in 
 rank is wounded. Things grow desperate; the ground is strewn with 
 dead and dying; six lines of pikes, sharpened, stare us in the face, and 
 we lay down right under the enemy's works. Four hundred and nine- 
 teen of the brigade lay bleeding or dying on that mountain side. While 
 we did not capture the enemy's works, the victory was ours, for in 
 holding our position the enemy were compelled to retreat beyond the 
 Chattahoochee. 
 
 To perpetuate the memory of that struggle and preserve the record 
 of our honored dead who fell on that historic day, we the survivors of 
 the old Third Brigade are met to organize the Kenesaw Memorial Asso- 
 ciation, which aims to purchase the field of historic interest and preserve 
 it and its memories by marking in suitable manner, by monuments and 
 tablets, the spot where our heroic dead fell fighting for the old flag. 
 
 Comrades, what is to be done must be done quickly. The monu- 
 ments you build on that historic spot are not for those who fell on that 
 bloody field alone; in honoring them you honor yourselves. 
 
 Climb to yonder moon and draw a curtain over her fair face; climb 
 to yonder sun and blow out its light with your feeble breath, — these 
 things you may do as soon as you can take from these men who fell on 
 that bloody field fighting for the best government on God's green earth, 
 the honor due them. He is helped whom God helps. 
 
 Let us begin with faith in God, and begun, continued and ended by 
 the help of God, we will meet once more on that old historic spot and 
 dedicate it to the memory of a McCook, our o^vn Dan, so courteous, so 
 modest, so brave; and to a Harmon who had the dash of a Marion and 
 the wisdom of a veteran, and to more than four hundred more as brave 
 men as ever trod the earth, and with the survivors of that battlefield we 
 will pour the oil of grateful remembrance upon that monument 
 completed with shouts of "Grace. Grace unto it." 
 
 Captain Barnett said he recognized a face in the audience that he 
 remembered well, and Captain Kothacker informed him it was Comrade 
 
 25 
 
Hncl Montgomery of the 52d Ohio, with an empty sleeve. Time has 
 thinned your locks, but your eye is clear, and I now want you to give 
 the boys a few shots. 
 
 Comrade Montgomery said : 
 
 Captain Barnett and Comrades of the Third Brigade : I had an 
 earnest desire to meet you here in Chicago and touch elbows once more, 
 and when the Captain reminded me of my locks I looked around the 
 hall and saw that all are gray haired. I realize and am impressed with 
 the change which thirty years has made in each of us since we separated 
 at the close of the war. Then you were a young, brave, jolly lot of 
 boys, hardened by experiences of suffering, exposure, privations, and 
 in some instances starvation in rebel prisons; looking back at our 
 marches, digging and wallowing in the trenches, advancing, crawling 
 through the dense undergrowth, wading through the swamps, skirmish- 
 ing and fightiag, of the battles in which we participated from Perry- 
 ville, Ky., in 1862 to Bentonville, N. Carolina in 1865, while serving in 
 the Third Brigade, Second Division, 14 A. C. Army of the Cumber- 
 land, and as 1 think of the terrible scenes, the heart-rendering and in- 
 describable suffering of our wounded comrades, of the killed at Chicka- 
 mauga. Buzzard Roost, Resaca, Kenesaw, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, 
 Jonesboro, and "through to the sea" and then up through South and 
 North Carolina, you, no doubt like myself, wonder that we ever lived 
 through it. Only American soldiers can equal your deeds of valor. 
 None can excel. 
 
 And now, Comrades, a word about Kenesaw, June 27th, 1864. — 
 The 52d Ohio joins with you in purchasing the Kenesaw battlefield, 
 over which we made the charge, and in erecting monuments thereon to 
 the memory of those, our Comrades, who fell there on that day, and at 
 the request of the chairman. Captain L. J. Dawdy, of the 86th 111., 
 "Kenesaw Memorial Association" the 52d Ohio has elected Captain 
 Frank B. James of Cincinnati, Ohio, as its trustee, and empowered him 
 to join with you in devising ways and means to accomplish the purpose 
 sought, and through him pledge you our hearty co-operation. When the 
 trustees have organized the "Kenesaw Memorial Association" and we 
 are advised of the plan adopted, we will, at our annual re-union there- 
 after, take the proper steps to meet your wishes, and while the 52d has 
 not in its ranks men of wealth, it has, we believe, combined that fire and 
 spirit of comradeship and love for its heroic dead, that will again inspire 
 it to rally on the fighting line as bravely and true as it did when it stood 
 shoulder to shoulder with you on that hot June day. 
 
 Comrades, I believe in Almighty God, and so believing I have faith 
 that the Kenesaw Memorial Association of the Third Brigade will suc- 
 ceed. We may never meet again on earth, and I can only say, "God 
 bless you " all and help you to live in such a manner as to insure for us 
 a glorious re-union in the great hereafter. Good-bye. 
 
 Captain Barnett said that before retiring and closing the business 
 of the first re-union of the Third Brigade, he would take the opportunity 
 to congratulate the comrades present upon the success of our meeting. 
 The selection of officers for the ensuing year warranting him in predict- 
 ing that the objects sought by forming the Third Brigade Association 
 
 26 
 
S. W. KILEA, 
 
 86th 111. V. I., Fies't. Col. ]>;in McCook 
 
 Brig-ade Association. 
 
 would be rauterially tidvanced under their management, he now took 
 pleasure in introducing the President-elect, Comrade S. W. Rilea, of 
 the S6th 111., who responded as follows, viz: 
 
 Comrades of the Third Brijrade, 
 Second Division, 14th A. C. Army 
 of the Cumberland : 
 
 I thank you very kindly for the 
 honor conferred in making me the 
 tirst president of this Association. 
 I feel that you could have made a far 
 better selection, one more competent 
 in every respect to fill so important a 
 position. But as you have made the 
 choice, I will serve you to the best of 
 my ability, trusting to your kind in- 
 dulgence for any mistakes 1 may 
 make. 
 
 . It is now thirty five years since 
 the smoke of our battles cleared away, 
 thirty-five years since our Grand Com- 
 mander said to a brave, but defeated 
 enemy, "keep your horses, you will 
 need them for Spring plowing. 
 Keep your side arms also, and as long 
 as you obey the laws of the United 
 States you shall not be disturbed." 
 Magnanimous conditions. Comrades, a crisis had to be met, and after 
 four years of dreadful warfare was passed and the life of this great and 
 grancl nation was saved, we are to day a prosperous, happy and united 
 people. As one proof of this, note the following: In the State Capitol 
 of the State of Alabama in 1S61, by the legislature of that State, a 
 declaration of secession was passed by a unanimous vote. In 1898, 
 in the same legislative halls, by the legislature of this same State, a law 
 was passed that said "The Flag of the United States shall wave over 
 every school house in the State of Alaoama during every school day 
 in the year." This is proof enough of the change of public opinion of 
 the people of the great Southland. 
 
 The story of our soldier life so long gone by, has been told and 
 retold from the halls of Congress down to the humble fireside; of our 
 marches and counter-marches in sunshine and in storm; by day and by 
 night on the guard and the picket line; in the skirmish and in the whirl- 
 wind of the charge, where men became iron with nerves of steel; and 
 yet. Comrades, the recounting of the deeds of our heroes always finds 
 eager listeners and cannot be repeated too often. It is thus that the 
 minds of the young and rising generation is impressed with the fact that 
 their first duty is reverence to the Almighty, and next their country and 
 its welfare, and we may have no fears for the safety of our grand and 
 noble country and its flag. I will leave to be told by history and those 
 that follow us of our deeds of valor and your fidelity to that flag on 
 every field in the years gone by. Believing that those who follow will 
 do each and all of you equal and exact justice. 
 
 27 
 
Comrades : In conclusion I wish to call your earnest attention to 
 the ^^ Kenesaw Memorial Association " the aims of which are important 
 and should interest every survivor of the Third Brigade. It is the pur- 
 pose of the association to ask the States of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, 
 to assist us in erecting suitable monuments and markers, indicating the 
 positions of the Third Brigade, June 27, 1864, on that sacred ground, 
 made so by the life blood of so many of our dear comrades; to mark 
 the spot where the gallant Colonel Dan McCook and Colonel Oscar F. 
 Harmon fell and many others of equal courage, each and every one who 
 sealed their love for the flag with their lives, and Avon imperishable 
 honor. We cannot expect the States mentioned to bear the entire ex- 
 pense of this work. We must do our part and then ask the States to 
 aid us in a substantial appropriation, befitting the object sought and the 
 commemoration of the memory of those who fell there. I hope, Com- 
 rades, that the spirit of enthusiasm manifest here to-day will be re- 
 echoed back by every absent survivor of the Grand Old Brigade on this 
 monument question, and when the time comes for you to send in your 
 contribution, you will give what you can, give it cheerfully and 
 promptly. We can leave gold and landed estates to our children and 
 friends, but. Comrades, we cannot leave anything so grand as a good 
 name, and next to a good name is a monument of granite, dedicated to 
 those who fell to uphold the principles of the best and greatest govern- 
 ment on earth. History records that no people or nation long survive 
 who fail to revere its dead. Monuments perpetuate the deeds of heroes 
 who gave the full measure and fell in defense of the liberties of the 
 people they loved. It devolves on you to now do your part, and during 
 the coming year, I will as often as your interests require, communicate 
 with each of you, and in all I do will be guided in that which will, I 
 trust, result in the welfare of the Third Brigade Re-union Association. 
 
 Comrades, I again thank you. I wish you a safe journey to your 
 homes and hope when we meet next year, you will, when assembled, 
 answer — here. 
 
 Comrade W. J. Funston, 52d Ohio, said: "Comrades, it has long been the 
 desire of my heart to again meet you this side of Jordan's stream, and when the 
 announcement was made that this encampment would be held in Chicago, I 
 hailed it with delight. Many of you have had the pleasure of meeting many 
 times since we bade adieu that Saturday afternoon to old Camp Chase. I have 
 not been so fortunately situated or located to meet with you at any of your 
 former re-unions, hence you can understand that the enjoyment of this occasion 
 is to me greatly enhanced. My comrades, I am greatly rejoiced to note while 
 looking into your faces that old Father Time has been partial to you. Your 
 eyes are bright, your faces are fresh, open and manly looking, in keeping with 
 the promise that was stamped upon your countenances when we marched ' side 
 by side down in Old Tennessee.' What a sober, good looking, cleanly and well 
 preserved lot of boys you are, and I am glad to meet you one and all. It reminds 
 me of the days when we tramped over mountain, hill and vale in the sunny 
 Southland to the music of the Union, to wipe out treason from the land-and in 
 greeting you I do not forget those other dear comrades who marched along so 
 bravely by our sides but who came not back with us to our own dear Northland 
 where schools, churches and liberty reigned— 'God's own Country,' as we then 
 called and looked upon it, and do so now. The God of Battles required a sacri- 
 fice in order that the great evil which caused the fearful strife should be wiped 
 off the land of Columbia forever, those dear boys being most fit were chosen. 
 No greater love can a man show than this, that he lay down his life for his 
 country; and while mourning and regretting their untimely end, yet we may 
 rejoice that we have been spared through all these years to see the maturing 
 
 28 
 
triiits of their sacrifice and pay our homage and tribute of love to their memory 
 and never-dyint,' deeds. Tiiey have not died in vain and liberty will not perish 
 from off the land. May the justice and righteousness that characterized our 
 acts down in ' Dixies ' land ever guide us. 
 
 '•You desired me to say something about old Kenesaw Mountain. I have 
 some vivid recollections of locality and its geological formation. 
 
 "Somewhere about the 24th of June, 18(34. while our brigade was occupying 
 a position on the hill directly opposite the left center of Little Kenesaw, about 
 4 o'clock in the afternoon the brigade was ordered to advance its lines. A 
 heavy woods was in our immediate front, and into this we advanced some two 
 or three hundred yards and came to a halt. The 52d Ohio was on the left front 
 of the brigade: Col. Clancy was in command of the regiment, or that portion of 
 it that was back with the brigade, Maj. Holmes, who was in command of the 
 skirmish line, having several of the companies with him somewhere at the foot 
 of the mountain. Colonel Clancy and myself were on the left of the line and 
 some yards in advance looking through the tree tops to the top of the mountain 
 and wondering wliether it was intended to make an assault or simply threaten. 
 While thus situated Col- Daniel McCook came out where we were standing and 
 requested the Colonel to send a man down to the skirmish line, find Maj. Holmes, 
 and learn from liiui the situation at the foot of the mountain, how his line ran, 
 whether it was up the side of it or not. If not could it be advanced any. How 
 far down the mountain was the Rebel skirmish located. Col. Clancy turning to 
 me said, 'Funston, 1 guess you are the boy.' handing me his canteen for a 
 'bracer.' he directed me to advance with the utmost caution, to keep under 
 cover as much as possible, and avoid drawing the tire of the Rebel sharpshooters 
 who were lying behind the rocks watching with all their eyes to pick off any 
 one who exposed himself. Keeping the trees between myself and the mountain 
 as much as I could, I proceeded straight down to the foot of the mountain. I 
 still remember how ticklish I felt as 1 carefully w'ended my way, stopping every 
 few yards to scan carefully and find out what was in front of me. not knowing 
 but at tlie next step some Rebel sharpshooter would discover an opening in 
 which to dispose some of his • British " lead. It was something like an eiglith 
 of a mile to the bottom, with hundreds of eyes and hostile rifles scanning and 
 covering every open place, but at last I arrived at the bottom with a whole skin 
 but somewhat wafm under the collar. While picking my way across the bottom 
 and near the foot of the mountain, a voice called out to me. ' Funston get down, 
 don't approach in an erect position.' Recognizing the voice as being that of 
 Maj. Holmes and that it was the same as an order, I obeyed and advanced by 
 employing the crawling act. I found the Major and everybody else hugging 
 mother earth as close as possible. Delivering my message to the Major, he 
 informed me that his line ran about parallel with the mountain, that the Rebel 
 skirmishers were about lialf way down the mountain side, well sheltered by 
 rocks and bowlders, from whose cover the sharpshooters picked off all who 
 exposed themselves, and wondered how they iiad overlooked me, that it was 
 impossible to push tlie Rebel line any further up, that it could defend itself 
 again,st almost any number who might advance against it both by shooting and 
 rolling down rocks upon it. After informing him what was going on along the 
 main line of works and the position of tlie brigade, he directed me to go back by 
 another route than tlie one I came by. Acting upon his advice I got back safely 
 to the Colonel and reported my observations and the information given by the 
 Major. I found that the brigade had advanced further down in the woods while 
 I was away and as I got back to tlie line the batteries on top of the mountain 
 opened up, as though they smelled a 'mice," and made quite a liberal distribu- 
 tion of their old pot mettle over that hillside, but as they could not depress their 
 guns enough to reach us. not much damage was done, but it being dark the 
 explosion of the shells lighted up the darkness, as night had now fallen. We 
 fell back quietly into our own works, where we remained until dark of the fol- 
 lowing evening.' wlien we marched off to the right until nearly morning when 
 we went into camp in the woods back of the line, where we remained until the 
 morning of tlie 27th of .June. 1864. Soon after breakfast on this morning a staff 
 officer from brigade lieadciuarters brought an order from Col. Dan McCook to 
 Col. Clancy directing that he report at once at his headquarters. On the Colonel 
 returning he sent me around to the companies requesting the officers to assemble 
 at his tent at once. Anyone who was present that morning will remember the 
 serious countenances the company officers carried upon their return to their 
 companies. While they had been in battle many times before, yet this was the 
 most serious and momentous morning of all their lives. Never before had they 
 
 29 
 
been called to headquarters and informed to prepare their companies to make 
 the most desperate charge of their lives. Often while sitting quietly in my 
 office after nightfall my mind reverts to you, my comrades, and as I look back 
 over those 36 years that divides then from now I realize more now than then the 
 bearing the great event which was soon to take place would have upon so many 
 precious lives. Before the stars shimmered and twinkled in heaven's blue vault 
 that night bright young lives had been sacrificed upon the altar of their 
 country's need. But we were young then, full of courage and ardor, and scarcely 
 thought of death. These officers had been informed that an assault was to be 
 made upon the lower end of Little Kenesaw Mountain where it curved back 
 from 'Noyes Creek,' and that the 2d Division, 14th Army Corps was selected 
 to make it. Soon all was excitement. The regiment was sooq in column and 
 moving to the place where the division was to form for the advance, behind the 
 crest of a hill upon which Battery I. 2d Illinois Artillery was mounted. The 
 reo-imeut was formed in line as fifth in the brigade formation- The regimental 
 commanders had requested Col. Dan McCook to remain in the rear of the line 
 and let the commander of the leading regiment head the charge. By such an 
 arrangement Colonel Dan would not be so exposed and would be in a position to 
 take advantage of anything that might present itself favorably at the moment 
 of contact If he led and was stricken down everything would be in confusion 
 and the charge would prove a failure, but the Colonel gallantly said no, that he 
 did not send his men where he feared to lead. The result was as had been 
 feared, Colonel Dan was stricken down and the assault failed to accomplish all 
 that had been expected. I believe that had the Colonel complied with the 
 request of his regiment commanders that the assault would have succeeded and 
 cut the Kebel army in twain as contemplated The advance began about 8:30 
 a. m. the troops moving forward in beautiful order. The Rebels opened with 
 their' artillerv, which was replied to by Capt. Barnett, butas the line neared 
 the Rebel line their battery tire ceased and their musketry fire opened. The 
 troops crossed the creek, charged up the ascent to the Rebel works where, with 
 victory seemingly in sight, Colonel Dan fell, and in a few minutes afterward 
 Col. Oscar F. Harmon of the 125th Illinois, next in rank, who had just assumed 
 command, was shot through the heart. Col. Dilworth of the 85th Illinois, next 
 in rank, on assuming command, realizing that the assault had failed, ordered 
 the men to lay close, throw up what protection they could by placing stones and 
 sticks in front of them while the line in rear was to keep up a hot fire upon the 
 Rebel works, thus compelling them to keep down. The fire effected the object 
 until night shut down on the scene, when with pick and spade ample cover was 
 secured before morning for all. For six days and nights our brave fellows clung 
 close to the chivalry of the South, however, not for the love they bore them, but 
 to demonstrate to the southern brother that his northern brother was fully his 
 equal in some things and his superior in most. The lines at the nearest point 
 were separated by only some 30 yards. On the night of the 3d of July the Rebels 
 silently stole away, one lone man however, concluding that he had had enough, 
 remained in their works until morning, when he gave the first information of 
 his friends departure. 
 
 "Comrade Stewart on pages 126 and 127 of his history of the regiment says 
 that during the flag of truce entered into by both sides the day after the charge 
 in order to gather up and bury those who had fallen between the lines, that 
 during such burial 'our men sat upon the head logs while crowds of armed men 
 near by thronged the works, the Rebel lines being crowned with sight seers of 
 high and low rank, while generals from both sides freely circulated between the 
 lines,' while as to the wrestling bout I failed to see anything of the kind, 
 although peering over the works with two sharp eyes to see everything that was 
 transpiring. I am constrained to think that the reverend comrade indulged in 
 drawing the long bow. My recollection of the occasion (and 1 believe I am cor- 
 rect) is that the officers composing the truce party of each side remained in line 
 where they met in the center of the space between the works and so remained 
 conversing with each other while the ' burial ' detail passed freely to and fro 
 until all the fallen had been consigned to mother earth. When their task was 
 ended the officers in command of the details so informed the officers of the truce, 
 the details being ordered over their respective works. The officers of the truce 
 marched past each other to their respective works, when a wave of the hand 
 from each side proclaimed the end of the truce and the beautiful song of the 
 ' minnie ' was again heard in the land of the orange and Magnolia. I remember 
 that the orders were peremptory for the men to keep down behind the works in 
 order that our numbers could not be approximated. 
 
 30 
 
TOM JONES. 
 Lieutenant 23d Indiana V. I. 
 
 THOMAS SHEA. 
 Colonel 22d Indiana V. I. 
 
"Comrade Stewart again says on page 126 that the rebel artillery opened on 
 our works; that was a simple impossibility, as their works were so close to ours 
 in line of their lire that their own men were more endangered than ours. The 
 only time that they used their artillery was just before our battle line started 
 and wiien it was charging down the hill fronting the rebel position when our 
 charging column reached Noyes Creek the rebel artillery was useless, as it was 
 posted in a lieavily wooded elevation back of their works. Just before the 
 charge started Col. Clancy and myself were standing just in the edge of some 
 timber at the top of the hill and to the left of Eattrry 1 when a few grape shot 
 struck the ground but a dozen feet in our front and hounded directly over our 
 heads. At this point the colonel gave me his horse with orders to bring it for- 
 ward if the charge was successful and to reuuiin at that point until the charge 
 was over. In making mention of the wounded in the cliarge no reference was 
 made to Col. Clancy having been disabled, but such was the fact. When about 
 half way down the field toward the creek as the colonel had raised his left leg in 
 taking the next step forward he was struck by a ^Minnie ball just below the 
 knee. lie thought at first that the limb was gone and sank to the ground. On 
 examination he found that the ball had cut througli the flap of liis top boot 
 which was turned down, making four thicknesses of leather that was cut through. 
 Finding that he was not seriously hurt and feeling having returned to some 
 extent in the limb, he got up, and using liis sword as a cane he hobbled on after 
 the regiment. It was at the front of the line and close to Col Harmon of the 
 125th 111. with whom he talked just a moment before the brave colonel was shot 
 to death. After matters had settled down somewliat after the light was over, 
 the colonel, assisted by one of the boys, came to where he left me with his 
 horse. I took him back a little ways, cut down some pine brush to make a bed, 
 got some water, and baring his leg found that the ball had made quite a con- 
 tusion but had not penetrated the llesh nor broken the bone, although it had 
 cut through four thicknesses of leather, his reinforced cavalry pantaloons and 
 his drawers. The only thing that saved his leg from being broken was that hav- 
 ing lifted it to make the step forward, no weight was upon it. I kept it con- 
 stantly bathed in water and by the next afternoon it was much better, so much 
 so that he got a stick for a cane and though with a considerable limp, he says: 
 'Funston, we will go down and see how the boys are.' On the way we ran afoul 
 of Gen. Jeff C. Davis, who asked, 'where are you going, colonel V' The colonel 
 replied that he wanted to see how the boys were getting along : tlie general 
 replied they are all right and don't need you at all. 'I should think you got 
 enough yesterday to do you for a few days, so go back and nurse your leg into 
 good shape. Now mind what I say.' The general rode away, and after he was 
 out of reach the colonel remarking that the general didn't know it all and we 
 would do as we pleased, kept on liis way until we reached the regiment and 
 found it in the front line, and it was a hot place, I tell you. We remained 
 about an hour and started back by a route pointed out by Maj. Holmes, but a 
 sharpshooter followed us with three separate shots that passed behind us about 
 the same distance. I called the colonel's attention to it, but he said keep the 
 same pace and don't let them see that we ncitice the shots. One of the shots 
 wounded a man farther down in the bottom. The night of the illumination I 
 w^as back on the hill making out the muster rolls. It was a grand sight. Such 
 are among the recollections I have of that desperate charge, and while it failed 
 in the attainment of the end sought the lodgement made the holding of the 
 ground close up to the rebel works by McCook's brigade forced them to make 
 another retreat, this time beyond tlie 'Chattahoochee." We gave them another 
 twist at Peach Tree that did not agree with their appetite any better, and again 
 they left our front, and at 'Jonesboro' we rubbed it into them by taking 'Gen. 
 Govan,' his staff, brigade and battery in out of the wet, escorted them'to At- 
 lanta and put them into the same 'bull pen' that they had placed Col. Clancy 
 and some of our men in. Comrades, I thank you, and I hope we will all meet 
 together next year. 
 
 Julius Akmstrong, 52d Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, says: "I was in the fight 
 at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., from start to finish: in fact the Regiment was 
 never under fire that I was not in my place. I did not see Col. Dan McCook 
 when he received his fatal shot, but did see him less than five minutes after- 
 wards, as he was leaving for the rear. He spoke to me, saying that he was dis- 
 abled, but that the fight must be continued. At that time I was within one 
 hundred feet of the rebel line of works. Col. McCook was wounded some dis- 
 tance in advance of that point. I continued moving along until I got within 
 
 32 
 
tliirty foet of tlio ditoli. Tliorc Colonel Clancy, '>2(] Ohio, spoke to me, asking 
 rrie to assist in making one more effort to break the rebel line. I did what I 
 could to rally the men, hut the attack had failed anrl we moved back to the 
 point where a rally was sustained, anf) wliere we remained until tlie rebels 
 evacuated. July 2-3, '64. This point of rally was not more than one hundred 
 feet from the rebel main line of works." 
 
 Rkv. Nick B. Stewaiit, .Sec'y 52d Ohio. Claysville, ()h\(), says : "The .52d 
 Ohio was in the n.-ar of tlie column when we started and second in the column 
 when w<; reached the rebel line of works. In a military sense we were all 
 meiyd into one column when we came in contact with the rebel works; we 
 were all in the front line at that point. Colonel Dan McCook was on the front 
 of our line when he fell. Our right struck the angle by the attacking column 
 when the left was the distance of two rods from tlie rebel works, as at that 
 point i. e.. the left of their works slanted to the northeast from the angle. Our 
 front line lifted and carried the rack or pike chevaux de frise endways, making an 
 opening in the abattis through which we passed to the ditch of their breast- 
 works, 'i'hese ricks were wired together and anchored in the ground and re- 
 <iuired i)hysical strength and courage because the enemy was pouring into us a 
 deadly and withering tire. I laid down with my head to the south and saw the 
 men carrying the Colonel to the rear. Tliere were three of them. They were 
 prol»ably tifieen feet from the works i.e., and corning from the works when I saw 
 them. .Sergeant .John W. lialtzy, Co. D, rj2d Ohio, told nje ' that Col. McO^ok 
 was wounded on the rebel Ijieastworks." The rebels pulled P.altzy over the 
 works, about eight feet to the right of wliere the Colonel fell, and made him 
 a prisoner. As near as J can locate the spot, Col. McCook fell about eighteen 
 feet north of the angle-" 
 
 Seattle, Wash., August 21, 19(j0. 
 
 Mv Dear Comrade:— Your fraternal letter of date, June 1st, notifying me 
 that the .'5d Brig., 2nd Div., 14th Army Corps, would hold a re-union on Monday, 
 August 27tli, clay and evening, and that State re-unions will be held on the fol- 
 lowing day, came duly to hand and it is my fault that it wasnot.sooner answered. 
 I had hoped, until very lately, to attend the National Encampment, but owing 
 to the sickne.ssof my partner and the absolute necessity of giving my personal 
 attention to the business of the office, I am reluctantly compelled to deny myself 
 the great satisfaction of meeting the survivors of the old brigade, of which I was 
 always jiroud to be a member and perhaps a little prouder to have been its com- 
 mander f(ir a period (A about six months,— and 1 believe you will agi'ee with me, 
 that, as an organization, it did its full share to uphold the standard of the Re- 
 public from 18<J2 unt il the end of the conflict. Last year I attended the National 
 Encampment at Philadelphia where 1 met a few comrades of tlie old command, 
 and on my return stopped over for about three weeks at my old liome in Illinois, 
 in the meantime making a numVjei-of side trips to visit old friends and cherished 
 conjrades, the most satisfactory part of which was an all day meeting with about 
 one hundred survivors of my regiment at Danville, Illinois. This of course was 
 a hand to liand and heart to heart occasion where mirth and tears competed for 
 supremacy. We spoke often and kindly of every regiment and revived memories 
 of our marches from Louisville, Ky., to Washington, D. C, and in low breath 
 recalled the useless slaughter at Little Kene.saw, where McCook, Harmon and 
 scores of other brave fellows paid tlie penalty of their fidelity to country and de- 
 votion to duty. Of the.se things you will speak at Cliicago. and though I-cannot 
 be with you in person our thoughts and emotions will be the same. Alike, too, 
 we will rejoice that our hands were in the work of restoring the Cnion of the 
 Fathers, imparting new life to the Nation and teaching ourselves and the world 
 the superiority over all others of government by and for the people. 
 
 Salute the comrades in my name and .stead at the re-union and you cannot 
 emphasize tf)0 strongly my regrets that I am unable to meet with you. Please 
 accept my personal lihanks for tlie interest you have exhibited in promoting the 
 last earthly meeting of an organization of which we a'l were justly proud. 
 
 Sincerely, your Comrade, J. W. Lanoley. 
 
 Mr, J. B. Work, Chicago, III. 
 
 Comrade Theodore D. Neighbor. Co. D, 52d Ohio, writes under date of 
 February 5, 1901, New Coinerstown, Ohio, as follows : 
 
 " In answer to your inquiry I did not see Col. Dan McCook fall; when I 
 saw him it was after he was wounded and was being assisted by some comrade 
 
to the rear in the field located east of Noyes Creek. Our regiment was lying 
 down at the time. Colonel Dan, then in front of us perhaps fifty feet said, 
 "Boys, what regiment is this V" On being answered that it was the 52d Ohio, 
 he said : "Goon up, boys, you can take the works." I believe this to be his 
 last spoken words of command. We went immediately forward and Col. Dan 
 McCook was assisted on to the rear. 
 
 Gen. James D. Morgan's first brigade did not cross Noyes creek, but occu- 
 pied a line of works on the bluffs west of the creek, which had been built and 
 occupied by General Whittaker's brigade of the 4th A. C. who moved to the left 
 and supported Gen. John Newton's division of the same corps. The cleared 
 field east of Noyes creek, which we passed over in our advance, was growing 
 wheat or rye at the time of the assault and extended half way up the slope from 
 Noyes creek to the rebel breastworks. 
 
 Col. John G. Mitchell's 2d brigade was not at any time as far front as Col. Dan 
 McCook's brigade in the siege. They joined our regiment on the right, our 
 right was bent back to connect with them. Col. Dan McCook, on the hill 
 where the formation was made, was walking around among the men, cool and 
 collected, cautioning the men to lie down as there was danger of being shot. 
 Bullets whistled over us from the enemy's skirmishers. Colonel Dan did not 
 seem to think there was any danger of himself being shot, and when he told 
 Jonathan Sills of Co. D to lie down— Sills having raised up to look over into 
 the woods from whence the bullets came— "You will get your head shot off," 
 Sills replied : "You might get your head shot off." Colonel Dan replied : " *Tis 
 an easy matter to fill my place and a very hard matter to fill yours — now lie 
 down." Fifteen or twenty minutes later Sills was killed within twenty feet of 
 the angle and Colonel Dan mortally wounded. 
 
 I don't think any man of the 52d Ohio saw Col. Dan McCook wonnded. 
 We were the fifth regiment in the assaulting line and were halted and ordered 
 to lie down in the wheat field; in this position we did not remain long, but it 
 was so until Colonel Dan, wounded and being supported by some soldier, was 
 going to the rear; he came down from the woods through the open field where 
 we lay directly in front of Co. D, 52d Ohio. As we advanced into the woods we 
 came in direct point blank range of the enemy's musket and shell fire; there we 
 met the regiments of our brigade that were placed in front of us, giving back 
 from the terrible fire; they rallied with us and the five regiments, almost as one 
 organization, moved as a mighty wave against the too strong works. There it 
 was our boys suffered so ; they fell on the right and the left as the autumn winds 
 cast down the ripe leaves. 
 
 I revisited this historic spot twice, once in 1895 and again in 1897. I found 
 everything about as we had left it; the rebel works yet show their strength; our 
 two lines close up, built under fire, still stand. The tunnel we started twenty-, 
 seven steps from the rebel works was still open in 1895. The old timber is all 
 gone; the effect of shells and bullets killed it and a second growth of timber 
 has taken possession. The head logs are gone, the logs used by the rebels are 
 inside of their works and are well rotted out. There are young saplings six 
 and eight inches through growing up through the works. 
 
 I was able to find the grave pits where we buried our dead on the field 
 under the truce. When they were taken up and reinterred in the National 
 Cemetery at Marietta, Ga., the pits were left open and leaves drifted into them, 
 on each side of which are the red earth mounds. 
 
 Col. Dan McCook was good to his men; he was stern in his discipline; as 
 raw green troops we chafed somewhat, but as we became schooled in a sol- 
 dier's duty and life we found Colonel Dan our friend as well as preceptor, and we 
 learned to be proud of him. He was brave and loved and admired brave men, 
 and yet he did not want to lose a single man if he could help it, but where duty 
 called he led his men with coolness and decision. 
 
 At the battle of Rome, Ga., May 17, 1864, the 22d Ind. regiment was in the 
 front line and were led beyond where they were ordered, when they met a with- 
 ering volley from the enemy, where many of them fell. It was the first battle 
 for the regiment after being recruited on veteran furlough; the raw recruits 
 broke in confusion and fled to the rear. Colonel Dan called his own regiment, 
 the 52d Ohio, forward, and as we came in view of the 22d Ind. their color bearer 
 gathered his flag in one arm and with his hat in his otlier hand he called to the 
 veterans of the 22d and they advanced a skirmish line in our front. Col. Dan 
 McCook noticed the man and when the battle was over he hunted him up and 
 complimented him on his bravery, saying ; "I love a brave man." No regiment 
 had a colonel that took a greater interest in his men. He licked the post quarter- 
 
 34 
 
master at Nashville, Tenn., and made him issue the brigade coffee instead of 
 tea, which he had imposed upon us for a lon^' time. Colonel Dan was wroth at 
 Chattanooga when he was ordered from our position where we luid been near 
 Jays mill all night isolated from the main army and almost against tlie entire 
 rebel army. 
 
 What has been done with our battle ground purchase of Kenesaw Moun- 
 tain, Georgia ? I want to visit it again sometime. How is it cared for y There 
 is no place where we were tested that to me finds so much interest, as Kenesaw 
 moimtain of June 27. 186-4, was our golgotha and our Waterloo: that morning 
 after moving about the length of the regiment from where we had rested on 
 Sundav, we'halted. Colonel Dan called all tlie line officers to liini and told tlicm 
 we had been selected for the assault, that in all probability it would be of a des- 
 perate character, and that they should go to their companies and tell the men. 
 I can see the pallid, stern and resolute faces of the men in that line, but none 
 )r failed: at the command, "Attention!" all were ready, resolved to 
 
 faltered or failed: at 
 
 dare and do, or in the attempt die 
 
 lie mangled on the field of carnage. 
 
 Capt. L. J. Dawdy.86th 111., Peoria, 111., 
 says: "The right of tlie 86th 111. extended 
 beyond the angle as shown by the works 
 of Kenesaw mountain. The lines show- 
 ing McCook's brigade works are there now 
 and only thirty and sixty paces from the 
 I'ebel works. As the regiments were small 
 this would allow about one hundred yards 
 for regiment front, which was the front of 
 our brigade, as the brigade was massed in 
 column of regiments with an interval of 
 five paces: but long before reaching the 
 works the bravest of each regiment was 
 crowding to the front without regard to 
 regimental alignment. I was at the 
 right of my regiment near the angle. I did 
 not know"^at the time anything of the 
 wounding of Col. Dan McCook. I am 
 unable to say just how Colonel Dan came 
 into possession of the colors which he 
 placed on the works. When the brigade 
 made the charge I took my proper posi- 
 tion as adjutant behind the right wing of 
 the regiment, and as w^e climbed the liill 
 on which the rebel works were situated, I 
 was just to the left and in front of the dead 
 angle, being behind Co, F: but the nearer 
 I got to those works I could see that 
 abattif^ was woven thickly in front of the 
 works at that point, and to the right of 
 the angle there was nothing but works 
 with head logs on top: so it seemed to me that our boys could cross the works at 
 that point—so I pushed out to Co. A with the intention of rushing them over. 
 In the meantime the men had lain down, being as far advanced as those on 
 their left, who were to the works, or as near as they could get to them. Their 
 officers did not try to carry them over, but when I called on them they ro.se to 
 their feet and opened fire instead of going over, and yet they advanced towards 
 the works, but in the meantime the line of rebels to our right poured an enfilad- 
 ing fire into our ranks in addition to that from our immediate front. Hence Co. 
 A was virtually annihilated, losing twenty-three men out of forty. There it 
 was that I, at about fifteen or twenty feet to the right of the angle, was wounded, 
 being not more than ten feet from the enemy's works. I was unable to get away, 
 so after lying there in the hot sun for five hours, and believing that 1 could not 
 recover— being shot though the body— I indicated my willingness to be taken 
 over the works, and was therefore taken across, not more than fifteen or twenty 
 feet to the right of the angle, and was then carried on a stretcher by four 
 confederates to their field hospital, about four hundred yards to the rear. 
 
 C. W. ilcKOWN. 
 
 Secretary 86tli Regiment 111. Vol. Infantry, 
 
 Gilson. 111. 
 
 .35 
 
ALLEN L. FAHNESTOCK. 
 Colonel 86th Illinois, V. I. Conitnd. Regi- 
 ment at Kenesaw, Ga.. June wT, 1864. 
 
 Allen L. Fahnestock, Colonel 86th 
 lleg't 111. Vol. Infty. was born at Ab- 
 bottstown, Adams Co., Pa., Feb. 28, 1828. 
 His father was a merchant and post- 
 master of the town, and moved to Illinois 
 in the fall of 1837 when he was nine years 
 old and settled on a farm seventeen miles 
 west of Peoria, in Peoria Co., 111. In 1839 
 he went to St. Louis and clerked in a 
 grocery store for Doll Brothers. When 
 eighteen years old he learned the cooper 
 trade and manufactured barrels several 
 years, when in 1856 he engaged in the 
 mercantile business in the town of Lan- 
 caster, and is still in business in Glas- 
 ford, 111. His first office was Town Clerk, 
 then Supervisor of the Township Peoria, 
 Co., 111., for several years, and Postmaster 
 a long time. School Treasurer from 1856 
 to 1861, when he enlisted sixty men for 
 the 47th 111 Inft. Vol., recruited a com- 
 pany, was elected its captain and joined 
 \he 86th Reg't. 111. Vol. Infty. and was 
 assigned as Company "I". The Regi- 
 ment arrived at Louisville, Ky., Sept. 7, 
 1862, was present at the battle of Perry- 
 ville, Oct. 8, 1862. The regiment lost 
 14 men killed and wounded. Afterward 
 marched to jSTashville, Tenn., then to 
 Chattanooga and fought the battle of 
 Chickamauga Sept. 19 and 21, 1862. Then 
 in the battle of Missionary Ridge, Nov, 25, 1863; loss small: we were in reserve. 
 Then participated in the march to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the relief of General 
 Burnside; Buzzard Roost, Ga., May 9 and 11, 1864. He was commissioned Major 
 Oct. 13, 1863; Lieutenent- Colonel April 13, 1864, and Col. D. W. Magee resign- 
 ing March 25. 1864, he took command of the regiment, fighting the battle of 
 Resaca, Ga., May 14 to 16. 1864, killed and wounded 5. The next day. May 17, 
 the battle of Rome, Ga., killed and wounded 17. Marched and fought the battle 
 of Dallas, (ra.. May 26 to June 4, 1864; our loss light- Then the charge of Kene- 
 saw Mountain June 27, 1864, loss 114 killed and wounded. Peach Tree Creek, 
 Ga., our loss 5 killed and wounded. Siege of Atlanta, battle of Jonesboro, Ga., 
 Sept. 1, 1864; our loss 13. 
 
 In all other marches and engagements from Atlanta to the sea, at the cap- 
 ture of the city of Savannah, Ga , at the battle of Averysboro, N. C, March 16, 
 1865, loss 5: battle of Bentouville, N. C, March 19 to 21, 1865, loss 24 men killed 
 and wounded. Commanded the regiment on the long march to Washington 
 City, D. C; was in the grand review June 6, 1865. The 86th was mustered out 
 June 6, 1865, arriving in Chicago June 11, and Peoria, III, June 23, 1865, and 
 the regiment disbanded 
 
 He was elected County Treasurer of Peoria County and served two years, 
 then chosen Township Treasurer for eleven years, and Postmaster of Glasford, 
 a small town on the T. P. & W. R. R., seventeen miles west of Peoria; at pres- 
 ent holds no office of any kind, has all the business that he cares to manage— 
 mercantile, grain, lumber, etc. He feels that he has been honored by his Com- 
 rades in arms and has a warm place in his heart for the brave men that left their 
 homes to battle for the old tlag and save the Union of States. He makes it a 
 point to never turn away any Comrade in distress and feels their days will soon 
 be numbered, and they deserve the honor that should be bestowed on them on 
 all occasions. 
 
 Glasford, III., 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Sec'y McCook's Brigade, Chicago, III.— Comrade : The 
 charge of Col. Dan McCook's brigade at Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, Monday 
 morning, June 27, 1864, clear and hot, found us up early with orders to leave our 
 knapsaclfs, camp equipage and sick in camp and take nothing but our canteens 
 filled with water and haversacks filled with rations. At seven o'clock we 
 marched out in the following order : 125th 111., Col. Oscar F. Harmon com- 
 manding; 86th 111., Lieut. Col. Allen H, Fahnestock commanding; 22d Ind., 
 
 36 
 
Capt. W. H. Snodgrass commanding: 52d Ohio, Lieut. -Col. C W. Clancey com- 
 manding ; 85tli 111., Col. C. J. Dillworth commanding, as skirmishers. While 
 marching to our position a reporter for a J^ew York paper said the tirst brigade 
 of our division was to charge the rebel works and our brigade was to support 
 them We had moved but a short distance when Ave halted. Tiie orderly from 
 Col. Dan ^IcCook gave me an order to report to him in person. 1 rode forward 
 and found him sitting by a tree, and when all the regimental commanders of his 
 brigade arrived he said : "We are going to charge the rebel works, in our front." 
 Addressing Col. Oscar F. Harmon, said : "You will command the first line:" 
 then turning to me, said : "You will lead the second line, and when you carry 
 the works shove down the head logs on the rebels, then deploy your regiment to 
 the left and occupy the works." Then addressing Col. C .1 Dillworth : ' You 
 will manage the skirmish line. Captain Snodgrass. you will lead the third line, 
 and Colonel Clancey. you will lead the fourth line." I returned to my regiment, 
 assembled the officers and gave them their orders, and ordered the men to "load 
 at will and not to fire a gun until we reached the works." We moved and 
 occupied a hill in front of a spur of Kenesaw mountain that we were to assault. 
 We laid down in the order assigned and waited for the signal gun. Gen. Charles 
 G. Ilarker of the Fourth Corps commanded on our immediate left. While 
 waiting for a signal gun 1 went to a small bush where Colonel Harmon 
 and Captain Fellows were sitting in front of the 125th 111.: we three knelt down 
 on our left knee, each facing the other in conversation. I unloosened my 
 "guerrilla whistle" and tore up my letters. Colonel Harmon asked me whether 
 I thought we could carry the works : I replied that I thought not, as we bad too 
 tar to run and the rebels were reinforcing their lines. I also told him that "if 
 we failed to carry the works I would surrender before my men should return 
 over the open field." He agreed with me, but said he thought we would carry 
 the works. I told them that I was sick and under the doctor's care all night, 
 and had a dream that I was in a terrible battle but got out safe. Colonel Har- 
 mon said he had a dream that he was fighting "copperheads North" and then 
 engaged in a big battle, but did not know how it terminated. Capt. Charles 
 Fellows said he had a dream also, that his '-left foot was cut ofT with a cannon 
 ball," bringing his hand down across his left foot- Just as he did so the signal 
 gun fired, at half past 8 o'clock a. m. The command was given "right shoulder, 
 shift arms and forward." The rebels, while we were laying waiting for tlie 
 signal gun, were shooting and wounding our men. I judged the distance at one 
 fourth of a mile. At the foot of the hill Gen. James D. Morgan's first brigade 
 lay behind their works. We crossed these works and then Noyes creek, break- 
 ing up our lines somewhat. The skirmishers of the 85tli 111. captured most of 
 the rebel picket line. We charged up the mountain side through a strip of 
 timber ; near the top we encountered the rebels in their strong works, in front of 
 which was placed racks staked and wired together. Our men were compelled 
 to break through these obstructions, but after running so far, and receiving so 
 galling fire, in which Col. Dan McCook fell mortally wounded, Colonel Harmon 
 took command and was instantly killed and fell in the arms of his men. Capt. 
 Charles Fellows rushed forward calling the men to follow, saying: "Come on, 
 boys, we will take — "' and fell dead a few feet from tlie ditch. I ordered a 
 second attempt to carry the works and failed. I then sent Seigt.-Maj D. E. 
 Ward to find Colonel Dilworth, who was then the senior officer in command of 
 the brigade. In passing to our right down the line he was wounded. I then 
 went to our right and found Colonel DiUvorth and explained the situation on 
 the left. I found my men nearly all killed and wounded on the right as they 
 struck the angle of the rebel works. The second brigade. Col. J. H.Mitchell 
 commanding on our right, had retired to the rear, leaving our right exposed to 
 the enemy's cross Are. I asked Colonel Dilworth what was to be clone: he asked 
 me my opinion. I told him we could not retreat and I did not feel willing to 
 surrender, so we agreed to separate the men and make four lines and throw up 
 fortifications while our sharpshooters held the enemy in check. I moved to the 
 left and notified the officers of the several regiments to separate the men and 
 shove up rails and wood: and we soon had a formidable line of works which 
 enabled us to hold our position. The distance between our works and the 
 enemy's was twenty seven paces. After dark we rescued many of our dead and 
 wounded. It was truly heart rending to hear our comrades begying for water, 
 many of whose voices we recognized but were unable to help. My adjutant, L. 
 J. Dawdy. was badly wounded and fell at the enemy's works and could not get 
 back to our lines, so was compelled to give liimself up to the enemy. Capt. Joe 
 Major of Company A was wounded and lay close to Lieut. Dawdy. After dark 
 
two rebels came out and robbed him of about all he possessed. "When all was 
 quiet he succeeded in sliding and working himself gradually buck down to our 
 pits and landed in our lines. 
 
 This is what I wrote in my diary the next day, June 28, 1864 : "I hope who- 
 ever reads this feeble description of this desperate charge will stop and reflect a 
 moment and think of our position and feelings, laying within thirty steps of a 
 desperate enemy, with our dead and wounded comrades between us, hearing 
 their pitiful cries for help. While the rebel guns were pointed in the direction 
 of the wounded some of the men crawled up and assisted the poor wounded back 
 to our lines and then to the held hospital, lo have their limbs amputated and 
 suffer untold misery- After dark we commenced strengthening our improvised 
 defenses; we have come here to stay. We lost so many of our comrades with so 
 slight a loss to the enemy that we will lose more or rout the enemy from this 
 death trap. The assault on Kenesaw mount;iin was general along the whole 
 line The severest losses Avere in McCook's brigade. We fought hand to hand 
 across the rebel breastworks, in front of our brigade, and planted the colors of 
 some of the regiments in the ditch at the foot of the breastworks of the enemy." 
 
 My diary says on the 28th of .June. Tuesday morning, clear and hot, the 86th 
 Eeg't relieved the 12.5th 111. on the front line before daylight, keeping up a brisk 
 tire all day. One killed and one wounded reported in the charge. Col. Dil- 
 worth and myself were trying to arrange some plan to dislodge the enemy. After 
 dark I had my men get empty cracker^ and cartridge boxes and fill them with 
 dirt and shove them in front up the hill; within twenty-seven steps of the 
 enemy's works there w^as a large chestnut tree. By morning we had good 
 works that would hold about twenty men that could do good execution at so 
 short a range- 
 June 29, Wednesday morning, clear and hot- The 86th Reg't was relieved 
 by the 52d Ohio. The dead still lying between our lines the smell from the 
 dead bodies was so offensive, the wind being in our favor, that the rebels 
 requested us to cease firing and have an armistice to bury the dead. We notitied 
 our General, J. C. Davis, who came over and sent an officer half way between our 
 lines to meet theirs to make the terms. The Confederates claimed the arms 
 that lay where our dead and wounded dropped them. Gen. Davis said the arms 
 were ours and if they defeated us they were their's, if not they were still ours. 
 We would tight for them. They consented and proceded to bury the dead. 
 When our officer was sent to meet the Confederate officer I counted the steps 
 each made. Ours thirteen steps, the Rebel fourteen, making twenty-seven 
 steps. 
 
 So each side detailed a number of men to dig graves on the top of the ridge 
 and bury our dead. There was one man killed in Company "A" that had a large 
 roll of money tied around his thigh. His comrade advised me of it. 
 
 Lieut S. T. Rodgers, of the 86th. had a sword presented to him from his 
 home at El Paso, 111-, and when he was wounded lie dropped his sword. So in 
 making the detail of men to bury the dead I had a comrade from Company "A" 
 put on a long coat and ordered him to secrete the Lieutenant's sword under his 
 coat and bring it to me, as it was against orders to remove any of the arms. It 
 was sent home to Lieut. Rodgers. The other man got the money from the dead 
 comrade. 
 
 The Confederate burial party stood with their backs to our works, the Union 
 soldiers their backs to the Rebel wt)rks, then moved to the center and dug the 
 graves and deposited the dead. I saw many of the Rebel generals, Hardee. 
 Cheatham, and others. As soon as our poor boys were under the ground the word 
 was given heads down and the fight was renewed. There was a yankee came to 
 me and showed me a small looking glass about one inch square attached to a 
 wire by boring a hole in the breach of the musket. Inserting the wire, lay the 
 musket over the works, cock the gun, look into the glass and when you see a 
 head tire, and found we had the right thing in the right place. We now com- 
 menced constructing a tunnel to blow up their works, and by using those glasses 
 on the guns we were able to keep them from doing us any harm. 
 
 June 30, Thursday morning, clear and hot. Heavy firing all night. At one 
 time we expected a charge but we were ready. A few men wounded in the 
 brigade. The rebel batteries opened on us doing no damage as their shells 
 passed over. We expected hell today but a heavy thunder storm came up and 
 dampened their courage, so we got through the day without loss. We can only 
 get rations in after dark. 
 
 July 1, Friday morning, clear and hot. The 86th Reg't relieved the 125th 
 Reg't on the front line. There was one killed and several wounded. The rebels 
 
 38 
 
commenced tightint; by throwing stones at us. hurting some men, sometimes 
 sending over a cold corn dodger. Our men would say to tliem, for (Jod'ssake 
 throw rocks but none of those corn dodgers. Our men would throw over a hard 
 tack and sav, "damn you, take that. Uncle Sam's bread." They would say, 
 "yank, send over some more." Tliere was a soldier witliatin bucket in his 
 right hand stepped over cuir works and marched over to the rebels. I ordered 
 my men to shoot him, but liefore they fired he stepped over their works. I sup- 
 posed he was a spy. l)ut in a short time they yelled over to know why we sent 
 that damn tool over. The num was insane. He" belonged to the 2d brigade of our 
 division. We were getting our tunnel well under their works. Tins night the 
 rel)S kept throwing over turpentine l)alls, keeping up a bright light, thinking we 
 were going to charge them. We intended to mine under their works and blow 
 them up on the 4th of .Inly. We had six killed and wounded today. (Reported 
 in charge.) 
 
 .July 2, Saturday morning, clear and warm. The 52d Ohio relieved us on the 
 frontline. A continued musketry tiring until 2 o'clock that night. Col. Dil- 
 worth and myself intended to make a feint about 2 o'clock tonight, have our 
 men ready, guns loaded and fire a few volleys and give a yell and lay low, and if 
 we drew the rebs fire to immediately charge the works. About 1 o'clock while 
 he and I vt'ere talking and getting ready all seemed soquiet I suggested that the 
 iel)els had retreated. In a short time a voice from their works asked permission 
 to come over to us, saying the rebels had retreated. We sent over a guard and 
 found it to be true. So we notified our commander and the Union army was up 
 and getting breakfast, and at daylight was on the march hunting our enemy. 
 Isow it was a sight to see the strong works. They had caves burrowed in the 
 ground, large trees were cut down between our lines I)y bullets. Some of 
 the head logs were so shot to pieces they were sent north as curiosities. Gen. 
 Joseph .Johnson, Confederate, in an article in the Century Magazine, .savs that 
 lie repulsed Gen. Sherman's assault on his line except one brigade of Federals 
 that held a position at one point on his line, and that was our brigade. It was 
 the only one that made the charge that day but what was repulsed. 
 
 Had we made the charge on the 27th at daybreak we would no doubt have 
 carried the works and captured many prisoners. Yours truly, 
 
 Allen L. Faiinestock, 
 
 Colonel 86th 111. Vol. Infty. 
 
 ASSAULT OF KENESAW MOUNTAIN JUNE 27, 1864. 
 
 Glasford, 111., Jan. 29, 19 d 
 J. B. Work, Esq.. 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 Dear Comrade— Jn reply to your favor I inclose a rough map showing our 
 position as I recollect the gronnd. As my place was in the center of the regi- 
 ment I could not see and know what happened on the right until we could 
 align our men and get some works in their front for protection. My under- 
 standing at the time was tliat Col. Dan McCook was shot on the rebel works 
 near the angle on the extreme right of our line and Col Oscar F. Harmon and 
 Capt. Fellows were close l)y him. My adjutant. L. ,1. Dawdy, Peoria. 111., was 
 on the right and he should be able to give the place on the line where he was 
 wounded. The formation on tiie hill waiting for the signal to charge is correct. 
 We moved down a hill and crossed over Gen. .T. D. Morgan's brigade at the base 
 of the hill and then crossed over Noyes Creek up through the Held and cauie to 
 the timber and brush and then onto the rebel works, and had it Lot been tor ob- 
 structions placed in frout of the Confederate works we would have cai)tured 
 them. The logs and "racks" were wired together and our men broke tln-ough 
 in some places and then the fighting was with stones, axes, spades, etc. Capt. 
 A. A. Lee of Company"!" pulled an axe out of the Viand of a r^ibel and brought 
 it back t(» our line. That morning I gave Fife Major A. B. Webler my Spencer 
 ritle and 120 rounds of cartridges and he got behind a tree and kept the enemy 
 back until many of our wounded could crawl back to our lines. He fired all the 
 cartridges and accidently killed one of our wounded that had been pulled over 
 their works. For his bravery in this cliarge 1 got him a medal from tlie United 
 States which he wears with honor for bravery." I still have the gun that he used 
 that fatal morning, l)ut 1 made him a present of one like it at Washington, D. 
 C. The tunnel may be a little farther to the right. The two gun batteries had 
 the end^rasures pointing down the line. Had we carried the works they could 
 have enfiladed the line and given us trouble. I have endeavored to find out who 
 carried Col. McCook back to the field hospital and so far can only find one man, 
 
 39 
 
my fifer, James Sheffler. He was at the field hospital when Col. McCook was 
 sent back on a stretcher with his orderly, badly wounded, on a stretcher with 
 him. Col. Dan had a small canopy fixed over him to keep out the hot sun. He 
 ordered a shade put over his orderly as he did not want them to treat him any 
 better than his men were treated. Surgeon M. M. Hooten and J. J. Guth of the 
 86th Illinois and Surgeon Duff of the 52d Ohio dressed his wounds and left him 
 a short time in care of the hospital steward, Joseph Robinson. He was soon 
 after taken to Big Shanty. The last I saw of Col. Dan McCook was in the 
 morning when I received my orders, and the last conversation with Col. Oscar 
 F. Harmon and Capt. Fellows was before we made the charge on the hill. The 
 stump on the left of the tunnel is 15 to 20 feet high and was there six years ago. 
 Any information I have ask and you shall have it. Very truly, 
 
 Allen L. Fahne.stock, 
 Late Lieut.-Colonel 86th 111. Infty., 3d Brigade, 2d Division 14th Army Corps. 
 
 Comrades: — The following, bearing upon the subject of the fatal 
 wounding of Col. Dan McCook, explains itself. J. B. Work. 
 
 Wadena, Minn., Dec. 30. 1900. 
 Mr. J. B. Work, 
 
 Secretary 3d Brigade. 2d Division, Uth A. C, 
 CHICAGO, ILL. 
 
 Dear Sir and Comrade : 
 
 In reply to your inquiry relative to 
 the charge of Col. Dan ISIcCook's Brigade 
 at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864, 
 in which assault Colonel Dan was mortally 
 wounded, others have written a better 
 history than I can give you-. The officers 
 and men who made the charge on those 
 works were as brave as ever wore the 
 blue. At the creek at the foot of the hill 
 I was in the rear, but got to the works as 
 soon as any of the boys. I caught up to 
 the front line as we reached the works. I 
 found the brigade all mixed up in one 
 line. In the space I was in I could not 
 tell what was being done very far on the 
 right or left of me. The rebel musketry fire 
 wasterriffic: to stand still was death: I re- 
 alized the .safest place was at the works. 
 Col- Dan was in the lead. He said: "For- 
 ward with the colors " When I first 
 reached the works I fell or laid down on, 
 and hugged the works as close as I could, 
 for protection and to rest, as in running 
 the distance we did, combined with the 
 intense heat, I was about played out. Col. Dan climbed up on the works. For 
 a moment my attention was taken with a rebel on the opposite side from me 
 who was trying to fire under the head log. When I looked up, Col. Dan was 
 standing on the head log above me. I heard him say " bring up those colors." I 
 don't know whose colors they were. He grabbed the colors in his left hand, 
 holding them aloft and using his sabre in his right hand, parrying the rebels on 
 the other side of the breastworks, who were trying to bayonet him. I reached 
 up and took hold of the skirt of his uniform coat and said to him, "Colonel Dan, 
 for God's sake get down, they will shoot you.'' He turned partly around, stoop- 
 ing a little, and said to me, " G d d n you, attend to your own business." 
 
 Then the gun was fired ; they put the gun almost against him : I know the gun 
 was not more than one foot from his hip when they shot him. I could not tell 
 where he was shot. Had I not pulled on his coat, I believe he would have fallen 
 inside the rebel works. Some comrades took him back to the rear; that was the 
 last time I saw him. My eyes were on the works till I got a chance to crawl 
 back to the top of a tree, close to the works. The boys in our rear were pouring 
 in a hot fire to keep the rebels down under cover, and to enable those of us at the 
 works to hold our ground. When the Colonel fell, we realized those in our rear 
 
 40 
 
 M. CANTERBURY, 
 Private, Stitli 111.. V. I. 
 
could not come up, and our only chance was to crawl back. While we lay there, 
 some one planted the colors in the trench, and later a rebel, in attempting to 
 capture t licm, was killed, 'i'he spot where Colonel Dan stood on the works, when 
 he was shot, was not far from where the south end of the works jogged off, and 
 was nortii of the angle. 
 
 Fraternally yours, in F., C. & L., 
 
 S. M. Canteubuuy, 
 \ Private Co. C, 86th Regiment, 
 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
 
 Havanna, III., Jan. 30, 1901. 
 Mr. J. B. WoKK, 
 
 Sec'y Dan McCook's Brigade, Second Division, 14th Army Corps, Chicago, 111. 
 
 MyDear Comrade — Yours of January 2.3d inst. at hand and I would have 
 
 replied earlier, but I have not been able to sit up all day for more than five weeks, 
 
 and am now propped up in an easy chair while I attempt to reply to your letter 
 
 relative to the mortal wounding of Col. Dan McCook while leading iiis brigade 
 
 June 27, 18(14, in tlie assault of Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Georgia. 
 
 The Both Illinois was the skirmish 
 line and led the brigade in the ciiarge. 
 Col. Dan was shot in the early part of the 
 charge and assault. At tlie time only a 
 few of us had gained the outside of the 
 rebel earthworks, we had to first cut a 
 passageway througli the abattis of the 
 limbs of trees sharpened and laid witli 
 their point outward, tlien we tackled the 
 Cheval De Frise, or logs witli wooden 
 spikes pointed five or six feet long, wired 
 together and anchored in the ground ; 
 these obstructions we tore from the 
 anchors and made an opening and pulled 
 them back and a.'^ound as you would in 
 i» ^^^ '^K ' fr / uiaking a gap in a rail fence; through tlie 
 
 \\ , ^^^k ^^^ ^H3fe«i^ / ''^''^^' thus made we rushed on the works. 
 " ' ' ^^^^"^ ^ AdSsHte^ / ('ol. Dan was the first man 1 saw on the 
 
 works, the rest of us were engaged in a 
 hand to hand fight across the works, the 
 men using their guns, bayonets and stones 
 and Col. Dan his sabre. lie was on top 
 of the rebel works and was urging liis men 
 on when shot, he staggered and fell at 
 the foot of tlie rebel works and I with 
 three other men carried him back to 
 where Brigade Surgeon M. M. Hooton, 
 SGth 111., had his hospital tent. I saw the doctor examine and probe the 
 wound. He was sliot in the right breast near the nipple. While carrying him 
 to the rear I liad my gun in my hand with tlie bayonet on, and being at the 
 back end of the stretcher it pointed to his head, and he said tome, "soldier 
 throw that gun down," and 1 di<l so. I cannot recall the names of the other 
 men who helped to carry him oil' tlie field, only one man liy the name of (rreen 
 Battcrton, of Co. ('. 85th 111., who is said to l)e dead. As to the location on the line 
 where Col- Dan fell it was at or near the center of tlie line of the brigade n<irth 
 of the angle. My company was the color company and in the center of the S5th 
 Illinois. I know nothing about tlie death of Col. Oscar F. Harmon of the 12.5th 
 Illinois, who succeeded in command of the brigade, as that occurred, so I was 
 informed, within a ffw minutes after he took (•<)minand, while I was in the rear 
 with Col. Dan McCook. I am not able to wiite any more now. 
 Fraternally yours, 
 
 J. T. Seay, 
 Company "D," Both Reg't 111. \ol. Infty.; Sec'ty S.5th 111. 
 
 J. T. SEAY, 
 Secretary s.itli lU. V. 
 
 41 
 
Redlands, Cal., March 27, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, 
 
 Sec'j^ Re-Union Association 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 14th Army Corps. 
 
 Dear Comrade— It gives me very great pleasure to comply with your request 
 to give you any information I possess in regard to the fatal vpounding of Col. 
 (since made Brigadier-General) Daniel 
 McCook. Jr. 
 
 In the tremendous commotion that 
 existed at that time I am led to believe 
 that no one can tell exactly the order in 
 which the events occurred. I was not 
 present at the time, but after Col. Mc- 
 €ouk was brought to my hospital, I had 
 him taken to my tent, where I made an 
 examination of the wound and found that 
 the ball had entered just below the clavi- 
 cle on the right side of the chest. 
 
 The direction of the ball was very 
 nearly straight toward liis back. He 
 must have been nearly facing the person 
 that shot him. Col. McCook told me 
 several times that as the enemy's works 
 formed an angle near where he was, the 
 right of the line had to march consider- 
 ably farther than the left, and Col. Bark- 
 er's brigade was pushing bravely forward 
 on his left wing, so that the two brigades 
 could enter the rebel works at the same 
 time. He said, "1 had just placed my 
 left hand on the head log and turned to 
 Capt. Fellows and called to him to "tell 
 Col. Harmon to bring the right wing up 
 double quick."' The next thing 1 knew 
 the men were carrying me down to the 
 ravine, and someone put some water on 
 my face. "This is to be my last battle, 
 doctor." I replied, "Oh, let us hope not."' 
 He afterwards told me he was in the act of 
 mounting the works and only hesitated an instant to see if Col J. H. Mitchell's 
 brigade on his right was to be up in time. 
 
 I do not know who carried Col. McCook to the rear. But he certainly left 
 the impression on my mind that he fell from the effect of the shot and was for 
 a short time oblivious of passing events. There, in a very short time our 
 country lost three as brave men as it possessed. Colonels Dan McCook, Charles 
 G. Harker and Oscar F. Harmon, to say nothing of the many others equally 
 brave but less conspicuous. 
 
 I desire very much to be kindly remembered to all my old comrades. 
 Very truly yours in F. C. & L., 
 
 M. M. HooTON, 
 Late Surg. 86th 111. Vol. luf ty. and Surg.-in-Chief of Col. Dan McCook's Brigade. 
 
 Samuel Grimshaw of Company ■' B" 52d Ohio says: Early on the morning 
 of June 27, 1864, our brigade was formed, the 85th 111. leading as skirmishers 
 followed by the 125th and 86th Illinois, 22d Indiana and 52d Ohio, Colonel 
 Dan McCook commanding. We moved to the right of our line on the front of 
 Kenesaw and formed in ttie edge of an "old peach orchard," in column of regi- 
 mental front. In this position we were on that part of the line in front of the 
 gap between "Big and Little Kenesaw Mountain;" on our right rear at a dis- 
 tance of about 200 feet was a small earthworks for field artillery. I remember see- 
 ing "Pap Thomas " standing on top of this earthwork. surveying both rebel and 
 union line. At this time our lines were not fully adjusted. When everything 
 was ready we settled down to wait for the signal gun, which was not tired for 
 over an hour after we were ready. While waiting in position we were subjected 
 to a very annoving tire from the rebel picket line across the creek resulting in 
 the killing and wounding of several of the men of our brigade. While lying in 
 this peach orchard I estimated our lines as formed to be about 800 yards from 
 the main line of rebel works. The sight was worth a life-time to see. In our 
 
 42 
 
 MA.JOR M. M. HOOTON. 
 
 Surgeon 86th fieg't lU. Vol. Infty. 
 
 Surgeon-iii-Chief Col. Dan 
 
 McCook's Brigade. 
 
front the ground sloped to a small stream equi-distant between | our and the 
 rebel line. It is known among- the residents as ''Big Branch" and runs due 
 south. On the east side of this stream was a small Held of wheat, then some 
 200 j^ards of timber and between the edge of this woods and tlu' rebel line at the 
 "Dead Angle " was open ground partially covered with slasliings and other ob- 
 structions. The orders of the 52d Ohio, which was the rear line, was to fix 
 bayonets and hold all stragglers and keep our lines compact, which we did to 
 the best of our abihty "'in that seething cauldron of hell.'' When we moved 
 foward the lines were perfect until we reached the bed of the ''Big Branch" 
 the banks of which offered a protectin from a terrific fire coming from our 
 front, from our right and our left. The halt was hardly preceptible. each regi- 
 ment moved foward led by the 85th Illinois as skirmishers, who made a run 
 across the wheat field and captured the rebel picket line beyond the Held in the 
 edge of the woods. The other regiments following in their order. When the 
 85th Illinois emerged from these woods immediately in front of the rebel works 
 they took position to keep the rebels down under their " head logs." Tiie 125th 
 Illinois assaulted the enemy's works in which the 85th Illinois joined and made 
 an effort to capture the works. In turn the 8(ith Illinois and the 22d Indiana 
 pressed foward until all were mer*<ed into one line, They surged foward several 
 times. At last the 52d Oliio combined with the other regiments of the brigade 
 again went foward and several colors were planted in the loose earth of the ditch 
 of the rebel works. A Captain Beasley of the 1st Tennessee Rebel was killed 
 while trying to grasp the colors of the 52d Ohio. The regiments maintained 
 their lines throughout the assault so far as the nature of the ground would per- 
 mit. The sweeping fire was more than mortal could stand. The battery on 
 our right swept our position with grape and canister, and the right of the 
 brigade drifted slightly to the left and was somewhat bunched at the "'dead 
 angle.'' Our left was somewhat better protected and the line was therefore 
 more perfect. Having lost two brigade commanders in quick succession, Colonel 
 Dan McCook having been shot off the top of the rebel works, and Colonel O. F. 
 Harmon being instantly killed after assuming command, and having lost over 
 400 men out of about 1200, and the brigades of Col. Jno. J. Mitchell on our right 
 and Col. Chas. G. Harker on our left having failed to make a lodgement, we fell 
 back from the face of the rebel breastworks, a distance of about 27 steps. The 
 front lines of the brigade passing back through tiie 52d Ohio, leaving us as the 
 front line. The other regiments then disentangling themselves from the bunch- 
 ing which resulted from the several attempts to capture the works, we crawled 
 up until our nearest point of contact was about 50 odd feet where we lay flat 
 down and threw up works using our bayonets, tin pans and hands scooping out 
 the dirt and throwing it up in our front All this time the boys in our rear were 
 keeping up a murderous and incessant tire on the enemy in our front. In the 
 space between our lines the ground was thickly strewn with the dead and 
 dying, and the living, unable to get back took shelter behind their dead com- 
 rades and kept up the firing. 
 
 After the charge General .Jeff. C. Davis came to our regiment and wanted 
 to know of Colonel C W. Clancy how our regiment was in the front line as we 
 were in the rear in the charge. Colonel Clancey said •'he did not know how it 
 came about but he was now in the frout line aiid prepared to hold the ground he 
 occupied."' 
 
 Some comment and surprise was expressed after the flag of truce when we 
 found som° of the men of Mit(;heirs Brigade among the dead of our own in our 
 front. I can only say that my idea is that some of Mitcliell's men who were on 
 our right, when their brigade got stuck in the woods in our rear "drifted " from 
 their command while advancing, caused no doubt by the sweeping fire in their 
 front, and were caught in front of the 52d and went forward with our l)rigade. 
 
 Another incident occurred which, as far as I am advised, has no parallel in 
 our army. The day after the assault we obtained a meager supply of small 
 s(iuare mirrors. These we rigged up attaching them by wire to tiie butt of our 
 guns, then placing the gun in position on our breastworks and lying flat on our 
 backs we sighted by the reflection in the glass until we got range\jf a rebel, as he 
 peered over or under their '-head logs" and fired. This was very effective. We 
 soon learned that by shooting at the lower bevel of the head legs, the ball was 
 deflected, and as they afterwards said "made them seek safety as far back as 
 they could get from the frout of their works " I believe the discipl ne in the 
 reforming and construction of our breastworks was a marvel of readiness ; and 
 our alignments were made and order quickly restored. Our adverse fortune was 
 not a surpri.se. We were never for a moment dismayed or falteied in fortitude or 
 
courage. We knew our losses had weakened us in such a degree that success 
 was impossible but we determined to stay there until support could come. 
 McCook's brigade at Kenesaw Mountain did what Burnside at Fredericksburg, 
 Pickett at Gettj^sburg and liOngstreet at Knoxville failed to do. We made a 
 lodgement and maintained our position alone and without re-inforcements until 
 we drove the rebels out of their works July 2d to 3d. I know this claim will be 
 criticised. Our losses are open to all and our record is second to none. 
 Havensvtlle, Kansas, March, 1901. 
 
 .Jefferson C. Davis was born in Clark 
 County, Indiana, 2d March, 1828; died in 
 Chicago, 111., 30tli November, 1879. 
 
 His ancestors were noted as superior 
 fighters in the Indian wars of Kentucky. 
 At the age of 18 while pursuing his 
 studies in the Clark County Indiana Sem- 
 inary he heard of the declaration of war 
 with ^Mexico, and enlisted in Colonel 
 Lane's Indiana regiment. For gallant 
 conduct at Buena Vista, he was on June 
 Inth, 1848, commissioned 2d Lieutenant 
 of the 1st Artillery; he became 1st Lieu- 
 tenant in 1852, took charge of the aarri- 
 son of Fort Sumter, S. C, in 1858, and 
 was there during the bombardment in 
 April, 1861. At the beginning of the Civil 
 War he was promoted to Captain to date 
 May 14th, 1861, and was given leave of 
 absence to raise the 22d Regiment Indi- 
 ana Infantry Volunteers, of which regi- 
 ment he became Colonel, and was after- 
 wards given a Brigade by General John 
 C. Fremont, with whom he served in Mis- 
 souri. He also commanded a Brigade 
 under Generals David Hunter and John 
 Pope. For services rendered at Milford, 
 Mo., on 18th December, 1861, where he 
 aided in the capturing of a superior force 
 of the enemy with a large quantity of mil- 
 itary supplies, he was made a Brigader 
 General of Volunteers. 
 
 At the battle of Pea Kidge, Ark., he 
 commanded one of the four divisions of General Curtis' Army. He participated 
 in the siege of Corinth, and after the evacuation of that place by the Confed- 
 erates he was assigned to the " Army of the Tennessee," commanded by General 
 Don Carlos Buell. When Generals E. Kirby Smith and Braxton Bragg invaded 
 Kentucky in August, 1862, General Buell followed, arriving iu Louisville, Ky., 
 about the 20th of September. In the Chicago Inter Ocean of August 26, 1900, 
 in the History of the "Kentucky Campaign of 1862" by J. B. Work, 52d Ohio, 
 the following relating to General Davis is given : 
 
 JEFFERSON C. DAVIS, 
 
 Colonel 22d Regiment, Indiana Volunteer In 
 
 frantry, Brigadec General and Major 
 
 General United States Volunteers. 
 
 SHOOTING OF GEN. NELSON. 
 
 INCIDENT THAT VITALLY AFFECTED THE SUCCESS OF THE CAMPAIGN. 
 
 An incident occurred on the 39th of September which had an unfortunate bearing upon the 
 success of the campaign. 
 
 On this date General William Nelson was killed in an encounter with GeneralJeff. C. Davis 
 in the Gait house in Louisville, Ky. General Davis had commanded one of Buell's divisions, but 
 had preceded his old division north, and by reason of his impaii'ed health had eone to his home 
 at New Albany, Tiid.. to spend a few weeks and recuperate his shattered health. Believing- his 
 division with Uiicll would engage the enemy in })attle then at, or near Bowling Green, he 
 hastened to Loiiisvilk-, where, finding himself unable to reach his command, he tendered his 
 services to General \\ illiam Nelson, in command at Louisville, who assigned him to the duty of 
 organizing the " Kentucky Home guards." formed by the citizens for the defense of Louisville. 
 General Davis opened an oftice and went to work assisting in the organization of the guards. 
 General Davis was a warm personal friend of Gov. Oliver P. Morton of Indiana. General Nel- 
 son for some reason regarded Davis as one of the Ciovernor's proteges. Nelson's dislike for 
 Governor Morton was pronounced, which probably had its oiiain in Governor Morton's censure 
 of the conduct of the battle of Richmond, Ky., Aug. 30 and 3L which cost Indiana so dearly in 
 the loss of its regiments. For these reasons General Nelson at an early date determined to sup- 
 press the influence of Governor Morton's friends in the reorganization of the array, and General 
 Davis was the first to feel his displeasure. Davis' duties brought him into personal contact with 
 
 44 
 
General Nelson dail.v. on which occasions Nelson took every opportunity to treat General 
 Davis ill what the latter rog-arded iui arrogant and supercillious manner, in which Nelson was 
 past master. There soon arose between them a bitter feeling-. On Wednesday. .Sept. 19, General 
 Davis called on General Nelson, in his rooms at the Gait house. General Buell in his report ot 
 the atTair to General Halleek says: •■ The circumstar.ces are that on a previous occasion Nelson 
 censured Davis for what he considered neglect of duty, and ordered liiin to report to General 
 Wright at Cincinnati, Ohio. Davis said with reference to that matter that if he could not get 
 satisfaction or .justice, he would take the law into his own hands. On the occasion of the killinj,' 
 he approached Nelson in a large company, and introduced the subject. Harsh or violent words 
 
 ensued, and .Nelson slapped Davis in the lace anrl walked oft. Davis followed him, having- pro- 
 cured a pistol from some one in the party, and. meeting Nelson in the liall of the hotel, Davis 
 flred. The ball entered the right breast, inflicting a wound which caused death in a few 
 minutes." 
 
 The newspaper report of the meeting between Generals Nelson and Davis is about as fol- 
 lows: ■" About a week or ten days previous to Sept. 2'J. when General Davis in person verbally 
 reported to General Nelson the progress made in forming the citizens in 'home guard regiments' 
 he stated to Nelson that he had a Brigade leady for service, and tliat his object in calling was 
 to in(|Uire when he could secure arms for them. General Nelson asked, 'How many men have 
 youV General Davis replied, 'About ~,500. General.' Nelson, in a sarcastic, rough, and angry 
 manner, said, 'About 2.500. About 2,500. By G — , you, a regular officer, come here to ine and 
 
 report about the number of men in your command. you, don't you know, sir, you should 
 
 give the exact number?' General Davis replied 'tliat he only inquired when and wliere he 
 could get arms, etc.. for the guai'ds already organized. When he obtained this information he 
 would draw the exact numl)er. Nelson was pacing the room in a rage. He was repeating 
 ' about 2.500 by God.' As he turned, facing and advancing toward General Davis, he said: 'I 
 suspend you from your command and order you to report to General Wright." and added, 'I 
 have a good mind to put you under arrest. Leave my room, sir.' General Davis replied, ' I will 
 
 not leave, General, until, you give me an order.' General Nelson said. 'The you won't; 
 
 by I will put you under arrest and send you out of the city under provost guard. Leave 
 
 my room, sir." 
 
 Geneial Davis then left tlie room, and in order to avoid arrest crossed over the river to 
 JefTer.sonvilIe. Ind., and proceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio. Keporting to General H. G. Wright, in 
 command there, he was ordered to return to Louisville, and report in person to General D. C. 
 Buell. who had just arrived. On the morning of Sept. 29 General Davis was in the Gault house 
 and saw General Nelson in the main hall fronting the office. He went up to Governor Oliver P. 
 Morton of Iidiana and requested the Governor to be present and hear the conversation between 
 liimself and General Nelson. The Governor consented and the two walked up to Nelson. Gen- 
 eral Davi>. addressing General Nelson, .said. 'Sir, you seemed to take advantage of your au- 
 thority the other (iay.' General Nelson, in a sneering manner and tone, and plac-ing his hand 
 to his eiir. ^aid. 'Speak louder. I don't hear vei'y well.' General Davis, in a louder and positive 
 tone, sairi, ' Ymi seemed to take advantage of your authority the other day.' General Nelson, 
 in an indignant manner, replied, '1 don't know that I did, sir.' General Davis said, 'You 
 threatened to arrest me and send me out of the state under a provost guard.' General Nelson 
 
 then struck General Davis twice in the face with the back ot his hand and said, 'There, 
 
 you, take that.' General Davis stepped back, retreating, and said, 'This is not the last of it; 
 you will liear from me again.' General Nelson then turned to Governor Morton and said 'By 
 
 , did you come here also to insult me''' Gov. Morton replied that he did not, that Gen. 
 
 Davis requested him to be present and listen to the conversation. General Nelson then turned 
 
 to the by-standers and in a violent manner said; 'Did you hear the rascal insult me?' 
 
 He then walked to the ladies' parlor. After an absence of about three minutes General Davis 
 returned with a pistol he had borrowed from Captain Gibson of Louisville. He walked direct 
 to the door that Nelson had passed through. He saw General Nelson walking out of the parlor 
 into the hall separating the main hall from the parlor. The two were face to face and about 
 thirty feet apart. General Davis drew liis i)islol and flred; the ball entered near Nelson's heart. 
 General Nelson threw up both liands aiKl c;iuglit a gentleman around the neck and exclaimed 
 ' I am shot.' He walked upstairs toward (ieneral Buell's room, but sank down at the top of the 
 suiirs. He was carried to his room and phiced on his bed, and the Rev. Mr. Talbot was sent for 
 and administered the ordinance of baptism. General Nelson said in a whisper, ' It is all over,' 
 and expired." 
 
 The Chicago Tribune of Sept. 30, lst)2. referring to the affray, said editorially: "It is his- 
 torical that the deceased ofiicer, though an efficient and energetic commander, had those traits 
 marred l)y his persistent habits of l>rutality and heartlessness in his relations to inferiors and 
 all under his command:" that he was bold, in'onipt, and thorough many can attest. .\t the 
 same time they are constrained to lessen the praise due him by the inlelicities, and brutalities 
 that characterized his intercourse with those about him." 
 
 General Davis led his old Division of the 20th A. C. in the Battle of Stone 
 River. December 30th and ."Ust, 18(i2, and January 1st, 1863. For his l:)ravery he 
 was recommended by General Rosencrans for Major General. lie commanded 
 the 14th A. C. under Gen. Sherman in the Atlantic campaign and commanded 
 the 14th A. C in the battle of Joneslxiro, Ga., and the "March to the Sea." 
 
 He was brevetted Major General of Volunteers March 31st, 1865. for meri- 
 torious services at the assault of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June2Tth, 1S()4. After 
 the close of the war he was made Colonel of the 23d Infantry, July 23d, 1866. 
 He afterwards went to the Pacific Coast and commanded the United States 
 forces in Alaska, and in 1873 after tlie murder by the Modoc Indians of General 
 Canby, in Northern California, took command of the forces operating against 
 them and compelled them to surrender. 
 
 Jeff. C. Davis in all his career was always a 22d Indiana man. It was his 
 confidence in and high regard for Colonel Dan McCook as a soldier that brought 
 the 22d Indiana to our Brigade and Colonel Dan McCook's Brigade hold Jeff. 
 C. Davis and his regiment in affectionate remembrance- 
 
 45 
 
JOE MAJOR. 
 
 Captain Co. A, 8(ith Kegiment. 
 
 III. Vol. Infty. 
 
 Captain Joe Major, 86th 111., gave an 
 account of how he was knocked down by 
 something— he don't know wliat— while 
 olo.se to the rebel works in tlie charge at 
 I\onesaw mountain. When lie regained 
 cniisciousne.ss he found himself flat on his 
 back just outside the rebel breastworks, 
 among many dead and wounded. Our 
 troops had fallen back about seventy-five 
 feet and there— by hugging the ground 
 closely— were partly protected by the brow 
 of the hill. Spades were trumps, and by 
 diligent digging a new line was soon es- 
 tablished, protected by good breastworks. 
 On tlie return of consciousness Capt. Ma- 
 jor knew he must play himself for dead or 
 he would be forced to crawl over the rebel 
 breastworks a prisoner- as several others 
 were forced todo. Eetreatwas then impos- 
 sible. About this time a venturous rebel 
 crawled out over the works — probably 
 for boodle— and crawling around among 
 the dead and wounded, came to the Cap- 
 tain, whom he relieved of his revolver, 
 sword, haversack, canteen, pocket-book 
 and hat. Noticing that Major was breath- 
 ing, the rebel turned a little water into 
 his mouth. But, although nearly dying 
 of thirst, the Yank was afraid to swallow 
 for fear his sham would be detected, and 
 permitted the coveted fluid to run out of 
 his mouth and go to waste in mother earth. The JoUnny crawled away and 
 left him, of course, supposing there would soon be a dead Yank. It was now 
 about ten o'clock in the forenoon, and during all the balance of that hot twenty- 
 seventh day of June Captain Major lay on the flat of his back with the merci- 
 less rays of the sun pouring down into his bare face, not even daring to scare 
 the flies from his mouth or nose, or shift his body the least mite to gain a more 
 comfortable position. He could hear the bang, bang, of Yankee guns, and the 
 crack of Colonel Fahnestock's Henry rifle in the hands of Fife Major Webber— 
 who had gained an advantageous position and was doing all he could to prevent 
 the rebels from raising their heads above their breastwork ; for which the Gov- 
 ernment gave Comrade Webber a Medal of Honor. When the rebels would 
 reply, the smoke from their guns wouM almost puff into the Captain's face. 
 With the bullets passing both ways, only a few inches above his body, there he 
 lay, out-'possuming any opossum that ever lived. Finally, after a long, long 
 wait, darkness came. Then was his time to attempt an escape from his perilous 
 position. Gathering his strength for a supreme effort, he got onto his feet and 
 made a dash for the Yankee line. It was considerably down hill, and he came 
 as near flying as he could. There were many dry twigs and dead leaves on the 
 ground, so he made considerable noise which drew a volley of rebel bullets after 
 him, but fortunately he was not hit. Coming to our line, he did not pause for 
 ceremony or give the countersign, but running up the loose dirt placed his 
 foot on top of the breastworks and leaped clear over men, guns, bayonets and 
 all! It was my fortune to stand within six feet of where he lit— in fact, he 
 jumped nearly over me— and when we saw who it was, and what caused the 
 noise and confusion, I can say of my own knowledge the feeling of surprise, joy 
 and gratitude was simply beyond description. Of course, the Srst thing required 
 of him was to "give an account of himself." This he did without even waiting 
 for a drink of water. In relating how the rebel robbed him, he moved his hand 
 from place to place, and was just saying watch, when his hand struck his watch 
 pocket and, to his great surprise, the watch was still there, and when he drew it 
 from his pocket and looked at it he could hardly believe his eyes. My impres- 
 sion is now, that he said then, that the Johnny had taken his wife's picture out 
 of the same pocket the watch was in— but I am not sure about that. 
 
 In fllling his place on the program, Captain Major's natural modesty did 
 not permit him to say but a few words on the foregoing subject, but when he 
 spoke about getting the sword back he spoke with more freedom. I have writ- 
 
 46 
 
ten it up without bis advice or consent, because I thinlc it very interesting, 
 remarkable and wortliy of a place in the history of the regiment. Captain Major 
 exhibited the sword and manifested great joy in having possession of it again. 
 When it was taken away from him, thirty-seven years ago, he was first lieuten- 
 ant in company A. 
 
 The two following letters will be the more satisfactory way of telling the 
 balance of this interesting story: 
 
 THE RETURN. OF THE SWORD. 
 
 To His Excelkncy, the Governor of Illinois, at Spriiivijkkl. 
 
 Hon. Sir: — 1 have in my possession an old cavalry sword, bearing the fol- 
 lowing inscription: "To Major Eureka. 111., 86th 111. Vol.'" and not knowing 
 but what the sword above described would be a valued relic, either by your 
 State, or some party or parties in some manner connected with said ^Nlajor Eu- 
 reka, I write you this letter, saying that I shall be only too glad to restore it to 
 its proper owner, upon proof being made of such ownership. Hence, if this mat- 
 ter would interest you, please have the proper person look into the matter. 
 
 Respectfully, Jas. A. Jones. 
 
 Capt. Joe Ma.jor, Eureka, 111. 
 
 Hon. Sir : — Your favor of the .5th inst. to liand by last mail, and in reply, I 
 beg to state that I am fully convinced that the sword I have was and is the 
 identical sword lost by you in June, 1864; in fact, now that I know of the cir- 
 cumstances, 1 can plainly make out the inscription on the handle of said sword 
 to be as follows: '-Joe Major, Eureka, 111., 86th 111. Vol." Now this sword is 
 very rusty, and my object in writing you before returning it to you is to ask you 
 whether I shall send it just as it is (rusty) or shall I have it cleaned up before 
 sending. I wish to God that I had tlie means to pull up and carry it to you and 
 deliver it to you in person, but being financially a poor man. I can only send it 
 by express. Would it not be grand if I could hand it to you just thirty-rive years 
 later than its loss ? Now, as to how it came into mv possession. I will say: My 
 grandfather, together with a man by the name of John Williams, was' in the 
 Confederate army, and after the war, returned to Butler County, Alabama, to 
 make it their home. This John Williams was the man who captured your 
 sword, but I am grieved to say that since that time he moved to Arkansas" and 
 died. And soon after the war my grandfather's children (my father and one of 
 my uncles) needed a sword to carry out a play at a "school exhibition"' and as 
 some of my grandfather's children and some of John Williams' children mar- 
 ried into the same family, they went to Mr. Williams to borrow this sword, and 
 soon after that he moved off to Arkansas and the sword was never called for: 
 and as grandfather's people had no thought of the sword being called for, or 
 valued by any one, they just let it be used any way: the hands even using it to 
 strip sugar cane. About seven years ago grandfather moved to this, Monroe 
 County, Alabama (my father having previously moved here), and not long ago, 
 as I was preparing to make a visit to our old 'home, and remembering the old 
 sword, I asked grandfather if I might have it, and lie told me yes (I have ever 
 been a lover of any old-time article), and upon visiting his old homestead I found 
 it in the crack of some old stable, and upon bringing it home I discovered this 
 inscription and felt it my duty to restore it to its owner, if he was to be found. 
 In my letter to Gov. Tanner I called it a cavalry sword, but this was through 
 ignorance on my part. The sword is thirty-six inches long. I return you herein 
 the check for $5.00 sent me by you, as I could not think of chargiiig for any 
 trouble in restoring same to you, nor especially before you have seen and identified 
 it as your own sword, and if I were to accept anything, it would be merely a gift 
 in remembrance of this circumstance, after you have seen for yourself this 
 sword. The scabbard for this sword has long since been destroyed by rough 
 usage. Hence, I liave nothing only the naked sword, which is in a rustv condi- 
 tion. Please write me at once whether I shall return it just as it is, or if I shall 
 rub and clean it up. 
 
 I have long wanted to visit the North, and if I had the means of transpor- 
 tation I should start at once. 
 
 I feel that I am only doing my duty in this case, and wish you a long and 
 happy life and old age. 1 am only 21 years old. 
 
 As to who I am, I willingly refer to any one of our county officials, and as to 
 my attainments, to the Massey Business College Company, R. W. Massey, Presi- 
 dent, Main Othce, Columbus, Georgia. , Please consider the sword yours again. 
 
 47 
 
and write me at once so that I can get it to you on the thirty-tifth anniversary 
 of its loss by you. Hoping to meet you in person some day, and if not in person, 
 tliat we may meet in lieaven, I am. Sincerely yours, Jas. H. Jones. 
 
 P. S. I have talked with grandfatlier about this sword since I heard from 
 you. 
 
 Weiser, Idaho, March 25, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Esq., Chicago, III. 
 
 Dear Sir and Comrade: -Your esteemed favor of January 22 came duly to 
 hand and I have no excuse to offer for this unreasonable delay. Your letter was 
 the first I knew about the Brigade Association or that any ground had been 
 bought at Kenesaw. I am heartily in accord witli tlie movement and shall be 
 sorry and ashamed if the 125th does not do her full share in the matter. But I 
 fear we lack a leader. I tliink Colonel Langley is in Seattle: the major and 
 adjutant together with many of the line officers are dead, and while the regi- 
 ment maintains its annual reunions with a fairly good attendance and interest, 
 as I am informed— having been able to meet with them but once — I know of no 
 one who can be depended upon to take the lead in tlie raising of the money. It 
 may have been brouglit before the meeting at their last or some other annual 
 reunion, but I am not sure of it. William A- Payton, of Danville, would be as 
 likely as anyone I know to take an interest in it, and, as I am told he has 
 been very fortunate in some western mining speculations, is better prepared 
 financially to assist than most of us. 
 
 1 regi'et exceedingly my inability to give you any information on the ques- 
 tions asked. I did not see Colonel McCook or Captain Fellows (of my company 
 and serving on McCook's staff) after the forward movement began. Just prior 
 to that time the Captain was witli his company for a few moments. I do not 
 know where the Colonel was at the time lie fell, but did not suppose he was on 
 the rebel works, and do not think be was. Of course General Slierman could 
 not speak from personal knowledge. If those who brought him from the field 
 could be found they should know. Captain Fellows was killed, but I do not 
 know just when or wliere. I did not assist in removing the body, nor did I see it 
 later. 1 can hardly understand wliy McCook should have been so far to the left, 
 as indicated by your sketch, at the time he fell, or any other time. 
 
 I never could satisfy myself as to the time Colonel Harmon fell. I know 
 that after the force, of tlie charge had been spent, and the line had come to a 
 halt, the men in disobedience of orders were tiring under such protection as the 
 conditions offered. I took a hurried review of the situation and realized fully 
 that the assault was a failure, in so far as carrying the works was concerned. I 
 knew full well that no man living, under the conditions, could rally the men and 
 accomplish tliat which they failed to do when they started with increased num- 
 bers and in ignorance of what was before tliem. At this time Colonel Harmon 
 was but a few feet to my right, partially sheltered by a tree beliind wliich he 
 was standing. At one moment I was on the point of speaking to him and ask- 
 ing him what we were to do, but the second and wiser thought was tliat, "It 
 was not mine to reason why, mine but to do and die," so I said nothing. I 
 never saw the Colonel after that moment. I have always doubted his knowledge 
 that McCook liad fallen, and that he was in command. I doubt liis ever liaving 
 given a command as brigade commander tliat day, if it is a fact tliat McCook 
 was the first to fall. None of these things do I know, so have never had a 
 decided opinion. 
 
 After the cruel work was done and our line established as best it could be 
 under the circumstances, I was sent to the rear to searcli out and bring to the 
 front such stragglers as I could find from Company C- I went back as far as the 
 fringe of woods, where we formed, and there under some sheltering trees, a 
 form was pointed out to me, concealed from view by some covering, and I was 
 told it was the body of Col. O. F. Harmon. I did not raise the cloth to see the 
 remains of our beloved and gallant colonel, but passed on in the performance of 
 my duty. This was the first knowledge I had of his death, as I now recollect it. 
 
 Your diagram of the field conforms very closely to the idea I have ever had 
 of the confederate line. I supposed there was an angle in their works, and the 
 position you have assigned Carter's battery accounts fully for the terrible enfilad- 
 ing raking with canister and grape to whicli we were subjected. It was some- 
 thing awful. I supposed, however, that Mitchell's brigade reached a point much 
 nearer tlie worlvs tlian the diagram indicates, but never had any positive 
 knowledge about it. It is no doubt a fact that we got closer and held our posi- 
 tion closer than any other assaulting column. I wonder if the Rebellion Record 
 throws any light on the subject. 
 
 48 
 
I ;im very sorry I am unable to give inloruiation that miglit assist you in your 
 work, but at tliat time I was but a boy, ufjt very presuming, and wlioUy ]aci<ing 
 in ex|)erience. My (-oneeption of a soldier's duty was to obey orders, and I was 
 usually cotiteiit with that. 
 
 I iiope you will meet with all possible success in any effort to perpetuate our 
 rceord, and sliall be only too glad to contribute of my means to the extent of my 
 full share, in any way that may assist. 
 
 With thanks for your letter and diagiam of field, I am, 
 Very truly and fraternally yours. 
 
 Nelson F. Kdiball, Co. C, 125th 111. 
 
 ROBERT S. MOORE, 
 
 Colonel EiK-hty-Fifth Rej,'iincnt, 
 
 Illinois Vol. Inf j'. 
 
 Colonel Ilobcrt S. Moore was born in Green County, Ky., March 19, 1827. 
 At the age of ten years his parents removed to 1 llinois and settled on a farm in 
 Sangamon County where he worked on the farm until the breaking out of the 
 Mexican War. He enlisted as a private in Company "F," Fourth Regiment, 
 Illinois Infantry, and participated in tlie battles of Cerro (Jordo and in the 
 siege of Vera Cruz. At the close of the war he returned to his home in Illinois, 
 locatefl liis land warrant in Mason County and engaged in farming. lie also 
 founded the town of Spring Lake. In 18.54 he married Miss Isabella Trent, 
 removed to Havana and engaged in the buying and shipping of grain and in 
 farming. At the outbreak of the War of the Rebellion he recruited Company 
 "E" of the Twenty-seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infanty of which com- 
 pany he was elected Captain. He participated in the battles of Belmont and 
 I'armington and at the Siege of Corinth, where he was wounded. While home 
 on leave of absence on account of his wound, lie was commissioned by Governor 
 'i'ates to raise a regiment unfler the lirst call for troops in lS(i2, and upon its 
 organization Ik; was commissioned Colonel of the Eighty-tifth Regiment Infan- 
 try. Illinois Volunteers. Under his command, his previous experience and 
 .seiviccsoon developed the Kighty-lifth into a well disciplined and etlicient regi- 
 ment. With his regiment he opened the battlcof J'erryviile, Ky.. October 8,1862, 
 and at the close of the fighting he was complimented on his skill and courage by 
 his superior ollicers. At the battle of Stone River he was injured in the hip by 
 
 49 
 
a vicious liorse, an injury from which he never wholly recovered. He remained 
 in command of the regiment until the following June, when he resigned for 
 disability. No officer ever enjoyed more fully the confidence of his men, and 
 few so fully merited it. He returned to Havana and resumed the grain busi- 
 ness until 1879, when he removed to Colorado and engaged in mining and farm- 
 ing. He now resides in Littleton, Ohio. 
 
 Frank Bakewell James, late Captain Co. "I." 52d O. V. I., and Brevet 
 
 Major United States Volunteers, 
 entered the service as a private 
 soldier at Camp Dennison, O., August 
 23, 1862, in Company ''K," 52d O- Y. 
 I.; commissioned 2d Lieutenant Com- 
 pany "I," 52d O. Y. I., January 20, 
 1863; 1st Lieutenant Company "K," 
 June 26, 1863; Captain Company "I," 
 December 9, 1864, and Brevet Major 
 U. S. Yolunteers, March 13, 1865: mus- 
 tered out of service at Washington, 
 June 3, 186.5; served in Kentucky 
 campaign in Fall of 1862, at Lexing- 
 ton, Ky., and Louisville, serving with 
 General Nelson's, Division; served in 
 Bueirs Army, in ("xeneral Sheridan's 
 Division; participated in battles of 
 Perryville, October 8, 1862, Chicka- 
 mauga, September, 1863, Mission 
 Eidge, November 1863, Eelief of 
 Knoxville, December 1863, Shepard 
 Run, Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost, 
 Resaca, Rome, Dallas, Pumpkin Yine 
 Creek, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach 
 Tree Creek, Sandtown Road, Atlanta, 
 Jonesboro, march through Georgia, 
 Savannah. Averysborough, Benton- 
 ville and Raleigh; was wounded in the 
 hip near Marietta, July 2, 1864, and 
 in left foot at Sandtown Road, August 
 8, 1864; principal service was in 2d Di- 
 vision, 14th Army Corps. His present 
 address is Cincinnati, O. 
 
 FRANK B. JAME8. 
 
 Captain 52d Ohio Vol. Infry. 
 
 Brevet Major U. S. Vol. 
 
 Omaha, April 5, 1901. 
 Caleb J. Dilworth was born in Mt. Pleas- 
 ant, Ohio, April 10, 1827, and while yet a 
 child came with his parents to Vermont, Illi- 
 nois, to reside. He studied the profession of 
 law, and was admitted to the bar in 1848 at 
 Lewiston, county seat of Fulton County, Ills., 
 and entered into the practice of law there in 
 1853. November 25th he married Emily O. 
 Phelps, one son being the result of said marri- 
 age. In 1859 he removed to Havana, 111., county 
 seat of Mason County. When the war of the re- 
 belhon began, he and Col. Moore raised the 85th 
 Inf. Vol. Regiment, and he was commissioned 
 Lt. Colonel. In a short time Col. Moore re- 
 signed and Caleb J. Dilworth was promoted to 
 the colonelcy, and later to the Brevet Brigadier 
 General, and was with his comrades all through 
 their march through Kentucky. The Brigade 
 joined in the lighting in Georgia, and were 
 under Are constantly for 90 days. At the battle 
 of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864, 
 Col. Dan McCook, commanding the Brigade, 
 was mortally wounded, and Col. Oscar F. Har- 
 mon took command, but was instantly killed. 
 Then Col. Dilworth being ranking officer, took command, aligned and reformed 
 
 50 
 
 CALEB J. DILWORTH, 
 
 Colonel 8(Jth Re<;iment 111. Vol. Infy. 
 Brevet Brig. Gen'l. U. S. Vol. 
 
I have to say I did not see 
 
 the Brigade, and intrenched and held their position. He remained in command 
 until wounded at the battle of Jonesboro. He was sent liome until he recovered, 
 then took charge of the soldiers in Chattanooga who had returned too late to 
 join Sherman in his march to the sea. He was ordered to Covington, Kentucky, 
 and was there at the close of the war, and joined his regiment at Springiield, 
 Ills., and there mustered out. Like thousands of comrades, he came west to 
 Nebraska in 1870. He was prosecuting attorney for several years, and served as 
 attorney general of Nebraska two terms, and Department Commander of the 
 G. A. K ; also a member of the Loyal Legion. He died in Omaha, Feb. 2d, 
 1900. He was laid to rest in Yerka cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska, with military 
 honors, the pall-bearers all being Past Dist. Com., a fitting burial for a brave 
 soldier. 
 
 Chardon, O., March 1, 1901. 
 Mr. J. B Work, Chicago, III. 
 
 Dear Comrade— Yours of the 18th inst. to hand. 
 Col. Dan. after we began the assault. 
 
 About 1882 James A. Jennings of the 1st. Tenn., who was one of the con- 
 federates who took me in, sent me a plan of their works at Kene.saw, which he 
 said was made for him by their engineer, on which is marked the places where 
 they claim Colonels McCook and Ilarker were killed. The boys who captured 
 me were very proud of the conduct of the Yanks that day, and were never tired 
 of telling of the gallant way our men walked up to the works in face of their 
 heavy tire of canister and musketry. There were two lines of infantry, two 
 lines of battle, standing one behind the other in their works tiring at will; they 
 were Americans too, and that is w^iat we went up against. Thevtold me that 
 when the assault was over and our men began to build their works they had ex- 
 pended nearly all their ammunition and expected to have to defend themselves 
 with bayonets. During the siege of Atlanta while I was in the hospital, several 
 of the boys came to see me and had planned to carry me to their camp, but we 
 were moved to Macon, so did not go. Jennings visited me at prison in Macon 
 and afterwards in 1883 came to Chardon. 
 
 They were a fine lot of men, and considering their soldierly qualities and 
 advantage in position, altho' we may regret our failure, we have no cause to be 
 ashamed of it. 
 
 They are with us now in the same line, under the same flag, so may it ever be. 
 
 Fraternally yours, N. H. Bostwick. 
 
 Oscar Fitzallen Harmon, who was 
 born on May 31. 1827, in Wheatland, Mon- 
 roe County, N. Y., was the second of the 
 six sons of Ira and Corinna Brown 
 Harmon. His father was also one of six 
 brothers. His near ancestors were from 
 New England. He was a lineal descend- 
 ant of one John Harmon, who came to 
 this country from Norfolk County, 
 England, in 1643 and settled in Plymouth, 
 Mass. His mother's family were also 
 English. His great-grandfather, Daniel 
 Brown, had been in the early days of this 
 country a landed slave-holder in south- 
 eastern New York. His grandfather, 
 Solomon Brown, was a soldier in the 
 Revolutionary war and afterwards a Bap- 
 tist minister in western New York. 
 
 Oscar F. Harmon, having been reared 
 by parents of Puritan descent in a most 
 rigid observance of the doctrines of the 
 Baptist denomination, professed a belief 
 in the Christian religion and united with 
 the church of his childhood in Wheatland, 
 at the age ot seventeen years. 
 
 He becarne deeply imbued early in 
 life with a desire for a thorough education 
 and so expresses himself in a private diary 
 written at the age ol nineteen years. 
 
 OSCAR FITZALLEN HARMOX. 
 
 Colonel 125th Regiment. Illinois Vol. Infty. 
 
 Ivilled ill tlie assault of Kenesaw 
 
 .■NIountaiD, Ga., .June 27. 1SG4. 
 
 His father was a farmer and unable to give all of his sons a collegiate education 
 his oldest son only having enjoyed a course at Yale and afterwards at Brown 
 
 51 
 
Besides the school near his home, Oscar F. Harmon attended the high school 
 at Lima. N. Y., and the Bancroft school at Northampton, Mass. He taught school 
 two winters at Belcoda, Monroe County. He spent a year and a half in study at a 
 law school in Ballston Spa, N. Y., and another year and a half in the law office ot 
 Judge Griffin and Judge Darwin E. Smith in Rochester. He was admitted to the bar 
 in Albany and later, deciding to go west after visiting Detroit and Lafayette, Ind., he 
 located in Danville, 111., m 1853, and began the practice of law. 
 
 In February, 1854. he married Mrs. Elizabeth C. Hill, of Danville, who was the 
 daughter of Alexander McDonald of Vermilion County. They lived for a short time 
 in the center of the town, when Mr. Harmon purchased a home and several acres of 
 land on the eastern edge of the town. This he called his " little farm." It certainly 
 was an ideal country home, with its flower and vegetable gardens, its trees and shrubs 
 and orchard, its little village of outhouses, six or eight in all, including the stable, and 
 was an unusual sight in that locality. Ten years of almost ideal domestic happiness 
 were thus enjoyed. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Harmon, three 
 daughters and one son, the latter surviving his father only six years- 
 
 Among his papers was found the manuscript of a temperance address bearing the 
 date of January 19, 1854 — a month before his marriage. Mrs. Harmon recalls it with 
 pleasure. He had asked her to go with him to the Presbyterian church to hear a 
 temperance lecture, but did not say who the speaker was to be. They took seats in 
 the rear of the church which was full of people. Soon there were loud calls for 
 "Harmon!" "Harmon!'" "A speech Jrom Harmon!" He went forward and gave the 
 entire address, some nineteen pages (foolscap) closely written, without once looking 
 at the paper. About this time the law partnership of Davis & Harmon was formed; 
 Oliver L. Davis, having married a cousin of Mrs. Harmon, became a valued and 
 intimate friend. From 1840 until he was elected President, Mr. Lincoln attended the 
 law courts in Danville twice a year. He was one of the lawyers of the eighth "Judi- 
 cial District" who practiced law on the "Circuit," which was composed of several 
 counties of central Illinois. It is said that Mr. Harmon was instrumental in forming 
 Piatt county, in Illinois. Mr. Harmon, though a much younger man, was associated 
 with Mr. Lincoln on several important law suits. 
 
 The fall term of court met in Danville for many years in November and always 
 adjourned to observe Thanksgiving Day, the visiting lawyers dining with the local 
 ones in one of the homes of the latter. Mr. and Mrs. Harmon had the pleasure 
 several times of thus entertaining, besides Mr. Lincoln, others whose names have also 
 become well known. Hon. David Davis, Hon. Ward H. Lamon, Hon. Lyman 
 Trumbull, Hon. Leonard Swett, Mr. Owen Lovejoy, Judge Weldon and others 
 
 Mr. Lincoln, all unconscious of the fact, was the center of attraction on these oc- 
 casions. At one time a case of contagious fever having developed in the one '"tavern" 
 of Danville, the resident lawyers invited the visiting lawyers to their homes for the 
 night. I\Ir. Lincoln went home with Mr. Harmon and the evening spent with him was 
 never forgotten by the family. He talked of his life in Springfield, and dwelt on the 
 sad story of the death of his oldest child, " Willie," spoke of his great sorrow in the 
 boy's untimely end, and added that if he "had twenty children he could never cease 
 to sorrow for that one." He mentioned particularly the loving and sympathetic min- 
 istrations at this time, of Mrs. Lincoln's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Smith, who had also 
 been a friend of Mrs. Harmon's in a former pastorate in Cincinnati. 
 
 Oscar F. Harmon was elected to represent Vermilion County in the Thirty- 
 seventh Senatorial District in the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Gen- 
 eral Assembly, which convened in Springfield on Monday, the thirtieth of January, 
 1859. Mr. Harmon served the entire term and was asked to accept the same position 
 for the next term, but declined to do so. Mr. Lincoln continued in Springfield the 
 same friendly relations begun with Mr. Harmon in Danville, and showed many kind- 
 nesses there, both to Mr. and Mrs. Harmon. 
 
 Among other favors he presented to Mr. Harmon a copy of '' The Debates ot 
 Lincoln and Douglas. " The book is most highly prized and carefully cherished by 
 Mrs. Harmon and her children. On a fly-leaf are written in Mr. Lincoln's own hand- 
 writing these words: " Hon. O. F. Harmon, from his friend, A. Lincoln '" 
 
 Mr. Lincoln passed through Danville on his way to Washington for his first 
 inauguration. A large number of citizens met the train to bid him farewell. As he 
 stood on the rear platform and gave them a few words of greeting, he missed one 
 familiar face, and called out, "where 's Harmon? Where is my friend Harmon?" A 
 voice answered : "He is in his office.'" Mr. Harmon was strongly averse to anything 
 resembling ''toadyism,'''' and felt that his personal relations with the old friend were 
 at an end since he had become the nation's chief executive. At the opening of the 
 war Mr. Harmon felt strongly impelled to enlist, but domestic as well as business 
 claims held him back. He had been largely instrumental informing the first military 
 
 52 
 
organization in his town, ''The Home Guards." I remember vividly seeing the com- 
 pany drilling in a vacant lot near our home. The uniform was gray with red cordings 
 and trimmings. Mr. Harmon, who was six feet three inches in height and "as straight 
 as an arrow." towering like Saul of eld, "head and shoulder above all others." 
 
 When in lS(i2 the call came for "three hundred thousand more"' men, Mr. Har- 
 mon felt that his country's claim was above all others and he must go to the Iront. 
 
 A regiment was formed from Vermilion and Champaign counties and Mr. Har- 
 mon was duly appointed and commissioned its commander on September -Ith. 
 
 The One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Regmient, Illinois \'olunteers wps mus- 
 tered into service on the od day of September, 1862, to serve three years or during the 
 war. Vermilion County furnished seven companies and Champaign County three. 
 These companies averaged ninety men each, making a total of nine hundred men, 
 rank and file; only three hundred and forty-three were mustered out with the regi- 
 ment at the close of the war. While "mustering" and forming the regiment went 
 into camp in the old "Fair grounds" in Danville until the day of its departure. 
 
 That sad day is a never to be forgotten memory. Friends were coming and going 
 with heavy hearts and sorrowful faces. Some bringing flowers and other offer- 
 ings. Col. Harmon, a few minutes before leavmg his home, gathered his family 
 around him and together they knelt in prayer to the "God of Battles' for His protec- 
 tion and guidance, His comfort and grace during the trying days that were in store 
 for all. He returned home but twice on short leaves of absence. The first time some 
 of his friends urged him to resign and represent his district in Congress. In declining 
 this honor he said his first duty was to his country and the care and welfare of his 
 men. The second time was in April, 1864, shortly before he fell in battle. Out of the 
 brief two weeks he spent four days in visiting his father and mother in the old home 
 in New York State, taking his wife and children with him. The regiment left Dan- 
 ville in September, 1862, in "box-cars with no tops" and stopped first in Cincinnati, 
 and then marched over into Covington, Ky., where they camped on the hills back ot 
 the town, and then went by boat down the Ohio river to Louisville, 
 
 The first battle the regiment engaged in was that of Perryviile, Ky.. October 8th. 
 1862. Colonel Harmon's first command in battle was "Front Face", "Right Dress," 
 "Load and Cap", and then he rode down the line informing his men that the hour 
 for battle had arrived, and he hoped everj' rnan in the 12.")th would do his duty. In 
 the battle of Perryviile the regiment received its "baptism of fire," and on that Octo- 
 ber day it was that it received its first order to "charge bayonets" and to the glory 
 and honor of the regiment be it said, not a man refused to obey the command. 
 Colonel Harmon led his regiment in the battles of 
 
 Perryviile. Ky October 8, 1862. 
 
 Stone River, Tenn December 31, 1862. 
 
 Chickamauga, Ga September 19-21. 186:5. 
 
 Mission Ridge, Ga November 2.5. 1863. 
 
 Knoxville Campaign November 28, December 16, 1863. 
 
 Buzzard Roost, Ga May 9-11, 1864. 
 
 Resaca, Ga May 14-16, 1864. 
 
 Rome. Ga May 17. 1864. 
 
 Dallas, Ga May 26. June 4, 1864. 
 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga June 11, July 2, 1864. 
 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga General assault June 27, 1864. 
 
 The Sergt-Major of the regiment. B. F. Bonebrake, at a recent re-union, told that 
 it wss his duty to carry dispatches from the Colonel to the other officers of com- 
 panies- He said he slept under the tarpaulin the night before the charge on Kene- 
 saw Mountain. His own words follow: "About midnight an orderly from Colonel 
 Dan McCook awoke Colonel Harmon and handed him an order. The Colonel read 
 the order twice and looked deeply solemn. He then took out his Bible, which 
 he always carried and often read, and read from it a short time. Then he told 
 me to go and direct the company commanders to prepare for a move. Later 
 ColonerHarmon said to the oflRcers that they would have to fight, and he was sure 
 all would do their duly, that he would rather fall than have the word sent home that 
 he had failed in duty." Others have recorded how his duty was done The fatal 
 news reached his home on the afternoon of that day of doom and smote as with a 
 sword the hearts of those who loved him. His love and devotion to wife and child- 
 ren were ideal. The scores of letters he wrote to the faithful "idol of his heart" have 
 not been surpassed in any literature in their expressions of pure conjugal affection, 
 someof them too precious and sacred for even the loving eyes of their children! 
 These letters, sent as frequently as the irregular mails would permit, were only the 
 
 53 
 
visible oxpiossiv>n ol' ll»o tondei lovo. iho sweet (.levotion, l\e li.id show n in all his 
 tiaily lite at lionie. May Goii's pity rest on every wile aiui ehiUi who laul on iheii 
 country's altar tlie sacritieeolsueh a iuisbatul. such a lather! 
 
 "President l.ineoln did not ilistribiite politieal favors as a rule to his tViemls, He 
 save them rather to his rivals and opponents." Uut he diil not tor>;et his early Iriends, 
 "nor retuse to help then\ in any peisonal wav in his i>ower, as the loUowiiiij ineidenl 
 well illustrates. Mr. C.eorj^e K, Hartnon, the ehiet" aetor in it, a youtii^er btother ol 
 Colonel n.irtnon. has relateil it several times The younj^est brothei i>l' the lamily. 
 W. V. Haitnon, who was ii\ the Armv ot the Potomae as Captain otW^upanv V ot 
 the 14()th Regiment ol' New \'oik X'olnnteers, was severely wounded in his rii;ht 
 hand in the b.utle ot (.Mi.vneelloisville. jiuje, IStU, and was taken to the hospit.U in 
 Annapolis. Md. lie sent word to his home ol his eritie.il eondition and his hi other 
 CieotJie went Soutli to biiiii; him home .md, il .it .dl possible, to obt.iin .i le.ive of 
 absence tor him. 
 
 .\tter he had bo.uded a tr.iin .it Rochester. N. V., the next d.iy. on his way to 
 Washiuiiton. an aciiuaint.mce told him ol' the news that had iust been receivetl ot" his 
 brother Oscar's de.Uh, .md added, "your lather .md mother are now starting to Pan- 
 ville." Knowing that Capt. Harmon had been ordered, with other comr.ules. to the 
 front as soon as able tv> leave tiie hospital, Mr. H.irmon knew it wouUl be dillicult to 
 secure his brother's telease. but determined li> m.ike every etioit belore i^ivinsi up. 
 He went lirst to the coni^iessm.m o( his district. Mr. Cl.irk. but th.it iicmtleman s.ud 
 it would be impossible to obt.iin such .i permit, .is the army was expectin;.: every il.iy 
 to move, but he wouKl >;o to the Armv and N.ivy Pepartment and see wh.it could be 
 done. He soon letnrned. sayiuii it w.is useless, as no p.isses were to be jir.mted. 
 Sen.itor H.irris of .Mbany, haj^penini; to overhe.ir the convetsation, dtew trom Mr. 
 H.irmon his storv.and then sns;iiested that he .co to the chief executive himself .is on 
 account o( Mr. Lincoln's e.uly" friendship lot his brothei he miijht help hini. Mr. 
 Harmon went to the White House .it once, but was told that .i cabinet iiieetinv; w.is 
 in session. He then went out into the white house v;rounds anil s.it a while on .i iiat- 
 den so.it. PreseiUly he saw Mr. Lincoln come out ot the house, with his he.ul bowe.l 
 down, and noting th.it he seemed to be in deep thought, he decided not to .ippioach 
 him iust then. Two horns later he saw Mr. Lincoln returning from the War Pep.irt- 
 ment Building, and the timid young man mustered up enough couiage to .uUlress 
 him ami said: "Mv n.ime is Harnuui. 1 am a brother of Col. O.scar F. Harmon ot 
 Panville. 111." Mr. Lincoln at once gtasped both o( his hands .md said: "WlLit. 
 you are C>sc.ir H.irmon's brother' Come with me." and took him to his priv.ite 
 room. Mr. Harmon then told him of Cv>l. Harmon's having l.iUen in the battle ot 
 Kenesaw Mount. lin, .uul Mr. Lincoln s.iid: "Wh.it, my iViend H.utnon killed ! " He 
 leant his elbows on the t.ible before him, resting his he.ul in his h.mds for some 
 moments and then s.iid: "I h.ive not he.ird ot .i death tor a long time that m.ule me 
 feel so sad. How does Kli.-.ibeth be.ir it?" .After other kind and friendlv woids 
 he .said: "Give mv svmpathv to l-^li.-.ibeth." Mr. H.irmon then told liimwh.it h.id 
 brought hitu to Washington, and how hard he h.ul tried before appe.iling to him, to 
 -secure a peitnit for his brother's removal trom the hospital. Mr. Liiuvln took a card 
 from his pocket and asked how long a time was wanted, and wrote an order tor Capt. 
 1?. F. Harmon's relea.se trom dntv .uul extended the time two weeks longer than was 
 asked. On returning to the Will.ird Hotel, Senator H.uiissaid: "Well, my Iriend, 
 what luck?" Mr. Harmon .showcvl him the card. Congressman Clark .il.'^o looked 
 at it and said: "Th.it will <.\o no good." Senator Harris said: "Why not: il the 
 President, the Commander-in-Chief of the armv and navy, c.innot grant a leave ot 
 absence who can?" Mr. H.irmon felt s.itistied and went at oiuv to Haltimore. The 
 next dav he went to the jMovo-st m.ii^^h.d's olVuv where many people were w.iiting for 
 passes into the hospit.il, but to no pnipose. .is orders h.ul been given th.it no p.isses 
 shouKl be issued on th.it day July L Mr. Harmon showed the Presidents card and 
 was shown at oiue into the oltice and was given a p.iss to go .md come as he pleased. 
 He then went to Ann.ipolis aiul presented Mr. Lincoln's order to the surgeon in 
 charge of the lu>spital, .i tJeim.m, who s.iid to him: "Young man. it vill go terry 
 ha-ad mit vou eef vou forge dis card I " He iiu-ii.^ttiU however, that he '*keep dis 
 card. I wai'it it for mine album." and Mr. Harmon was wholly unable to induce him 
 to return it, though he h.id no right whatever to its possession. 
 
 Phe two brothel^ went li> their home in a day or two. C.ipt. Harmon returned 
 to his regiment after his wouiul healed, and felt ever afterward that to President Lin- 
 cv^ln's kindness he owed his return to health atul perhaps to life. 
 
 In the October (ISti.'^) number oi the Atlantic Monthly there was published a 
 lengthy poem entitled "Abr.iham Lincoln, Summer. ISi^V" The author's name was 
 not given until the index lor the volume was published. It is there credited to Mr. 
 HenVv H. Hrownell. The ntartyred President is poitraycvl as holding .i gi.iiul ic- 
 
vi<-w "III III-- I, III.-. I ..( -,1111)111' ( I.ukI .," <.( iIk...- who li;i'l V'.ivii tli<ii liv<-, (oi tli.-ii 
 ruiiiiliv- Tin- iiiillior wii't |)ri)l»;il(lv iiol ,iw;it<i ol llir •inrly a< ()iiaiiil;inM- l)<l w<-<ni 
 l'ri".i(l<iil I.iiirolii aiirl (!(tliiii<l II;miiioii. It win lli<-r'-(iir^; ;i Hiirpriv; lo lii-t lri<:n<l*i lo 
 (iiifl ;i liiK- 'I'volcd lo lii'i ii.itiic ;iiii()ii^', lli<- iiamci of only ahout t wo ri< or<: of ollntf^ 
 of out iiation'-i l»rav<- (l<-(«-ii(I<-i)» "Wn-rt^H Harmon of K<-tn;«aw.'' 
 
 Ill tin: ('<-nliiiy loi )iily, IHS7, in an arli< N- on "TIk- SIiU}:k''- f'><^ AllaritJi" by Ctf.n- 
 «i;il <) ( ) Howard, IIk-k- woidi aic found; "Anion;^ IIiom- who |c|| at l<(:n«:naw w<T'' 
 I.m;-.,..|. ...iniii.iiid.T. ToIoim-I n,iiii.| MiCook and CoIoikI llariiK.n." 
 
 I II .1 i'< « III l»a|n-r read l)i-lon- ihr Loyal l.'j'irai, Ohio roiMniaii<l<-ry, rajitain I' . 
 |{. I.im.-. in.iilioii. CoIoikI iiaMnoii in lli.wr woidti: "AfKr lli" (all ol M< Cok. lli.- 
 ( onini.ind d<-volvd upon (!olon<l llarnion, who aroic and al lh<- nrlaiil o( jovinj', 
 lli«- ( oniniaiid "I'oi w.ird" fell iiilo th<- arnii ol hi:< nmii i>i«:r< <:d ihroii^di lli<! h«;arl.'' 
 
 KI'.NI'.'.AW MOIJN'I AIN. 
 
 INI ICKKMINO OICM I'lllloN Kl A Nl>l!l,lf. ( )( A I' A( 111' KNoWW lO OA.T/II.I.K CROI'I.K, 
 
 '1 Ih- lolIowln^'. l<ll.<-i I know, will inl.|.fil Hi'- -ioldi'-r;. ol ih.t lli.,lh lllinoi% r.-^iui'iit 
 and all III'- mil viviii}'. |ii-o|i|i- who liv-d in tlii'. Mainly iiniri'-dial'rly itrcvioiri to, and 
 dllfin^'. tli<- r ivil wai,' and I Ixlicv it will al',(. inl<-r<"il oIIkt r<-ad<tr-4 ni th(r Conimcrrial. 
 
 Il wa-i lian<l<-d to nn- a I'W day* :iy/> hy William A. I'ayton, who r<-(<MV<:d il frrHii 
 !li<: widow of (!ol. Hainion, now n-tiidiii}'. in I'ivairiton, lllinoi"., 
 
 'Ilioti- who kiHw < !ol. I fainion will l«: |»l»-a')<d to r«-ad so trin: and well (rx|»r("v.(rd 
 a d'-ni lijilioii oMii'i ( liara( I'-r, wiilt'-n hy one who .aw the .ani>- n'jiahly in him in 
 wai, thai Ik- rli-,|)lay<-d in privah- li(c ,'llllon^', liift in-i^dihor'.. 
 
 Il i'l willwiJit thf knowU-d^'.c ol any ol Tol. Harmon') family ot ol Col. M( Took 
 lli«- wiil<-r, thai I ask for lh<- Irit.-r Ir. \,>- pnl<li',li.:d. If I am pr<-,iimin^^ loo rnu* h, I 
 \>iy, pardon. My <-x(irtf \h my \iivi- of lli<- ni'-mory, and admiration for lli<; rliara< t<:r 
 of 'ol. llarnion I kii'-w him n<» w<-ll, and to know him <(aiip'lli-d rcHp'rct, honor 
 and lov»-. My lionn- was wilh him and hi-i family IIm! yfar In- ftiilintcd. I saw Hom<! 
 ihiiiK ol III'- Nhoii}', l'iid<-r ' ord't that honml him to Inn wif<- and ( liildr<-ii, tlir(;<: of 
 llicm iind«-r fij-hi yi-ais ol •ty,<- I know what a ■tlin^'.jd'- thrri- was h<-lw<;«:n lovr of 
 family and lovf ol ' onnli y; duty to family and duly to < onntry. I wa-t |>r<-s«tiit wh«:ii 
 Ik- look have ol In-, family to //, with his k-^miikiiI to tli<- front. I saw his last. ()art- 
 iii}'. with III . pan-nil and hrollKis on IIk-, I, inn in New York, vvln!r<- h<! was raisfd. 
 SiK h p,ii liiij',', lo y-.o to -.iK h a war a'> that was known to h*;, w<:r<t mor<! s<!V<tn; ord<tals 
 til, III to mairh into haltl'-. I will to Naslivilh- to arrompany thr n-inaiiiH of ('.(A. 
 Ilaimon lo DinvilJ. . l.<-aiiiiii/. that Cr-n. Dan M(r:o,,k, in wlios<- hri^'.afh- Col. Har- 
 mon . I'-^diii'-iil vv,i'., had h'-'-ii hroii^dil tlK-r<- woiiiah-d, I ( allrd on him. Allhoii^di 
 lym^' moilally woiind'd, from wIik h w<aind Ik- soon allciward di<-d, wli<-n he was 
 Irild my mission, Ik- had iik- adiiiill<-d. His prais<! of Col. Harmon was of tin; Ham<: 
 < h.ii.K K-r as that ol his l<iolli<-r's in this l<tli-r. In iIk; -.liort inl<trvi<:w I siiid hiil liltl*! 
 ff-aiiii^; I would ov<-itax his sti<-n>{tli. I n-jrirmlx-r IIk- 'inphasis with wlii* h \\i: Haid, 
 "M< Donald, if I had not la-<m -ihol, or Col. Itaimon l«-':ii kilh-d, w<- would havi- 
 ^',oiK- ov<r thf r<-l)<-l works in fill<-<-n miiiiil<-s moo- ' 
 
 To «-xi<lain how il ha|)i)«-rn-d that C(,lon<-l M' Cook wrot<! this l<:ll«-r. I will say 
 th.it Ml M< riK-rson pi<a< hi-d s»-v<ral liiiKs l.isl wiiil<-r in llir !• iflli A v<;iiin; I'n-shy-- 
 |.-rian Chiir. h of N.-w York City, in whn h ( hiirr h CoIoikI Mr Cook i s an <;l<l<;r. In 
 talking' ahont IIk- war Coloii'l MiCook h-aiiM-d lh:il CoIoik-I Harmon wa-. tin- falh'-r 
 ol .Mis' MiI'Ikisoii. H<r alt<-rwar<l wrol<- iIk- i'lK-r wliif Ii IIk- CoinnK-r< iai |<iiMi',lK-s 
 la-low, and th<i<l.y inf<-r<!sls m.iny t<-ad<-is, and ohli^M-s, k. I). M< HoNAi.ii. 
 
 k.-v. S. |. M. IMi.-r.oii, I J. h., I.awr. II. .-vill.-, ;.', |. 
 
 My l)i-ai 1)1, M( I'lu-rson; I avail my, '11 ol lli<- <-arli«-,l oppoi liinil y ol •.■•iidiii}' lo 
 yon loi .Mis. M- I'Ikisoii a ropy <.l IIk- aili<l<- hy Major I'. I',, jam.-,, ol Cin. iniiali, '.-n- 
 till.-d "M< Cook'-, liiij'.adc al lint Assault upon K<-iK-saw Moimlam, (',i-j,ryr,i, |iiik- 27, 
 iHfd", wliK h will I am Hnr<- la- ol inli-i<-,t. I hav also lak<-n tin; lilx-rl v'of(lir<-r linj( 
 that iIk- r<-( ord"! ol IIk- Ohio < ommand<-ry of tin- military ord<-r of tin- l.oyal I.cj^ioii 
 should ,<-iid rlit<-( tly lo yon lor Mrs M( I'lntrson, a( (my of VoIiiiik- IV of tin; ski-t( hos 
 ol wai history pnhlislK-d hy that < oiiim:ind<-ry, wlii' h (ontains this article in a mrirc; 
 |i(-rinaii<-iil lotm. I liav<; jn st h-arm-d from ,Major |anH-s that in addition to tli<- ar- 
 lan^'.i'K''"'' mad<- hy tin- ;')lid (Jliio Infantry As'io( iati<in to a'(|uir<: twenty a< r<:s of 
 land, wlii< h < ov< r, tin- liillsid<- in Iroiil of and iia liidin^^ 'M)<-alli Anj^hr" wh<-r<- both 
 Co|..ikI Harmon aii.l my hiolh.-r |. II al iIk- li.-ad ol tin; hri^jad.-, tin; olla-r r.-^i- 
 mi-iils liavi- joiiK-d Willi iIk- .»l!d and tln-y i-xp<-(l lo ^^'.r«•ally iiu r'-as<-, tin- siz<r ol iIk- 
 piirchaHf, HO as to snr<-ly ' ov'i iIk l)ii;'.adc fioiil, and ,il an <-;ii!y dal<- ^o to work 
 to i-nrrl a siiilahli' monmiK-iil P, ui.iii; iIm; .il<-. 
 
Since hearing from you that Mrs. McPherson is a daughter of Col. Harmon I 
 have thought much about him and with much interest recall memories which had 
 almost passed from my mind. I saw him first when his regiment joined the brigade 
 at Louisville in September, 1862. He was very tall, considerably over six feet, slight 
 m build, which apparently increased his height. His face was bright and agreeable, 
 with a scholarly cast and expression, which at once indicated that he was a profes- 
 sional man, who deeply felt the responsibility he had assumed, of grave duty in fields 
 and directions entirely new to him. He was most faithful and conscientious in inform- 
 ing himself about, and in the performance of his duties. He was painstaking himself 
 but very considerate of those under him, whether officers or enlisted men. He quickly 
 conformed to his new environment, mastered the tactics and army regulations and 
 won the respect and confidence of his men. In brief, he rapidly developed into a 
 thoroughly effective regimental commander and after a few months of experience in 
 the field and his first battle at Perrysville, he was in all respects qualified for the 
 brigade command, which came to him ten minutes before he died at its head and 
 when within a few yards of the enemy's works. Col. Harmon was an ideal volunteer 
 officer, always a gentleman, never a martinet, firm in discipline, which was always 
 tempered with justice and fairness, so that its exercise accomplished its intent without 
 leaving too much of a sting in the heart of the culprit. 
 
 In short, I can not recall an impression of Col. Harmon that is not pleasant and 
 agreeable. He was a patriotic citizen, who, contrary to his natural inclination, but 
 from the highest sense of duty, entered the army and assumed his full share of the 
 burdens of citizenship. 
 
 I recall him as a soldier ''sans peur et sans reproche." He was as gentle in man- 
 ner as a woman, but in battle he had the courage of a lion. The circumstances of his 
 death attest that he could die as he had lived, a leader of men in battling for the 
 right. 
 
 His life, his record in peace and war, and above all, his soldierly death, leaves a 
 glorious heritage of which his children and grandchildren have the right to be justly 
 proud. Faithfully yours, 
 
 John J. McCook. 
 
 Among many other allusions to Col. Harmon in Serg't Robert M- Rogers history 
 of the 125th Regiment are these words, "there, in that clump of hazel, lies the body 
 of our Colonel, where he had been carried directly after he fell, his life ended, his 
 heart's blood given for his country's good. Colonel Harmon was a Christian man; 
 what more can we say. A strict disciplinarian, he had the solicitude of a father for 
 his regiment and he wanted his men to feel that in him they had a friend who would 
 look after their welfare." 
 
 TO COLONEL OSCAR F. HARMON. 
 
 BV WILLIAM K. PALMER. 
 
 O, hero! fallen in thy golden prime. 
 
 The years roll on, and men are soon forgot; 
 
 Yet, from our memory, fades thy image not, 
 
 Since thou did'st serve thy land with love sublime. 
 
 If dark days threaten, in some distant time, 
 
 And unseen ills fall to Columbia's lot: 
 
 Then like to thee may true men rise and blot 
 
 From God's fair footstool wrongs that upward climb. 
 
 We, on thy grave, the laurel strew to-day. 
 
 But shed no tears for one who bravely fought 
 
 For land, for home, for truth, and held at bay 
 
 The foe that long our Northlartd firesides sought. 
 
 O. hero heart! thy deeds abide for aye. 
 
 While we with reverence say: "What hath God wrought!" 
 
MEMORIES RE-AWAKENED. 
 
 Kenesaw Post Presented with a Picture of Colonkl Harmon— A Memor- 
 able Evening. 
 
 Kenesaw Post, G- A. R., of this city, had a special meeting last night of more 
 than ordinary interest. The presentation of a large, handsome photograph of the late 
 Colonel O. F. Harmon was, perhaps, the most important feature of the evming. It 
 was also a meeting for the donation of supplies for the relief of the families of «lisabled 
 and needy comrades. A large table in the center of the hall was piled liigh with 
 sacks of flour, coffee, sugar, beans and other necessaries of life. Each comrade as he 
 came in deposited on this table his package of provisions, until the accumulation was 
 quite a substantial afifair. 
 
 The news had spread through the county of the proposed presentation ot Colonel 
 Harmon's picture, and a great many members of the 12.3th Illinois from the neighbor- 
 ing towns came in to see once more the well remembered features of thetr beloved 
 commander. The meeting was also open to the public, and a number of ladies and 
 gentlemen of the city, not connected with the order, as well as the wives and 
 daughters of the comrades, were also present. 
 
 The exercises opened by singing several familiar army songs, and then Comrade 
 John Lane led in prayer. Commander Jewell announced the purpose of the meeting, 
 and introdueed W. J. Calhoun, who in behalf of the wife and daughters of Colonel 
 Harmon presented the picture, speaking substantially as follows: 
 
 When we look out over this fair land of ours, and behold its wonderful increase 
 of population, its marvelous development in all scientific and industrial arts ; when we 
 behold this great aggregation of people struggling and laboring with an apparent unity 
 of purpose, a co-operation in effort and mutality in interest: when we realize that 
 these great achievements and prosperous conditions have been brought about and 
 made possible by the maintenance of a government established by Washington and 
 his followers, a government based upon the great principles of human equality, our 
 hearts are filled with joy for the present, and we indulge in the fondest hopes for the 
 future. When we read in history the story of the rise and fall of nations, when we 
 consider that in this social life of ours we have incorporated and blended together the 
 distinctive elements of every civilization of the world, represented by every race and 
 creed, we must realize the solemn truth, that in this loved land, under God's divine 
 direction, is to be worked out a perfect civilization ; and in His mysterious ways is to 
 be solved the great problem of social existence. 
 
 But, alas ! the past has taught us that these great ends can only be attained 
 through sacrifice and human suffering. While the march of humanity is ever upward 
 and onward, yet every step is marked by blood and tears ; upon every height attained 
 is the scatiold and the martyr's grave. 
 
 The late war of the rebellion was one of the great events in the history of our 
 national life. It represented tne struggle of a mighty people with great moral ques- 
 tions. In the solution of these questions our people endured the agonies of a naiion's 
 death, shed their best blood without stint, and spent incalculable treasures ; and none 
 but God can measure the tears that were shed, or number the hearts that were broken. 
 Out of this struggle the nation rose to a higher plane of civilization. At the door of 
 Freedom's Temple whose lintels were sprinkled with the best blood of our youth, stood 
 the Goddess of Liberty, looking out upon the world with a brighter glory shining upon 
 her shield. 
 
 So intent are we now upon the important interests of today, that sometimes we 
 seem to forget the fearful price we paid for this unity, peace and prosperity which 
 surrounds us. We forget those who died, some w;here the shock of battle was 
 fiercest, and some where they had crawled home from the fray, with bodies sore with 
 wounds, or weakened by disease. 
 
 We are reminded tonight of one who gave up a noble life for his country's cause. 
 Aside from the nearest relatives none remembered the dead so long or as tenderly as 
 do their surviving comrades. And none has a warmer place in the hearts of Kenesaw 
 than he whose name we honor tonight. 
 
 He spoke of the organization of the 125th at the then village of Danville in the 
 summer of 1862. How it marched away with Col. Oscar F. Harmon at its head, 
 keeping step to the rolling drums, the terrible drums of war. Wherever duty called, 
 wherever the fortunes of war called it. there the 125th was ever afterward found, with 
 its gallant colonel at its head. At last in the summer of 1804, the waves of battle 
 dashed against the crags of Kenesaw. Day by day, closer and closer crept around 
 the base of this famous mountain the army of the Union, until June 27th, 1864, with 
 
 57 
 
other regiments of its brigade were marched out in front of the breastworks to assault 
 the enemy's works on the slopes of Kenesaw. With pale and stern faces they stood 
 and waited for the order to charge, and at the signal they moved forward steadily 
 and grandly. 
 
 Rows of cannon belched the deadly grape and canister in their faces, thousands 
 of muskets poured a storm of leaden hail into their ranks until they fell like the 
 ripened wheat before the reaper. But on they pressed, and above the roar of cannon, 
 the shouts of the living and the groans of the dying was heard the voice of the colonel 
 of the 125th, urging his men forward. On through the storm of death they pressed 
 until they reached the enemy's works. But it was beyond human endeavor; the ranks 
 of the assaulting column were decimated. It became a slaughter of men like beasts 
 in the shambles. And there, close to the enemy's lines, lay the colonel of the 125th, 
 his life blood ebbing away from a terrible wound in the breast. Slowly and sadly the 
 broken ranks fell bearing with them the dead body of their gallant Harmon; and 
 to-night he peacefully sleeps in yonder cemetery, and the troubles of life vex him no 
 more forever. 
 
 Colonel Harmon's sacrifice was much more than an ordinary one. At home he 
 was a lawyer of good standing, a member of the leading law firm in eastern Illinois. 
 His professional life bid fair to be highly successful He had already been honored 
 with office by his political friends. He had made financial investments which would 
 have resulted in a large fortune had he lived to manage them. He had a wife and 
 family of little children whom he loved dearly. He was but 37 years old when he 
 died, so he had youth and vigor, an honorable profession, with success therein near 
 at hand, official honors and fortune's favors, above all, wife and children — all these 
 strong allurements and ties to keep him at home, but he sacrificed all for his country. 
 
 I did not know him personally. Many of you here tonight did ; you were his 
 comrades, soldiers of his command. You know the story of his life and death, and 
 will bear me out in saying that he has left behind him a bright example of the 
 patriotic citizen in life and of the christian soldier in his death. 
 
 A short time ago his family procured a number of photographs from a portrait 
 taken during his service in the army. To them they were a source of great pleasure. 
 In securing these pictures they have thought of you, and have asked you to share 
 with them in this pleasure, and have sent you this picture which stands before you. 
 
 Mr. Calhoun then read a letter from Mrs. Harmon and daughters formally pre- 
 senting the picture. At the recjuest of the post commander. Comrades Payton and 
 Bonebrake received the picture and held it up before the Post, amid great applause. 
 
 Commander Jewell made some very eloquent remarks in response to the pre- 
 sentation address. He said it was one of the truths of history to know how a brave 
 man looked. There was a wonderful amount of patriotism in the face of Washington. 
 Grant's face was potent and powerful. Sherman's a strong and powerful one. And this 
 man's lace as shown in this picture gave evidence of the noble character which he 
 bore when living, and which was still cherished in the memory of his surviving com- 
 rades. His command may not have been so great as Grant's or Sherman's, yet so 
 far as his command went he did his duty faithfully and to the completest measure. 
 He gave his life to his country, which, as Christ said, was all a man could do. In 
 thinking of the miseries of the war, the speaker could not but feel sad-lor Mrs. Har- 
 mon. XVhat must have been the sorrow of her heart when the news came to her that 
 her soldier husband was dead; when she gathered her little ones about the blood- 
 stained and desolate altar of their home, who could measure here heart-broken grief? 
 
 A letter received Irom Mrs. S. J. McPherson in connection with the sending of 
 this picture, spoke of Mrs. Harmon and her daughter Corine visiting, not long ago, 
 the battlefield of Kenesaw, where no doubt they hunted for the place where the loved 
 one fell. How sacred that mountain side must be to them. How inseparably is it 
 connected with the life and death of the husband and father! In the name of the 
 post he accepted the picture and heartily thanked Mrs. Harmon and daughters for 
 the same. It would be hung upon the walls of the Post. Witli pride and pleasure 
 would they point it out as the picture of Colonel O. F. Harmon. He said Kenesaw 
 Post was here to stay and as long as there was an old soldier left to hold up its 
 banner, this picture would be guarded with jealous care. After them would come 
 the Sons of Veterans, who will be incited by the story of Colonel Harmon's life and 
 death and that ol other comrades like him to cherish the great principles of govern- 
 ment for which they died. He also spoke of the bountiful donations received, and 
 felt assured that if Colonel Harmon was with them, he would hail their actions in 
 this regard with great applause. Again thanking Mrs. Harmon and family he con- 
 cluded amid great applause. 
 
 Captain G. W. Holloway, of Georgetown, who was an officer in the 125th was 
 present and was called out for a speech. The gentle but brave old captain said he 
 
 58 
 
was not a speech maker, but in his simple unostentatious way he told the story of the 
 charge upon Kenesavv, while the audience listened with intense interest. He spoke 
 very kindly of Colonel Harmon. He said his death was mourned by his regiment 
 very^deeply. He lived and died a Christian gentleman. 
 
 FroDi the '"'Danville Plaindealer.^^ 
 
 Office of the County Clerk, ) 
 Danville, 5th July, 1864. ) 
 
 At a meeting called at the office of John C. Short, by the citizens of Danville, for 
 the purpose of making arrangements for the proper reception of the remains of our 
 late esteemed fellow-townsman. Colonel Oscar F. Harmon, killed at the battle of 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Major Thos. McKibben was called to the chair, and M. D. Hawes 
 appointed secretary of the meeting. On motion of John C Short, a committee of 
 twenty was appointed to meet the remains of Colonel Harmon, at Lafayette, and 
 escort the same to Danville; said committee to have the power of enlarging the 
 number of the escort to the extent ot one hundred. Chair appointed as said com- 
 mittee of twenty, Messrs. John L. Tincher, Benj. Crane, John J. Partlow, H. W. Beck- 
 with, Jonathan Draper, W. W. R. Woodbury, Chas. K. Mires, Levin T. Palmer, E. 
 Bateman, Elam Henderson, John W. Parker, John U. Grace, F. L. Dougherty, John 
 H. Gass, Levin Vinson, M. Oakwood, A. M. Davis. Daniel Fairchilds, D. Duncan. 
 On motion, Messrs. Clapp, Miller and Hawes were appointed a committee to confer 
 with Professor Reynolds and procure the attendance of his cornet band for the oc- 
 casion. On motion, Messrs. J. H. Miller, E. Bateman, C B. Holloway, J. C. Short, 
 B. Crane, and P. Leseure, were appointed a committee to take charge of the remains, 
 while in state, and notify the friends of the deceased in the surrounding country of 
 the time and place ot the funeral services. On motion, Messrs. Short, McKee, Cacy, 
 Hawes, and Beck with, were appointed a committee to prepare suitable resolutions 
 of condolence, a copy to be presented to the family of the deceased, and one to the 
 editor of the Danville Plaindealer, for publication. 
 
 On motion, Major Thos. McKibben was appointed marshal for the funeral oc- 
 casion, with authority to select as many aides as might be thought necessary. Jas. 
 H. Miller and C. B. Holloway selected by the marshal as his aides. 
 
 On motion, all the business houses, offices, and shops of the city were to be 
 closed on the day of the funeral. 
 
 On motion, the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Danville Plain- 
 dealer. 
 
 Meeting then adjourned. Thos. McKibben, Pres. 
 
 M. D. Hawes, Sec'y. 
 
 OBSEQUIES OF COL. O. F. HARMON OF THE 125TH REGIMENT. 
 
 On last Thursday, the 7th, information reached here that the remains of the 
 gallant colonel of the 12oth, who fell at the head ot his column while commanding 
 and leading a brigade in a charge upon the rebel works at Kenesaw mountain, Ga., 
 would arrive in our city on the next day. A delegation of citizens immediately left 
 for Lafayette, Ind., to meet the corpse and those having it in charge. The remains 
 reached our town on the 11 o'clock train Friday night, where it w^as met at the depot 
 by a concourse of several hundred citizens. A procession was there formed, headed 
 by Reynolds" brass band, and proceeded to the late residence of Col. Harmon, where 
 the remains were deposited. 
 
 On Sabbath tiie funeral services were performed at the M. E. Church, conducted 
 by Rev. P. D. Hammond, assisted by Rev. Mr. Lowe, Presbyterian minister, and 
 Rev. Mr. Bauman. 
 
 There were a larger number of people present than were ever before witnessed 
 on a similar occasion, the number present being estimated at from 2,000 to 3,000. 
 
 The hearse was handsomely decorated with flowers and covered with the national 
 flag, as was also the coffin, while the ilags in town were displayed at half mast. The 
 funeral procession took a line of march through the principal streets of the town, the 
 band playing for one number a dirge composed by its leader and named by him, 
 "Harmon s Funeral March." "Billy," the colonel's beautiful black horse, was led 
 riderless just in the rear of the hearse. 
 
 The sermon was preached irom the text or passage of scripture: ''And we 
 know that all things work together for good to them that love God." — Rom. viii, 28. 
 
 The preacher prefaced his remarks by stating that the text was selected in accord- 
 ance and harmony with sentiments which had been, on several occasions, strongly 
 expressed by the deceased in his correspondence with his family while in the army ; 
 his reliance and confidence in God and his trust and faith in the Almighty, that all 
 would be well. 
 
 59 
 
The sermon was devoted mainly to an exposition of the fact that the Lord gov- 
 erneth and overruleth all things for the good of His people, and the advancement ot 
 His cause and kingdom. That His hand is in this war ; that tiiongh his Providences 
 may sometimes be mysterious and to mortal mmds unfathomable ; yet they were 
 guided by unerring wisdom and must and would terminate well. 
 
 A strong appeal was made to the patriotic feeling of the audience, in the presence 
 of the dead, to stand by and sustain and support the principles of free government, 
 liberty, right and justice against all those who oppose the same. The speaker also 
 pathetically alluded to others who had fallen at the same time and in the same charge 
 with Col. Harmon, and particularly to the fall of Capt. \V. \V. Fellows, who was 
 struck down almost at the same instant with his colonel, and whose last words to 
 those near him were : "Tell the colonel I died at my post." 
 
 Col. Harmon was a native of the State ot New York ; emigated to the west and 
 settled in Danville, in 1853, where he commenced the practice of law; in which pro- 
 fession and business he remained until lS(i2, when he gallantly abandoned a large and 
 profitable business and volunteered his services in the defence of his country, was 
 elected to and commissioned colonel of the 125th Regiment, in which position he 
 remained until his death. 
 
 Whereas, It has pleased the Great Dispenser of events in His wisdom to remove 
 from among his earthly friends, Col. Oscar F. Harmon, late commander of the 12."nh 
 Regiment Illinois Volunteers, in the vigor of his manhood and in the midst of his 
 usefulness, and 
 
 Whereas, It is eminent.y fitting that the community of which he was a respected 
 and valued member should express their profound sorrow at this afflicting dispensa- 
 tion, be it therefore 
 
 Btsolrcd, That in the death of Col. Harmon the Union has lost a gallant and 
 brave defender, whose patriotism was above suspicion ; the people of Vermilion Coun- 
 ty an honorable, high-minded and noble-hearted citizen ; and a large circle of friends 
 and relatives a member o( their society whose sterling integrity and purity of char- 
 acter reflected unsullied honor upon him and them, and whose glorious death upon 
 the crimson battle field, maintaining with his sword the cause of God and humanity, 
 has added bright lustre to the long roll of heroes who have given their lives to the 
 same sacred cause. 
 
 Besohrd, That this community, while feeling it impossible by any expression of 
 sorrow or regret, to staunch the arteries of bleeding love, yet desire to tender to the 
 afflicted family and relatives of the gallant dead, this respectful testimonial of their 
 earnest sympathy with them in their sad bereavement. John C. Short. 
 E. A. McKee, H. W. Beckwith, 
 
 M. D. Hawes, J. H. Cacv, Committee. 
 
 A TRIBUTE TO COL. HARMON. 
 
 BY S. H. G. 
 
 Gaze upon him, nation— gaze — Floats our banner on the air. 
 
 Grant his name your meed of praise — Bow the knee and earnest crave 
 
 Drop for him your mighty tear— Hearts like his for all the brave. 
 Strew vour flowers upon his bier — 
 
 Fold your banner 'round this clav— VVives and sisters on him gaze, 
 
 Drape your colors -gloom the day— He was good, and therefore praise. 
 
 Pall the ensign, half-mast high— Weep for him and think of one, 
 
 'Tis thy loss when patriots die. Mourning now her cherished one. 
 
 Tho' he died as honor dies, 
 Gaze upon him soldier— gaze— Died in freedom's sacrifice. 
 Well he led you — give him praise For his God, his country, died; 
 Brave, bold brother — strength and pride Was he not her fond heart's pride? 
 Mourn him, fallen at your side. She will mourn him, mourn him long, 
 „ . J , . , , Not as vou, amid the throng, 
 Friends and neighbors, on him gaze - Shedding tears soon pass'd awav— 
 Harmon merits all your praise. she will mourn him, life's long day. 
 Shed o er him the tribute tear- 
 Smooth his shroud, and place the bier, March in funeral pace to-day. 
 As ye would, if thus were laid, Tone the band for death's array. 
 Sons ye love, in funeral shade, Stand a moment, while we pray: 
 As ye spread for him the pall. Cover now a soldier's clay, 
 Teach your children thus to fall. Fire the volley o'er his grave. 
 Father, with your locks of grey — God the sacred dust will save. 
 Past the service of to-day — 
 Touch his brow, and look ye where Danville, July 8. 186-t. 
 
 GO 
 
(Rochester Democrat, Thursday morning, August 4. j 
 
 Death of Col. O- F. Harmon. — The following obituary notice is taken from 
 the Chicago Tribune: 
 
 Colonel Oscar F. Harmon of Danville, III., was killed at the battle of Kenesaw 
 Mountain, June 27th, 18<;4. Numerous as are the good and great men who have 
 given all they had to give a free sacrifice to their country, it is yet fitting to pay a 
 passing tribute to each one as lie falls and cast a simple wreath upon each hero's tomb. 
 
 Among this array of patriot martyrs perhaps there is no one who by intrinsic 
 worth is entitled to a higher distinction than Col. Harmon. As a citizen, universally 
 beloved, as a lawyer, universally eminent in his profession and unsullied in his 
 integrity as a legislator, incorruptible in fidelity to his constituents and to the public 
 interests; as a soldier and officer, honored as the bravest of the brave; as a Christian 
 without reproach, he has left a place vacant in our community which we may long 
 seek in vain to fill. 
 
 Reared under the stern discipline of labor upon the farm in Wheatland, Monroe 
 county. New York, on arriving at manhood, he devoted his energies to the acquire- 
 ment of an education and preparation for the practice of law. 
 
 After the completion of his academic course his first year and a half were spent 
 in the then popular law school of Prof. John W. Fowler, at Ballston .Spa, N. Y.. and 
 subse(|uently he passed another year and a half in the office of Smith & Griffin at 
 Rochester, N. Y. In the month of March. IK/A, he removed to Danville, 111., where 
 he entered upon the practice of his profession, and subsecjuently with Judge O. L. 
 Davis. He pursued his professional career with distinguished success until tise 
 summer of 1862. Few men in the profession of law have deserved and enjoyed in an 
 equal degree the public confidence. Respectable, but not greatly excelling in for- 
 ensic ability, he stood unrivalled in his remarkable accuracy as a pleader and in the 
 reliability and soundness ofhis counsel and opinions, and in those (jualities which en- 
 titled him to a character, often supposed to be too rare in the profession, of an honest 
 lawyer.— He professed a singular power, evidently unconscious, but not less real, ot 
 winning the hearts of all around him. Accjuaintance with him soon begat esteem, 
 and esteem quickly ripened into afiection. Soon after his establishment at Danville, 
 he was married to Mrs. Elizabeth C Hill, a most estimable lady, who is surrounded 
 by an interesting family of children and now mourns his loss. His amiability and 
 affection in his family dififused happiness throughout the entire household, in-so-much 
 that the sojourner of a few weeks would depart expressing the regret that the pleas- 
 antest interval ofhis life was passed. 
 
 At the opening of the war he was among the leaders of the first military organi- 
 zation in his town. His position trom first to last was for the preservation of the 
 Union at any cost. During the first year of the war, important business responsi- 
 bilities made it impossible for him to enter active service, but the struggle in his mind 
 in the midst of duties apparently conflicting, was constant and painful. 
 
 At length, in August, 18()2. the desire to serve his country in her army could no 
 longer be repressed, and sacrificing a lucrative business, the society of an affectionate 
 family, and all the congenial pursuits of life, he went forth to share the fortunes of war. 
 He was appointed to the command of the 12.'Jth Regiment Illinois Volunteer, which 
 position he held with increasing popularity until his death. Kind and aflfaljle in all 
 his relations as an officer, he was nevertheless prompt, faithful, and laborious in the 
 discharge of duty, successfully striving to bring his regiment to the highest standard 
 of military efficiency. 
 
 On the 27th of June, 1804. in the terrible assault upon the rebel position at Kene- 
 saw Mountain his regiment was assigned to the most difficult point. The Brigade 
 commander, Col. Dan. McCook, dangerously wounded, was carried to the rear and 
 his command developed upon Col. Harmon. But within the space of a few minutes 
 as he was cheering on his gallant boys with sword drawn and uplifted above his head, 
 a ball struck him in the breast, and he fell exclaiming, " I am shot dead, "' and in a 
 few minutes expired. He is gone. He sleeps with the heroes of all time. And 
 though many, perhaps, as great and good as he have died as bravely in their country's 
 sacred cause, yet it is the s()ontaneous sentiment of all who knew Colonel Harmon 
 that no more noble offering than he has yet been sacrificed as the price of a nation's 
 redemption. — Rev, P. D. Hammond. 
 
 Danville, July 11, 18()4. 
 
 Mount Pleasant, Ia.. April 11, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Secretary Col. Dan McCook's Brigade, Chicago, 111.: 
 
 Dear Comrade — The assault of Col. Dan McCooks Brigade on Kenesaw Moun- 
 tain, Cia., June 27, 1864, I consider about the hottest place, for the time engaged, that 
 we were in. To my own mind I can picture the scene as though it were yesterday. 
 The positions of the regiments of the brigade, when formed to make the assault, 
 
 61 
 
were: S5th, 125th, S6th Illinois: 22d Indiana and 52d Ohio. All five of the regiments 
 tried to take the works— first, the 85th Illinois, as skirmishers, when they reached the 
 works, tried it. but were unable to get possession ; then the 125th Illinois, with the 
 85th, tried it; then the 86th Illinois, with the other two. tried it. By this time the three 
 Illinois regiments had become merged into one line regimental front; then, reinforced 
 by the 22d Indiana, another effort was made; and then all five regiments, with the 52d 
 Ohio, as the last to join in support, tried it. At this time our losses were so great 
 that the Brigade became mingled into one single line. We made a lodgment at and on 
 the rebel works. Colors were planted several times right up to the works; the 52d Ohio's 
 at one time were planted in the soft earth at the foot of the rebel works. No braver 
 men ever attempted to storm and capture a position than Col. Dan McCook's Brigade 
 at the "Dead Angle" " of Kenesaw Mountain. Ga.. June 27, ISlU. We made a lodg- 
 ment — the rebels on one side, we holding the other — and we had it '"hand to hand." 
 At times we would have been compelled upon one or more critical moments to have 
 surrendered or fall back, but the other regiments of the brigade formed a line just in 
 our rear, and, with the energy of despair over our position, they fought like heroes, 
 and by rapid and incessant firing kept the rebels' heads down below the head logs and 
 top of the breastworks. When they attempted to depress their muskets under the 
 head logs so as to get range upon those of us lying against the works they had to 
 expose themselves partially, and between those in our rear and those of us at the 
 works we managed to hold our own. We soon realized that our position was unten- 
 able. We could not in our weakened condition charge over the works. To stay was 
 death or capture, and we finally succeeding in retiring to where those in our rear had 
 lodged and were doggedly holding the line. Here, twenty-seven paces from the 
 enemy's worKS with bayonets, tin pans, cups and our hands, we worked as any 
 soldiers can under such circumstances until we had a partial protection, which we 
 strenghtened during the night, and continued so doing day and night until the enemy 
 evacuated their position. 
 
 After we crossed the creek in our charge up the slope we were under direct 
 musketry fire until we reached the rebel breastworks. It was so withering that I 
 thought at the time that only by chance could any living thing escape. Added to 
 this to our right and on the enemy's left of the "'Dead Angle"' they had a battery ot 
 eight guns that were pouring double shotted grape and canister fire into us, enfilading 
 our lines. I judged the distance to be about five hundred yards to the battery and 
 realized that the "angle" was a protection if we could get close to their works. In 
 getting out of the range of this enfilading battery fire the right of the brigade got 
 closer to the rebel works than the left, and as far as I could see the right was con- 
 siderably bunched into a single line. When we crawled back our right swung to the 
 right rear, our center and left held fast. We built four lines of earth breastworks and 
 made our alignment in their construction to conform and connect with Col. Mitchell's 
 lines on our right and Col. Marker's Brigade on our left. Mitchell's Brigade got stuck 
 in the woods to our right and rear. They were directly in front of the battery that 
 enfiladed us. Col. Marker's Brigade, on our left, got up all right, but there was an 
 interval fatal for a successful and combined movement. After Col- Harker"s death 
 his brigade took position to our rear and left. This describes the positions of these 
 brigades as I recollect them after the assault. 
 
 It was at Kenesaw that Lieut. David Miser, of "G,'" 52d Ohio, was shot. We 
 were having our coflee and hard tack, sitting on the ground. After he finished his 
 meal he stood up to stretch himself. Being a tall man he was exposed and made a 
 good mark. A sharpshooter shot him in the breast and later he died in the hospital 
 on Lookout Mountain. He was my chum and I felt his loss as personal. Captain 
 Rothacker, of "G," 52d Ohio, made it his business to avenge his lieutenant's death 
 and, after deliberate preparation and waiting, he planted a minnie squarely in the 
 sharpshooter"s left eye. When we had the truce to bury our dead they told us they 
 had cautioned him not to be reckless, but he ''wanted to be smart, and some yankee 
 called him sure and hard." 
 
 Joe Swan of "G,"" o2d Ohio, and myself always had a negro servant, although we 
 were not entitled to anything of the sort. He was a colored boy we called "Tom." 
 He was about sixteen years old and always on hand in the hottest of the battle. On 
 this occasion, in the charge, Tom was right at my heels with a coffee pot full of coffee 
 waiting for a chance for me to drink it. As we advanced steady from the start the 
 chance never came, and I heard Tom exclaim: "Dar now. Sergeant, coffee all done 
 spilled."" A bullet had struck the coffee pot, wrecking it. Throwing down the use- 
 less pot he picked up a dead or wounded soldier's gun and kept right along with us 
 through the charge. All day he pumped lead out of that gun for all it was worth. 
 Colored people as a rule were not just built that way, although I have seen others as 
 
 62 
 
brave as Tom. He was "a sticker," and the boys had a proper consideration and 
 respect for Tom. After our muster out we sent him back to his home in Tennessee. 
 
 The night after the battle the rebels threw ligiited cotton balls saturated with 
 turpentine between our works and theirs to prevent a night attack. This was about 
 as inhuman an act as I know of in all my army experience. I do not think I will 
 ever forget the groans and moans of the wounded and dying as they lay between them 
 and ourselves unable to crawl back, and we were unable to succor them. T only 
 wished I could. I never have a chance to talk with any of the ^>'ld Ohio boys None 
 are located near me. My opinion based on impressions fixed at the time, is that Col. 
 Dan. McCook received the wound that was the cause of his death, right up to the 
 works, though I have never exchanged views with any of the Brigade on the subject. 
 Your views that the private should record incidents they witnessed, and in which 
 they actively participated, will, I believe be Just as near correct of what occurred in 
 the army as we read in the history of the rebellion. Some descriptions which I have 
 read ol engagements we were in, are hardly recognizable, as I remember them, and 
 this may belong to the class described. 
 
 Fraternally vours, 
 
 Sam M. Pvle, Serg't Co. -'G" r,2d Ohio V. 1. 
 
 Organization June 27, 18(54. 
 4lh A. C. 
 
 Maj. Gen'l O. O. Howard, Commdg. corps. 
 Brig. Gen'l John Newton, Commdg. 2d Div- 
 Brg. Gen"l Chas. G. Harker, Commdg. 3rd Brigade. 
 
 Third Brigade. 
 
 22nd Illinois, Lieut. Col. Francis Swanwick, Commdg. 
 
 27th Illinois, Lieut. Wm. A. Schmidt, Commdg. 
 
 42d Illinois, Col. E. D. Swain and Capt. Jared \V. Richards, Commd. 
 
 51st Illinois, Col. Luther P. Bradley and Capt. Theo. F. Brown, Commdg. 
 
 Organization June 27, 18<J4. 
 14th A. C. 
 
 Maj. Gen'l Jno. M. Palmer, Commdg. Corps. 
 Brig. Genl Jeff. C. Davis, Commdg. 2d Div. 
 Col- John G. Mitchell, Commdg. 2d Brigade. 
 
 First Brigade. 
 Brig. Gen'l Jas. D. Morgan, Commdg. 
 lUth Illinois. 60th Illinois. 10th Michigan. 
 
 Itith Illinois. 14th Michigan. 
 
 Second Brigade. 
 
 34th Illinois. 98th Ohio. 11.3th Ohio. ' 
 
 78th Illinois. 108th Ohio. 121st Ohio. 
 
 Third Brigade. 
 
 Col. Dan. McCook, *Commdg. 
 
 Col. Oscar F. Harmon, tCommdg. 
 
 Col. Caleb]. Dilworth, Commdg."^ 
 
 8,5th Illinois, Col. Caleb J. Dillworth, Commdg. 
 
 8t)th Illinois, Lieut. Col. Allen L. Fahnestock. Commdg. 
 
 i Maj. John B. Lee. JCommdg. 
 12.0th Illinois -J Lieut. Col. Jas. W. Langley. jCommdg. 
 
 ( Capt. Geo. \V. Cook, Commdg. 
 22d Indiana, Capt. W. II. Snodgrass, Commdg. 
 
 i Lieut. Col. Chas. W. Clancey, iCommdg. 
 o2d Ohio- Major J. T. Holmes, JCommdg. 
 
 ' Capt. Sam'l Rothacker, Commdg. 
 *Mortally wounded. fKilled. JVVounded. 
 
 63 
 
Statement of Casualties, Col. Dan. McCook's 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 
 14th A. C, Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864. 
 
 
 killed 
 
 wounded 
 
 missing 
 
 command 
 
 Officers 
 
 Men 
 
 Officers 
 
 Men 
 
 Officers 
 
 Men Aggreg'e 
 
 85th Illinois . . 
 86th Illinois . . 
 125th Illinois. 
 22d Indiana., 
 .52d Ohio .... 
 
 1 
 1 
 4 
 1 
 
 25 
 30 
 50 
 11 
 22 
 
 3 
 
 47 
 68 
 63 
 33 
 76 
 
 
 3 83 
 
 
 12 114 
 
 1 
 
 6 , 124 
 
 2 
 7 
 
 4 1 51 
 
 
 3 ! 108 
 
 
 7 
 
 138 
 
 19 
 
 287 
 
 1 
 
 28 480 
 
 Comrades of Col. Dan McCook's Brigade: 
 
 I have the honor to submit for your consideration the following action of the o2d 
 Ohio Regimental Association at its twenty-first annual re-union at Smithfield, Ohio, 
 August 20, 1896, and recommend that at your next annual reunion each Regimental 
 Association organize the "Association of the Sons and Daughters of the Regiment." 
 A membership in Col. Dan McCook's Brigade to your children is a heritage beyond 
 all other honors you can bestow. J. B. Work. 
 
 Association of the Sons and Daughters of the .52d Regiment Ohio Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, Adopted and Approved by the Regimental Asso- 
 ciation Aug. 20j 1896, at Smithfield, Ohio. 
 First— This organization shall be known as the Sons and Daughters of the 52d 
 Ohio Volunteer Infantry Association. 
 
 Second— The object of this Association is to perpetuate and keep fresh in the 
 memories of the children of the men who enlisted in the 52d Ohio Regiment the ser- 
 vices and deeds of valor of all honorably discharged members of said regiment and 
 of those who gave their lives in the War of the Rebellion. 
 
 Third— Its membership shall consist of the sons and daughters of all honorably 
 discharged soldiers of the 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry. There shall be no limit to 
 age. 
 
 Fourth— All applications for membership shall be made to the Secretary of this 
 Association, who shall ascertain from the Secretary of the 52d Ohio Volunteer In- 
 fantry Association as to eligibility to membership. 
 
 Fifth— The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, Vice Presi- 
 dent, Secretary and Treasurer. The office of Secretary and Treasurer may be com- 
 bined. The President shall preside at all meetings and perform such duties as are 
 prescribed by the rules governing the office of the President of the Regimental Asso- 
 ciation. In like manner all other offices of the Association shall be filled. The 
 offices vacant shall be filled by the members present- 
 
 Sixth— The meetings of this Association shall be held upon the same date as the 
 annual reunion of the Regiment and at the same place, and shall be governed and its 
 records approved by the Regimental Association before such records shall be made 
 official. 
 
 Seventh— The officers shall be elected annually and hold their respective offices 
 until their successors are elected and notice of their acceptance given the Regimental 
 Secretary of the Association. This constitution shall go into effect when approved 
 by both organizations. 
 
 Let all comrades forward the names of their children to the Secretary for en- 
 rollment. 
 
 L. Ruth Work, Chicago, 111. 
 Mame Montgomery, Toronto, Ohio. 
 Charles E. Stewart, Claysville, Ohio. 
 John Rothacker, Richmond, Ohio. 
 Officers for 1900-1: 
 
 L. Ruth Work, President, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Will H. Rothacker, Secretary and Treasurer, Richmond, Ohio. 
 
 Charles E. Stewart, Vice-President, Claysville, Ohio. 
 
 Committee 
 
 64 
 
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF 
 
 BRIGADIER-GENERAL DANIEL McCOOK, Jr. 
 
 U. S. Vols., Colonel ry.'d Ohio Vol. Infantry. 
 BY COL. LESLIE J, PERRY, 
 
 Late of the War Record Office, Washington, D. C. 
 
 Daniel AlcCook, Jr., was the 
 Colonel of the 52d Ohio Infantry 
 Regiment, from the date of its 
 organization, at Camp Dcnnison, 
 Ohio, in August, 1862, until the 
 date of his death shortly after the 
 assault by his brigade upon Kene- 
 saw Mountain, Georgia, on June 
 27, 1864. He was a member of 
 that large Ohio family who ac- 
 quired a wide reputation during 
 the Civil War as the " Fighting 
 McCook's." They are usually 
 spoken of as one family, but were 
 really two families, being the sons 
 of Major Daniel McCook and Dr. 
 John McCook. Of the former 
 family, there were engaged in 
 military service the father, Major 
 Daniel McCook and his sons, 
 Surgeon Major Latimer A. Mc- 
 Cook, General George W. 
 McCook, General Robert L. Mc- 
 Cook, General Alexander D. 
 McCook, General Daniel McCook, 
 General Pxlwin Stanton McCook, 
 and Colonel John J. McCook. 
 
 DAN McCOOK. 
 Col. 52d Regt. Ohio Vol. 
 Brifradier General U. S 
 
 [nfty, 
 
 Vols 
 
 Jr., the subject of this sketch. 
 Private Charles Morris McCook 
 Another son, Midshipman James McCook, died in the naval service 
 before the rebellion. Thus ten in all, the father and nine sons, honor- 
 ably served their country. 
 
 Of the latter family, there were engaged in the service General 
 Edward ]M. McCook, General Anson G. McCook, Chaplain Henry C. 
 McCook, Commander Roderick S. McCook, U. S. N., and Lieut. John 
 J. McCook — five in all. This makes a total of fifteen, every son of 
 both families being commissioned officers except Charles, who was 
 killed in the first battle of Bull Run, and who declined a commission in 
 the regular army, preferring to serve in his first campaign as a private 
 of volunteers. 
 
 The two families have been familiarly distinguished as the "Tribe 
 of Dan " and the "Tribe of John." 
 
THE DANIEL M COOK BKANCH. 
 
 Major Daniel McCook, the second son of George McCook and 
 Mary McCormack ]SIcCook, was born June 20, 179S, at Canonsbiirg, 
 Pa., the seat of Jefferson College, where he received his education. 
 On August 28, 1817, he married Martha Latimer, daughter of Abra- 
 ham Latimer, of Washington, Pa. In 1826 they removed to New Lisbon, 
 O., and later to CarroUton, O. Major Daniel McCook, the senior, was 
 the first Judge of the Probate Court of Carroll County, Ohio. He was 
 an active member and an elder for many years of the Presbyterian 
 church of CarroUton, organizing and conducting as superintendent the 
 first Sunday school of that church. 
 
 At the beginning of the war Judge McCook was in Washington, 
 and although sixty-three years of age, at once tendered his services to 
 President Lincoln. Each of his eight sons then living also promptly 
 responded to the call of the President for troops. When the rebel 
 General, John Morgan, made his raid into Ohio, Major Daniel McCook 
 was stationed at Cincinnati. He volunteered his services and joined 
 the troops sent in Morgan's pursuit. Morgan undertook to recross the 
 Ohio river atBufiington Island. Major McCook led an advance party to 
 oppose and intercept the crossing. In the skirmish that took place 
 Major McCook was mortally wounded, and died next day, July 21, 
 1863, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. He was buried at Spring 
 Grove cemetery, near Cincinnati. 
 
 In a proclamation to the people of Ohio, announcing the capture 
 of John Morgan, etc., dated Columbus, July 26, 1863, Governor David 
 Tod, among other things, said: 
 
 ' 'The losses on our side have been trifling, so far as numbers are 
 concerned; but I am pained to be compelled to announce that a few 
 gallant spirits have been taken from us. Prominent among the num- 
 ber is the brave Major Daniel McCook, the honored father of the heroic 
 boys who bear his name, and who have won so much glory and renown 
 for our arms in this great struggle. Major McCook, although advanced 
 in years, had imperiled his life as a volunteer upon many of our battle- 
 :fields. Believing that he could be of service in ridding the state of her 
 invaders he volunteered and fell in the engagement near Buffington 
 Island. His memory will be cherished by all, and the sincere sym- 
 pathies of all true patriots will be given to his widow and children." 
 
 Major McCook was a man of commanding presence, an ardent 
 patriot and an earnest Christian. He possessed a most gentle and ami- 
 able disposition, combined with the highest personal courage, untiring 
 energy and great force of character. He ruled his household in the 
 fear of the Lord, and died as he had lived, in the active performance 
 of his duty. 
 
 His wife, Martha Latimer, daughter of Abraham Latimer and 
 Mary Greer, was born at Washington, Pa., March 8, 1802. Her ma- 
 ternal ancestors were Scotch-Irish, but on the father's side they were 
 English, coming originally from Leicestershire, and from the family 
 which gave the martyr Bishop Hugh Latimer to the English Reformation. 
 
 During the war of the Rebellion, Mrs. McCook was in a peculiarly 
 difficult position. Her husband and sons were all in the service. No 
 
 66 
 
battle could take place but some of her loved ones were in danger. 
 Each succeeding year brought death to a member of her family upon 
 the l)attlefield. Her husl)and and three sons were thus taken from her, 
 and the others were so frequently wounded that it seemed as if in her 
 old age she was to be bereft of her entire family. Her life during these 
 long years of anxiety was Avell nigh a continuous prayer for her country 
 and for her husl)and and sons who had given themselves for its defense. 
 This patriotic woman well illustrates the heroic sutferings endured by 
 the women of the Republic no less than by the men. 
 
 Mrs. McCook died November lOth, 1S70, in the seventy-eighth 
 year of her age, at New Lisbon, ()., and was buried beside her husband 
 in Sjiring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati. Mrs. McCook attended more 
 than one of the early regimental reunions of the 52d Ohio regiment, 
 wdiere she was always enthusiastically received and affectionately 
 referred to as "Mother McCook." 
 
 Of all this lion-hearted. ])rilliant race, one of the most promising 
 perhaps w-as the subject of this sketch. Daniel McCook. jr., was born 
 at Carrollton, Ohio, July 22, 1S34. In early youth his mind took to 
 learning as does the babe to its mother's breast. He was indeed over- 
 studious, and to such a degree that at one period his health was some- 
 what undermined. For climatic reasons, therefore, as much as any- 
 thing else, although there were others, it was deemed best that he enter 
 a southern college. The one chosen was the Alabama University at 
 Florence, from which he was graduated in due course, and with honor. 
 Here body as well as mind was thoroughly trained. While thus enrich- 
 ing his mind and strengthening his physical powers, the boy enjoyed to 
 the full his college career, which was not devoid of its youthful 
 triumphs. In the Literary and Debating Society he bore a brilliant 
 part, and was a conspicuous and effective controversialist in the college 
 newspaper. 
 
 That was the stormy political period which ushered in the civil war 
 of 1861, prolific of sectional hatred and personal feuds. But young 
 McCook left many friends in Alabama when he came north to take part 
 in the great battle of life. Although never presumptuous, during his 
 residence in this hotbed of Southern sectionalism, he always unhesitat- 
 ingly maintained his strong anti -slavery and Unionist opinions. He 
 often told his reckless Southern college mates that slavery was doomed 
 if they ventured to break up the Union, and that the slave holders 
 would be crushed. 
 
 Such were the origin and first steps of the future L^nion General of 
 volunteers. Although of slender build he was now become active and 
 athletic. He had a quick and receptive mind, and was, by consequence, 
 always far more advanced mentally than most others of his age. Always 
 a hungry reader of books, he was singularly entranced with history and 
 biography. The story of the world's great figures had a wonderful 
 fascination for Daniel McCook. So real were they to this lad that he 
 conversed about them as if they were his familiar personal acquaint- 
 ances. Almost equally fond of poetry antl romance, on fitting occasions 
 he delighted to quote at length from the poems of the masters, which the 
 exercise of a powerful memory and excellent dramatic taste enabled him 
 to do with fine effect. Such outbursts were not far-fetched and labored 
 
displays as with some pedants, but spontaneous deliveries in illustration 
 of the business in hand, whatever it misht be. Like Lincoln's stories, 
 McCook's quotations always meant something. 
 
 His college career ended, with health greatly improved, he returned 
 to Ohio and immediately took up the study of law. For this purpose 
 he entered the law office of Stanton & McCook, at Steubenville, on the 
 Ohio river. The junior member of the firm was one of his elder 
 brothers, George W. McCook, and the senior was Edwin M. Stanton, 
 who subsequently, as Mr. Lincoln's distinguished Secretary, became 
 the "organizer of war." Under such professional relations 3'oung 
 McCook rapidly developed into a good lawyer. While studying ancl 
 tentatively practicing law at Steubenville the Kansas border ruflBan 
 war was at its height, and all eyes were naturally turned toward the 
 West. Many Ohioans had already settled in Kansas, among them 
 was William T. Sherman and Thomas Ewing, whose sister was Sher- 
 man's wife. They were praticing law at Leavenworth. Sherman was a 
 graduate of the West Point Military Academy and more of a soldier 
 than a lawyer, but Ewing was a real lawyer. After his admission to 
 the Ohio bar McCook concluded to go west and grow up with some new 
 country. He settled in Leavenworth, and on Jan. 1, 1859 was admit- 
 ted to the law^ tirm of Sherman & Ewing as the junior member, and 
 thenceforward known as Sherman, Ewing & McCook. 
 
 This connection continued but little more than two years. Indeed, 
 Sherman withdrew from the firm within five or six months after McCook 
 joined it, to take the superintendency of a military college in Louisiana. 
 Ewing was the "Tom'' Ewing so conspicuous in early Kansas politics, 
 who became the new state's first Chief Justice. When the war broke out 
 in 1861 it Avas a notice of dissolution of this law firm. All the members 
 immediately shut up their law books, buckled on the sword and went to 
 the front. Ewing became a brigadier-general in 1863, and was a con- 
 spicuous military figure along the Kansas-Missouri border until the 
 close of the war. After the war he returned to Ohio where he rose to 
 distinction as a lawyer and representative in congress. The history of 
 William T. Sherman is too well known to require extended notice here. 
 Next to Grant he was the hero of the war, and became General-in-Chief 
 when Grant entered the White House. 
 
 An ardent Unionist, upon the secession of some of the Southern 
 States, and long ere Sumter was fired upon, Daniel McCook had joined 
 with other Leavenworth citizens in organizing several companies of lo- 
 cal militia for the time of need which they saw was inevitably coming. 
 He was made Captain of one of these companies called the "Shields 
 Guards'' in the local records, although it appears that this name was 
 subsequently changed to "Leavenworth State Guard." How early this 
 company was formed is not positively known, but it was probably in 
 January, 1861. The first private, or individual, tender of troops made 
 to the Government, so far as the printed records of the rebellion show, 
 was that of one Chas. H. Volk, "Captain of Elk Artillery No. 1,'' of 
 Elk County, Pa. It is a historical fact w^orth recording that Captain 
 Daniel McCook stands of record as having made the second tender of 
 local troops to the Washington authorities. Capt. McCook's offer was 
 couched in the following terms: 
 
 68 
 
Leavenworth City. Kansas, Feb. 20, 1861. 
 
 Hon. Joseph Holt, Secretary of War. 
 
 Sir: I have the honor to tender to you and the rrovernment the services of 
 the volunteer mihtia company, consisting of sixty rank and lile, infantry, which 
 I at present command. We are wilhng to serve in any capacity, and any way, 
 and against any powers which the public need may require, or tlie constituted 
 authoiilies order. Hoping that you will at least give us an equal chance, 
 1 remain, with sentiments of liighest respect, 
 
 Your obedient servant. 
 
 Daniel McCook, 
 Captain Leavenworth State Guard. 
 
 Tbi.s has a ring about it whicli show.s something of the mettle this 
 enil)ryo soldier afterwards developed on the field of battle. The deter- 
 mined character of his patriotism, and his comprehension of the require- 
 ments of the hour may be guessed from the tenor of this letter as well 
 a.s its significant date, which was nearly two months prior to Ikauregard's 
 attack upon Fort Sumter. It is fjuite apparent from the local history 
 of the time that Capt. ]McCook quickly became a leading figure in 
 Leavenworth's military aflairs. Al)out the 20th of April, 1801, a rumor 
 spread about that the Missouri secessionists in heavy force contemplat- 
 ed attacking Fort Leavenworth. INlayor McDowell tendered the services 
 of his city militia to the commanding officer, who was then Capt. Steele, 
 which oti'er w-as accepted. About 100 men under Capt. McCook and 
 two others were sent up to the fort, where they remained with the gar- 
 rison several days. This was McCook's first actual service as a military 
 man. For their patriotic action ^NlcCook and the two other captains 
 receivetl the written thanks of the commanding officer. 
 
 No record of any reply to Capt. McCook's tender of troops can be 
 found in the War Department, but doubtless one was made. At any 
 rate, he was not long in getting into the service. Under the first formal 
 call l)y the President for volunteers to enforce the national authority 
 the First Kansas Volunteer Infantry was quickly organized at Leaven- 
 worth. l)etweeu the 2iHh of May and June 4. George W. Deitzler, 
 afterwards a Brigadier-General, was its Colonel, and the "Leavenworth 
 State Guard" was one of the ten companies composing it, with Daniel 
 McCook as its captain. Inside of two weeks this new regiment w^as on 
 its way to the Southern Kansas border to meet the advance of the 
 Kebels. It fell under the command of the lamented Gen. Nathaniel 
 Lyon, and on August 3d had its first fight at Dug Springs, Mo. 
 August 10th occurred the terrific little battle of Wilson's Creek, a few 
 mik's south of Springfield, Mo., in wdiich Lyon lost his life. The Union 
 Army of less than 5,000 men had at nightfall really repulsed the enemy 
 from the field, although unaware of the fact, and largely outnumbered 
 and stunned by the loss of its commander it afterward retreated during 
 the night. In this battle the First Kansas performed the leading part, 
 losing 77 men killed, 187 w^ounded and 20 missing, a bloody introduc- 
 tion to war. But it contributed largely to the saving of the day at a 
 moment when aflairs had a desperate look for Lyon's little army. For 
 three months afterwards McCook participated in the various marchings 
 and skirmishes of this fine regiment, through ccntrtd and northern Mis- 
 souri, but resigned his commission on November 10, 1861, to accept an 
 appointment, tendered l)y President Lincoln the day previous, as Cap- 
 
 69 
 
taiu and Ass^t. Adi.-Gou. of Yoluntoors. Ho had served iu the ivginient 
 nearlj- six months and had already seen war in some of its worst 
 features. 
 
 The new appointment transferred Capt. ^leCook from the line into 
 the volunteer statt', and also the theater of his services from the Trans- 
 Mississippi to the central zone of military operations. His brother, 
 Alex, McDowell MoCook, a West Point graduate, had been appointeil 
 a Brig. -Gen. of Volunteers on Sept, 3, 1S(M. and assigned to an 
 imporkmt post under Capt. Daniel McCook's former law partner. Gen. 
 William T. Sherman, who had been advanced to the Kentucky com- 
 mand. It is most probable that McOook had sought the new appoint- 
 ment at the solicitation of the elder brother, or in order to join him, 
 because the change gave him no increased rank, and ileprived him of 
 the actual command^of troops. When Gen. Don Carlos Buell tinally 
 organized his arm}' for the advance into Tennessee, Gen. McCook was 
 assigned to the command of the Second Division of the ''Army of the 
 Ohio," and soon afterwards Capt. Daniel ^IcCook joined him as Assist- 
 ant Adjutant General, also acting as Chief of Stati". In this capacity he 
 participated in all the movements to drive the Confederates out of 
 Central Kentucky, and in the subsequent operations in Northern 
 Mississippi. 
 
 In January, lSd'2, as a preliminary to a general forward move- 
 ment. Buell had sent Gen. Thomas's division against the Keliel position 
 at Mill Springs, on the Cumberland. At Logan's Cross Koads, near 
 that intrenched camp, the enemy tiercely attacked Thomas on eTanuary 
 19. but were disastrously defeated, dying from the tield in rout, and 
 the folKnving night abandoned the impregnable fortitications at Mill 
 Springs with all "their stores and munitions. It was iu this battle that 
 the Rebel General Felix ZollicoU'er was killed. Col. Robert L. ]\IcCook, 
 of the Ninth Ohio, another brother of Capt. Daniel McCook. commanded 
 a brigade in this action in which he was severely wounded, and was 
 soon after promoted to Brigatlier-Geueral for his efficiency and 
 gallantry. 
 
 Shortly after this signal victory, in concert with Gen. U. S. 
 Grant's decisive movement up the Tennessee in February, 1S62, Buell's 
 army moved southward against Bowling Green, the grand central 
 position of the long rebel line running from Mill Springs to Columbus, 
 on the Mississippi." But Grant's great victory at Donelson compelled 
 the rebel leader, Albert Sidney Johnston, to hastily abandon Bowling 
 Green and ^Middle Tennessee, and retreat into Northern Mississippi. 
 Buell's army immediately advanced and the Second Division under 
 command of Gen. McCook occupied Nashville on February 2oth, 
 Here Grant and Buell met iu conference. Grant's main body was now 
 sent further up the Tennessee, and eti'ectcd a lodgment on its southern 
 bank at and near Pittsburg Lauding. Gen. Buell's army marched 
 overland to form a junction with Grant's forces. At daylight on April 
 6, 186:2, the rebel leader precipitated 45,000 Confederates upon Gen. 
 Grant's army at Pittsburg Lauding and a day of carnage ensued. 
 Grant was forced back to the river, stubbornly contesting every foot 
 of ground. At nightfall Buell's divisions began to arrive on the north 
 bank of the Tennessee. Durins: the niixht Gen. McCook's division 
 
cuiue from Savannah to Pittsburg Landing on .steam boats and was put 
 into position. April 7th the combined Cnion army advanced in over- 
 whelming force and drove the enemy from the battlefield. Gen. 
 McCook's division was brilliantly engaged throughout the day, steadily 
 pushing the rebels backward. Capt. Daniel McCook rode everywhere, 
 bearing orders, and in the official reports was honorably mentioned for 
 gallantry. 
 
 Then followed the siege of Corinth, April 29-June 4, 1862, by the 
 united armies of the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi, all under the 
 command of Maj. Gen. H. W. Halleck. It is a singula)- fact that six 
 of the •' Fighting McCook's," all of high rank, and some of them after- 
 wards of still higher rank, participated in these operations, or were in 
 the immediate vicinity. The *' Tribe of Dan "' was represented by the 
 father Major Daniel McCook and his four sons, viz: Brigadier-Generals 
 Kof>ert L. and Alex. McDowell, brigade and division commanders 
 respectively, Lieut. Col. Edwin S., 31st 111. Infantry, and Capt. 
 Daniel, of the volunteer .staff. Then there were their first cousins, two 
 brothers of the "tribe of John,"' viz: Lieut. Col. P>Iward M., 2d 
 Indiana Cavalry, and Major Anson G., 2d Ohio Infantry. Only two 
 months afterwards Brig. Gen. Robert L. McCook, while suffering from 
 the w^ound received at Mills Spring and a severe attack of camp fever 
 was in a cowardly manner murdered by guerrillas while passing in an 
 ambulance in the rear of the army. He died August C, 1862, and his 
 death was announced by Gen. Thomas in general orders. 
 
 After Corinth, Halleck was called to Washington and his grand 
 army was scattered. Buell with part of it marched on Chattanooga, 
 while Grant with the Army of the Tennessee resumed operations on the 
 Mississippi. Meanwhile Capt. Daniel McCook had won a high reputa- 
 tion for ability and soldiery qualities. On the loth day of July, 1862, 
 in reward for his services. Gov. David Tod commissioned him colonel 
 of a new regiment of Ohio infantry, the .52d. To recruit and organize 
 this new command Col. McCook immediately returned to Ohio. Dur- 
 ing the month of August, under his vigorous impetus, it was .speedily 
 filled up. But ere it was fairly equipped for service, the panic ensuing 
 upon the rebel General E. Kirby Smith's invasion of Kentucky in 
 August, 1862, caused it to be sent to the field. 
 
 Col. McCook was now 2>< years old. But already sea.soned by over 
 a year's hard campaigning in which he had participated in two bloody 
 battles and many les.ser affairs, his old Ohio intimates found this young 
 soldier metamorphosed from the buoyant, poetry-quoting law student 
 of other days into an earnest, grave man of affairs, of marvelous energy, 
 keyed up by a nervous determination which permitted no flagging. As 
 he appeared at Camp Dennison, while organizing the .!>2d Ohio in 
 August, 1862, Col. McCook was a somewhat slight, scholarly looking 
 officer, with an intellectually handsome face. His steady, gray eyes 
 could upon occasion flash with excitement or anger, although they were 
 usually gentle as any woman's. Ambitious, proud of his rapid rise and 
 fired to emulate the high careers of his elder brothers, he was now 
 burning for a wider field for the display of his undoubted talents and 
 courage. No man was ever prouder of the soldiers constituting his 
 command than Col. Dan McCook. A number of the companies came 
 
from his old home at Steiibenville, or from the adjoining counties cover- 
 ing the man-making hill country of eastern Ohio. Many of them were 
 farmers or farmer's sons, who understood and knew now to take care of 
 themselves out of doors. Nearly all of them had been well and soundly 
 educated in the public schools conducted under the splendid Ohio 
 school system which has so well qualified so many Ohio men for the 
 capable performance of public duty. They were patriotic men who 
 entered the army, not from love of excitement or adventure, but simply 
 because it was their duty to do so. They represented the highest type 
 of the best American citizenship and formed a Regiment of which any 
 officer ought to be proud. Col. McCook's businesslike and prompt way 
 of dealing with matters and his soldierly qualities soon inspired the men 
 with confidence in his ability, and in return he made every officer and 
 man feel that he had confidence in them and that he felt sure that they 
 would follow wherever he might lead them. 
 
 The relation between the Colonel and his officers and men was ab- 
 solute from first to last and this fact will account for the success of 
 many movements, some of them under desperate conditions which must 
 have failed but for that mutual respect and abiding confidence. 
 
 Kirby Smith's rapid advance into Kentucky in the last days of 
 August, 1862, compelled Gen. H. G. Wright, commanding the Depart- 
 ment of the Ohio, to urgently call for every available regiment within 
 reach. The patriotic Governor of Ohio, David Tod, in answer to these 
 appeals poured troops over the river into Kentucky, and among them 
 the 52d Ohio, Col. Daniel McCook commanding. The Regiment left 
 Camp Dennison August 21st, and on the 21th had reported at Lexington, 
 Kentucky, where Col. McCook assumed command of the post. Several 
 other regiments were also concentrated there, across the enemy's line of 
 march to Cincinnati, Avhich was supposed to be his objective. But 
 before Gen. Nelson was fully prepared two of his isolated brigades 
 Avere attacked on August 30, at Richmond, and disastrously defeated. 
 This result compelled the abandonment of Lexington and the with- 
 drawal of the Union forces to the Ohio River. Meanwhile Gen. Bueirs 
 army was having a close race with the rebel Gen. Bragg for the Ohio 
 river at Louisville, which was probably the real rebel objective, and 
 not Cincinnati as at first supposed. Kirby Smith made no attempt 
 to capture Cincinnati, and as soon as Wright discovered this he sent all 
 his superfluous troops to the protection of Louisville. 
 
 While the marchings and counter-marchings consequent upon these 
 Rebel movements were in progress. Gov. Tod telegraphed to Gen. 
 Wright on the 8th of September as follows: "Col. Dan. McCook, of 
 the 52d Ohio, is a well-tried, experienced oflScer, and should be assigned 
 to your most important position." This is of itself sufficient evidence 
 of the high estimate already placed upon McCook's ability as an 
 officer. 
 
 In his eft'ort to reinforce General Nelson, General Wright hurried 
 forward the 62d Ohio, which after a rapid march from Lexington 
 reached the Kentucky River in time to meet the retreating troops of 
 Nelson's command. The first serious work of the regiment was to act 
 as rear guard and cover the retreat of these defeated and broken troops. 
 The weather was oppressively hot, water was scarce because of a 
 
drouth, the turnpike roads were deep with dust and demoralization 
 reigned. 
 
 All the conditions were unfavorable to new troops but the splendid, 
 natural, though raw material of the 52d Ohio and the soldierly qualities 
 and actual service experience of its young Colonel came into play. The 
 52(1 Ohio acted as rear guard all the way from the Kentucky River to 
 Louisville. It was a period of long, weary, anxious, suffering days. 
 INIany of the exhausted inexperienced men thought at times that their 
 young Colonel was unn'icessarily strict in pushing them onward, but 
 always enforcing discipline and steadily maintaining an organized fight- 
 ing force between the disorganized mass of stragglers and the pursuing 
 force. The suffering of such a retreat is great but it gave the needed 
 opportunity for Col. McCook to transform his new recruits into a steady, 
 dependable regiment of the line. 
 
 Upon reaching Louisville the 52d Ohio was attached to the division 
 of Brig. -Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, part of which were veteran troops 
 from Gen. Grant's Army of the Tennessee. Col. McCook's regiment, 
 with the 85th, S6th and 125th Illinois regiments, was organized into a 
 lirigade. He was assigned to the command as acting brigadier-general. 
 He continued to act as a brigade commander to the end. These regi 
 ments continued under Col. McCook's command until he was mortally 
 wounded at Kenesaw Mountain nearly two years later. Bragg did 
 not long remain in the vicinity of Louisville. Buell immediately 
 took measures to drive him out of the state. At the i)attle of 
 Perryville or Chaplin Hills, fought Oct. 8, 1862, Gen. Sheridan's 
 division was greatly in evidence, and Col. McCook's ])rigade of raw 
 troops acted like veterans. Their young commander's soldiery bearing 
 at once captivated Sheridan, one of the greatest commanders America 
 has produced. In his personal memoirs Sheridan repeatedly men- 
 tions Col. McCook. In his official report of this battle, greatly mis- 
 managed by Gen. Buell, as Sheridan thought, speaking of the conduct 
 of his brigade commanders, he said that Col. McCook "behaved 
 with great gallantry, leading his troops at all times." High praise 
 from such a source. Sheridan had scant patience with a derelict officer, 
 no matter what his rank. 
 
 The battle of Perryville was opened by McCook's brigade captur- 
 ing, before daylight, Peter's Hill, the commanding point and key of the 
 whole field. Three times during the day efforts were made to re- 
 capture the hill. Two attempts failed and then Hardie's veteran division 
 was sent against the position. Although the assault was fearful and 
 thrice repeated, McCook's brigade was so well placed and commanded, 
 that the fresh volunteers from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois stood 
 their ground to the last and by their sturdy courage were transformed 
 into a fighting force that could always be depended upon in any emer- 
 gency. 
 
 In this bloody and hotly contested battle there served upon the staff 
 of Col. McCook his youngest brother, Lieut. John J, McCook, who 
 left Kenyon College to enter the army as a private soldier at the 
 age of 17. He was highly praised in the official reports for his tine 
 bearing at Perryville. 
 
 After driving Bragg into E ist Tennessee, the Union Army marched 
 
to Nashville, where it was soon again confronted by Bragg. Gen. Wm. 
 S. Rosecrans had superseded Buell in the command, and in the re- 
 organization of the army which followed Col. McCook's brigade, now 
 the 2d, had been transferred to Brig. Gen. Robert B. Mitchell's Fourth 
 Division, under Gen. Thomas. Mitchell also was a Kansas officer and 
 had fought with McCook at Wilson's Creek. Col. McCook did not par- 
 ticipate in the battle of Murfreesboro; because of his courage and 
 resourceful character, he had been detached with part of his own and 
 some other troops to escort an ammunition and hospital train of 95 
 wagons from Nashville to the main army lying in front of Murfrees- 
 boro. He was attacked at Cox's Hill on January 3d by some 3,000 
 cavalry under the rebel Gen. Wheeler, but most gallantly drove them 
 otf, wounding one of the rebel officers with his own hand by a pistol 
 shot. He was personally completely surrounded at a critical moment of 
 the tight, and the train almost in possession of the raiders, but by the 
 bravery of his troops he was rescued and the train saved. It was a most 
 gallant affair, and well managed by Col. McCook. The rebels lost 40 
 men killed and wounded. Only two Union soldiers were wounded, one 
 of whom died. 
 
 A few days after the battle of Murfreesboro, Col. McCook 
 was transferred to the command of another brigade in the same division, 
 composed of the 10th, 16th, and 60th Illinois," and the 10th and 14th 
 Michigan regiments. This arrangement appears to have been but 
 a temporary one, for soon afterwards he was transferred back to his old 
 brigade by a general order dated January 27, 1863. 
 
 For the ensuing six months Rosecrans army remained in its canton- 
 ments around Murfreesboro and Nashville. Colonel McCook com- 
 manded various outposts during this period, notably Brentwood and 
 Columbia, and was very active. There was no fighting to speak of 
 until the Tullahoma campaign occurred in June, 1S63, and nothing 
 beyond mere skirmishes in that. McCook's brigade had been trans- 
 ferred to Granger's reserve corps, and occupied Shelby ville in the 
 movement which drove Bragg back across the Tennessee to Chatta- 
 nooga. Then there was another lull of a month or two, when the 
 strategic movements were set on foot which flanked Bragg out of 
 Chattanooga, and resulted in the battle of Chickamauga. Here 
 Granger's Reserve Corps came into action in magnificent style late in 
 the afternoon of Sept. 20, contributing largely to the final repulse of 
 Longstreet, thus enabling Thomas to withdraw in safety. Col. 
 McCook's brigade performed signal service by the rapidity and energy 
 of its movements and the effective positions it assumed during the 
 progress of the battle. Sent on a reconnoissance on the evening of 
 Sept. 18th, and just before daylight next morning, McCook surprised 
 the enemy at Reed's bridge over the Chickamauga, driving him off and 
 burning that structure, a bold maneuvre of great value to the Union 
 army, which Rosecrans afterwards especially mentioned in his official 
 report. When Granger advanced to Thomas' support on the evening 
 of the 20th, in the crisis of the action, McCook's brigade was formed to 
 cover the left of the army and the Chattanooga road, which was vital to 
 Thomas' position and his design to withdraw. Following at 10 o'clock 
 at night, McCook's brigade was the last to leave the field of Chick- 
 
atnuuga. For his distinf^ui-lied and invaluable services at Chickamauga 
 Kosecrans recommended tljat lie be promoted to Brigadier-General. In 
 the various reports and correspondence relating to this battle Col. 
 McCook is mentioned upwarrls of TO times by his superiors and others. 
 Maj. Gen. Granger said: "Although commanding a brigade not in the 
 battle line it had a very important position protecting the rear of those 
 who were fighting," and that McCook "properly and promptly carried 
 out all orders and instructions.'" Gen. Thomas said of McCook: "He 
 kept off a large force of the enemy's cavalry, and with his battery ma- 
 terially aided Turchin's handsome charge on the enemy, who had closed 
 in on our left." 
 
 After the battle McCook's brigade occupied a position on the 
 North Chickamauga, near its mouth, guarding that flank of Kosecran's 
 army. He was very active and his dispositions were admirable. He 
 kept up a regular correspondence with Kosecran's headquarters and had 
 that general's entire confidence. After Grant assumed command, 
 McCook continued the same service at this outpost of the army, which 
 was a critical point. His brigade ('third j was now in the second division of 
 the 14th Corps under Gen. Palmer. Again, as part of the reserve corps. 
 the Brigade was not heavily engaged in the battles around Chattanooga 
 on the 23d, 24th and 25th of November, l.sfJ3, but, as at Chickamauga, 
 it performed a most important part in the preliminary operations. He 
 received the personal thanks of the chief engineer of Grant's army for 
 his masterly work in preparing the way for the advance of the army at 
 the mouth of the North Cliickamauga. Gen. Jeff. C. Davis, his division 
 commander, also spoke in the highest terms of Col. McCook's disposi- 
 tions for the crossing of his troops. McCook's brigade was engaged in 
 the pursuit of Bragg's army, capturing a good many prisoners. On 
 Nov. 29 it marched to the relief of Burnside at Knoxville, a march of 
 great hardship. The brigade returned to Chattanooga on Dec. lU very 
 much exhausted and almost shoeless. Its losses in these operations were 
 small, but Col. McCook's reputation as a soldier was greatly enhanced. 
 He was now thoroughly known and respected throughout the army. 
 
 The next four months were put in in recuperating and organizing 
 for Sherman's Atlanta campaign, which began May 4, 1864. McCook's 
 brigade of Gen. Jeff. C. Davis' 14th Corps, participated in some heavy 
 fighting in the advance, fully meeting the expectations of the leaders. 
 Col. McCook was now in an army commanded l)y the former senior 
 member of the law firm of Sherman, Ewing & McCook, of Leaven- 
 worth. Never before had he performed so valiantly and ably as in the 
 first stages of this Atlanta campaign. In his official report Gen. Davis 
 constantly mentions Col. McCook in the most laudatory terms. His 
 operations were particularly l)old and brilliant at the capture (^f Kome, 
 Ga., which his troops were the first to enter. 
 
 In the last days of June the army came face to face with the enemy 
 in his strong position on Kenesaw Mountain. Sherman, baffled in his 
 strategy at all i)oints, resolved to deliver an assault upon an almost 
 impregnable position. It was a fatal determination, carried into efJect 
 on June 27 by McCook's brigade, of Davis's corps, and Ilarker's of 
 Stanley's Fourth Corps, McCook's troops wore deployed in column of 
 regiments five deep — that is, they charged with regimental front. It is 
 
 75 
 
said that before giving the command to advance, the brave McCook, his 
 ruling boyhood's passion strong in death, recited to his men the lines 
 from Macaulay's Horatius: 
 
 "Then out spake brave Horatius, 
 
 The Captain of the gate: 
 'To every man upon this earth 
 
 Death cometh soon or late. 
 And how can man die better 
 
 Than facing fearful odds, 
 For the ashes of his fathers 
 
 And the temples of his gods?' '" 
 
 Led by their intrepid commander the brigade dashed upon the 
 enemy's fortified lines. Springing upon a commanding point upon the 
 rebel works to cheer on his men to the last superhuman effort, McCook 
 fell wounded unto death. Col. Harmon, his successor in command, 
 was instantly killed with a bullet through his heart. So close was the 
 combat that many of the officers and men were killed and wounded 
 in the rebel trenches. A heroic but vain effort! The assault was 
 repulsed with the loss of 3,000 men, though the Union troops held their 
 ground within a few yards out of the rebel works, and there fortified 
 themselves. Gen. Harker, of the other brigade, was also killed. The 
 dying McCook was conveyed to his Ohio home, where he survived until 
 July 17th. 
 
 Gen. Davis spoke of him as ' ' the long admired and gallant com- 
 mander," and in another connection as a " noble leader." In a general 
 order dated at Atlanta, Sept. 8, 1864, Gen. Sherman linked McCook's 
 name with that of the distinguished army commander, McPherson, as 
 having " left the memory of deeds on which a nation can build a proud 
 history." Gen. Thomas also passed a high encomium upon McCook 
 in his official report. He was beloved and mourned by the whole 
 army. He was promoted to Brigadier-General on the 16th of Jul}^ 
 1861:, and died knowing that he was honored by the whole country.* 
 
 Extract from the Narrative of Military Operations Directed 
 
 DURING THE LATE WaR BETAVEEN THE STATES. BY .JOSEPH E. 
 
 Johnston, General, C. S. A. 
 
 Published by D. Appleton & Co.. New York, 18T4, Pages 342-3-4. 
 
 "But the most determined and powerful attack fell upon Cheatham's 
 division and the left of Cleburne's. The lines of the two armies were much 
 nearer to each other there: therefore the action was begun at shorter range. 
 Tht Federal trooxis were in greater force, and deeper order, trjo, and jjcessecZ for- 
 weird xoith the resohdiem edways displayed by the A^nericein seAdier when properly 
 led. An attempt to turn the left was promptly met and defeated by Cheat- 
 ham's reserve— A^aughn's brigade. After maintaining the contest for three- 
 quarters of an hour, until more of their best soldiers lay dead and wounded 
 than the number of British veterans that fell in General Jackson's celebrated 
 
 * Note.— I intentionallj' make but brief reference iu this sketch to the assault ou Keue- 
 saw mouniain. and to the heroic part taken in it by Col. Dan McCook and the other officers and 
 men of his fightins brigade. I am now preparing a lull and critical account of this attack as 
 one of the most notable incidents in the history of modern warfare. For this purpose I have 
 compiled every reference to it in the official records cf the war and in current military works. I 
 am only waiting to complete the record by incorporating therein, as far as they are suitable 
 and appropriate therefor, the memoranda and personal reports of incidents now being gathered 
 together by the officers of the brigade organization. This will make a unique record, one of 
 which every man who had a part therein maybe justly proud, which they and their descendants 
 ought to perpetuate by every meaus in their power.— L. .T. P. 
 
battle of New Orleans, (he foremost dead lying agaivst our breastworks, they re- 
 tired, unsuccessful, because they had encountered intrenched infantry unsur- 
 passed by that of Napoleon's Old Guard, or that which followed Wellington into 
 France, but of Spain. **** 
 
 "On the 2ytli a truce was agreed to, to permit the Federal soldiers to bury 
 their dead lying near our brcasticorks.'^ 
 
 Extract from the Personal Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman. 
 
 Published by Charles L. Webster & Co., N. Y., 1891. Pases 60 and 61. 
 
 " The 27th of June was fixed as the day for the attempt, and in order to 
 oversee the whole, and to be in close communication with all parts of the army, 
 I had a place cleared on top of a hill to the rear of Thomas's center, and had 
 the telegraph wires laid to it. The points of attack were chosen, and the troops 
 were all prepared with as little demonstration as possible. At 9.00 a. m. of the 
 day appointed the troops moved to the assault, and all along our lines for ten 
 miles a furious fire of artillery and musketry was kept up. At all points the 
 enemy met us with determined courage and in great force. McPherson's 
 attacking column fought up the face of the lesser Kenesaw, but could not 
 reach the summit. About a mile to the right (just below the Dallas road) 
 Thomases assaulting column reached the parapet, where Brigadier-General Har- 
 der teas shot down mortally wounded, and Brigadier-General Daniel McCooh 
 {my old law partner) was desperately wounded, from the effects of which he 
 afterwards died. By 11.30 the assault was in fact over, and had failed. 
 We had not broken the rebel line at either point, but our o.ssaulting columns 
 held their ground within a few yards of the rebel trenches, and there covered 
 themselves xcith parapet. McJPherson lost about five hundred men and sev- 
 eral valuable officers, and Thomas lost nearly two thousand men. This was 
 the hardest fight of the campaign up to that date, and it is well described by 
 Johnston in his 'Narrative' (pages 342 and 343), where he admits his loss in 
 killed and wounded as 
 
 Hood's Corps (not reported) 
 
 Hardee's Corps 286 
 
 Loring's (Polk's) .522 
 
 Total 808 
 
 This, no doubt, is a true and fair statement; but, as usual, Johnston 
 overestimates our loss, putting it at six thousand, whereas our entire loss was 
 about twenty-five hundred, killed and wounded.'' 
 
 General Sherman in his " Personal Memoirs," at page 169, writes : 
 
 "On the first of January, 1859, Daniel McCook, Esq., was admitted to 
 membership in our firm, which became Sherman, Ewing & McCook. Our 
 business continued to grow, but, as the income hardly sufficed for three such 
 expensive personages, I continued to look about for something more certain and 
 profitable, and during that spring undertook to open a farm on a large tract of 
 land on Indian Creek, forty miles west of Leavenworth. This helped to pass 
 away time but afforded little profit."' 
 
 After describing his efforts to secure a reappointment in the Regular 
 Army, General Sherman gives the following account of his efforts as a lawyer: 
 
 "But, before leaving this branch of the subject, I must explain a little 
 matter of which I have seen an account in print, complimentary or otherwise, 
 of the firm of Sherman, Ewing and McCook, more especially of the senior 
 partner. 
 
 " One day, as I sat in our office, an Irishman came in and said he had a 
 case and wanted a lawyer. I asked him to sit down and give me the points of 
 his case, all the other members of the firm being out. Our client stated that he 
 had rented a lot of an Irisli landlord for five dollars a month ; that he had 
 erected thereon a small frame shanty, which was occupied by his family ; that 
 he had paid his rent regularly up to a recent period ; but to his house he had 
 appended a shed which extended over a part of the adjoining vacant lot belong- 
 ing to the same landlord, for which he was charged two and a half dollars a 
 month, which he refused to pay. The consequence was, that his landlord had 
 for a few months declined even his five dollars monthly rent until the arrears 
 amounted to about seventeen dollars, for which he was sued. I told him we 
 
 Note— Italics not in original text. 
 
would undertake his case, of which I took notes, and a fee of five dollars in 
 advance, and in due order I placed the notes in the hands of McCook, and 
 thought no more of it. 
 
 A month or so after, our client rushed into the office and said his case had 
 been called at Judge Gardner's (I think), and he wanted his lawyer right away. 
 I sent him up to the Circuit Court, Judge Pettit's, for McCook, but he soon 
 returned, saying he could not find McCook, and accordingly I hurried him up 
 to Judge Gardner's office, intending to ask a continuance', but I found our 
 antagonist there, with his lawyer and witnesses, and Judge Gardner would not 
 grant a continuance, so of necessity I had to act, hoping tliat at every minute 
 McCook would come. But the trial proceeded regularly to its end ; we were 
 beaten, and judgment was entered against our client for the amount claimed, 
 and costs. As soon as the matter was explained to McCook, he said ' execution " 
 could not be taken for ten days, and, as our client was poor, and had nothing on 
 which the landlord could levy but his house, McCook advised him to get his 
 neighbors together, to pick up the house, and carry it on to another vacant lot 
 belonging to a non-resident, so that even the house could not be taken in execu- 
 tion. Thus the grasping landlord, though successful in his judgment, failed in 
 execution, and our client was abundantly satisfied."' 
 
 ASSAULT ON KENESAW MOUNTAIN, GA. 
 
 June 27th, 1864, by Col. Dan, McCooli's Brigade. 
 
 The following extracts are from correspondence with Col. J. T. Holmes of 
 the 52d Ohio, who revisited the battle ground in May, 1897. Speaking of the con- 
 federate line at "Kenesaw" he says, "it was and is in the woods. There was 
 a little cleared field after we crossed Noyes Creek in which we lay down for, say. 
 three minutes, half way from where the charge began to the enemy's works. 
 The angle against which we charged directly is quite sharp. There- was no 
 rebel battery at the "dead angle", as shown by some maps; there was a battery 
 on our left in a kind of redoubt up the line several rods from the angle; it could 
 not play on us when we were near the works. 
 
 "Carter's eight gun battery on our right had a destructive, enfilading, rak- 
 ing range on us until we got close to the works. The distance from the starting 
 point to the creek is substantially the same as the distance from the creek to 
 the Confederate line, 300 yards, total 600 yards. My first sentence relates to the 
 charge of Colonel Dan McCook's brigade. Colonel Mitchell on our right, and 
 General Harker's brigade on our left, skirted the little open field. Harker was 
 driven back; Mitchell stuck in the edge of the woods which came down from the 
 rebel works. 
 
 "Colonel Dan's last words before he fell as they were reported to me were: 
 "Come on boys; we can take them." He was close to the Confederate works, at 
 the right and head of the brigade, and about 60 feet from the intrenchments 
 when the check occurred. It was only for a moment, because it was death to 
 stand still, and then came the words I have given you. I cannot speak from 
 direct knowledge. Of course, there was the oblique distance covered by the 
 whole brigade between Colonel Dan's position and mine, in the charge; he was 
 on the right in front,! was in the line of the left wing of the rear regiment— the 
 52d Ohio Vol. Infantry. 
 
 "Colonel Harmon and Captain Fellows fell near together; the latter nearer 
 the rebel works than the former, but neither of them on or up to the works, and 
 McCook was shot down before either of them. I cannot now go on with a review. 
 Time plays strange freaks with our memories. The honest contemporaneous 
 records we make sometimes seem to change greatly in the lapsing years." 
 
 A CHARACTER SKETCH OF 
 
 COLONEL DAN McCOOK, 
 
 B5' Col. J. T. Holmes, 52d Ohio V. I. 
 
 A character sketch of Colonel Dan McCook in a brief hour, thirty- 
 seven years after his fall? The man is not living who can do himself or the 
 Colonel's character justice within such a limit. 
 
 I owe it to his memory, however, to say something of my friend in answer 
 to the request. 
 
 Colonel Dan McCook's nature was nervous, high strung, intense; thought 
 and action with him were quick and pointed. His intuitions were often supe- 
 
 78 
 
rior to the lalxjred judgments of other men, and with these characteristics were 
 combined the power or careful, deliberate and wise consideration and determi- 
 nation of questions presented to his mind. He sometimes erred, as who does 
 not? but no man who ever served with or under him could justly charge him 
 with a deliberate wrong. Such a thing was as far from Dan McCook's nature 
 as the poles are asunder. He was a natural, a born soldier and when he raised 
 the 52d O. V. I. had seen very considcrablelife and experience in camp and field. 
 
 He had acquired military lessons which the great mass of his regiment and 
 brigade had yet to learn. Fresh from the mild reign and the freedom of the 
 civil law, military rules, strictly enforced, seemed to many of them harsh and 
 almost cruel, at times, and the officer occasionally fell under criticism when 
 he was the mere effective instrument in the execution and enforcement of the 
 laws of war. American soldiers were quick to learn, however, and when the 
 days of battle came, Dan McCook's brigade, officers and men, saw the reasons 
 for things which nothing but the field and the conflict can ever adequately 
 explain, and I doubt whetiier any man or officer of that organization ever after- 
 ward questioned his loyalty to any phase of the cause with which we were 
 charged, to the officers and men under his immediate command, to their welfare 
 always. He was ready •• at the drop of a hat " to fight for them, upon occasion. 
 The insolence of a staff officer with reference to some requisition in behalf of 
 his brigade, while we lay at Nashville in the winter of '62-'63, led to a personal 
 encounter one day in which the staff officer had the worst of it and the Colonel 
 had his requisition! promptly tilled. 
 
 He was in close personal touch, frank, friendly, cordial, with the good 
 soldiers of his brigade, and I venture the statement that no brigade commander, 
 east or west, knew personally more of the men and officers under him than did 
 Dan McCook. In quarters, on drill, on the march, in battle, he often displayed a 
 knowledge of names and history of individuals, which showed his strict atten- 
 tion to his whole military family. It disparages no one of the others immedi- 
 ately about him. but he had on his staff, in the person of Captain Edward L. 
 Anderson, of Cincinnati, a man of splendid derivation and parts, family, educa- 
 tion, knowledge, judgment, executive ability, to whom he was greatly indebted 
 for much of this detail knowledge and its accuracy. 
 
 In the familiar association with individuals, from regimental command- 
 ers to the high private in the rear rank, there was no compromi.se of authority 
 or dignity— he could indulge in the one without expense to the other. 
 
 He had no use for a coward, or a shirk, or an incapable, or one who was 
 given to the use of doubtful and indirect means for the attainment of doubtful 
 and improper ends, and in rebuke, his tongue was sharp as a two edged sword 
 and his exercise of punitive power was firm and efliective. 
 
 He. had no presentiment of death on any battlefield. Many a time he 
 talked in the group and with me alone about introducing me to President 
 Lincoln, when we should reach Washington City at the close of the war. 
 
 He was ambitfous. but his ambition had neither indirection nor fear in 
 its methods. When fawning or subserviency might have secured promotion, he 
 boldly put ambition in the background and wrote plain, unpleasant truth from 
 
 the field to General H , then the practical head of the army. He was 
 
 in close correspondence with such men as George D. Prentice of Louisville and 
 his letters to these men were, for some reason, often read to me before they 
 were mailed. 
 
 I have known Prentice when the Colonel had made some point or suggestion 
 or di.scussed some policy, civil or military, atfecting the interests of Kentucky 
 to strike out the indicia of correspondence and run the matter into the editorial 
 columns of his newspaper. No ordinary man could have so won and held the 
 regard of tlie great wit, poet, author and editor, George D. Prentice. 
 
 John Baxter of East Tennessee was for many years after the war, on the 
 bench of the United States Circuit Court. At the beginning, the bars of these 
 states were unpleasantly affected by his rulings and manner, in manv cases. 
 When a case was stated to him clearly he was apt to see the end from the 
 beginning and the end would come so quickly as to "jar" the lawyers who 
 expected days to be consumed in a trial which the Judge had ended in an hour. 
 Gradually, the keenness and long reach of Judge Baxter's legal and judicial 
 acumen and penetration were appreciated; his greatness on the bench had actual 
 demonstration wherever he .sat, and when he died regret and sorrow were uni- 
 versal throughout the states of his circuit. 
 
 It is one of my mental habits to liken men, who seem to be alike, to each 
 other. Dan McCook had in his make up many characteristics much resembling 
 those of Judge John Baxter. 
 
Colonel Oscar F. Harmon of the 125tli Illinois was the Abraham Lincoln of 
 our brigade, a splendid type of physical, mental and moral manhood; as citizen 
 and soldier, sans puer sans reproche. The profound respect, the smooth flowing 
 relations, the soldierly confidence, the union in death, of Colonel McCook and 
 Colonel Harmon were typical of the sterling, admirable qualities of each and 
 throw a strong light on the relations of Colonel Dan to the members, ranli and 
 file, of "the old third brigade." 
 
 In July, 1861, at Bull Run, Charley McCook was killed. In July, 1862, in 
 northern Alabama, near the town of New Market, General Bob McCook was 
 murdered, while sick in his ambulance, by Captain Frank Gurley's gang of 
 partisans. In July, 1863, Major Daniel McCook, the father, whose photograph 
 has stood on my library mantel ever since the civil war, was mortally wounded 
 in the fight at Buffington Island, in the Ohio, during the Morgan raid. In 
 July, 1864, Colonel Dan died of the wound he received at Kenesaw. It was a 
 bloody and mournful quadrennium for dear old Mother McCook, wliose hand I 
 touched first in December, 1862, and last in September, 1877, but the apotheosis 
 of her sacrifices shall be lasting as time and resplendent as the glory of the 
 eternal morning. 
 
 On the state flag of the 52d O. V. I., in gilt, were the letters "McCook's 
 Avengers" when it entered the service. The reference was to General Bob's 
 tragic end. 
 
 In process of time — the morning of September 6, 1863— the third brigade 
 marched through the Gurley plantation in middle southern Tennessee. When 
 tlie troops had passed, but while the rear was still in sight, the Colonel selected 
 myself to command a strong detail to lay waste the birthplace and home of the 
 murderer. "Make it an utter desolation," said he, and I obeyed the injunction 
 to the letter— burning houses, cabins, barns, fences, everything combustible, 
 even deadening the trees of the orchard. General Rosecrans had autliorized 
 the destruction. The event and the memories which it stirred affected the 
 Coloners spirits in a marked degree throughout the day. It was with him a 
 day of quiet and introspection. 
 
 Colonel Dan McCook deserves a biographer, who should be given a free 
 hand. He died early— in his thirtieth year— but the record of his life cannot 
 justly be crowded into a few lines or a few pages. The memorials, the ma- 
 terial, may now be largely scattered and lost. He was a strong character, a 
 fine lawyer, a brilliant soldier, one who, like Aurelius, saw things a long way off; 
 gifted with the statesman's insight and power, dauntless in courage, wise in 
 action, devoted in his love of country, he bore the highest, the last, testimony 
 to a stainless patriotism— stainless, because washed and made white by theoffer 
 and acceptance of liis own life blood. 
 
 SO 
 
BRIG.-GEN. DANIEL McCOOIC Jr 
 
 U. S VOLUNTEERS 
 AS COMMANDER, AS COMRADE, AS SOLDIER. 
 
 By "COL. DAN. McCOOK'S BOYS." 
 
 "A 52d man" in speaking of the earlier services of the regiment and how we 
 marched out to the Kentucky river and back to Lexington and thence on to 
 Louisville, pursued by General Klrby Smith's Army, in the latter days of 
 August, 1862: Said: The r>2d was the rear guard of that fleeing column, I 
 know that it was a green regiment, charged with the great responsibility of 
 covering the retreat of the Army, and performing a very ditticult service, Col. 
 Dan felt it absolutely necessary to maintain discipline, both for the credit of the 
 52d and the safety of the Army. I have no doubt that he often had to do 
 things which made him appear harsh and inconsiderate of the men, but in the 
 end they all fully recognized that it was for their own good and was simply the 
 outgrowth of his actual experience in actual war, and not from any lack bf an 
 intense personal interest and sympathy with every man in his regiment. 
 
 While serving witii the brigade it was his pleasure and duty to take the 
 best possible care of every man in it, no matter to what regiment he belonged, 
 yet he always evinced for the 52d the solicitude of an anxious parent when 
 anything could be done to spare the men from danger, fatigue or trouble, or to 
 give them any added comfort. 
 
 When duty demanded trials he made no distinction between the regiments 
 of the brigade; one of the officers who served on his staff said to me that, many 
 a time wlien receiving my instructions about camping the brigade, Col Dan 
 would say: ''Look out and see that they are in the brush and near water." 
 While this suggestion was always complied with, I never fully appreciated it 
 until that morning we all woke up near New Market, Ky., witli a covering of six 
 or eight inches of snow, when the value of such a hint became quickly evident. 
 
 If there was an officer in the A'olunteer Army who more devotedly loved and 
 respected a brave man, and had a higher confidence in his men than Col. Dan 
 McCook, in the men of his brigade he was at least unknown to me, and I have 
 not found any notice of such officer in the records of the war, so far as they have 
 come under my observation. 
 
 W^e know that under great aggravation a parent sometimes punishes a child, 
 but I am sure tliat no father ever excercised discipline upon a son with greater 
 feelings of tenderness and possibly suffering upon his part, than did Col. Dan 
 McCook when occasion, and discipline required liim to reprimand one of his 
 men. 
 
 In a letter written years ago by one who served on his staff, not intended 
 for publication, in speaking of Colonel Dan McCook, said that he devoted 
 much of his leisure time to the study of military affairs, and was probably as 
 well informed on the details of the great campaigns of the world and especially 
 those of Saxe, Turrenne, Napoleon and Wellington, as any man in the volunteer 
 army. He always had with him in camp as many volumes of standard military 
 works as could be conveniently carried. 1 know a copy of Napiers Peninsula 
 W^ar, which was sent home with his effects, after the assault on Kenesaw, was 
 very fully annotated, and there was hardly a page and at many points hardly a 
 paragraph, without a note or comment of some kind, usually relating to his 
 own observation of events in our war. I have often heard him speak with great 
 earnestness in tlie school he used to have of the field officers of the brigade, of 
 how to handle the rear guard of an army especially in retreat, where not only the 
 safety of the army as an organization, but of each individual composing it, 
 depended upon the activity, courage and ability of the officer inmiediately in 
 charge, and the absolute enforcement of discipline. The retreat of the Grand 
 Army of France from Moscow was always the example used. There cold and 
 hunger and the great distance were the difficulties. He would clearly show 
 
 81 
 
tliat heat, dust and thirst were equally difficult to deal with, especially with 
 raw troops. That burning sun on the head and parched palates would soon 
 make men as indiffrent of their lives as benumbing cold, and ready to lie down 
 in their tracks, and prefer to be captured, rather than maintain ranks and 
 trudge on under the intolerable burden of inconvenience and suffering. Then 
 he would describe the duty and obligation of Eegimental and Company officers 
 by example, by command, by entreaty, but by force if neccessary, to arouse the 
 men to their obligation to their comrades and the danger to themselves, of fall- 
 ing out or dropping behind. He always held that he commanded best who 
 would take the largest number of men into camp with the colors, at the end of 
 a long and difficult march, for it indicated interest in and consideration and 
 care for his men. He often spoke of that retreat from Lexington, of the many 
 difficulties, intense suffering and real dangers when the freshness of the troops 
 was considered. His aim was to keep his men together and to keep them mov- 
 ing, and he often said that it did not take his boys of the 52d long to find out 
 that he would never send them into a place where he would not lead them, and 
 that when he pushed them, it was for their own safety, or to perform a duty 
 which called for any sacrifice, and before which personal considerations 
 counted for nothing. In marching the brigade, the men did not know it except 
 by results, but Col. Dan kept his staff officers on a continual trot, to know the 
 road in advance, to find water, to arrange the short halts where water was as 
 accessible as possible, and if the halt was to be long enough, to stop the column 
 near wood convenient for quick fires, so that the men could make coffee, in 
 which he always took the greatest interest and satisfaction. "Full bellies make 
 good fighters", and he was always ready to work all night if necessary to get the 
 rations to his men. You may not remember it, but if the Brigade approached 
 a small fordable stream near the end of the day's march he always put them 
 over so that they could dry their clothes and shoes at night and not go into the 
 stream early in the morning and start the day's march with the discomfort and 
 chafing of wet clothes and shoes. If the stream was an unfordable river and 
 the enemy in front, the rules of strategy would not permit the crossing and 
 personal convenience would disappear before military necessity. Many of these 
 things may have escaped observation, but no "nursing father" ever cared for 
 his children with more continuous and ever watchful solicitude that Col. Dan 
 McCook did for those he so proudly called "my boys". 
 
 "LOOKING ON" AT KENESAW. 
 
 It is very seldom that such an event i n warfare takes place under the eyes 
 of the commanders of both armies, and this is reported in both Sherman's Per- 
 sonal Memoirs and Johnston's ZS'arrative. Gen. Sherman says he observed the 
 assault from a "lookout" which had been especially constructed for him in the 
 rear of Thomas' headquarters in a position which overlooked the entire field. 
 - In his memoirs, page 60, Sherman says that, Thomas' assaulting column reached 
 the parapet where Brig.-Gen. McCook, my old law partner, was desperately 
 wounded, from the effects of which he afterwards died. 
 
 In speaking of the charge of Col. Dan McCook 's brigade at Kenesaw, after- 
 wards, on more than one occasion Gen. Sherman said to Col. John J. McCook, 
 Col. Dan's brother, or repeated it in his presence, that when he heard the signal 
 gun fired he was watching the assaulting column and followed its movements 
 carefully. That his glass was intently fixed upon Col. Dan McCook, who was 
 leading "his column to the assault and when he saw liim clamber up and reach 
 the'top of the rebel works he felt perfectly certain that the men could follow 
 where he was leading and that the assault would be successful. After reaching 
 the top of the parapet. Gen. Sherman said he saw Col. McCook turn toward his 
 men with his hat in his left hand and his sword in his right, motioning for the 
 troops to come forward, but he was of course too far away to hear the words of 
 command. McCook then turned around as if about to jump into the rebel 
 trenches, when he saw him fall back into the arms of some of his troops who 
 were trying to clamber up to his position on the breastworks. 
 
 Gen. Sherman's account, as here related, is almost word for word as Col. 
 Dan himself described it to his brother, Col. John J. McCook, Dr. Pierce and 
 others who were in attendance upon him at Steubenville, up to the point 
 where he turned to jump into the intrenchment, before which he shouted to the 
 men in the rebel trench "to surrender.'^ He said that after that he remembered 
 nothing. 
 
 82 
 
Col. John J. McCook had been wounded in the battles about Spottsylvania 
 Court House, in May, 1804, and the hospital held operation not provint,' successful, 
 j^'anprene haviii},' set in, he was invalided home to be operated on and was in 
 Steubenville, Ohio, when Col. Dan was brou^^ht there, and helped to nurse him 
 until his death. He retained consciousness until within a few hours before he 
 died, and while the famdy did not encourage him to talk he frequently did so 
 and gave many incidents of the assault as recalled by him. When they were 
 taking him out of the car at Steubenville, the stretcher bearers, who were inex- 
 perienced men from the railroad shops, made a shambling effort to keep step, 
 and although it was at the end of a long and fatiguing journey, which they 
 thought might have exhausted him. Col. Dan evidently took in the situation, 
 and without opening his eyes or raising his head, he gave a shortquick com- 
 mand "break step, men, break step," so as to prevent the increased movement 
 and shaking which would come from every step in cadence. 
 
 He was wounded Ijy a .shot from a musket, the muzzle of wliic^h could not 
 have been more than a few feet from his breast, as the woolen of the blue blouse 
 which he wore was singed by the Hash. The bullet entered liis right breast, 
 below the nipple, breaking two of his ribs, and was split and detlected upwards, 
 passing out of the back <iuite a distance higher than it had entered in front. 
 I)r. Pierce, the surgeon in charge at Steubenville, said that the points where 
 the bullet entered and left the body clearly indicated that Col. McCo(jk must 
 have been at a considerable height above the man who shot him, which is 
 strongly contirmatory of Gen. Sherman's statement that he had gained the top 
 of the parapet befcjre he was wounded. 
 
 A piece which split oil from the bullet struck and broke the collar bone. 
 The wound clear through the body was very large and an open one, and accord- 
 ing to the treatment at that time it was Hushed out with water every day. The 
 attempt to lind the piece of bullet which split off, by probing, was very painful, 
 but he never winced or gave the slightest indication that he was suffering. In 
 fact his mind hardly ever dwelt upon himself; his tlKJUghts were always with 
 the brigade down in Georgia, and he was intently hungry for every scrap of news 
 he could get about the brigade, its regiments or otlicers and men. 
 
 Wlien his commission as Brigadier General arrived, as it did a day or two 
 before his death, he did not seem to take much interest in it, and cared more 
 for the fact Uv\t he had remained with his own regiment and his old brigade 
 from the time of its organization to the end. 
 
 1 WRITE OF KENESAW. 
 
 Peouia, III., Jan. 2<>, 1901. 
 Hon. J. P.. WoKK, Room 205 Court House, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Dear Comrade: Your letter of recent date toL. J. Dawdy, late lieutenant 
 86th Illinois Vol. Inf., asking information concerning our beloved colonel, 
 Daniel McCook, was shown me by him last evening. Ours was tlie Third 
 Brigade, Second Division of the 14tli Corps, and was composed of the 85th, 8(5th, 
 125th Illinois, the 22d Indiana, and the 52d Ohio Infantry regiments, under 
 command of Col. Dan. McCook. The brigade was formed in columns by regi- 
 ments, about 25 feet apart ; I mean that our brigade had five lines, with the 
 85th Illinois in the advance and the 52d in the rear, or forming the fifth line. 
 I cannot state the order of alignment of the other three regiments that were 
 between tiie 85th and 52d. The brigade was formed as above on the crest of a 
 bald hill, some 350, but not to exceed, 400 yards from the enemy's line of works, 
 on an elevation somewhat higher than the one we occupied. Directly in our 
 front some six or seven rods down the side of the hill, l)eliind rude breastworks, 
 lay our support, Morgan's brigade, the first of our division, over which the 
 enemy's skirmishers could fire into our lines. This was on Monday, June 27, 
 18S4. In making the charge we had to dash down the hill, jumping over 
 Morgan's njcn and the rude works that sheltered them, and at the bottom of 
 the hill cross over a swamp covered with water and Bcattering underbrush, then 
 up the hill to the enemy's works. This of itself would, and did, disarrange 
 somewhat the alignment of the regiments in our front, and caused them to 
 oblique to the right or left, while the 52d maintained its alignment and moved 
 directly to the front. Some four or five rods in front of the enemy's works the 
 52d came up with the scattering remnants of the leading regiments, who joined 
 with us, and again the works were scaled, but we were unable to cross them ; 
 but while a portion of the brigade fought on and over the works lind kept the 
 
 83 
 
enemy down, others constructed a rude line of works some 35 yards in our rear, 
 to which we crawled when darknes^s covered this terrible scene of carnage. 
 
 Later on we advanced our line to within 27 yards of the enemy's works, and 
 there remained and fought until about 2:00 o'clock a. m , of July 3, when the 
 enemy evacuated. Just before the assault Col. McCook passed by the left flank 
 of the brigade to a point directly in the rear of the center of his command, 
 to a large stump behind which a hole had been dug. This position was occupied 
 by either General Geo. H. Thopaas or Gen. Jeff. C Davis, commanding division 
 
 SAMUEL A. HAKPER. 
 Serst. Co. H., 52d O. V. I. 
 
 (which one I cannot say), with whom he held a hurried consultation. The 
 brigade was ordered to lie down as we were in easy reach of the enemy's skir- 
 mishers. While passing to the rear, Col. McCook noticed that I was standing up; 
 he stopped, and in a commanding tone said, " Sergeant Ilnrper, don't you know 
 you are unnecessarily exposing yourself, lie down.'' I replied, "Colonel, lam 
 making a shirt out of my blouse, and if I fall in this charge please tell the folks 
 at home that I died for my country shirtless.' A smile that I will never forget 
 illuminated the face of this brave man, a smile of kindness, of sympathy and 
 pity, as he said, " 1 will do so, Sergeant Harper, you are a noble boy." These 
 were the last words I heard him utter. He passed on to the position spoken of, 
 and was in the act of returning when the officer behind the stump, with whom 
 he had been talking, called out, "Don't be rash, colonel, don't be rash." He 
 answered this by quoting in a very calm manner these lines which, I think, 
 occur in the stanzas from Macaulay's Horatius: 
 
 "Then up spoke brave Horatius, the Captain of the gate: 
 'To every man upon this earth death cometh soon or late 
 And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, 
 
 For the ashes of his fathers and the temples of his gods? ' " 
 
 He recited these lines as he walked to the front and center of his com- 
 mand, which position he had barely reached when the signal guns to the left 
 fired. He gave tlie command and dashed forward. He led on and climbed 
 to the top of the enemy's works and was doing all he could to encourage his men 
 when he was shot, and slowly staggered or stepped mortally wounded to the 
 bottom of the works. He was shot on top of the enemy's works, a 
 
 84 
 
short distance to the left of the center of the position our regiment occu- 
 pied a few moments later. 
 
 I am satistied he had no flag in his iiaiid from tliis fact : On the 29th day 
 of June I believe we had an armistice for the purpose of burying our dead, that 
 almost covered tlie space between our works, and in a conversation 1 then had with 
 a Confederate Oilicerof the Rock City Guard (who was in our front), he told me he 
 was but a short distance from Col. McCook when he stood on top of their works 
 with his hat in his left hand and his sword in his right, and lie heard him call out in 
 a very distinct voice to them: "Surrender, you damn traitors.'' This, I presume, 
 was the last command he gave. lie was inmied lately taken to the rear, I think 
 to the works occupied by Morgan. His last words were to his relatives and 
 friends at his home, where he died on July IT, 18(14, the same day of the same 
 month upon which occurred the death of his patriotic father and brother, 
 Charles, one and two years earlier. I speak of the last conversation 1 had with 
 Col.^ McCook, l)ecause you and so many of my comrades so requested me to 
 do some time ago, and also for the purpose of correcting, if possible, a wrong im- 
 pression as to the position taken in this charge by Col. McCook. lie was not in 
 his proper position in rear of the center of his brigade, but directly in the 
 front of its center. He was too valiant a soldier to follow, he always led. 
 
 Colonel Jno. J. McCook, whom I remember very well as a boy, I am proud 
 to know, is as intelligeui and honorable in peace as he was faithful and coura- 
 geous in war, which justly earned for him rank and fame. I write of these 
 events of long ago from memory only, and may not l)e correct as to dates, but in 
 the main, 1 know 1 ilra. I, like yourself, have been isolated from the com- 
 rades of our regiment for more than a third of a century and I have seldom 
 had the pleasure of meeting with them at annual reunions, but I shall never 
 forget them nor the good they wrought. 
 
 "Still o"er those scenes my memory wakes. 
 And fondly broods with miser care. 
 Time, but the impression stronger makes, 
 As streams their channels deeper wear.'' 
 
 But, my comrade. Col. Dan. McCook has writtea his own obituary and his 
 deeds will live longer than any eulogy his most ardent comrade may write of 
 him. As our commanding officer he left his impress upon hearts from which 
 it will never fade, and feeble lips of his nt)W broken comrades will lovingly bear 
 testimony to otiier generations of his kindliness and charity. The lips of this 
 noble conirade and soldier are silent, but the fragrance of the flowers he planted 
 in our hearts, his noble deeds of heroism, and his unselflsh devotion to his 
 country in time of need will cling to and sweeten our history as long as loyalty 
 and self-sacritice are cardinal virtues in patriotic American character. 
 
 Very truly, your comrade, 
 
 Samuel A. Harper, 
 Late Sergeant Co. H., 52d O. V. I. 
 
 Trivoli, 111., May 3, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Chicago. 111. 
 
 Dear Cc)mrade: I was a member of Company "I,'' 86th Regiment 111. 
 Vol. Inf., Col. Fahnestock commanding regiment ; was in the assault on Kene- 
 saw Mountain, Georgia, June 27, 18B4. Saw Colonel Dan McCook, commanding 
 3d P.rigade, 2d Division 14th A. C, coming from the rear through the tiles of 
 men lying against the rebel breastworks, walk up on top with hat in hand, and 
 said, " Surrender, you traitors." he was shot on top of rebel works, and clasping 
 hand to his breast as he whirled around, said, "Stick to them boys, 1 am 
 wounded."' I looked at him as he was carried l)ack. and the thought came to my 
 mind 1 would like to go back too, a thing that I did in less than three 
 minutes. Yours in F., C. and L., 
 
 Richard W. Groninoeh, 
 Late Lieut., Co. "I," Sfith Regt. Ill, Vol. Inf. 
 
 Trivoli, III., May 3d, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Dear Comrade: 1 was corporal in Company "1," 86th Regt 111. Vol. Infty-, 
 Col. Fahnestock commanding regiment- I was in the charge of Kenesaw 
 
 85 
 
Mountain, Ga., June 27th, 1864, and saw Col. Dan McCook shot. lie was on the 
 rebel works in front of Company "I" with sword in hand. lie said: "Sur- 
 render you traitors". Wlien he was sliot he did not fall, but stepped back 
 and said lie was wounded. " Stick to them boys" he said and was carried back 
 to the rear. That was the last time I saw him. Lewis KiusnEK, 
 
 Late Corpora] Co. I, 8()th IlI.Vol. Inf. 
 
 Glassfokd, III., May 1st, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Chicago, 111. 
 
 Dear Comrade: I was present in the desperate charge on Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Ga., June 27th, 1864, as a private in Co. "1." 86th Reg. 111. Vol. Inf., 
 Col. Allen L. Fahnestock in command during the battle, my company was the 
 fourth company on the right of the regiment. Col. Daniel McCook was shot 
 standing on the edge of the rebel works. When he was shot, he threw up his 
 hands and some comrade caught him or lie would have fallen; he was shot a 
 little to the left of Co. "I" position, I did not see him carried back to the rear. 
 Col. Oscar F. Harmon, 125th 111., was shot soon after Col. Dan. McCook fell. 
 Col. Harmon was shot a little to the left of where Col. Dan fell and was stand- 
 ing near the edge of the rebel works. Yours in F., C. and L. 
 
 Bernard Friess, 
 Company "I", 86th III. Vol. Inf. 
 
 JAMES TAYLOR HOLMES. 
 
 Captain Co. "G," Major and Lieut. Colonel .52d Ohio Vol. Infantry 
 ■ and Colonel U. S. Vols. 
 
 James Taylor Holmes, attorney- 
 at-law, Columbus, Ohio, was born in 
 Short Creek township, Harrison 
 county, Ohio, November 25, 1837. 
 He is a son of Asa and Mary (McCoy) 
 Holmes, natives of Ohio. His mother 
 was a daughter of Thomas and 
 Hannah McCoy, who came from one 
 of the western counties of Pennsyl- 
 vania into Harrison County just after 
 the war of 1812. His paternal 
 grandfather. Colonel Joseph Holmes, 
 was a native of Virginia, having 
 resided near Wellsburg, in that 
 state. In 17!>7 he settled near Mount 
 Pleasant, in what is now Jefferson 
 County, Ohio. His father, Obediah 
 Hohnes, had removed with his family 
 from the vicinity of (Cumberland, 
 Maryland, to Western Virginia, at 
 the close of the war of the Revolu- 
 tion. In the decade that followed the 
 peace of 1782 Col. Joseph Holmes 
 took an active part in the conflicts 
 with the Indians along the border from Fort Duquesne to the mouth of 
 Grave Creek, on the Ohio River. In 1799 he moved from Mount 
 Pleasant to the headwaters of Short Creek, and began life in the 
 wiklerness by erecting a log cabin as a residence. The site was near a 
 beautiful spring, and now constitutes the old homestead, where his son, 
 Asa Holmes, died Jan'y, 1891. The farm was patented to him by the 
 
 .lAiMKS TAYLOl; ll«il.M|.>. 
 
 Lieut. Colonel Sad Ubio Vol. Int'iintry. 
 
 Ool. U. S. Vols. March 13, 1865. 
 
government, and has been transferred but twice in one hundred years — 
 from father to son in 1845, and from father to son in 1890. On 
 this farm, in 1870, almost a centenarian, (yol. Joseph Holmes passed 
 away. His wife's maiden name was Sarah McNabb. Their mar- 
 ried life extended over a period of sixty years, the husband sur- 
 viving his wife by six years. Capt. Joseph Holmes was a captain 
 in the war of 1812, and with his regiment, the 3d Ohio, helped 
 build Fort Meigs on the Maumee River in 1812-1813, and Avas commis- 
 sioned Lieut. Colonel in September, 1814, before the close of that war, 
 served with his command at one of the forts in Northwestern Ohio when 
 peace was declared between the contending foes. He was sul)sequently 
 elected to various offices in his county, and in 1831 was chosen to rep- 
 resent his district in the senate of Ohio, in which position he served for 
 two years, 1832-1834, The early education of the subject of this 
 biography began in the public schools of Harrison county and continued 
 till he had reached his seventeenth year. He made the very best use 
 of these scholastic advantages, making extraordinary progress in math- 
 ematics. In 1855, with no other preparation than these schools afforded 
 he left the farm and entered Franklin College, at New Athens, Ohio, 
 where in three years he completed the classical course of study in that 
 institution. He was engaged as essayist in the contest between the 
 literary societies of the college at the middle of the third college year, 
 and having been chosen to represent his literary society in debates in 
 the contest which was to take place in the fourth year, he declined a 
 diploma at that time and was elected tutor and assigned six classes dur- 
 ing the last year. During his tutorage he devoted all the time possi- 
 ble to the study of Hebrew and mental and moral science, in which he 
 desired a more thorough preparation. 
 
 The question for discussion in the last contest was, "should the 
 President of the United States be elected by a direct vote of the 
 people? " It is probably more largely due to the part he took in this 
 debate than to any other cause that he was led to adopt the profession 
 of law as a life-time calling. He has always been passionately fond of 
 books, but made no choice of a profession clown to the date of his grad- 
 uation, in 1859, though entertaining a desire for the law, which was 
 strengthened by the (lebate before referred to. In December, 1859, 
 soon after his graduation, he was elected president of Richmond 
 College, Jefferson county, Ohio, and immediately entered upon the 
 discharge of his duties. The institution enjoyed more than ordinary 
 prosperity under his management till frustrated by the war of the 
 Rei)ellion. In July, 1862, he was elected to the chair of Mathematics 
 in the Iowa Wesleyan University, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, an institu- 
 tion of considerable celebrity, and which had at the time five or six 
 hundred students; but the cause of the Union having enlisted the atten- 
 tion and service of many of his fellow students and professors, he 
 declined the proffered professorship in the Iowa College, and on the 
 11th day of August following was commissioned second lieutenant by 
 Governor Tod, for service in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In four 
 days he had recruited one hundred and ten men for the service, and by 
 them was unanimously chosen the captain of their company (G), and, 
 being^commissioned as such, was, on the 22d day of August, 1862, 
 
 87 
 
mustered into the 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under command of 
 Col. Dan McCook. The first camp of the troops was at Lexington, 
 Kentucky, which was followed on the 31st of the month by a forced 
 march of thirty miles through a rain storm. This and the preceding 
 hard labor and loss of sleep, threw Captain Holmes into a severe 
 fever, during which time he was unconscious for thirty hours. At the 
 end of that time it was found that in the cimfusion and hurry of the 
 retreat toward Louisville he was overlooked, and left to become a 
 prisoner in the hands of General Kirby Smith's forces in Kentucky. 
 
 Upon the return of consciousness the first scene that greeted his 
 eyes was that of General John Morgan riding at the head of his troops 
 through the streets of Lexington in a most arrogant manner, and being 
 loudly applauded by his old friends and neighbors. He was paroled and 
 sent to Camp Chase, where he arrived September sth, remaining there 
 and at Camp Lew Wallace till December 16th 1862, when he was 
 officially notified of his exchange. On the return to the field, January 
 1st, 1863, he took command at Louisville, of the steamer J. H. Baldwin, 
 with its guard of fifty-one men. This boat was one of a fleet of steamers 
 under convoy of two gunboats, destined for Nashville, carrying supplies 
 to General Rosecrans. They reached Nashville January 10th, and from 
 that date until June, 1865, the fortune of Captain Holmes was to be 
 uninterruptedly with his regiment, which belonged to the reserve, and 
 later to the 14th corps of the Army of the Cumberland, and finally of 
 the Army of Ohio. It participated in the battles of Chickamauga, 
 Wauhatchie Valley, Mission Ridge; the march to the relief of Knoxville; 
 the Atlanta campaign, during which time it was under fire more than 
 a hundred days; the return by rail into Northern Alabama to intercept 
 General Forrest; the march from Chattanooga to the sea; and the march 
 from Savannah, including the battles of Averysboro and Bentonville, 
 and on to Goldsboro, North Carolina. From the last named place the 
 force had reached Raleigh, on the march to the rear of Richmond, 
 Virginia, when Lee surrendered, and from thence by easy movements 
 to Washington City. Promoted to major of the regiment in May, 1863, 
 he commanded the 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in all, sixteen months, 
 and was commissioned lieutenant-colonel by the Governor of Ohio, and 
 breveted to that rank by the President of the United States, 'from the 
 13th day of March, 1865.' Having participated in the review of May 
 24:th and 25th, 1865, at Washington, his command reached Columbus, 
 Ohio, on the Sth day of June next following, being the first regiment to 
 arrive at that place after the close of the war. Colonel Holmes was in- 
 duced by various reasons to locate in Columbus, the permanency of 
 such location, however, to be contingent on the prospect of a profitable 
 business in the practice of law, which he had decided to follow in the 
 future. He began the study of this profession in the office of Francis 
 Collins, Esq., in the summer of 1865, and was admitted to the bar May 
 Sth, 1867. On his return from a trip across the plains, at the beginning 
 of 1868, he entered regularly upon the practice of law which has con- 
 tinued to the present time with the most gratifying results. Colonel 
 Holmes is orthodox in religion, having always been identified with the 
 Methodist Church. He has never been a partisan in politics, or speci- 
 ally identified with any political party. He has been so completely 
 
occupied in his profession and the pursuit of letters as to have little or 
 no time to devote to political contests. He has felt it a duty to keep 
 himself informed on political issues and current politics, with a view- 
 solely to the discharge of his prerogative as a free and independent 
 suffragist. December 28th, 1871, he was married to Miss Lucy K. 
 Bates, daughter of Judge James L. Bates, and an intelligent and re- 
 fined lady. Her father occupied the common pleas bench in the 5th 
 judicial district of Ohio for fifteen years next preceding February, 1866, 
 She is also a granddaughter of the Hon. Alfred Kelley, late of Colum- 
 bus, who was widely known in connection with the construction of the 
 public works of the State and the earlier railroad enterprises of the 
 country. 
 
 A brother attorney, in speaking of Col. Holmes said: *' As a law- 
 yer he has gained a high rank in his profession and is greatly esteemed 
 by the bench and his professional associates. He is especially noted for 
 his untiring industry and for his fidelity to his clients. When he under- 
 takes a cause he permits nothing to interfere with the discharge of his 
 duty to his client, and all of his energy is devoted to the case. His 
 papers are always carefully and neatly drawn. His cases are presented 
 to court and jury in a skillful manner. In personal habits Col. Holmes 
 is very domestic, devoting all of his leisure hours to his family. He is 
 seldom absent from them unless called away by the requirements of his. 
 profession." 
 
 One of his legal and literary friends says that he has the finest 
 private library — law and literature — in Ohio. When inquired of on the 
 subject, he wiotc that he could not answer the question for want of 
 comparative knowledge in the premises, but that it must be a fair 
 collection, as a library book publisher of Leipsic, Germany, had some 
 years ago vainly sought from him a description of it as one of his 
 catalogued American libraries. 
 
 ON THE FIRING LINE. 
 
 Colonel J. T. Holmes commanded the 52d Ohio, something over 
 sixteen months in all, a longer period than any othei' officer of the regi- 
 ment. His occasional absence from the regimental reunions has been a 
 disappointment to the 52d, who remember him as always with them, 
 "on the firing line.'' One of his comrades says that he has never left 
 the "firing line" and that it would be a misapprehension upon the part 
 of any of his comrades to suppose so for a moment. He said, day and 
 night— Sundays excepted — since his admission to the bar, early in 1867, 
 Col. Holmes has been pressed — often oppressed — with professional 
 work, never able "to catch up" with the demands upon his time and 
 strength, carrying large and sometimes vital interests for others; for- 
 tunes, property, good name, liberty, life, and carrying them as if they 
 were his own. His work has been done, his duties of all sorts in the 
 world, as far as possible, have been discharged without self-exploita- 
 tion. He has no avarice, no "love of money," nor wish to die rich, in 
 the modern sense of that term. His heart is still on the "firing line" 
 as it was when he "touched elbows'' at Chickamauga, Kenesavv, Peach 
 Tree and Jonesboro. Colonel Holmes never commanded the brigade 
 in battle. He drilled the brigade while it lay at Lee and Gordon's 
 
 89 
 
Mills, March-April, 1864. Gen. Jeff. C. Davis commanding the divi- 
 sion — afterward the corps — paid him the compliment, along in those 
 days — Sept. 1863 — Ma}^ 1864 — of saying that he was "the best drilled 
 officer and the best drillmaster" in his division. His loyalty and com- 
 radeship will be better understood ])y the following extracts from the 
 memorial address delivered by him at Cadiz, among his native hills, in 
 1896: 
 
 "We turn back the hands on the dial of time more than a third of 
 a century and attempt to tell some of the hours again by draughts on 
 the storehouse of memory. The office, the counting room, the books, 
 the store, the farm, and for each courageous soul, the home and home 
 delights, sink below the horizon while there rise on the view the sights 
 and scenes which never can return, which live in memory only. 
 
 THE TOUCH OF ELBOWS. 
 
 It was a quaint form of expression two hundred years ago, ' 'Two 
 hands that joyn one another are emblems of fidelit}'.'' Elbows that 
 have touched in war leave a thrill which shall vibrate through eternity. 
 There is nothing like it in civil life. Prosperity may crown, adversity 
 may shroud in gloom, our labors, our hopes, our aspirations; the world 
 may smile or frown on us; the good God may visibly bear us company, 
 or hide his face; the pestilence may smite, or the earthquake appal us; 
 nothing of all these, or other varying fortunes, can supply the know- 
 ledge or the experience which comes through the "touch of elbows.'" 
 
 We marched in the night from our camp, or our place in the line; 
 the injunction was to make no noise, not even with the rattling canteen or 
 tin cup, or make as little noise as possible; among "the wee sma' hours'' 
 of the morn, we dropped down in the fields or the woods with accoutre- 
 ments on, or hanging on the guns, stacked close at hand, and slept as 
 soundly as we sleep these nights — nay more so — and at the dawn, making 
 a meal without fires and piling knapsacks, fell into line behind some ridge 
 or crest, or under some sort of natural screen or cover, to peer to the 
 front, in a vain effort to solve the problem of that leafy ridge, and 
 thence to burst, upon the firing of the signal guns, in steady lines of 
 battle on the works of the enemy six hundred yards away. 
 
 In the bright June morning sunlight, the lines moved down the 
 slope of the open field with regular and orderly tramp, with banners 
 fluttering, with few words spoken; at first, inviting the pattering shots 
 of the retreating pickets and the suddenly aroused troops behind the 
 earthworks, presently greeted by rattling volleys from infantry stand- 
 ing to their rifles, broken a moment later by the deep-mouthed baying 
 of twelve pounder Napoleons, let loose, in succession, at short range, 
 from front and right and left. And now, as we cross the little stream 
 and its narrow valley and begin the ascent of the wooded slope, com- 
 rades begin to fall, pitching forward or backward, or to the right or 
 the left, some to rise no more, others to show by wounds how, through 
 days, or weeks, or months, o)- years, heroes may live and suffer and 
 die, and how " war is cruelty," and when at length the lines, the gaps 
 closed up again and again, in that fearful slaughter, against the lines of 
 blazing rifles, have swept through the abattis, across the ditch and, up 
 the outer slope have mounted to the enemy's headlogs to salute their 
 
 90 
 
fleeing battalions, or have failed to carry their works and one third of 
 our comrades have bitten the dust, the " touch of the elbow " has become 
 immortal. 
 
 KENESAW. 
 
 The wonder was that any lived through such a storm of shot 
 and shell and grape and canister and musket balls. Some of my 
 comrades will recognize the actuality from which the sketch is 
 drawn, for I saw them there. It is that touch which, over all, 
 brings me here toda}'. Before those two pieces belched forth 
 their deadly order to charge, the gallant McCook, moving along the 
 crouching lines, made the last appeal that many of us ever heard from 
 his lips, and it was made to men who were ready to do and die, but 
 who little realized that before the noon-tide they were to make history 
 and people graves, which, for some men, could never be defended. It 
 was a costly experiment, and, judged by the event, without a single, 
 actual, compensating return. The words now seem to have been the 
 expression of a presentiment, but no quiver of voice or feature gave 
 token of the mind within, in that respect. He said : 
 
 " To every man upon this earth 
 
 Death cometh soon or late, 
 And how can man die better 
 
 Than facing fearful odds, 
 For tlie ashes of his fathers 
 
 And the temples of his gods? '' 
 
 THE LESSONS OF PATRIOTISM. 
 
 It would be a bootless task to attempt to inculcate the lesson of 
 patriotism among old soldiers, men who dropped the implements of 
 civil industry, kissed mothers and sisters and wives or best girls, shook 
 hands with fathers and brothers and early chums, to grasp rifles or 
 swords and oft'er to country the last and highest sacrifices within 
 human power. 
 
 It will be, it is, difficult in the midst of peace and plenty and pros- 
 perity for those who have never tasted war to realize even the most 
 vivid descriptions — they have not '' touched elbows" — but the doctrines, 
 the teachings, the lessons of patr 
 hour comes, if ever come it must. 
 
 THE LESSON OF DISCIPLINE: THE LAW OF KINDNESS. 
 
 A member of my regiment had been pardoned from the state 
 prison that he might enter the service. When we reached Nashville at 
 the close of 1862, I only knew of him that he was a man of powerful 
 frame and reputed as a practically ungovernable desperado. He was 
 in a detachment of which I had command under orders to unload three 
 or four steamers containing army supplies at the Nashville wharf in 
 1863. He declined to obey some reasonable order which was politely 
 given him, muttered a curse and started with a menacing demonstra- 
 tion. The commanding officer failed to fall back and instantly placed 
 his hand on the handle of an ugly Smith & Wesson, with a stern repeti- 
 tion of the order. It was sullenly of)eyed, but from that day down to 
 the 19th day of July 18G4, that soldier was never out of place and, 
 
 91 
 
within the proper lines of duty, I took a steady and friendly interest in 
 his welfare, but no allusion was made to the wharf incident. 
 
 On the evening of July 18, 1864, in a casual walk in the outskirts 
 of the camp, down by the Chattahoochee, we met and he volunteered 
 to tell me something of his history. He had been a practical castaway 
 among men; his heart, the streams of affection, the yearnings for friend- 
 ship, had all been turned back on themselves and he had become an 
 Ishmaelite and finally a felon. "But," calling him by name, I said, 
 "you have been a good soldier.'' "Do you know why?" "I do not." 
 "I'll tell you; because you were the first person ever 1 met who treated 
 me like 1 was a man and worthy of any respect. It was for your sake." 
 "But, how about the wharf at Nashville?" With a peculiarly friendly 
 glance; "That was the turning point, I saw shoot in your eye and knew 
 I was wrong. From that hour I have been a difierent man and if I get 
 back to Ohio I intend to lead a wholly difi'erent life there." "My good 
 fellow, this is a revelation.*' "1 know it," said he, "but I am glad to 
 make it, and often wished to tell you before." 
 
 I had the honor to lead the charge of the first troops that crossed 
 Peach Tree Creek, the next day, under the eyes of some of the com- 
 rades here today and who supported that charge and closed in to hold 
 the ground in the final struggle as the sun was sinking in the west. My 
 friend was in the charging line and grieviously — mortally — wounded, 
 when about half way across that cornfield, to the foot of the ridge which 
 we carried and you helped hold. 
 
 It is merely a type, an illustration, showing the lesson of discipline 
 and the law of kindness, the unknown, unappreciated influence of words 
 and actions, and that there w^ere spots of intense brightness in the dark- 
 ness and gloom of that night of battle. 
 
 TYPE, BUT NOT ANTI-TYPE. 
 
 Eight years ago now, a grizzled doctor of divinity, who had been a 
 fighting lieutenant and captain, through three full years of the rebellion, 
 spoke from the same platform with myself, on a memorial occasion. I 
 shall not soon forget the pathetic picture which he sketched, in a purely, 
 conversational tone, of "Uncle Jimmy," who had been a soldier of the 
 Revolution, and in the 20s and 30s of this century had lived as a 
 neighbor to the Doctor's father. Uncle Jimmy was poor, his cabin was 
 scantily furnished with the necessaries of life; in fact, "chill penury'' 
 had fallen to his lot in old age. The Doctor's father had a well fenced 
 farm and the magnificent walnut trees which would now bring in the 
 market from $100 to $300 each had contributed large quotas of the 
 rails which made those fences. The old soldier was feeble, his necessi- 
 ties failed sometimes to know any law of mine and thine. Nothing ex- 
 cept the "top rail" on his side of the prosperous farm was ever missing, 
 but the good farmer closed his eyes and his mouth and sent contribu- 
 tions from his own larder, from time to time, to Uncle Jimmy's cabin, 
 until the spark of life and the light from the walnut rails went out 
 together. It was more than fifty years later, when no hearer could 
 identify him, that the incident was mentioned beyond the old farmer's 
 family circle and when the neighbors, soldier and farmer, were beyond 
 the good and ill of this life. 
 
 92 
 
Over figainst the beauty of that Samaritan like conduct take this 
 incident: 
 
 One of the best known judicial officers of Ohio, who as a mere boy, 
 carried a musket and wore chevrons almost four years in one of our 
 best fighting regiments, was not long since engaged in the trial of a 
 protracted and perplexing cause where not less than seven lawyers were 
 actively engaged in eti'orts to aid, in their various ways, in the adminis- 
 tration of justice. After weeks had gone by, and near the close of the 
 trial, the judge one day asked me if I had ever reached a point in my 
 labors when life had become such a burden that I felt perfectly willing 
 to lay it down. The answer was, "no matter how weary or worn or 
 discouraged, lean enter my library and in communion with wife and 
 children and with the friends on its shelves dispel all such feelings." 
 
 He replied, "When I went home last evening, for the tirst time in 
 my life I had that burdened feeling and told my wife 1 could only think 
 of walking it otf. I started out. Within a square of my home I met 
 a soldier both of whose arms were taken off above the elbows by a pass- 
 ing shell as he was in the act of firing. For more than thirty years he 
 had lived a well nigh utterly helpless life, unable to feed or bathe or 
 care for himself in any degree. I asked him how he fared and he said 
 life sometimes seemed to him not worth living." Instantly the judge's 
 mental burden, like Christian's pack, on the hill of difficulty, was 
 h)osene(l and rolled away finally. Now hear what that soldier told him 
 before they separated. A pretended statesman, a financial patriot, of 
 those post bellum days, who never smelled powder beyond the urchin's 
 expk)ded Chinese cracker, had a few days before told him that it was a 
 fraud on the government for him to draw one hundred dollars per 
 month pension. 
 
 The aiu'eole of the old farmer's memory, when the spirit shown to the 
 old soldier is remembered, is radiant as the loyal victor's untarnished 
 and enduring crown, while if the survivors had jurisdiction and power, 
 the alleged stutesman would spend thirty days in the guardhouse on 
 bread and water, by way of foretaste, then be tried by drumhead court 
 martial, escorted to the picket line to the tune of the rogue's march, and 
 then coDsigned to the everlasting contempt of the soldier and the 
 soldier's friend. Such a man would be hustled in the south among 
 honorable rebels. 
 
 IN LIGHTER VEIN. 
 
 The service was a species of grindstone on which the wits of men 
 were sharpened as nothing in civil life will sharpen them. 
 
 Turning through my journal last week to fix a date, my eye acci- 
 dentally fell on two brief illustrative incidents. 
 
 A moment of prelude, however: It was in North Carolina, as we 
 were commencing the peaceful march for Washington City. About five 
 p. m. we had passed through a scattering village, largely built on one 
 street, having a population, at the outbreak of the war, of [xerhaps 400 
 or 500 persons, all told. I noticed that there were only three or four 
 men, and they were old and feeble, among all of the villagers who fiocked 
 to the line of march and, as we reached the north end of the place, I 
 spied an old negro by the road^^id'" and inquired: "Where are all the 
 
 93 
 
men of this place, uncle?" "You all killed 'em all." Turning the 
 regiment into camp in the woods a mile futher on, I rode back to make 
 inquiry into the singular fact. The solution was simple. The men and 
 larger boys of the village had constituted a single company and in the 
 vicinity of Richmond had gotten under a cross-fire of our infantry and 
 artillery and had been literally annihilated, it was said, almost a hundred 
 of them. 
 
 Southern homes were doubly desolated. 
 
 Upon my return to the camp, as I left my horse, a small "cur of 
 low degree" yelped as one of the men, working about a cheerful fire, 
 cooking his supper, in the gloaming, pushed him out of the way with 
 his foot. The proprietor of the dog, who had become such proprietor 
 within the preceding hour, and was cooking, in like manner, at the next 
 fire, said: "Don't kick that dog; for he's a valuable dog." "Why?" 
 "Cause, he's a hunter and setter." "He don't look like it,'' said the 
 other. "Well, he is; he hunts bones and sets and eats 'em." 
 
 A little futher north, perhaps the day following, we camped in 
 a beautiful, open grove, and remained over one day, for muster. One 
 General led his brigade to an open field ia the afternoon for an hour's 
 drill. At least two of his men thought the war was over and fought 
 shy of the drill ground. They ha ! evidently found a little "commissary" 
 and presently found an old, broken down, cavalry horse, in the open 
 ground, a short distance in rear of my quarters. I witnessed ihc 
 proceedings. The old horse was easily caught and stood still wiihout 
 bridle or saddle while one tipsy soldier helped the other up his bony 
 side and on to his bonier back. The helper, not comprehending that 
 his comrade had reached the seat, continued to help until he pushed the 
 other to the ground on the f>/'side. Picking himself up out of the long 
 grass and starting off utterly oblivious of his comrade, his horse and his 
 surroundings, swinging his hat in his hand, the latter blew a long, loud, 
 tired breath from his bubbling lips and with a tipsy "hie", as he reeled 
 away, in maudlin accents sang: 
 
 "I have for my (hie) country fallen, 
 Who will care for Mother now?" 
 
 May it be that he lives to comfort and bless her in a green old age! 
 
 HEARTS AND HOMES AND HEAVEN. 
 
 Between the openins: and the close of the war, we had seen many 
 states of this Union. The valleys of the Rapidan and the Rappahan- 
 nock were impressively beautiful in those spring days of 1805, as we 
 marched homeward; the magnificent distances of the Capital City left 
 ineffaceable memories; the Virginian mountains aroused the sense of 
 grandeur, but the growing appreciation of this attractive commonwealth, 
 from its river borders to its cajntal, and from its capital to these native 
 hills, eclipsed all the lands we had seen in that bloody circle. Over 
 them spread the halo in which was woven in letters of living light the 
 magic word. Home. 
 
 And now, a closing word. One by one, as for more than thirty 
 years has been true, we shall hear the reveille in the morning and the 
 tattoo at night for the last time. It will presently be "taps" — lights 
 out — here and the reveille of the eternal morning. 
 
 94 
 
Following the standard of the Great Captain, present at roll call 
 in that dawn, it will never be called for us again. Once answered 
 " here," the rest that remaineth shall have no ending. 
 
 Youth and prime of life and glorious martial achievements for us 
 are gone forever. The deathless Lesbian, " burning Sappho," sang of 
 youth, 
 
 Never again will I come to thee, never again; 
 
 " What's gone no time can e'er restore — 
 I come no more, I come no more." 
 
 There remain fidelity, truth and honor to crown the days that are 
 left, for "peace hath her victories no less renowned than war." 
 
 And finally, good by. My earnest prayer for each of you is that, 
 
 " An old age serene and bright, 
 And lovely as a Lapland night, 
 May lead thee to thy grave." 
 
 Some years ago Col, Holmes was interviewed unawares. The 
 reporter thus relates his experience: 
 
 ICncountering the Colonel in the sheriff's office where he was trans- 
 acting some business, the reporter, as though to satisfy his own curi- 
 osity, said to him, "By the way. Colonel, you were an officer in the 
 army, were you not? 1 mean, your title of Colonel is not simply an 
 honorary one?" 
 
 "I commanded the 52d Kegiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry for 
 sixteen months, and I presume that, with the two commissions to the 
 rank which 1 hold, gives me a right to the title 1 bear. I went out as a 
 captain in the regiment and was not long afterward promoted." 
 
 "In what part of Ohio was the 52d raised?'' 
 
 "Well, in several different counties. Some came from Auglaize 
 county, some from the eastern counties and twenty members of one 
 company came from the Ohio penitentiary. They were convicts who 
 had been well behaved in the institution and who had not much longer 
 to serve. They were granted pardons on condition that they would 
 enlist." 
 
 "What kind of soldiers did they make?" 
 
 "They made splendid soldiers, as good as there were in the 
 regiment. At the battle of Peach Tree I saw three of them piled one on 
 the top of another in a fence corner where they fell fighting as gallantly 
 as any heroes of the war." 
 
 "How did they behave in camp^ Did they bow tamely to the dis- 
 cipline of army life?" 
 
 "With one or two exceptions there were no better behaved men 
 in camp than those twenty ex-convicts." 
 
 "Where was the hardest fighting you ever saw done, Colonel?" 
 
 "At the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, for about eight minutes. My 
 regiment at that time contained about four hundred and fifty men and 
 during those eight minutes we lost one hundred and eight men out of 
 four hundred and fifty, or about one-fourth of them. It was a regular 
 slaughter." 
 
 "You were not injured yourself?" 
 
'•\o>. I >v:is NvvHiuaovi ;U tho Jouoi^Uno chaigo SoploiuUn 1, l>o4 
 — kiux'kovi out for tho time Iving — l\v a frniraiont of shell %Yhen 
 within seventy t^leps of the ivbel hatterv frv^ni which it was tiiwi, anvl 
 the bovs had the battery within two niinutes afterwaixl. 
 
 "The other casuahy that hapjHHU\l lue was my being taken 
 prisoner by the enemy in lv^6*2, at LA^xington, Ky., and that ivsulted 
 frvMn my own neirleot. 1 was captured by a pair of cloth shoes." 
 
 "I low was thatf 
 
 •'We wero can^vd on the fair grvurnds at Loxiuirton. and 1 w:i< 
 wearinir a pair of cloth shiH>s about the camp, thouirh 1 had a pair of 
 irood boots in my tent, i^ne afternoon wo had marvelling orviers and 
 somehow or other 1 got the idea that the maivh was to be a very short 
 one, not moiv than two or thivo miles, anvl sti 1 kept my cloth shoos 
 on. We had harvlly started on what I sup|.x^sovl was to be merely a 
 ixwnnaissanco when it commencovi to rain— a cold disagreeable rain. 
 We maivhoil forwaul twenty-two miles and were then «.\nnpelled to fall 
 back to our original position which made the march forty-four miles in 
 a «.vld rain. Befoiv we had made half the distan«.v I w as walking on tho 
 uppers of my cloth shoes and n\ight just as well have boon baiv-footed. 
 When 1 ivachovi camp 1 was attackovi with a fever and the next 
 morning was unciniscious and delirious, in which condition 1 remainovi 
 fv^r upwarvi of twenty-four hours. In the meautime Kirby Smith's 
 army was then making his famous mid that threatened Louisville and 
 Cincinnati. My con\mand fell back before him and when the tixx^ps 
 left Lexington, by some oversight I was left in my lent at the Lexing- 
 ton fair grounds, knowing nothing of what was transpiring aixnmd mc. 
 Boforo :>mith's tiwps roachovl Lexington, however, 1 was transferrvxi 
 from the fair givunds to the old Broadway Hotel, in Lexington, and 
 when 1 ixxvveixxl consciousness 1 found myself in rvx>m -V4, being well 
 taken caro of by tho landlorvl and his family. Of ctnirse, 1 was taken 
 prisoner as svx>n as Kirby Smith's tivo^^ tcx>k jxvssession of tho town, 
 was aflerwarvl ^viroled with six of my men who had also fallen into t]\o 
 hands of the enemy, and together wo seven tmmjxxl it to Cincinnati.' 
 
 '•Wero the ^xx^ple of Lexington lo\"al or othorwisoJ" 
 
 •*Well, a gvxxl deal otherwise 1 should judge fivm what 1 saw 
 theiv during the time that 1 was a prisoner. Lexington was tho home 
 of the famous guerrilla loader »lohn Morgan", and his command canu 
 into the city while I was there, along with tho trvx^iv> of Kirby Smith 
 I thought i knew what enthusiasm was. 1 havi soon exhibitions of 
 enthusuasm in northern cities and have soon them sinco, but I have 
 never seen any enthusiasm e^jual to that oxhibitoii by the jx-ople of 
 Lexington as General Morgan rvxle up the principal stivet at the head 
 of his trvx^i^s. The whole jx^pulation of the placo, men. women and 
 ohildron. wore in the streets and were wild with enthusiastic joy. Shout 
 after shout rosoundoil. and the teat"s of joy fell like rain midst the wav 
 iug of handkerchiefs and the showers of Ixniquets that fell aixnmd tho 
 herv^ — Lexington's hero — as he rvxle up the pavtxl streot. I watchovi 
 tho scone frvnn my hotel window and I shall never forgot it to my dying 
 day. 1 cvHild not blame tho pride of the populace, for ^L^rgan lookovl 
 every inch the hervx Never have I seen such a tiguiv on horseKack. 
 lie had a long flowing plume in his hat. and with his jaunty head set on 
 
oiu> s'uU\ Uv r»'soMil»U't!, IIS he pnsMt-d umirr my window, n kni'^lil ol' llio 
 iiljc of rhivnlry rt'tmiiin^ from t\ vicloii(tiH lomnniiuMit. Tlw |>««oj»lo of 
 L«<xinirlon Imd ^ood vnusv for |>ii.l(« tii iIhmt frilow lowiismim .lolm 
 Moi'/Ljim. 'I'lio noilli liiid ImiI oiu' (■.•n.ilrv N^iidor wlio coidd <'omitiir»« 
 with Mor^im, imd thai wiis CiisU-r, ;md even ( 'n -lei- l.'ieknl Moi.".uri 
 imposiiiij jM-i'snuM'." 
 
 "^'^^^l Unew Cllsleir' 
 
 "Inlimiilrly, hcfort' the wiir. Hul he was in the iirmy o\' llie eiiMl 
 imd I of (he west, eonMet|tn>nlly I ne\ »<r mi>l him diiiin;.', tliiil peiiod. 
 ( uMUM'iil ( 'nsler. when ii h(»y of si\l(»en, iMiij^hl school in I liinison eounly 
 n(<iii' ( 'iidi/, iind l>oiir*h>d wilh my ^r!mdfiilh(<r. I wiim ntlendin;!^ ('(d 
 \v>*o id (he tim«« ii( New A(henM, nitont (wo mih>s distimt, iind used 
 to Hpend my Sun(hiy's nt my ;L:;iiindfMlhei'M. ( ien«Miil Ciisti r iind my 
 si'lf nsed t«> Hh«(«|» to;j;ether ot\ those oeeiisionM, nnd ^Mt out to He(> the ^miIm 
 top'tluM", too. Cnstei- wiis tuiite ii hidy's miin idwiiys, iind ht< iind I used 
 to take h)n!j; widks to«j^eth««r, diseussin^ oni' Mndy hivtvs' mh we went ll«« 
 WHS II himdsonn* youn;^ leUow, nnd ii ^i-enl fiivorile with (lie \ oun;; 
 hidiivs in the vieinity ^A' my <j:i:indfMlhei' MeCoy's honuv Thid wiis thi« 
 liist and th«> hist school I think (hid he ever liiii^lM. The next ytwir he 
 WHS sent t(» N\'«'st Point l»y John A. ninj^hiim, who wiis conj^resHiniin 
 from (hid district .'i( that dmc Allei (h'a( 1 lost HJ^dit of ('iist(Nr and 
 did not si«e him a^jain imtil after the clote id' the war, when I m(<( him 
 here in CohimlMis at the home of his half i.rolher, Ihe pivent .lierilV." 
 
 (/•'/('(/( //(.■ niifilini .fonniiil ill Ihn inhi r .H, ISS-k) 
 
 Mr .1. •('. (loliiics erCnlwinlaH, clect-eil Sccrcdiry (.(' t,li(< SliiI.e llai' AnmocIii- 
 lioii at' Its Hosslnn III thiH city, has a pruuii iiillltaiy lilsttay. I Ic went. Id the 
 war itH a captain when tinllc miuiiK' I'v Kialiaiil Hcrvlco ami inetllerhnis pre 
 iiKilions he airaiiiciMlic cnlnnclcv et' I h<> .i'.!!! Ohio rep;lincnt, uriK'liiiillv e<an 
 inaiiilcil liy ('(iloiici Daniel McCeeU ol' 11^11(111^' t'ainlly lanic 'I'IiIm regiment. wiiN 
 inilHtiMt'd Into si<i vice 1,(1(11) Ml l'oii){, anil it<liil'iici| In he tnilslcDMl mil wit ll l*.;il! 
 olllcers anil mini all tolil. Cnlunrl llnlincs ciMiiniaii<lcil the ic|.;liiictil iieMily 
 cIkIiIcimi nil in I lis, anil relnrn<M| wilh I he rciiinanl ul viMciaiis |ii( 'i tin in I his, .Iiiiic 
 sih. isa,',, ilui llrsl rcnlincnl In arrlviN allcr Ihc cIomc nl' I he war, I'erMnnally , 
 ( 'iiliiiirl llnlinivs is peMscssi-ij of ili^nillril mihI cniirteuiis manners, I hat win Inr 
 hliii Irleiids iiniuiiK his assnclalcs, hence llir niianlimaiH ilcslro of inemhers of 
 
 Milt :i>.SCI|-|.'ll lull l.l I'K.OJKI'I llhll llvi WOl'l.'lMI V 
 
 the aMsnclatinii lo r(<-clcc( hliii Its'scciclai y 
 
 Ilie aMsnclalliiii lore-clccl liliii lis scciclai y. 
 
 Cnlnnci llniincM wasoiK^ nl' IheniKanl/ersur the (Hilo Slate liar Asm.clal Imi 
 at ( 'livehinil III .Inlv ISSd, jiml lis secrclarv Ini Icn sncccsulve veins, llewaa 
 elo'lcil prcHlili'iil III' (hal urKiinl/alinii I'ur IMiii), nnd ilcllvcreil I hc'annnal addiess 
 al the I'nl lii-ltay nicelin^ In .liilv nl' thai year. 
 
 I'he Ihcine'was "The ilcl.i\ . nl .liislice," and IIichi" were the clesliiK 
 paia^rapliM nl' the aildrcsH: 
 
 "'I'he AnkciwvUe ^'ew was a vltftn'ons li n Ihr nppniille haiiU nl l he 
 
 'rhaincs when ' Ihc army nl' (hut and llie llnlv * I li ' annd npuii ItniiiiMiicd.'; 
 
 II witni'SHcd the siKiiiiiK el' that. liiMlri nl whnne '/iilh arlicic s| IpnlaliMl, as In 
 
 the adiiiinhliallnn nl' |iis| Ice, I hiis : 'And IT II Is imt, rcdreNMi'd hy iik. m It' we 
 Hliniild chaiici^ In he mil el' I he riaihii, II' It^ Is iml. redreMscd hy mir |iist|clarv, 
 wll hill Inily days, rccKeiiliiK rrniii Ihe llinc It has heeii imt lllc.l In ic, or In nnr 
 IiimI iclarv Nliniild we ImmmiI nl' I he I'iMiliii, Ihcl'mir llai'niis alnrenalil shall lay Ihe 
 case hehire IlKMeslnl' IheHaid 'lyeaiid Ivvciily llarniis. and Ihe miiIiI live and 
 
 Iwcniy llaiiiiis, InKcthcr wllh lli iinniniilly nl' Ihe wlmje MiiKilnin, aliall dis 
 
 train and disl lesH iim all the ways pnssilile ; iiainely, Ncl/inn mir caul Ics, lamlM 
 pesHesMinmi, and in any nl her manner they can till the ^-rlcvaiicc iHrediemsed 
 accnidln>< In Iheir pleasine ; savliiK liarmlesM mil nun peiMnii and I In* pcisniin nf 
 mil' C^iiecn and children ; ' reprisals aKiiiiiHl Ihe kin^', llic snyer<<U;iil y , Inr Ihn 
 liihiM lia^ III' delayed just Ice! II- has nut, t'nil h hsivcs every year, and, I have 
 tiiKeii paltiH tn learn. It. \h iiuw healing Kteen leaves al'ler hIx liiindrcd iinil 
 seventy-live wliilcr,s. 'IMie eld yew lice, wilh lis hlstnrv iind llM m lea, 
 
rebukes delays of justice which permit suitors and lawyers and their executors 
 to die, estates to become insolvent, rights to be lost. AVhile they wait for what 
 our sturdy ancestors said freemen should have 'within forty days.' 
 
 "I have almost done. 
 
 "Our profession is one of unbroken activity and labor ; there are in it Ossas 
 upon Felions of work ; yea, and 'rolled upon each Ossa a leafy Olympus.' In 
 Its behalf and in behalf of its members, I yield to none the palm of greater 
 responsibilities and honors. I believe in it, and in its reforming, conservative 
 power : and I would have the younger brethren plant their standards on the 
 mountain tops to be seen and known of all men. I would have them aim at, 
 and attain, the dignity and decorum of the earlier courts in the transaction 
 of business; jealous of 'their jurisdiction: jealous of the honor of each other; 
 sensitive as to all the proprieties connected with their high duties at the bar or 
 on the bench. Upon them will soon be devolved the task of grappling with and 
 solving the intricate problems which are upon us, or which the nearer and more 
 distant future must bring- Young men. think of these problems ; think, think, 
 think ; and then j'ou must and will speak and act wisely- The lawyer who does 
 not train his mental faculties to profound and lofty thoughts in this intense, 
 and the coming, intenser, age will, to borrow expressive slang. ' get left.' It 
 shortens life, but all progress and, in that, the ways of Providence seem to be 
 toward an intenser life ; and if it be true that the moth has a whole life-time of 
 bliss in the moment of its death in the flame, to that likeness are we tending 
 by the consuming power of our activity and intensity in the heat of labors: 
 ceaseless, resistless, apparently endless. 
 
 " ' What, though a lull in life 
 
 May never be made for thee 1 
 Soon shall a better thing be thine. 
 The lull of Eternity."" 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF COL. DAN McCOOK'S BRIGADE. 
 
 The Third Brigade w^as formed at Louisville, Ky., September 29, 
 1862, of the 85th, 86th and 125th regiments Illinois Vol. Inf., the 52d 
 Ohio Vol. Inf. and Battery "I" 2d "Illinois Light Artillery. Daniel 
 McCook, Colonel of the 52d Ohio, was assigned to the command of the 
 brigade, w^hich was attached to the "Army of the Ohio." In the reor- 
 ganization of the army at Louisville, under the command of Major Gen. 
 Don Carlos Biiell, it participated in the Kentucky campaign as the 36th 
 Brigade, 11th Division, Brig. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan commanding 
 theDivision, and the Third Army Corps, Major Gen. Charles C. Gil- 
 bert commanding. On October 30th, 1862, Gen. Buell was relieved 
 and Gen. Wm. S. Rosecrans was assigned to the command of the De- 
 partment of the Cumberland "and all the troops under the command of 
 General Buell" was by a general order from Gen. Rosecrans, dated 
 October 1, 1862, "will hereafter constitute the Fourteenth Army 
 Corps.'' After our arrival at Nashville this brigade was designated the 
 Second Brigade and assigned to garrison duty in the city of Nashville, 
 where it remained until the campaign of Chickamauga, w^hen it joined 
 the army at Rossville Gap, where it became the Second Brigade, Second 
 Division of the Reserve Corps, under Gen. Gordon Granger. Follow- 
 ing the battle of Chickamauga, the army was reorganized and Col. Dan 
 McCook' s brigade became the third of the Second Division of the Four- 
 teenth Army Corps, in which it served, and was so designated until 
 finally disbanded at Washington, D. C, in June, 1865. 
 
WOUNDING AND DEATH OF COL. O. F. HARMON. 
 
 In answer to a request for information bearing upon the death of 
 Colonel Harmon, the following was received: 
 
 Danville, 111., April 26, 1901. 
 J. B. Work, Dear Sir and Comrade: 
 
 Your letter of the 24:th received. In answer, as near as I can find 
 out, in the assault on Kenesaw, Ga., Col. O. F. Harmon was slightly 
 wounded in the leg ( a flesh wound) soon after taking command of the 
 Brigade, then the mortal wound was received immediately afterwards, 
 shot through the heart. One of our boys says he put his finger in the 
 wound and it remained there until it was removed by one of the boys 
 who carried him back. 
 
 Colonel Langley, who was on duty at corps headquarters as pro- 
 vost marshal, came to the regiment and assumed command as soon as 
 he learned of Col. Harmon's death. Major Lee assuming command for 
 the short time intervening between the time of Col. Harmon's death and 
 Colonel Langley's arrival. 
 
 Colonel Dilworth of the 85th assumed command of the Brigade on 
 the death of Col. Harmon and remained in command until Jonesboro, 
 where he was wounded and the command devolved on Col. J. W. 
 Langley, who remained in command until w^e reached Savannah, Ga. ; 
 there we were sent the little Brig- Gen. B. F. Fearing who was wounded 
 at Bentonville, N. C, then again Col. Langley assumed command and 
 remained so until we were mustered out at Washington, D. C. Major 
 John B. Lee of our regiment was sent to corps headquarters and given 
 Col. Langley 's place as provost marshal of the l-tth A. C. Then, 
 when Col. Langley took command of the brigade, Capt. Geo. W. Cook, 
 of Co. K of our regiment, took command of the regiment as the ranking 
 captain and held the place to the end of the war, excepting the short 
 time Gen. Fearing was with us. 
 
 Hoping this will give you necessary information, I find in talking 
 to the comrades, they were looking to the front and none so far could 
 give me any more of the details of Col. Harmon's death. We had one 
 man who was with the Colonel when he was shot, it was our bugler; he 
 lives in Palestine, Tex.; he might give a little more of the details if you 
 had the time to write him. Your Comrade, 
 
 W. A. Payton. 
 
COL JAMES W. LANGLEY, 
 
 125TH REGT. ILLINOIS VOL. INFANTRY, 
 
 COMMANDING COL. DAN McCOOK'S BRIGADE, 
 
 1864-1865. 
 
 Colonel James W. Langley was 
 born sixty-three years ago, on a farm 
 near Erie, Pa., received his early 
 education in the country school 
 house and afterwards attended an 
 academy at Waterford, Pa., for about 
 two years. He went to Illinois in 
 1S56, where he taught school for a 
 time, read law in the office of John 
 M. Palmer, was admitted to the bar 
 in 1859, and shortly after began the 
 practice of law at Champaign, Illi- 
 nois, which place was his home until, 
 . ^^^^ with his family, he removed to Seattle, 
 
 1^^^^^^ Washington, in 1890. 
 
 |||[^^^^^^^Mgtfl|l 1^ The civil offices held by Colonel 
 
 ^^^^^^^^pP^^^^^^lm Langley were one term as State Sen- 
 ^^^^^^^I^L aHHBH| ^1^^. ^^j three terms as Judge in 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hp^^H Illinois and one term as Superior 
 ll^^^HBi^^^^^R__^l3l Court Judge in Washington. 
 
 Colonel Langley aided materi- 
 ally in recruiting troops in 1861, and 
 in the following year, under the call 
 for 300,000 more, enlisted as a private, was appointed Captain of 
 Company H, 125th 111. Vol. Infty., but without mustering as such, was 
 commissioned and mustered Lt. Col. of that regiment Sept. 4tb, 1862. 
 The regiment was soon ordered to Covington, Kentucky, and in the 
 latter part of the month to Louisville, where it first met the 52d Ohio, 
 85th and S6th 111., and with them formed a brigade organization that 
 remained unbroken until the insulted and maligned flag of the Republic 
 was restored to every part of American soil. The 22d Ind. and a 
 battalion of the 110th 111. afterwards joined the brigade and staid with 
 it, sharing its good and evil days to the end. While the brigade was in 
 garrison at Nashville, Col. Langley served for a few weeks as presi- 
 dent of a General Court Martial and afterwards for some three months 
 as president of a military commission to investigate and report on 
 claims for alleged loss and damage to cotton and other property used 
 and destroyed by Gen. James Negly's command during the blockade of 
 Nashville. 
 
 In April, 1864:, he was assigned to duty on the staff of his former 
 
 100 
 
 JAS. W. LANGLEY, 
 Colonol 125th Regt., 111. Vol. Infty. 
 
law preceptor, Maj. Gon'lJohn M. Palmer, commanding the I4th A.C., 
 which position he filled until the fatal assault of the regiment and 
 brigade on the enemy's strong works at Kenesaw Mountain, June 27th, 
 1864:, that deprived the brigade of Col. Dan McCook, its ideal soldier 
 and intrepid leader, the 125th of its brave commander and military 
 father. Col. Oscar F. Harmon, when Col. Langley at once obtained 
 relief from statf duty and took command of his doubly decimated regi- 
 ment, which he held until the more successful assault at Jonesboro, 
 September 1st, in the midst of which Col. Caleb J. Dil worth was put 
 out of the fight by a severe wound, and Col. Langley, as next in rank, 
 immediately assumed command of the brigade, which he held continu- 
 ously until about January 20, 1S65, having in the meantime })artici- 
 pated in the North Alabama campaign, and the march "from Atlanta to 
 the sea."' At Savannah, Ga., Brev. Brig. Gen. B. F. Fearing was 
 assigned to the command and held it until the battle of Bentonville, N. 
 C, March 10th, where at the onset he received a disabling wound and 
 Col. Langley again took the command and held it to the close of the 
 war and tinal muster out at Washington, D. C, in all about eight 
 months. 
 
 After the death of Col. Harmon, Lieut. Col. Langley was com- 
 missioned Colonel by the Governor of Illinois, but the regiment having 
 become reduced below the minimum standard by losses on the firing 
 line he could not muster in the higher rank. He was made Brevet 
 Colonel \J. S. V. after the battle of Jonesboro. He was twice wounded 
 but since the war has suffered no inconvenience from that cause and 
 has never applied for a pension. His locks are gray but the strength 
 of his youth still abides with him. He is now engaged in the active 
 practice of law at Seattle. 
 
 HISTORY OF COL. DAN McCOOK'S BRIGADE. 
 
 By Col. James W. Langley, 125th Illinois V. L, who succeeded in 
 command of the Brigade after the fall of Colonels McCook, Oscar 
 F. Harmon and Caleb J. Dilworth. 
 
 Seattle, Wash., April 26, 1901. 
 My Dear Comrade: 
 
 Your letters came too late to enable me to answer all of your re- 
 quests, either to my own satisfaction, or that of the readers of your 
 book, but feeling a deep interest in perpetuating the memories of the 
 brave officers and men of the old 3d Brigade and the days of its glori- 
 ous services I Avill do my best to meet your wishes. 
 
 THE BRIGADE ORGANIZATION. 
 
 When Buell's army was pushed back to the line of the Ohio River 
 in Septem))er, 1862, there came together, from the chaotic mass of un- 
 assigned troops at Louisville, the 52d Ohio, 85th, 86th and 125th Illi- 
 nois regiments and formed what in its fighting days became the 3d 
 Brigade, 2d Division 14th Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland. 
 I think no similar organization comprised better material for citizen 
 soldiers, though others were doubtless as good. It is enough to say 
 that they cheerfully and fearlessly met every demand of duty or sacri- 
 
 101 
 
fice as it arose, whether of battle, siege or campaign. Later the 22d 
 Indiana veterans were added — a splendid body of troops — that had 
 already acquired the rudiments of war under the leadership of Col. Jeff. 
 C. Davis, who afterwards by a succession of well-earned promotions, 
 finally reached the command of the 14th Corps, where, to the end of the 
 conflict, he proved himself a worthy successor of the ideal soldier and 
 beloved commander Gen. Geo. H. Thomas. On July 20, 1864, a bat- 
 talion (three companies) of the 110th Illinois joined our rapidly dimin- 
 ishing forces. These auxiliaries were cordially welcomed and remained 
 with, and were parts of the brigade organization until the muster for 
 discharge at Washington. Col. Daniel McCook of the 5 2d Ohio, 
 though the youngest in years among his associate colonels, was their 
 senior in commission and command, until felled by mortal wound at 
 Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864. Cols. Moore of the 85th, Irons of 
 the 86th and Harmon of the 125th Illinois ranked in the order of their 
 regimental numbers. In the meantime Moore had resigned because of 
 failing health and Irons sickened and died in the service. 
 
 ITS SERVICE. 
 
 The first service of the brigade was in the pursuit of Bragg's army 
 through Kentucky and its first sensation of battle was at Perryville, 
 Oct. 8, 1862. The whole Kentucky campaign was very severe on our 
 own troops, probably entailing upon the army a greater ultimate loss 
 than it sustained in the Perryville battle. 
 
 Forming a portion of the garrison at Nashville from January to 
 August, 1863, the duties of the brigade were many and varied, but the 
 record, of Avhich the surviving members may well be proud and the 
 country correspondingly grateful, was made after the latter date. 
 
 The fall of Vicksburg and other successes in the West made the 
 occupation of Chattanooga and the line of the Tennessee River a strate- 
 gic necessity, and to that end the Army of the Cumberland was put in 
 motion late in the summer of 1863, resulting in our possession of the 
 coveted city at the sacrifice of a large portion of the army and "Chicka- 
 mauga. River of Death," was written on our banners. Then followed 
 a season of reorganization, semi-starvation, reinforcing and preparation 
 until the brilliant and decisive victories of Lookout and Missionary 
 Ridge, under the eye and direction of Grant, the Chickamauga disaster 
 was fairly redeemed and the new baselines, as originally intended, were 
 permanently established. The pangs of hunger ceased and the army 
 waxed fat. Further reinforcements, military adjustments, storing up 
 supplies, performing out-post duties and an occasional raid or reconnois- 
 sance occupied the attention of the army until May 3, 1864, when the 
 fighting season opened under the direction of Sherman, the matchless 
 military flanker and intrepid leader, and closed with the battle of Jones- 
 boro, the fall of Atlanta and the right to add a dozen or more new names 
 to our battle flags, in the distribution of which the regiments of the 3d 
 Brigade would have a large share. 
 
 ATLANTA CAMPAIGN. 
 
 The Atlanta Campaign was "war to the knife and knife to the hilt" 
 from start to finish. The one hundred and twenty days required to 
 make it showed the military importance with which the Gate City of 
 
 102 
 
the South was regarded by both sides, and the skill of Johnston and 
 boldness of Hood, supplemented by the advantage of ground, intrenched 
 passes, fortified hill-tops and a brave army, taxed to their utmost the 
 resourceful brain of Sherman, aided by his invincible cohorts to take it. 
 
 KENESAW. 
 
 Four months of constant fighting and peril put human life at a vast 
 discount until the daily casualties ceased to provoke comment. It took 
 the large combats, many of them rising to the dignity of battles, to 
 break the monotony of the situation. In these the 3d Brigade took its 
 full share of labor and danger and, with the exception of Kenesaw 
 Mountain, the honors of victory. But there, even in defeat, it won the 
 right to a bright page in American history for the boldness of its assault 
 and the persistency with which it held the ground covered in the fight 
 and, under a galling fire of the enemy, erected intrenchments but a few 
 paces from the works they could not take. Without disparagement to 
 other troops that bravely fought and lost at Kenesaw, 
 
 NONE ADVANCED SO FAR, 
 
 or held their ground so close to the rebel line. Nearly four hundred 
 oflScers and men fell within the space of twenty minutes. It was ver- 
 itably ''a field of blood" to the 3d Brigade but they encountered other 
 heavy fighting attended with severe losses, notably Peach Tree Creek and 
 Jonesboro, where the conditions were more favorable and results more 
 satisfactory. At the latter place its position was on the right of the 
 charging line of the Corps and went to its work as if certain of the 
 victory that came, by night fall, to the whole army. With success at 
 Jonesboro, Atlanta, that had withstood nearly a forty days siege, lay 
 prone before its victors. The center of the Confederacy was broken 
 and Sherman, was already devising ways and means to bring its 
 abundant supplies under the control of his commissariat. 
 
 The Atlanta Campaign entailed upon the brigade a loss of one 
 thousand and eighty-eight officers and men killed, wounded and missing, 
 nearly one half of the entire number having fallen before the hail of 
 shot and shell at Kenesaw. 
 
 m'cook on the works. 
 
 Recurring to Kenesaw, you ask me to state if I know where 
 McCook fell? I have no personal knowledge on that point, but at the 
 first lull in the fight, feeling certain the slaughter must have been great, 
 I obtained leave of Gen'l J. M. Palmer, on whose staff I was serving, 
 to go forward and learn how my own regiment had fared, knowing it 
 was in the front of the brigade formation for the charge. I had not 
 proceeded far when I met stretcher bearers carrying the wounded 
 Colonel to the rear, I had a brief conversation with him at that point. 
 His voice was feeble and he spoke with difficulty and seeming pain, 
 I think he felt that his wound was mortal and he appeared anxious to 
 convey to his superiors in command the assurance that he had done his 
 whole duty, that the failure to take the works mast not I)e attril)uted to 
 a want of courage of the officers and men of the brigade. He said: 
 •'Tell Gen, Thomas and Gen. Palmer that we did all we could to break 
 
 103 
 
the rebel line, I was on their works when I fell and others were 
 with me, but it was impossible." He expressed solicitude for the 
 wounded and tenderly referred to the dead. This statement of his 
 position was so often corroborated by others, among them Dr. Hooton, 
 who, if I recall rightly, detailed to me a similar conversation, that when 
 I came to make up the brigade report of the Atlanta Campaign I re- 
 ferred in part to the Kenesaw charge as follows: "On and up the 
 brave men rushed, with their gallant leader at their head, until some of 
 them reached the base of the enemys' parapet; nothing daunted, they 
 struggled to scale the works. In their efforts to do this some were 
 knocked down with stones and clubs hurled at them by the enemy. 
 Here the gallant McCook fell, mortally wounded, while present with 
 and cheering his men on." (Off. Kec. Series 1, Vol. 38, Page 710-11.) 
 As further corroboration, I may say that Capt. Clark of the 125th 
 111., as brave a man as ever drew saber, my neighbor at home before 
 and after the war, until his death in 1867, was also badly wounded so 
 close to the works that he was dragged over them and made a prisoner, 
 has often told me that he and others with McCook had passed the 
 abattis and were close to the works when he (Clark) fell. Considering 
 Col. Dan's impulsive nature and contempt of danger, together with the 
 evidence mentioned, I can entertain no doubt that he was, as he said, 
 "on their works" when he fell. 
 
 Col. Harmon Killed. 
 
 As to where Col. Harmon was killed, I cannot say. The informa- 
 tion came to me that while the men were re-forming their lines he 
 assumed command of the brigade and received his death wounds a few 
 minutes thereafter. Harmon was less impulsive by nature than 
 McCook, but not less brave, and it is but simple justice to his memory 
 to say that he was performing his duties with a sense of his increased 
 responsibilities, when suddenly stricken down. 
 
 The fio-ht of the brigade at Peach Tree Creek was late in the after- 
 noon of Ju7y 19th, and proved but the prelude to the greater battle of 
 the next day, mentioned in the official reports. On the afternoon of the 
 19th, the 52d Ohio, commanded and led by Col. Holmes, was thrown 
 across the creek as skirmishers and advanced under lire well beyond 
 the bluffs, driving the rebel skirmishers before them. The 85th HI. 
 next crossed and formed somewhat to the left and rear of the 5 2d 
 reserve. The 125th was sent to the support of the 85th. The 22d Ind. 
 and 86th 111. crossed lower down and took possession of the bluffs to the 
 rio-ht and separated by about 80 rods from the 125th. Soon a large 
 fresh force of the enemy fell on the 52d Ohio skirmishers and drove 
 them to the reserve, resulting in some captures, among them Colonel 
 Clancy, a very brave and faithful officer, and then struck the right of 
 the 85th III., driving it from position with loss. At this time the ri^ht 
 of the line was threatened and the 125th was sent on double quick^to 
 its support, reaching position just in time to get an effective tire into 
 the rear of a line of rebels retreating under cover of darkness. Our 
 losses in killed, wounded and missing reached 245, those of the enemy 
 were probably as many, but the advantage of the position gained and 
 held was very manifest in the tight of the next day. 
 
 104 
 
BATTLE OF .TONESBORO. 
 
 The charge at Jonesboro was a great success, although the 
 approaches were difficult and the works formidable. The brigade was 
 on the extreme right of the charging line, three regiments front and 
 three in reserve. The advance all along the line was so simultaneous 
 and successful that all engaged in it are entitled jointly to share the 
 honors of victory. The loss to the brigade was 135 killed and wounded. 
 The number of prisoners captured during the battle was 1617, which the 
 brigade guarded to Atlanta on October 3d and -Ith and turned over to 
 the keeper of the prison pens Johnston had so thoughtfully provided 
 for the comfort of our own men. 
 
 All will recollect that after the severe and useless punishment of 
 the brigade at Kenesaw, the men were quite determined that they would 
 never again charge fortified lines, but their splendid behavior at Jones- 
 boro showed how quickly they bad forgotten their resolutions, for, 
 regardless of their falling comrades, they rushed on as though glad of 
 the opportunity the latter action afforded them to recoup their losses in 
 the former, and it so far evened the account that no more was heard of 
 their refusal to charge works, except by way of a joke. 
 
 Apropos of Joncslioro, it will be remembered that we were up 
 against the celebrated Pat Claiborn Division as we had so often been 
 before, until we came to know it about as well as our own, and among 
 our prisoners was Gen. Govan and most of the staff 'of one of the 
 brigades of those unconquerable ''Johnnies." While conducting the 
 prisoners to Atlanta, I formed a slight acquaintance with the General, 
 who frankly admitted themselves fairly whipped, but protested that it 
 was the iirst time. 1 found him to be very gentlemanly in manqers 
 and conversation, and he took his punishment without a murmer. By 
 way of formal courtesy, on parting company with him at Atlanta, I 
 expressed the hope that we might meet again under more peaceful cir- 
 cumstances, but little did either of us divine the actual circumstances 
 that attended our next meeting. I had in the meantime shifted from 
 Illinois to this city in 1S90. In the summer of 1S04, Gen. Govan with 
 his family, came to this state as Indian Agent, with headquarters about 
 forty miles down the coast from Seattle. Learning this, I made it a 
 matter of sentiment to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the l^attle of 
 Jonesboro with my late adversary. On reaching the landing, I was 
 gratified to discover Old Glory waving over the Agency home. Then 
 came as warm and cordial a welcome from the General and his family 
 as one could hope for from his fondest friends. Of course, we dis- 
 cussed the war and particularly those battles and combats where we 
 were opposing each other. I spent a night and a portion of the follow- 
 ing day under his hospitable charge. From that time forward we were 
 friends and my latch strings often responded to the welcome call of th;e 
 battle-scarred veteran whose recollections of war scenes and incidents 
 was so clear and his recitals of them so vivid that he also became a 
 general favorite with our Grand Army Post at their open meetings. 
 
 Near the close of his official term as agent, he met with a sore be- 
 reavement in the accidental death of his wife, one of the most estim- 
 able women I had ever known, and here again it became my melancholy 
 
 105 
 
duty largely to arrange for her funeral, as a close friend of the family. 
 "Verily, the times are changed and we are changed with them." 
 
 ALABAMA CAMPAIGN OF '64. 
 
 The North Alabama campaign was about the most disgusting ser- 
 vice the brigade was ever required to perform. Boarding a train of 
 filthy, unventilated stock cars at Atlanta, on the evening of Sept. 29, 
 1864, with four days cooked rations in the haversack, we reached 
 Athens, Alabama, October 3d. The command was three days and four 
 nights making the distance of about 180 miles and with the exception 
 of about six hours was compelled to remain inside, or on the roof, of 
 those abominable, closely crowded cars. To add to the discomfort of 
 the men, it rained almost incessantly during the outward trip to Athens, 
 and on the march from there to Florence, swelling the numerous tribu- 
 taries of the Tennessee to their banks, all but one of which we had to 
 ford. The men were drenching wet most of the time, adding greatly to 
 the weight of their loads, besides many w^re bare footed and foot sore, 
 and those who sickened by the way were left to the care of the local 
 citizens, as we were without means of transportation. At Florence we 
 found about 150 Rebel cavalry and drove them across the Tennessee at 
 Mussel Shoals, where Forrest's main force had crossed two days pre- 
 viously. By easier stages the division and brigade returned to Chatta- 
 nooga, procured shoes, clothing and supplies and after four days much 
 needed rest, made a detour into eastern Alabama and finally back to 
 Atlanta, thus closing a campaign of 48 days duration, instead of a four 
 days expedition as was expected when we left. 
 
 Precisely what advantages resulted from the trip to Florence, I am 
 not able to say, but every member of the brigade was perfectly satisfied 
 that a campaign by rail was not the pleasant thing it seemed to them 
 when made by others, and that even the fleetest infantry is not the best 
 force to run down and capture a division of cavalry. 
 
 MARCH TO THE SEA. 
 
 Arriving at Atlanta November loth from our Alabama tramp, with 
 harrowing memories, the brigade, under command of the writer, swung 
 into column on the next day at 12 M. for a campaign that had no known 
 objective except "to forage liberally off the country." What a delight- 
 ful contrast between "Marching through Georgia" and riding through 
 Alabama. Proceeding by easy stages, disabling railways, gathering 
 supplies, occasionally picking up a stray mule or horse, emancipating 
 negroes, and daily guessing on the outcome of the enterprise, the time 
 passed pleasantly, marred only by the prevading anxiety to know what 
 the balance of the world was doing, until on the 11th day of December 
 the "Lost Army" debouched before the frowning battlements of 
 Savannah, Ga. No man has ever been presumptions enough to attempt 
 a description of that famous and daring campaign. It is simply inde- 
 scribable. It has often been the theme of song and story, many of 
 them with Munchausen embellishments, but the great variety of its 
 scenes and incidents have never been told, neither shall I attempt to 
 estimate its strategic value, but as a basis for a calculation of its com- 
 
 106 
 
mercial importance I quote from the brigade report made at tlie time: 
 
 Number of horses captured, . . - . 104 
 
 mules " - - - - - 160 
 
 negroes that followed the command, - 160 
 
 miles of R. R. destroyed, - - - 11^ 
 
 " cotton bales burned, ... 43 
 
 " cotton gins, . - . . - 1 
 
 When one considers that this brigade was but one of sixty-five, all 
 having about equal opportunities, capacities and inclinations, he will 
 get some idea of what was taken by Sherman's Army, as well as what 
 was left. The campaign was comparatively bloodless, but hard on the 
 pocket book of the enemy. 
 
 The brilliant assault on and capture of Fort McAllister opened the 
 way for our transports, laden with supplies, and also made the city 
 untenable for the enemy, and it evacuated the place the following night, 
 Dec. 21, 1864. 
 
 Immediately after the fall of Savannah began preparations for what 
 proved to be our last hostile campaign, in which mud and floods were 
 our most formidable enemies. 
 
 CAROLINA CAMPAIGN. 
 
 The brigade, after sojourning a few days at Sister's Ferry, on the 
 Savannah River, on the evening of February 5th crossed over and 
 encamped on the "Sacred soil of South Carolina," that nursing mother 
 of treason, secession and rebellion. The experiences of Georgia were 
 repeated so far as possible in South Carolina, only more so. True we 
 lacked the delightful Indian summer, the abundance of good things and 
 good roads of Georgia, still, of what the people had, the army took or 
 destroyed with less "qualms of conscience," feeling that a double 
 punishment was due that state. Our progress was slow and the work 
 of placing pontoons, corduroying roads and boosting wagons up the 
 muddy hills very laborious. Getting into North Carolina about the 
 only things found of utility to a marching army were pine knots for 
 camp and cooking fires. 
 
 BATTLE OF AVERYSBORO AND BENTONVILLE. 
 
 On the 16th of jNIarch, the brigade, with other troops overtook the 
 enemy thoroughly entrenched on Black river, near Averysboro, where 
 it held us in temporary check, but at night retreated towards Benton- 
 ville. Pursuing, for two days, on the 19th we encountered all the 
 Confederate forces in North Carolina, strongly entrenched near Benton - 
 ville, under command of the same Gen'l Johnston whose skill had so 
 often stayed our progress during the Atlantic campaign the previous 
 year. Unfortunately for the lith Corps, its third division and three 
 regiments from each of the 2d and 1st divisions were far distant in 
 charge of the Corps transportation, leaving but little more than half 
 the 14th Corps in fighting condition, the 20th Corps, also light for the 
 same reason, was a few miles to our rear. Johnston was evidently well 
 advised of the situation and the wide separation of our troops and did 
 not wait to be attacked, but promptly advanced in force against 
 Carlin's light division and drove it back with considerable loss. Mor- 
 
 107 
 
gan's division until tlien in reserve, with the 1st and 2d brigades 
 intrenched, was immediately threatened and Gen. Davis commanding 
 the corps ordered out the 3d brigade. Gen. Fearing commanding, to 
 intercept the enemy pursuing Carlin. Unfortunately it moved without 
 a skirmish line, with its right flank exposed to the enemy, concealed in 
 the timber and chaparral, awaiting its opportunity to send a withering 
 volley against the right of the 86th 111., and following up their momen- 
 tary advantage, charged the whole brigade line to near the left, Avhere 
 the 22d Ind. and 125th III. were covered with skirmishers, partly 
 checked their advance and slowly retired, fighting to a new line some 
 200 yards from where the first assault took place. In the meantime 
 Gen. Fearing was wounded in the thick of the fight on the right and 
 the brigade again fell to my command. Establishing our main line 
 as above mentioned and rallying our forces to it, we moved forward to 
 our former fighting ground 'and began the construction of intrench- 
 meuts, when we were attacked by a strong force, which was handsomely 
 repulsed by the 2d brigade, aided by a portion of Gen. Robinson's 
 brigade of the 20th corps, just arrived. Fighting continued through 
 the" day and during the night the balance of the armj-, by forced 
 marches arrived and made the position secure against repeated attempts 
 on the following two days, of the enemy to successfully assail it. The 
 enemy fled on the night of March 21st and thus closed the last battle 
 of Sherman's army. Our way to Goldsboro was opened and we 
 marched thither unmolested. The march from Sister's Ferry to 
 Goldsboro lasted sixty-five days and covered about 600 miles, mostly 
 in disagreeable weather and over bad roads. 
 
 SURRENDER OF JOHNSTON'S ARMY. 
 
 April 10th we were again on the road with our faces toward 
 Raleigh. News got to us through rebel sources that Richmond had 
 fallen, and in thesame way afterwards came the report of Lee's surren- 
 der, when the army went wild with enthusiasm and unrestrained joy 
 after the confirmation of these reports a few days later. Then events 
 led to an arrangement between Gov. Vance and Gen'l Sherman that 
 resulted in the "withdrawal of the enemies' forces from Raleigh and our 
 peaceful march through and beyond the capital of the "Old North 
 State" to a point on the Neuse River, where we remained until negotia- 
 tions for the surrender of Johnston's army were perfected and executed. 
 
 DEATH OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 
 
 But our excessive joy was turned to deepest grief with the intelligence 
 that our beloved president, Abraham Lincoln was basely assassinated 
 in the capitol of the nation. It was a solemn hour on the banks of the 
 Neuse, when the official circular announcing the president's death was 
 read before the massed brigades of the army, and the enthusiasm that 
 had been born of victory and assured peace was chilled by the greater 
 magnitude of our sorrow. 
 
 RICHMOND— WASHINGTON— HOME. 
 
 Our march from Raleigh to Richmond and thence, after a short 
 rest, to "Washington was over the "homestretch" of the great course 
 
 108 
 
that began at Louisville and by direct and indirect lines of travel, which, 
 if reduced to a circle, would compass nearly or quite one half of the 
 territory east of the Mississippi River; but it was gladly begun, for at 
 its ending were the great objectives of the war, Peace, Home, and a re- 
 stored Union, The welcome of the nation to the rough and bronzed 
 veteran, as represented by the countless multitudes at Washington, dur- 
 ing the grand parades, was the first exhibition of public gratitude he 
 had witnessed during his years of hard service, and they stirred within 
 him those gentler emotions that had long lain dormant amid the hostile 
 surroundings of grim visaged war. And this was his first reward and an 
 earnest of "the country's pledges to deal liberally with those who 
 sustained its honor and defended its flag in their direst peril. 
 
 The muster for discharge came in due course and "Home, Sweet 
 Home," crowded all other thoughts from the minds of those who had 
 known little of the sweets of home during their long sojourn in a land 
 of strangers and enemies. Thus dissolved an army of citizen soldiers, 
 but their infldencc for good will remain so long as the principle for 
 which they fought and their comrades died shall dominate the heart and 
 thought of the nation their valor saved. 
 
 I have before me Fox's Tables of Losses in the Army, etc., and have 
 selected from it and adopt here his statements of the losses of the 
 several regiments, comprising the 3d brigade, believing them to be 
 substantially correct, and as I have only mentioned our losses in battles 
 these tables will show the deaths of all sources. 
 
 
 Enlisted men 
 Officerski.led. ^^^^ 
 wounds. 
 
 Officers died 
 
 of wounds 
 
 and disease. 
 
 Enlisted men 
 
 died of 
 disease and 
 prisoners. 
 
 Totals. 
 
 85th Illinois 
 
 4 86 
 3 73 
 1 13 
 9 88 
 14 139 
 7 94 
 
 1 
 
 132 
 
 223 
 
 175 
 228 
 204 
 343 
 270 
 
 86th Illinois.. 
 
 110th Illinois 
 
 125th Illinois 
 
 22d Indiana 
 
 52d Ohio. 
 
 2 212 
 
 3 104 
 
 190 
 
 1 168 
 
 Total 
 
 38 493 
 
 8 
 
 904 
 
 1,443 
 
 Of course these include the whole period of service, nearly four 
 years of the 22d Ind., whereas it came to the brigade about the 1st of 
 November, 1863, and 110th 111. (three companies) only came to us 
 July 20, 1864, the losses of which Col. Topping reported at the end of 
 the Atlanta campaign, two enlisted men and one commissioned officer 
 killed. 
 
 It may suggest the sanguinary character of the service, as well as the 
 instability of command in time of active warfare, to notb that at the organ- 
 ization of the brigade I was its junior Lieut. Colonel, that is, four full 
 Colonels and three Lieut. Colonels were my seniors in rank, but with 
 the disability of Col. Dil worth at Jonesboro all had, by reason of sick- 
 ness, wounds, or death, disappeared and I suddenly found myself its 
 senior officer and commander, yet without any advancement in official 
 grade. The statement will perhaps appear the more glaring when I 
 say, a majority of those casulties among field officers occurred within 
 
 109 
 
less than six months prior to the battle of Jonesboro, and though the 
 brigade after the opening of the Atlanta Campaign was commanded by 
 McCook, Harmon (for a few moments), Dilworth, Fearing and myself, 
 it 60 happened that my assumption of command was in the last battles 
 of two important campaigils, in the midst of which my superiors were 
 disabled and I was brought face to face with the duty of finishing the 
 work begun by others and making the official reports of the operations 
 of the brigade, which should account in part for what I frankly confess 
 to be the many imperfections and deficiencies apparent to the readers of 
 reports of the Atlanta and Carolina campaigns. For those of North 
 Alabama and the march through Georgia and from Raleigh to Washing- 
 ton I am alone responsible! 
 
 The officers of the brigade live in my memory as the best set of 
 men I ever knew and the men as among the bravest and most loyal to 
 duty, and 1 would like to mention many specially, but I know the 
 limited space of your contemplated book will forbid the attempt. 
 
 I touch my glass to the memory of my dead, and to the prosperity 
 of my living comrades of the " Old Sd.'" 
 
 Fraternally yours, J. W. Langlet, 
 
 Lieut. Col. 125th 111. V. I., Brevt. Col. U. S. V. 
 Commanding Col. Dan McCook's Brigade, 1864-1865. 
 
 BY 
 
 DANIEL McCOOK. JR. 
 
 B. WORK, CO. "G" 52D O. V. I. 
 
 Daniel McCook, Jr. was born at Oarrollton, 
 Ohio. Julj^ 22. 1834. Died at Steubeuville, Ohio. 
 tli3 17th of July, 1864, from wounds received on 
 the enemy's works in the assault on Kenesaw 
 Mountain Geoi-gia, June 27, 1864, leading the 
 charite and in the command of the Third Brigade, 
 Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, Army 
 of the Cumberland. 
 
 Colonel of the Fifty-Second Ohio Volunteer 
 Infantry and Brigadier-General. D. S. Volunteers. 
 - From student to lawyer; from lawyer to 
 commander, is the brief history of Daniel McCook, 
 Jr. He came from good old American stock. 
 Chief among the characteristics of the "fighting 
 McCooks" was their loyalty to their country and 
 friends. All M^ere men of indomitable energy, and 
 in their upward career they won every step by 
 liard work. 
 
 Colonel Dan McCook, that we knew and 
 loved so well, was a man of great will power and 
 capacity tor worK. He bent all his energies to 
 the accomplishment of what he souglit to do. 
 An order, a command from his superior, was 
 executed with that energy and vigor that often- 
 times that class who were intensely anxious for 
 "stars" felt a little bitsorry forfearthe war would 
 close before they would have the opportunity to 
 secure the coveted rank. It is not therefore to 
 be wondered at that there existed in the army 
 some who ascribed to him motives as foreign to 
 his nature as are the poles apart. AtChickamauga 
 his military instinct and prompt action revealed 
 the situation which the days of maneuvering by 
 the commander of the Army had failed to accom- 
 plish. The boys talked about such things in 
 those days. It did not take Col. Dan McCook a 
 season to find the object he sought, and when he 
 did he made the enemy aware of the fact. One 
 of h'is rules was to " act promptly and win suc- 
 cess." Physically he was not above the average 
 height, well and sinewy built,ihe was the type 
 of man that could stand to an unusual degree 
 the arduous service of the campaign; warm blooded and generous, he was not the ascetic kind 
 of man, but in his impulses there was that kindness and good nature that goes with a man of 
 loyal mind, tender feelings, and kindly sympathies for all, under him who needed his help. He 
 had a moral courage equal to his physical fearlessness; never at any time did he hesitate to do 
 that which he believed to be right by fear of adverse criticism. He did not seek controversy, 
 on the other hand, he never shirked an issue when he thought he was right. Of his personal 
 integrity and honesty no man ever made question. In all his relation with those he came in 
 coDtact, either of his own brigade or the army, he was the soul of courtesy and honor. 
 
 no 
 
 DANIEL McCOOK, JR. 
 
 Colonel 52d Ohio V. I.. Brigadier-General 
 
 U.S. Vols. 
 
SKETCH OF 
 
 JOHN J. McCOOK, 
 
 Gapt. and ft. D. C, U. S. Vols. Brev. Gol. U. S. Vols. 
 
 By J. B. W^ORK, 
 
 52d OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY, 
 
 John J. McCook, the ninth son 
 of Daniel and Martha ( Latimer) 
 McCooI?, was born in Carrolltou, 
 Ohio, May 25, 1S45. He was a 
 graduate of the High School of 
 Steubenville, Ohio, and Milnor 
 Hall, the preparatory school of 
 Kenyon College at Gambler, 
 Ohio, and was a student at 
 Kenyon College when the war 
 began. As his fattier and all of 
 his brothers, nine in all, were in 
 the Army, he had promised his 
 mother not to enter the service 
 without her approval, which was 
 not given until the Summer of 
 1862, when, having reached the 
 age of seventeen, he joined his 
 Ijrother Col. Daniel McCook, who 
 was engaged in recruiting the 
 52d Ohio Voluteer Infantry. He 
 finally succeeded in pursuading 
 his mother to give her consent, 
 and when the new Company 
 raised at Steubenville by Captain Parker A. Ellison, which subsequently 
 became Company E of the 52d Ohio Infantry, reached Camp Dennison, 
 he joined that Company, as it contained a number of young men, such 
 as Jim Donaldson, Dan Huscroft, Bill Reynolds, Silas Yocum and 
 others, who had been with him in the public schools at Steubenville. He 
 signed the enlistment papers and was enrolled by orderly Sergeant 
 Donaldson, but when the Company was paraded to be mustered in there 
 was an excess of the number permitted to a Company, and Captain 
 Bond of the 2d U. S. Infantry, the mustering officer, on that account, and 
 also because of his very youthful appearance, declined to muster in the 
 
 111 
 
 JOHN J. Mccook. 
 
 Captain and A. D. C, U. S. Valunteers. 
 Brevet Colonel U. S. Volunteers. 
 
lad and erased his name from the rolls. This decision was reached just 
 before the regiment started from Camp Dennison for Cincinnati to go 
 to Lexington, Ky. "Johnnie," as his old school friends in the ranks 
 called him, did not relish being "turned down and out," so he 
 determined to stay with the regiment and accompany it to the front. 
 When Governor Tod heard of this incident he commissioned him as a 
 Lieutenant in the 6th Ohio Cavalry, and assigned him to duty as 
 Aide-de-Camp on the statf of Col. Dan McCook, then commanding the 
 Post at Lexington, Ky. He accompanied and served with the 52d 
 Ohio from the day it was sworn in at Camp Dennison, August 21st, 
 until the end of November, 1862, when he was assigned to duty on the 
 staflf of Major General Thomas L. Crittenden, commanding the 21st 
 Army Corps, being the left wing of the Army of the Cumberland. 
 
 As raw recruits we men in the ranks of the 52d Ohio were all so 
 green in the performance of our new duties as soldiers, and so tired 
 and footsore and hungry, that we hardly ever had time to see or notice 
 anyone or anything that was not driven home upon us. Although the 
 young Aide-de-Camp was with the 52d on our hurried march from 
 Lexington out to the Kentucky River and upon our return, when, as 
 the rear guard, we covered the retreat of General Nelson's troops 
 which had been defeated at the battle of Richmond, I do not remember 
 seeing him until our return to the Court House Square at Lexington. 
 There he found two Parrot guns, which had been spiked and 
 abandoned. They could not be fired and were absolutely worthless, 
 but looked well at a distance, and the young Aide-ds-Camp was 
 anxious to take them along for moral effect, so he had some mules from 
 a wrecked baggage wagon hitched on, and after getting Col. Dan's 
 consent, started the guns along with the procession. Every 5 2d man 
 will remember how more than once these old guns, without a shell to fit 
 them nearer than the Pittsburg arsenal, w^ere unlimbered in the road 
 and rails were piled up to make sham defences. This performance 
 always seemed to work on the Rebels, and would hold them back until 
 they could deploy and make a careful advance and try to flank our 
 artillery, when ofl' would gallop the mules with the harmless guns. 
 Time thus saved, frequently causing from one to two hours delay of 
 the enemy, was always used by Col. Dan to get the weary stragglers 
 from the retreating army out of the way. 
 
 The heat, dust and lack of water and the extra work the 52d had 
 to do in performing rear guard duty day after day, made that journey 
 from the Kentucky River to Louisville more wearisome than any of our 
 later experiences — at least that is the way it seemed to us then. 
 
 During those days our young staff oflicer kept pretty close to 
 Colonel Dan, and that was usually at the rear of the retreating column. 
 He had a horse which was often at the service of a fagged out Steuben- 
 ville boy or sometimes two of them. On one such occasion he had 
 loaned his horse to a company officer who was sick and exhausted, but 
 finding by the roadside an old High School friend who was completely 
 tuckered out and who declared that he would rather be captured and 
 killed than take another step, Johnnie tried to lift him up on the 
 horse behind the officer, but did not succeed. He then helped his friend 
 to climb a rail fence and led the horse over to it and told him to swing 
 
on. The tired soldier started with the wrong foot and landed on the 
 horse but facing its tail. It was a ridiculous sight, but did not discon- 
 cert "Noisey," who was so pleased at the prospect of a ride that 
 his spirits at once revived, and in a most quizzical way called out : 
 "Excuse my back, captain. Lead on, I am now prepared to follow 
 you anywhere." 
 
 The first night after our troops had crossed the Kentucky River at 
 Frankfort Johnnie and his boon companion, Lieutenant E. L. Ander- 
 son, afterwards Captain of Company K, took a few hours sleep under 
 one of the wagons by the roadside. During the night, some molasses 
 which had leaked in the wagon above fell on the faces and blankets of 
 the young lieutenants. When they awoke in the morning water was 
 very scarce and they were not able to get the sticky molasses off until 
 late in the day, when washing their faces in a creek, in the absence of 
 soap they used some of the sand in the stream to help remove the 
 molasses. This resulted in peeling the faces of the two young lieuten- 
 ants so that for the next week or so they looked as if their heads had 
 passed through an apple parer, but there was not enough water for 
 drinking, so they were not able to give their faces a good cleaning until 
 three days afterwards when we arrived at Louisville. 
 
 When the o2d reached Louisville the 36th Brigade, 11th Division, 
 Array of the Ohio, was formed, Colonel Dan being assigned to command 
 the brigade and General Philip H. Sheridan the division. As his com- 
 mission as lieutenant in the 6th Ohio Cavalry had arrived the young 
 aide-de-camp ceased to be an unofficial volunteer and was regularly 
 assigned to duty with the brigade. 
 
 Colonel Dan was a strict disciplinarian, was most exacting and 
 expected much of those who served about him. He kept his younger 
 brother on the constant move and rapidly developed him into an experi- 
 enced and useful staff officer. He always insisted on his staff officers 
 informing themselves, as far as possible, of the condition of the road in 
 front of the troops, the nature of the country, the streams to be crossed, 
 the location of wells and springs and of firewood, so that the halts on 
 the march could be made at convenient spots for the men to rest and 
 make coffee or bivouac. This method resulted in the brigade always hav- 
 ing the best that was going and rapidly instructed the staff and line officers 
 in the most important of all military duties — the care of their troops. 
 
 During the march from Louisville to Perryville many of the 
 Brigade and nearly all of the o2d men learned to know by sight, at least, 
 this young staff officer. 
 
 Our regiment contained an unusually large proportion of young 
 men, from the Colonel down, and we probably had twenty men as 
 young, yet as I recall him now, Lieutenant McCook appeared to be 
 much the youngest officer or man in the command, although Hiram 
 Price, also of Co. E, ran him a close second. He was rather large for 
 his age, with a ruddy complexion indicating the perfect health he 
 enjoyed, and a face well covered with freckles. It was at first the 
 r-ound, frank, jolly face of a country boy who had never known a care 
 or anxiety, but it soon took on the serious expression that must come to 
 a thoughtful youth when the responsibilities of manhood press upon 
 him at an early stage. 
 
 113 
 
He soon became a careful observer of all the new conditions 
 about him. It was an easy transition for him, from college studies to 
 the study of war under the actual conditions, which caused us all to 
 grow rapidly older and develop our latent powers as we marched and 
 fought, as some sickened and died in hospital, or died at our side in 
 battle. 
 
 As the awful days of battle and the weary days and nights of 
 marching extended into months and years, is it any wonder that the 
 young men and boys surviving that period, who were tried as with fire, 
 tested by every temptation, constantly exposed to danger, disease and 
 death, should have become the splendid race of men who, for a third of 
 century, have developed and governed this great Nation, which by 
 their acts alone was saved from dissolution and destruction. 
 
 Lieutenant McCook, in the performance of his duties, was con- 
 stantly on the move, but he was always genial and good natured, ever 
 ready to give information, but always absorbing more than he gave out. 
 His relation with his old school mates in the ranks continued cordial 
 and intimate as long as he served with the Brigade, and his later career 
 was followed by them with great interest. 
 
 The first important battle in which our Brigade was actively 
 engaged in was Perryville. We were charged with capturing from the 
 enemy and holding against repeated assaults the keypoint of the field — 
 Peter's Hill. It was a hard experience for many of us, but we were so 
 favorably placed and so well commanded that we repelled the attacks of 
 Hardie's veteran Division. We took the Hill before dawn, but as soon 
 as it was light enough to see anything Col. Dan's soldierly instincts 
 made him appreciate fully the value of our position. He sent 
 Lieutenant McCook back to report to General Sheridan. Sheridan seemed 
 pleased at the work of our Brigade and soon came forward to inspect 
 our position. Under Col. Dan's eye and encouragement our men kept 
 "inching" on the "Johnnies" until we drove them off of a spur of the 
 hill which was considerably in advance of our general line of battle, 
 especially on our left where the corps commanded by General A. McD. 
 McCook was hotly engaged with almost the entire rebel army. From 
 this point we had an unobstructed view of the entire battle-field, which 
 was spread out like a map at our feet. Barnett's battery was run out 
 upon this spur, and from its commanding position was able to enfilade 
 and knock the enemy's batteries out of position. This had been done 
 three times, and we were giving splendid relief to the hard pressed 
 troops on the left when orders came from Corps Commander Gilbert, 
 through General Sheridan, to withdraw our Brigade to the line held 
 in the early morning. This would compel the abandonment of our 
 advantageous position, and Colonel Dan protested most earnestly to the 
 staff officer and rode at once to General Sheridan, brought him to the 
 position of Barnett's battery and begged that the order be suspended. 
 Sheridan recognized the importance of the position and would have 
 preferred to remain, but insisted on the withdrawal as ordered. Colonel 
 Dan begged Sheridan to exercise his right as a Division Commander, 
 on the ground, to delay execution of the order until the Corps 
 Commander, who had not been on the ground, could be brought to the 
 field or the position be fully explained to him. It was a remarkable scene 
 
 114 
 
between the two young Brigiule and Division Commanders, both 
 absolutely convinced of the importance of the position and fully aware 
 of the possible consequences of the movement to themselves and to the 
 Army, ('olonel Dan made another forceful appeal which evidently 
 impressed Sheridan deeply for he seemed to hesitate a moment, then 
 placing his hand in a friendly way on Colonel Dan's shoulder, he said 
 in a firm but very quiet voice, ''Colonel McCook, your facts are right, 
 your conclusions are sound, and we probably should hold this position, 
 but I am a Regular and orders must be obeyed." The withdrawal took 
 place and the result was an indecisive battle, with over thirty thousand 
 Northern soldiers on the field who did not fire a shot. If Sheridan had 
 commanded our Corps that day instead of Gilbert, he would have 
 actively supported the splendid fighting of "the left wing of the army 
 and held the controlling position we had gained and continued to hold 
 by hard fighting. It is quite within the possibilities that we should 
 have captured practically all of Bragg's Army, thus greatly shortening 
 the campaign in the west, and even the war itself. 
 
 In speaking of this incident afterwards Sheridan often jokingly 
 expressed to the friends who were familiar with the circumstances that 
 possibly it was a misfortune that he had not been a Volunteer instead 
 of a Regular officer at Perryville, which was the first serious battle in 
 which he had commanded a full Division of infantry. 
 
 It nearly broke Colonel Dan's heart to withdraw even a few rods, 
 but we continued to hold the crest of Peter's Hill. To keep the enemy 
 from following up their advantage, and to prevent our green troops 
 from discouragement over a seeming fall back, Colonel Dan went along 
 the line briefly addressing each regiment, congratulating them upon 
 their sturdy fighting and steadiness under fire in their first battle. This 
 started the men to cheering all along the Brigade front, which had a good 
 result on both sides of the line, for it inspired our men with confidence, 
 and General Bragg, in his report, gave as one of the reasons for his 
 retirement from the field, that about dark the enemy was heavily 
 reinforced, as was evidenced l)y the loud cheers as the fresh troops 
 came upon the field. After Perryville, Colonel Dan had absolute 
 confidence in the fighting power of his men. Each regiment did well. 
 The whole Brigade, from its commander down, was complimented by 
 General Sheridan, and our young Aide -de -Camp received special 
 mention for gallantry in the official reports. 
 
 While our Brigade was stationed in the garrison of Nashville, on 
 December 1, 1862, Lieutenant McCook was assigned to duty, as an 
 Aide-de-Camp, on the staff of Maj.-Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden, com- 
 manding the left wing of the lith Army Corps, which subsequently 
 became the 21st Corps of the Army of the Cumberland. This made a 
 break in his actual service with the 52d Ohio and the Old Brigade, but 
 his many friends there did not lose sight of him and always took a 
 pardonable pride in his subsequent career. Every once in a while word 
 would come back to us of the good record being made by our young 
 friend, who, after Stone River, was commissioned as a Captain and 
 A. D. C. of U. S. Volunteers, in special recognition of gallantry shown 
 throughout the five days of fearful fighting on that field. 
 
 115 
 
An account of one of his experiences which took place a few days 
 before the battle of Chickamauga, in which he also distinguished himself, 
 as shown by the official records, caused many of his old 52d Ohio friends 
 to feel that if he had been serving in the English Army he would have 
 received the Victoria Cross. 
 
 On September 13, 1863, Van Cleve's Division of the 21st Army 
 Corps made a reconnoisance south from Lee and Gordon's Mill in the 
 direction of Lafayette to feel the enemy, and, if possible, learn the 
 position and number of their troops, without bringing on an engagement. 
 Captain McCook delivered the order to General Van Cleve and accom- 
 panied the column. When the Division had advanced as far as required 
 by its instructions, it halted and Captain McCook passed through the 
 line of the advance Brigade, which had deployed and was covered by a 
 strong skirmish line, which he also passed, and rode forward to join 
 Major L. H. Drury of the 1st Wisconsin Artillery, Chief of Artillery of 
 the Division, who was quite a distance in advance of the skirmishers, 
 evidently studying the ground for artillery purposes. 
 
 The two officers rode on for quite a distance seeing no signs of the 
 enemy, when they were fired upon by several well concealed sharp- 
 shooters at the enemy's advance picket station. One of the first shots 
 struck Major Drury just above his belt plate and passed directly 
 through the body. As he was a heavy man, weighing over two hundred 
 pounds, the shock was severe and such as would have killed an ordinary 
 man almost instantly. Major Drury, in his usual picturesque and 
 
 forceful way remarked, "the — Rebel pinked me, but don't 
 
 let him have the satisfaction of knowing it." Notwithstanding Major 
 Drury 's great courage and nerve, Captain McCook saw that with such 
 a wound he could not retain consciousness long, and as they were still 
 within close range, he grasped Major Drury's sword belt with one hand, 
 to keep him from falling from his horse, and taking his bridle reins 
 with the other, rode into the woods for cover, placing himself between 
 the enemy and the wounded officer. By zigzagging among the pine 
 trees he kept Major Drury out of range as far as possible, thus avoid- 
 ing the many shots fired at them, and brought him back in safety to the 
 skirmish line where from shock and loss of blood he, of course, col- 
 lapsed. Contrary to the expectation of the surgeons, Major Drury 
 entirely recovered from the effect of his fearful wound but never failed 
 to say that his life had been preserved by the young staff' officer who 
 brought him back in safety to our own lines and to careful surgical 
 treatment and nursing. 
 
 If time and space permitted it would be pleasant to tell of how at 
 Shady Grove, Virginia, on May 30, 1S64, when serving with the 1st 
 Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac, Captain McCook had the 
 opportunity of rendering the exceptionally gallant service for which he 
 received the brevet of Major. In that engagement he also received the 
 wound, not necessarily serious in itself, which was complicated with 
 hospital gangrene and resulted in blood poisoning, followed by many 
 operations, which required constant surgical attention and disqualified 
 him from further active service. He resigned October 13th and was 
 honorably discharged November 1, 1864. 
 
 116 
 
The endorsement made upon his resignation by Maj. Gen. Thomas 
 L. Crittenden, oriven in the accompanying abstract of his Record and 
 Services, pays a handsome tribute to Captain McCook's faithful and 
 gallant services rendered during three years of actual warfare, on many 
 hard fought fields, and all accomplished before he had reached his 
 twentieth year. 
 
 Captain McCook was at home at Steubenville undergoing surgical 
 treatment when Colonel Dan was taken there, after his wound at Ken- 
 esaw, and the younger brother helped to nurse our beloved Brigade 
 Commander until his death. 
 
 During the late summer and autumn of 1864 Captain McCook's 
 wound and the resultant operations were so painful that he could not 
 move about for exercise or lie down and sleep naturally, so his sole 
 occupation was reading and study. When the surgeons advised that he 
 would probably not be permitted to return to active service he devoted 
 himself to making up the studies of the Sophomore year at Colleo-e. 
 Under the peculiar circumstances he was able to accomplish this, as he 
 had long uninterrupted days, and frequently nights as well, when read- 
 ing or study was his sole recreation and relief from pain. 
 
 His resignation having been accepted he passed his examinations 
 and re-entered Kenyon College as a Junior and graduated with the 
 Class of 1866. In his Freshman year he had been an easy going, fun 
 loving and not over studious fellow, although he was always faithful 
 and prompt in the performance of college duties. His three years of 
 actual army service had rapidly developed him in every way and he 
 was now in the best condition to avail himself to the fullest extent of 
 the advantages offered by the college course. 
 
 He was popular among his fellow students and won the coveted 
 prizes of the literary societies, class honors and athletic appointments 
 and in scholarship ranked high enough to become a member of the Phi 
 Beta Kappa Society. 
 
 Under careful surgical advice he engaged, as soon as his wound 
 permitted, in out-of-door exercises and college athletics from the prac- 
 tice of which he derived the greatest possible advantage. His health 
 having been completely restored before his graduation in 1866, he 
 returned to Steubenville and began to study law in the office of Stanton 
 & McCook, of which Edwin M. Stanton had been the senior member 
 prior to his becoming the great War Secretary of Lincoln's cabinet. 
 
 After his return to Steubenville Captain McCook, now usually 
 called by his brevet rank of Colonel, frequently met many of the sur- 
 vivors of the 52d Ohio, who had been mustered out and had returned 
 to their old homes. Such friendships and relations he greatly enjoyed 
 and every member of the old Brigade was heartily welcomed by him. 
 
 Colonel McCook entered the Harvard Law School in the autumn 
 of 1867 and graduated with the degree of LL. B. in 1869, and was also 
 admitted to the Ohio bar in that year. 
 
 In 1871 he removed to New York City and was admitted to the 
 bar of the State and soon after became a partner in the then long estab- 
 lished legal firm of Alexander & Green, of which he is now the senior 
 member. 
 
 117 
 
For a number of years Colonel McCook has been the legal adviser 
 and active in the management of many important financial, insurance, 
 railway and industrial corporations. During the re-organization of the 
 Atchison railroad, which at that time was the largest railway system of 
 America, having over ten thousand miles of line situated in fourteen 
 states and territories, Colonel McCook and his associate receivers made 
 a remarkable record in the administration of such a trust. Their work 
 was done so promptly and to the satisfaction of all concerned, that in 
 receiving and paying out $100,000,000 not a single exception was filed 
 to the receivers' accounts or acts in any jurisdiction. 
 
 It was generally known and announced through the press that 
 Colonel McCook had been invited to become a member of President 
 McKinley's first cabinet, but personal and prof essional reasons prevented 
 his acceptance. 
 
 At the opening of the Spanish war Colonel McCook tendered his 
 services to the President, offering to serve in any field and in any 
 capacity. 
 
 Colonel McCook gives much attention to educational matters, and 
 is an active trustee of Princeton College and a director of the Princeton 
 Theological Seminary. He has received the following University 
 degrees, A. B. and A. M. from Kenyon College, Honorary A. M. from 
 Princeton, LL. B. from Harvard and LL. D. from both the Universi- 
 ties of Kansas and Lafayette College. He was an elder in the 
 5th Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York, of which Dr. John Hall 
 was for so many years the pastor. Having been appointed by his Pres- 
 bytery a member of the Prosecuting Committee in the now celebrated 
 Briggs heresy case. Colonel McCook, by reason of the ability, industry 
 and knowledge of the theological and critical questions involved, is 
 credited with having done much to bring that case to a successful con- 
 clusion and in securing the deliverance upon, and testimony of the 
 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church to the integrity of the 
 Scriptures. 
 
 Colonel McCook for a number of ^-ears has been active in the 
 affairs of the Young Men's Christian Association and is now the chair- 
 man of the rapidly developing railroad work, and during the war with 
 Spain was chairman of the Army and Navy Christian Commission. 
 
 I ofive below a carefully prepared abstract, chiefly from the war 
 recordsoffice of the War Department, of the record and services of 
 our companion of former years and have added the above incidents, 
 which have come to me from many sources, all of them authentic, 
 knowing that they will be of interest to all of Col. John J. McCook's 
 associates, not only in the 52d Ohio, but to all members of the old 3d 
 Brigade, 2d Division, 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland. 
 
 ABSTRACT OF RECORD AND SERVICES OF BREVET-COLONEL 
 JOHN JAMES McCOOK. 
 
 Enlisted as Private Company E, 52d Oliio Volunteer Infantry, August 12, 
 1862, not mustered because under age. Accompanied regiment to front acting 
 as Volunteer Aide-de-Camp to Brigade Commander. Appointed 1st Lieutenant 
 6tli Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, September 12, 1862. Assigned to duty as Acting 
 Aide-de Camp on staff of Colonel Daniel McCook, commanding 36tli Brigade, 11th 
 Division, 3d Corps, Army Ohio. Appointed and commissioned Captain and 
 
 118 
 
Aide-de-Camp, U. S. Volunteers, June 18, 1863, to date from December 18, 1862. 
 Mustered out 6th Ohio Cavalry June 24, 1863. Assigned to duty December 1, 
 1862 as Aide-de-Camp on staff of General Thomas L. Crittenden, commanding 
 21st Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to November, 1863, and 1st Division, 9th 
 Corps, Army of the Potomac, May-June, 1864. Temporary assignment as 
 Additional Aide-de-Camp to Maj.-Gen. George H. Thomas, Headquarters Army 
 of the Cumberland, November, 1863, to February, 1864, participating in the 
 following 
 
 BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS 
 
 Served with the 52d Ohio Infantry, the rear guard covering retreat Nelson's 
 forces from Richmond, Ky., to Louisville, Ky., August 30 to September 5, 1862. 
 Battle of Perryvilie, Ky., October 8, 1862. (Received special mention for 
 gallantry.) March to Nashville, Tenn., October 20 to November 7, 1862. 
 Advance on Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 26-30, 1862. Battle of Stone 
 River, December 30-31 and January 1-3, 1863. (Received special mention 
 for gallantry and recommended for promotion.) Middle Tennessee or Tul- 
 lahoma Campaign, June 24-July 15, 1863. (Received special mention for efficient 
 services) Occupation of Middle Tennessee, passage of Cumberland Mountains 
 and Cliickamauga, G^., campaign, August 16-Septeniber 22, 1863. Battle of 
 Chickamauga, Ga., September 18-20. (Received special mention for gallantry.) 
 Operations about Chattanooga. Tenn. Battle of Cliattanooga and assault and 
 capture of Missionary Ridge. November 25, 1863. Rapidan. Va., campaign May- 
 June, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness, May 5-7: of Spottsylvania, May 8-12: of 
 River Point, May 9-10; of Spottsylvania Court House, May 12-26. Operations 
 and engagements on line of the North Anna River May 23-26. Operations on 
 line of the Pamunky River, May 26-28. Operations and engagements on line of 
 the Tolopotomoy, May 28-31. Shady Grove, May 30. Wounded at Shady Grove but 
 remained on duty. Battles about Cold Harbor, June 1-3. Bethesda Church June 
 2-3. (Received special mention for gallantry in the above engagements and for 
 faithful and efficient services throughout the campaign.) Absent on leave because 
 of wounds till October. Resigned October 13, 1864, and honorably discharged 
 from service November 1, 1864. Endorsement of Major General Thomas L. 
 Crittenden, upon the resignation of John J. McCook, Captain and Aide-de- 
 Camp United States Volunteers, October 10, 1864: 
 
 "Within resignation approved and its acceptance recommended. Captain 
 McCook ran away from school when 16 years old to enter the army. He has 
 served faithfully and gallantly in several campaigns and in many engagements 
 and battles. He is- at present incapacitated from further active service from a 
 wound received in battle which requires constant surgical attention. He should 
 be honorably discharged. 
 
 "Captain McCook's father and three brothers have been killed in battle, and 
 all the other members of his family are in the service. With such a family and 
 personal record, I am constrained" to refer to it when parting with a valued 
 staff officer, and recommending the acceptance of his resignation. 
 
 (Signed) T. L. Crittenden, 
 
 Major General IT. S. Vols. 
 
 Brevetted Major "for gallantry in action at Shady Grove, Va., May 30, 
 1864," and Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel U. S. Volunteers to date from March 
 13, 1865, '"for gallant and meritorious services " 
 
 MY CAPTAIN: MY IDEAL SOLDIER: MY FRIEND. 
 
 BY J. B. WORK, CO. "G," 52d O. V. I. 
 
 If the subject of this sketch was giving direction as to its character he would, lilte Crom- 
 well, exclaim. '"Paint me as I am." He was ray captain, ray ideal soldier. He raade no claim to 
 perfection, but he would be tlie last man to desire unworthy praise, and he would resent it as 
 impertinent if I were to attempt to gild his military record. As Anthony said of Cajsar. so 
 may I say of him: "He was my friend, faithful and just to me," and I am not willing that this 
 memorial of the heroic Third Brigade shall leave the press without this testimonial, brief as it 
 must be, to his character. 
 
 Through his veins courses the blood of parliamentary soldiers, churchmen and scholars in 
 the times of that same Cromwell; of an immigrant ancestor, tlie original of his lineiu America, 
 one of the most distinguished divines of New England, in tlie seventeenth century, a martyr 
 to the lash for conscience sake, in 1651, under sentence of intolerant Puritan law; of colonial 
 
 119 
 
statesmen and revolutionary patriots and soldiers, descended from tlie martyr; wliich blood, in 
 a lineage traced through seven colonies or states for two hundred and sixty-three years, is 
 found always contending for freedom, civil and religious, and always on the frontier, whether 
 in New Jersey in 1667, in the valley of Virginia in 1767, in western Pennsylvania in 1775, in the 
 pan handle of Virginia in 1785, or in the Northwest Territory from 1795. It was in the relief 
 which western Pennsylvania sent to Washington in New Jersey through the winter of 1776-1777. 
 That soldier died in an English prison ship on the other side of the Atlantic. It was at San- 
 dusky with Crawford in June, 1782. That soldier lived to an honored old age. It was active in 
 the conflicts along the Ohio border from this last date until the treaty of Greenville in August, 
 1795. It was in the war of 1813 and in that of 1816. 
 
 These patriot and pioneer ancestors, who suffered and fought and died in the cause of 
 liberty, for the vindication of American— of human— rights and the advancement of civiliza- 
 tion, confer a patent of nobility such as our constitution does not prohibit. 
 
 His own sentiments, however, on the subject of ancestry were expressed in the close of the 
 address to the regimental association at New Alexandria, Ohio, in August, 1897, when he said: 
 "My story is told. 'He who has served his country well,' says Voltaire, 'has no need of ances- 
 tors.' An hundred and twenty years of the American Republic have shown lines of worthy 
 sons of noble sires, but where freedom and equality prevail "ancestors' can neither make nor 
 unmake men. With us it has ever been. 
 
 " 'Act well your part. 
 There all the honor lies.' 
 
 "In the honorable discharge from the service, carefully preserved as an heirloom or 
 possession, is at once the patent and certificate of a nobility in which the possessor and his 
 successors to the latest generation may take a just and growing pride." 
 
 "God made the country; man made the town." My subject belongs to that class whose 
 early life knew only the comforts and advantages of the farm and took part in all its occupa- 
 tions, through all seasons; in close touch with nature, the fields and groves— "God's first 
 temples"— earth and sky. sunshine and storm. It was a strong, pure, healthy life, such as our 
 forefathers, barely emerged from the contests with savagery and the labors of subduing the 
 wilderness, could give their sous and grandsons. It had grown beyond the pioneer phases, 
 though there was no pampered ease to palsy youth. Early toil diseiplined the body and mind, 
 and home library, books and papers and the public schools furnished early training for the 
 mental faculties under paternal guidance and capable teachers. 
 
 These were followed by the collegiate training and experiences mentioned elsewhere. In 
 this sort of environment was he fitted for the sterner duties of maturer years. 
 
 He knew the struggles, the self-denial, the whole experience, which make strong, brave, 
 courageous American soldiers which in the field and in the conflicts of war develop the 
 captains who lead armies to victory. 
 
 In the eamp, on the march, in defeat, in success, he exhibited a full, frank sympathetic 
 comradeship. By example, by word, by force of character, he inspired confidence. He 
 "touched elbows" on the skirmish and in the battle line. In friendship he was steadfast, 
 "true as steel," and gave more thc^n he asked in return. 
 
 It has been justly said of him that he never forgot two things, and those were, that he 
 came from the same rank on the farm, or in the village, or the city, with the men behind the 
 guns, and that when the war was over the survivors would resume that equality of rank. 
 
 On duty, "for the good of the service," he was accorded, without any expressed require- 
 ment, the respect due to his military rank; off dutj', he was the friend and equal— no more 
 than that— of his men, and they thoroughly understood it. 
 
 He picked his soldiers and assigned them, each, the duties best fitted to his hand. With 
 the good soldiers, he was genial and warm hearted, a type of strong, loyal, courageous man- 
 hood: clear, able and fearless, always found in his place in the line of duty. Such was James 
 Taylor Holmes, Captain Company G, Lieutenant Colonel and Brevet Colonel 53d Ohio Volunteer 
 Infantry. 
 
 " UNCOVER TO THE RIGHT." 
 
 Sergeant J. H. Brubacker, Co. A, 86th Illinois, under date of January 30, 1901, wrote as fol- 
 lows: When we reached the enemy's works, at the "dead angle," the rebel battery on our right' 
 and the rebel musketry fire from the breastworks in our front had-decimated our ranks to such 
 an extent that my Company, A, did not number quite three platoons. The rebel battery fire 
 had the effect of pressing the right of the brigade towards the left of the "dead angle," before 
 reaching which we were somewhat mixed, the regimental organization was pretty badly tangled 
 up. My company was clustered.with the other men of the regiments until in order to disentangle 
 Company A, I gave the command. " uncover to the right," and seeing an opening in the "abat- 
 tis " near the "dead angle." used by the rebels to pass out to and in from their picket line, I 
 called on the men and led in a rush to gain possession of the passageway at the "angle." I fell 
 
 120 
 
at this point, as did seven shot dead and fourteen wounded who lay in a heap around me. Be- 
 fore we " uncovered" tliere was a surjre. as I remember it, of our men in an attempt to carry 
 the rebel works; in the halt the men laid down; in fact all had fallen to the ground, killed or 
 wounded, or laid down for protection to escape the fate of their comrades. It was one of those 
 times when veterans aotquiclily. governed by a judgment acquired by that experience which 
 enables them to size up the situation and weigh the chances of success as clearly as anybody. 
 When I saw Col. Dan McCook he was to my left and in front of the men; he had almost 
 reached the works and was in the act of leadin<; the few left on the works; he stood erect facinj; 
 the rebels; I thought that they must have refrained from shooting him down to capture him 
 unharmed. Our men were trying to reach the outside of tlie embankment whicli alforded some 
 protection over the point blank exposed position between us. .Just then the right batallion of 
 the brigade, for tlie regiments had l)ecome merged into one line, headed by one of the officers, 
 made a surge to his rescue. His quick eye must have caus^ht the movement, for he made a mo- 
 tion for them to come up to his position; he went forward In the lead and made a lodgment on 
 the breastworks; a fusillading volley which they encountered swept the most of them down, 
 although some of them reached the outside of tlie works. Again the men moved by the instincts 
 of veterans and the commands of tlie officers, faced for another etfort to rally to our com- 
 mander, now almost alone; it was at this moment that I gave the command "'uncover to the 
 right." Lieut. Dawdy, our Adjutant, led us; he fell to my riglit at the foot of the loose eartli 
 of the works; all who started with us were now down. As I lay there my stomacli revolted and 
 I do not remember to have ever felt so sick in all my life. As we started some one said it was 
 hopeless and hesitated, but about twenty odd of the boys of A went forward. As we made the 
 first step in the forward movement I shall never forget the act of two of the boys who had 
 been chums; they reached behind one of the men that separated them and clasped hands as 
 though bidding each other good bye. I thought it meant a pledge of succor in need or distress 
 and that neither felt hope of surviving the attempt; both fell, sealing their devotion with their 
 lives. The long years have not dimmed this scene from ray mind; it all passes before me as 
 clear and distinct as I saw it on that bloody June day, over thirty-six years ago; the feelings 
 of then and now are the only changes. When I crawled back I found Colonel Dillworth in 
 command and he was directing the formation of tlie line on the right, where we constructed our 
 line aud held it until the rebels evacuated their works July 3. 
 
 J. H. BRUBACKER. Sergt. Co. A. 86th III. Infty, 
 
 GUN GLASSES. 
 
 Enquiries have been made as to who furiiisiied the "gun glasses " used so effectively for 
 the first time in the war at Kenesaw by Colonel Dan McCook's brigade. A few days before the 
 assault Lieutenant E. C. Silliman, Co. C, 86th Illinois, met a 4th Corps' man trying to sell the 
 glasses: the idea struck him that they could be used to sight the guns of the men in sharpshoot- 
 ing; he bought the whole outfit consisting of one hundred and fifty; these he gave to the Ijoys 
 of the brigade; they were about three inches square, with a small wire attached by which they 
 were fixed to the stock of the gun; then by placing the gun on the rifle pit and laying- down un- 
 der cover, the gun could be sighted until you could get the object in line through the sights, the 
 trigger did the rest. To Lieut. Silliman is due the credit of introducing their use in Colonel Dan 
 McCook's brigade, and as far as I am aware, in the army. J. B, W. 
 
 Olney, Ili... December 13. 1897, 
 L. J. Dawdv, Peoria. 111. 
 
 Comrade:— I see by today's Globe that you have bought the land where McCook's Brigade 
 made the charge at Kenesaw Mountain. Now. sir, I am going to give you some history that has 
 never been disclosed before. I will give you ray reason for not opening my mouth after I tell 
 you what I did and saw in that famous charge. I was a Captain in the 60th Illinois of Morgan's 
 Brigade, and we wont into the trenches about three-quarters of an hour before the bugle 
 sounded the charge. I was on the extreme left of our regiment with my company in the works. 
 Our Adjutant had not given me the information that we were to st.ay in the works, while your 
 brigade, McCook and Mitchell's, charged over us. Well, just as your men or Mitchell's came to 
 the works, the bugle sounded the charge; I jumped over the works and gave the order, forward. 
 The men of my company started over the works, but our Adjutant, at that moment, stopped 
 them all except one man and myself; by that time I had got down the hill; I cast my eyes 
 behind and saw but one man of my company coming with your men. The bullets were then 
 coming thick and fast, so 1 had no time to think what to do, but concluded to go on with your 
 men. You know how your men went right up to the rebel works, and I saw McCook shot and 
 sink down; he did not fftll, but staggered. I was close to him, and some man took hold of his 
 right arm and I took hold of his left arm and we started out with him; as we came back, we 
 came down in the hollow not more than seventy-five yards in front of our works. There stood 
 
 121 
 
Mitchell and his staff, beside a big tree, and MeCook said to him (Mitchell), "If I live, 1 will have 
 you court-martialed." Then I heard Mitchell say to one of his aides, " We will have to have Mor- 
 gan." I do not know what McOook meant, but I do know that when McCook was shot, a fresh 
 regiment would have gone right over the rebel works, and I have always believed that if 
 Mitchell had led his men like McCook did, we would have gone into the rebel works, for I was 
 right up to the works and so was McCook. but at that time the men were all lying down, those 
 that were not dead or wounded. Now, comrade, the reason that I have never told these facts is 
 that at the time I guess I would have been court martialed for going into the charge without 
 orders, but I misunderstood the order; but at that time if a man got into court his head gen- 
 erally came off, so you see the reason that I kept still. Do you know the man, or is he yet living, 
 that helped bring in McCook off the rebel works, if so, will you please give me his address? 
 The man that went with me in that charge lives in our city and ought to have a medal, for 
 he was obeying my orders, while I was doing my work under a misapprehension of order. 
 
 Yours in F.. C. & L.. JOHN S. COCHENNOUR. 
 
 P. S. The man that helped bring McCook out was a very young man and not as tall as 
 McCook. 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S REPORT— ILLINOIS, 
 
 Volumes 5, 6 and 8, 1861-1865. Revised. 
 
 ROSTER OF OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN 
 
 From the 85th, 86th, 1 10th and 125th Regiments, Battery "I " 2d 111. L- A. 
 HISTORY OF THE EIGHTY-FIFTH INFANTRY. 
 
 The Eighty-fifth Regiment was organized at Peoria, about the first of September, 18G2, at 
 A time when the Governor was in need of troops, as the Union troops had been beaten back 
 at Bull Run a short time before and Bragg was threatening Louisville, Ky., General Nelson 
 being driven back to that point. The Eigthy-fifth Regiment was one that was ordered to that 
 point immediately after its organization, hence the members left their work, families and 
 friends, and were hurried immediately to the forefront of the battle, for before they knew 
 what dress parade was they opened the battle of Perryville by making a bayonet charge at 3 
 o'clock in the morning of that bloody day. After the battle the Regiment followed up Bragg's 
 retreat to. and beyond Nashville. Tenn., to Mill Creek, where the Regiment was attached to 
 General Sheridan's Division. When the army advanced on Bragg at Murfreesboro the Eightj'- 
 flfth was placed on post duty at Nashville and remained there doing train, police and post 
 duty, and was called on to guard a train to the army during the battle of Stone River, which 
 they succeeded in doing in time to take a hand in the fight for one day there. During the 
 remainder of the time that the Regiment staid at Nashville but little occurred to or with it 
 worthy of historical notice; but from the time the Regiment was relieved at Nashville it was 
 always found in the active part of the Army of the Cumberland until the close of the war; 
 being one of the last regiments to leave the Held of Chickamauga. and in the lead in crossing 
 the Tennessee in pontoons when the stars and bars were lowered from Missionary Ridge; and 
 from there, with 100 rounds of carti-idges in haversacks instead of bread, they were with the 
 command that hastened to the relief of besieged troops at Knoxville, Tenn., returning to their 
 camp at North Chickamauga, to remain until New Year's, 1864, when the Regiment moved to 
 McAfee's Church, on the battle field of Chickamauga. 
 
 During the winter of 1863 and 1864, the Regiment was stationed at or on the battle field; 
 they were in the detail that made the reconnoissance against Dalton, Ga., at Rocky Faced 
 Ridge where we met with considerable loss in killed and wounded. After accomplishing the 
 work assigned there, moved back and awaited the opening of spring and with it the campaign 
 against Atlanta, where the Regiment every day for four months was in hearing of the rattle of 
 musketry and the boom of cannon. It took active part in the battles of Resaca, Rome, Dallas, 
 Kenesaw, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta and Jonesboro (the last tight of the Atlanta campaign), 
 when the Regiment was detailed to escort about 1,600 prisoners back to Atlanta. 
 
 The Regiment is deserving of especial mention at Rome where they swam the Etowah 
 River, floated their accoutrements over on rafts of rails, formed a skirmish line, drove the 
 
 122 
 
enemy from and run the stars and stripes on the court house before all the enemy had crossed 
 the other river anil burned the bridge. Also at Kenesaw and Peach Tree Oreek, where the 
 Kegiment lost lialf of its available force. 
 
 After returning- with the above mentioned prisoners but a few days elapsed until the 
 Second Division of Fourteenth Army Corps (commonly called by the boys Jeff. O. Davis 
 cavalry), was detailed to clear Forrest from the line of communication back in Tennessee, and 
 marched after said command until it crossed tlie river at Florence on mussel shoals, at which 
 place there was a skirmishin which the Eighty-fifth was again in front and met with slight loss. 
 Then marcliing I don't know how many hundreds of miles, and wading rivers cold as Ice, the 
 command of which the Eighty-fifth was a component part reached Kingston, Ga., just in time 
 to tear up the railroad to Atlanta, and start on the left wing of the march to the Sea. 
 
 Was at Milledgeville at the session of the mock Legislature. Marched to Savannah and 
 took part in the capture of that city of revolutionary notoriety where the noble Pulaski fell. 
 Tlien, still occupying the left of Sherman's Army, started on the Carolina Campaigns wading 
 swamps covered with ice, where the tears were made to flow from the bravest of men by the 
 severity of the cold water. 
 
 The Eighty-flfth Regiment was a part of the Fourteenth Army Corps from its organization 
 until the close of the war, and performed its full share of duties, marches and battles of that 
 Corps, which duties history will show no Corps in the service excelled and few equalled. Was 
 present at the battle of Bentonville. the capture of Goldsboro and Raleigh and was doing 
 picket duty when Sherman met the Confederate delegates to arrange the conditions of sur- 
 render of Johnston's Army. Which act, when finally concluded, was followed by one of the 
 grandest and most trying marches that any army ever made, from Raleigh to Richmond. The 
 Eighty-fifth with the Foureenth Array Corps, being on outside, made a march of something 
 more than 35 miles per day for 7 successive days. From there to Washington, and took part in 
 the Grand Review at that place, rested a few days and was mustered out the .5th day of June, A. 
 D. 1865. Was sent to Springfield. 111., and was paid off apd sent back to friends and lionieon the 
 20th day of the .same moi^tli. 
 
 niSTORV OP THE EIGHTY SIXTH INFANTRY 
 
 The Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry was mustered into the service by Captain R. 
 C. Ewing, on the 27th day of August, 1862, at Camp Lyon, Peoria, 111., at which time it numbered 
 923 men, rank and file. 
 
 On the 7th of September, the Regiment embarked for Louisville, Ky., where it remained 
 until the 1st of October, when it joined in the pursuit of Bragg, under the command of General 
 Buell. On the 8th day of October was fought the battle of Chaplin Hills, or Perry ville, in which 
 the Eighty-sixth had the advance, and in a charge, there was 1 killed and 13 wounded. 
 
 October 11th, marched after Bragg, in his retreat to Crab Orchard, Ky.; then returned and 
 marched to Nashville, Tenn., arriving at Nashville November 7th. 
 
 June 30th, 1863, marched to Murfreesboro, Tenn.. and returned to Nashville July 18. 
 
 August 11. Colonel David D. Irons died, and on August 20 the Regiment left Nashville and 
 marched to Brentwood. Remained in that vicinity till August 28, then marched to Columbia, 
 Tenn. 
 
 September 4. marched to Huntsville, Ala . thence to Bridgeport, where we arrived Sep- 
 tember 14, crossed the river on pontoons, and marched to Chattonooga, Tenn., arriving there 
 September 16, and was assigned to the Reserve Corps, General Gordon Granger. 
 
 On September 19 and 20, participated in the battle of Chickamauga, losing one killed, four 
 wounded and one captured. 
 
 On September 25, crossed the Tennessee River, marched six miles up the river, and 
 guarded a ford till November 23, when the Regiment assisted General Sherman to float his 
 pontoons down the river at night, cross his army, capture a rebel post, and make the attack on 
 the north end of INIissionary Ridge ; then marched in pursuit of Bragg to Ringgold, Ga. . 
 
 On November 29, marched for Knoxville, Tenn.. to the relief of General Burnside, and 
 returned to Chattanooga. Crossed the Tennessee River, and occupied the old camp ground, 
 six miles above, on December 18. On tliis march one man was accidentally killed. 
 
 On the 26th day of December we recrossed the Tennessee River and encamped near Chick- 
 amauga Station. 
 
 In February, 1864, tlie Regiment joined in a reconnoissance, going as far as Buzzard Roost, 
 where it took part in the engagement of that name, losing one killed and seven wounded. 
 Then ireturned to camp where it staid until March 6, when marched to Lee's and Gordon's 
 Mills; (here on account of sickness Lieutenant Colonel D. W. Magee resigned, and Major 
 Allen L. Fahnestock was commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain J. F. Thomas as 
 Major). Stayed here till May 3, then marched to Ringgold, where General Sherman was con- 
 
 123 
 
centrating his grand army for the march upon Atlanta; left Ringgold on the 5th, and arrived 
 at Tunnel Hill the 7th. ^ ^ ^ ^ . .u 
 
 On the 10th of May, in the fight near Buzzard Roost, one man wounded; then moved to the 
 right through Snake Creek Gap, and on the 14th and 15th participated in the battle of Resaca, 
 Ga . losing four wounded and one missing. Moved from Resaca 16th, and arrived in Rome, Ga., 
 on the 17th; was in the fight at Rome, losing 5 killed and 13 wounded. 
 
 On May 24 marched from Rome to Dallas; had a skirmish having one man wounded and 
 one accidentally wounded ; then moved through Ackworth and arrived at Kenesaw June 15; 
 while in front of Kenesaw lost one killed and seven wounded. 
 
 In making a charge at Kenesaw on June 27, the Regiment lost 26 killed, 60 wounded and 
 12 missing, holding its position till the 2d day of July; during the interim it lost 2 killed and 7 
 
 wounded. , ^ ^ j v, 
 
 July 3. marched after the enemy to the Chattahoochee River, losing 2 men wounded, where 
 
 it arrived July 10. r^ ^ , 
 
 On July 18 moved up, crossed the river, and skirmished to Peach Tree Creek. 
 
 On the 19th, engaged in the battle of Peach Tree Creek, losing 4 killed and 11 wounded. 
 
 On July 32 marched in front of Atlanta. Ga. August 27, marched from Atlanta to Jones- 
 boro. Arriving at Jonesboro, engaged the enemy in battle at that place September 1, losing 2 
 killed and 13 wounded. ^ ^ . , 
 
 On September 4, guarded 1,600 prisoners from Jonesboro to Atlanta. Left Atlanta Sep- 
 tember 29 on the cars to Chattanooga, Tenn., thence to Stevenson, Ala.; from Stevenson to 
 Athens, Ala.; thence marched to Florence on the Tennessee River, and drove General Forrest 
 
 ^^'^° Left Florence October 10, for Chattanooga, arriving there on the 14th. On the 18th, 
 marched from Chattanooga to Lee's and Gordon's Jlills. Then moved after Hood's army to 
 near GalesviUe. Ala. ; then marched back to Rome, Ga...arriving there October 29. On October 
 31, marched to Kingston. Ga. 
 
 On November 8, started for Atlanta, Ga., arriving there on November 15. 
 
 On November 16 the Eighty-sixth took part in " Sherman's March to the Sea." sharmg in 
 all its perils and privations, reaching Savannah December 11, with the loss of one man wounded 
 and si.v captured. . 
 
 Left Savannah January 20, 1865, marched up, and crossed the Savannah River into South 
 Carolina; passed through Brighton and Barnwell District, arriving at Wilson February 12. a 
 small town on the Charleston and Augusta Railroad, and came to the South Edisto River, and 
 on the 14th crossed the North Edisto River. February 17, crossed the Saluda River near 
 Columbia, S. C, and crossed the Congaree River in the evening; arrived at the Cahawba River 
 
 ^ ^"on February 27, while obtaining forage, five members were captured by the rebels. On the 
 28th crossed the Cahawba River; crossed the State line into North Carolina March 4. 
 
 On March 7 crossed the Great Pee Dee River; arrived at Fayetteville, N. C, March IL 
 March 12 passed through Fayetteville. crossed the Cape Fear River, and engaged the enemy 
 near Averysboro. The loss in the engagement was two killed and three wounded. 
 
 On the 17th, marched to Bentonville, N. C; fought the battle on the 19th, gaining a com- 
 plete victory. The loss in this battle was 1 killed and 22 wounded. 
 
 March 22, started lor Goldsboro, N. C; passed Coxes Ferry and camped on the Neuse 
 River; on the 23d, arrived in Goldsboro, N. C. ^ ■,■,-, r^ ^ 
 
 On April 10, marched for Raleigh, N. C; arrived there April 13, then followed General 
 Johnston to the Cape Fear River. Remained there till the 21st, when marched to Holly Springs, 
 and on April 29 marched back to Raleigh, N C. ,, ,>• u^^n<i 
 
 On May 1, started on march for Richmond, Va., arriving there the 7th. Left Richmond, 
 May 11, arriving at Washington, D. C, May 19. 
 
 On May 24, participated in the Grand Review, and camped near the Soldiers Home. Was 
 mustered out of the service while there, on June 6, 1865. t^ ^^ t, 
 
 June 8, left Washington on the cars, passed through Baltimore, Md., and Pittsburg, Pa., 
 arriving in Chicago. 111., June 11. 
 
 On June 21. the Eighty-sixth received their pay and final discharge. Lett Chicago, ill., 
 wd arrivin- at Peoria. 111., 23d. As some were killed, and some wounded while on the march, 
 throu-h skirmishing, they were not included in this report, but by giving a summarized state- 
 ment.'the exact status of all killed, wounded, etc., up to the date of discharge, is disclosed, viz: 
 
 No. of commissioned officers killed in battle ^ 
 
 No. of officers who died from wounds ~ 
 
 No. of officers wounded in battle 
 
 No. of officers who died from disease 1 
 
 _..^.,.^..... 5 
 
 ]....... 1 
 
 52 
 
 No. of officers who resigned. 
 No. of officers discharged. . . . 
 
 No. of officers dismissed 
 
 No. of men killed in battle.. 
 
 124 
 
No. of men died of wounds 25 
 
 iSo. of men died of disease 85 
 
 No. of men wounded in battle 160 
 
 No. of men accidentally wounded 10 
 
 No. of men captured 33 
 
 No. of men deserted ^3 
 
 Total 432 
 
 The number of men who returned 359 
 
 The number of officers returned 29 
 
 Making a total of 388 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, ARMY OF GEORGIA. 
 Near Washington, D. C, June 2. 1865. 
 
 VIII. J n accordance with telegram order from War Department, dated May 18, 1865, the 
 enlisted men of the Eighty-sixth Illinois Infantry whose terms of service do not expire prior to 
 October 1, 1865, are hereby transferred to the Thirty fourth Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry. 
 By command of Brevet Major General J. C. Davis. 
 
 A. C. McCLURG. 
 A. A. G. and Chief of Staff. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH INFANTRY. 
 
 The One Hundred and Tenth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was organized at 
 Anna, 111., by Colonel Thomas S. Casey, in September, A. D. 1862, and was mustered into the 
 United States service September 11, 1862. by Captain Washington, of the Sixteenth Regular 
 Infiintry. 
 
 The Regiment was recruited from the counties of Jetferson, Washington, Wayne, Hamil- 
 ton, Saline. Franklin, Perry and Williamson. 
 
 On the 23d day of September, A. D. 1862, the Regiment was ordered to Louisville, Ivy., and 
 there was assigned to the Nineteenth Brigade, comprised of the Forty-first Ohio, Ninth Indiana. 
 Sixth and Twenty-seventh Kentucky Regiments, and commanded by Colonel W. B. Hazen. 
 The Brigade formed a part of the Fourth Division, General William Sooy Smith commanding. 
 Army of Ohio. 
 
 September 27, 1863, left Louisville in pursuit of the Rebel General Bragg, who had followed 
 General Buell from Nashville, Tenn., to Salt River, about forty miles from Louisville. The 
 march was by the way of Bardstown to Perryville. when the regiment with the Brigade was in 
 line of battle by noon on the 8th of October, 1863, and not more than two miles distant from 
 where the battle of Perryville was being fought. An advance was not ordered. The Regiment 
 lay in line of battle during the night and advanced in that order in the morning only to find 
 that during the night Bragg had retreated and escaped. 
 
 On the 11th day of October the Brigade encountered the enemy a mile in front of Danville. 
 A line of battle was formed and the rebels were driven through and beyond the town of Dan- 
 ville. This was the first skirmish that the Regiment was engaged in. The Regiment remained 
 near Danville until the 14th of October, and on that day moved toward Crab Orchard in pursuit 
 of the enemy. 
 
 On the 16th of October, not far from Mt. Vernon, Ky., the rear of the enemy was en- 
 countered drawn up in line of battle. The Nineteenth Brigade advanced in line of battle, and 
 after sharp skirmishing the rebels were driven from their position and retreated. 
 
 On the 15th and 16th of October the Regiment was continually skirmishing. On the night 
 of tae 16th the camp was at Big Rock Castle Creek. On the 17th moved to Wild Cat. On the 
 18th and 19th encamped at Petmau's Cross Roads, within forty-flve miles of Cumberland Gap. 
 From there the regiment returned to Camp Wild Cat. From there the Regiment moved by the 
 way of Somerset, Columbia, Glasgow and Gallatin to Nashville, Tenn., where it encamped on 
 the 7th day of November, 1862. 
 
 Of the campaign in Southeastern Kentucky, the Brigade Commander, Colonel (now Briga- 
 dier General) Hazen, in his report said: "It is proper to remark that during the entire cam- 
 paign, although we were destitute of many of the comforts usual in camp.-iigns, without tents, 
 often without sufficient food, through the most inclement weather, marches of almost unprece- 
 dented length. I have never heard a murmur, and have now to report a condition of health 
 better than ever before known in the Brigade, and a state of thorough discipline in the highest 
 degree satisfactory." 
 
 On the 2Gth of December the Regiment marched toward Murfreesboro. At Lavergne, the 
 Regiment came up with the rebels, and a considerable skirmish ensued. On the 27th marched 
 on the Jefferson pike and crossed Stewart Creek. 
 
 12.T 
 
On the 29th of December the Kegimeut was within three miles of Murf reesboro. and on the 
 30th in line of battle. 
 
 On the 31st eiig-aged in the battle of Stone River. In that battle the Regiment lost in 
 killed and wounded very heavily, Lieutenant Jesse G. Payne, of Company D,Ia' valiant and 
 brave ofHcer, being among- the killed. 
 
 The battle ground of the Regiment was exactly where the monument to "Hazen's Brigade" 
 now stands. On the night of the 31st the Regiment slept where it had fought during the day in 
 the extreme advance until the early dawn of the first day in January, when it took a position 
 on the bank of Stone River. 
 
 Of the conduct of the Regiment at the battle of Stone River the Brigade Commander said 
 it "displayed that fearless courage one admires in veterans." Of his Brigade he said: "Such 
 heroic service rendered their country this day. such heroic and daring valor justly entitles these 
 men to the profound respect of the people and the country." 
 
 After the battle of Stone River the Regiment with the remainder of the Brigade was 
 posted at Readyville. ten miles from Murfreesboro, on the extreme left of the army. 
 
 On the 3d day of April, breaking camp at 11 P. M., the Regiment participated in the attack 
 on the rebels at Woodbury, and in this expedition at daylight on the 3d of April, captured one 
 picket post consisting of thirty mounted rebels with their horses. One of the rebels captured 
 was a brother of one of the assistant surgeons of the Regiment. He was a mere boy, 17 years 
 old, who after being properly advised was sent back to his aged mother, who lived in the imme- 
 diate neighborhood. 
 
 In May, 1863, the Regiment being mucli reduced because of losses in battles, sickness and 
 discharges, was consolidated. After that the Regiment was engaged in the battles of Cliicka- 
 mauga, Missionary Ridge, the battles around Atlanta, and in the "March to the Sea," then in the 
 march north through the Carolinas and was at the surrender of General Johnston's Array, 
 Marched from there to Washington City, participated in the Grand Review ©f General Sher- 
 man's Army, and was there, on the 5th day of June, 1865, mustered out of the service. From 
 there the Regiment was moved by rail to Chicago, 111., where on the 1.5th dny of June it received 
 final payment and discharge. 
 
 ORDER OF CONSOLIDATION. 
 
 The consolidation of this Regiment was ordered by Paragraph 6, Special Field Orders 124, 
 Headquarters, Department of the Cumberland, May 7, 1863, and approved by Major General 
 John M. Palmer, which order is as follows: 
 
 "Major General Palmer, commanding Second Division, Twenty-first Array Corps, will 
 cause the consolidation of the One Hundred and Tenth Regiment Illinois Volunteers, under 
 the instructions contained in General Orders, No. 86, War Department, current series. The 
 ofiicei-s to be retained in the service will be selected by him. The Assistant Commissary of 
 Musters, Second Division. Twenty-first Army Corps, will muster out of service all officers ren- 
 dered supernumerary by the consolidation. 
 
 A report of the battalion as reorganized will be made to these Headquarters. 
 
 By command of Major General Rosecrans. 
 
 H. THRALL 
 Captain and A. A. G. 
 
 May S, 1863— Consolidations made, by reducing the Regiment to four (4) comi)anies. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS FOURTEENTH ARM^ CORPS, ARMY OF GEORGIA. 
 
 Near Washington, D. C, June 5. 186.5. 
 Special Orders, ( 
 
 No. 80. f Extract. 
 
 XVII. In accordance with telegram orders from War Department, dated May 18, 1865, the 
 men belonging to the One Hundred and Tenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, whose terms of ser- 
 vice do not expire prior to October 1, 1865, are hereby transferred to the Sixtieth Illinois Vet- 
 eran Volunteer Infantry. 
 
 By command of Brevet Major General J. C. Davis. 
 
 A. C. McCLURG, 
 -4. A. G. and Chief of Staff. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIFTH INFANTRY 
 
 The One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Infantry was formed of good war material, mainly 
 drawn from the rural precincts of Vermilion and Champaign counties, with a sprinkling of 
 mechanics, professional and laboring men. and clerks from the towns, practically all of whom 
 could read and write, so that the war and its possible retiuiremeuts were well comprehended by 
 them before enlistment. 
 
 126 
 
A briff rendezvous at Danville, the mustcr-in September 3, 1802, the e(iuipment, the sad 
 farewells, and tlie command moved to Cincinnati, thence across the Ohio to the heights above 
 Covington on the "neutral" ground of Kentucky, where it relieved a provisional regiment of 
 ■'squirrel hunters." Here the troops began their first military duties. Hitherto they had been 
 provided for by kind and patriotic friends, now they were dependent on the army ration, to be 
 eaten as cooked by novices in the culinary art. Here drill and dress parade, guard and picket 
 duty, and a semblance of discipline were imposed upon all. Here, too, that scourge of cai7ip 
 life, the measles, broke out and a largo number were so disabled as to necessitate their dis- 
 charge, others lingered in hospital and died, while a few so far recovered as to be returned to 
 their command. 
 
 September 25. the Regiment was ordered to Louisville by transports, where it arrived alter 
 tedious delays on the night of the 27th. On the 28th it was put in Brigade with the Fifty-second 
 Ohio, Eighty-fifth and Eighty-sixth Hlinois, Colonel Daniel McCook, of the Fifty-second Ohio 
 commanding, which organization it maintained until the end of the service, with the addition 
 afterward of the Twenty-second Indiana and the One Hundred and Tenth Illinois. 
 
 October 1, Buell's pursuit of Bragg began. Overtaking him near Perry ville on the 8th, 
 there occurred the bloody battle of that name, and though not hotly engaged the Regiment had 
 a splendid opportunity to witness the fierce struggle between others, get its first smell of hos- 
 tile powder, and to observe the difference between the sharp keen whistle of a minnie ball 
 and the fierce shriek of shot and shell. Divided in two parts, it was all day supporting bat- 
 teries, most of the time engaging the enemy. At near the close of the day the rebels made a 
 desperate final charge on these batteries, but were handsomely repulsed by a strong line of 
 infantry, and the Regiment was permitted ,to pursue flying fugitives and swell the shouts of 
 victory. 
 
 After Perryville, a meandering march took the Regiment to Nashville,Tenn., November 7, 
 1862, afterwards to Mill Creek, and then back again to Nashville about December 10, where it 
 remained as a part of the post forces until August, 1803, during the various duties incident to 
 post service. In the meantime the Regiment having good opportunity became thoroughly 
 drilled. Here too, those who had temporarily broken down on the Kentucky Campa:gn, or 
 were disabled from sickness and not discharged, were brought up, and by tlie time the com- 
 mand was required to leave Nashville it was in tine soldiery condition. 
 
 Forming a part of General Gordon Granger's reserve Corps, the Regiment left Nashville 
 Augusta. 1863, for the front, full of strength and hope and with commendable ardor for honor- 
 able service. Rosecrans' great army was in pursuit of Bragg and all available forces were to 
 follow. The route of the Regiment took it through Franklin, Columbia, Athens, Huntsville, 
 Bridgeport and over Lookout I\Iountain, to the battlefield of Ohickamauga, where, on the 
 morning of September 19, the whole Brigade came near being drawn in ambush and surrounded 
 at Reed's bridge. On the 20th, with General Granger's Corps, supporting Thomas' left, the 
 Regiment was under fire all of Sunday afternoon, and also on Monday at Rossville Gap. 
 
 Returning with the army to Chattanooga, and upon its subsequent reorganization, the 
 Brigade was assigned to the Second Division 'Of the Fourteenth Army Corps, commanded by 
 General Jeff. C. Davis, and was ever afterwards designated as the Third Brigade, and thereafter 
 took honorable part in all the marches, battles, skirmishes and sieges of i that justly famous 
 Corps, but want of space forbids an attempt to particularize. 
 
 The Regiment late in October, 1803, was encamped opposite the mouth of Chickamauga 
 River and furnished daily details to guard Uald wells Fort. About a week before the battle of 
 Missionary Ridge, two or three rebel batteries were silently planted on the south bluff of the 
 Tennessee and in excellent range of the regimental camp. Just at daylight the next morning, 
 and as if designed as an accompaniment to reveille these batteries opened a terrific fire, 
 hurling their shells in the midst of about 000 sleepy half dressed soldiers, not yet accustomed 
 to so peremptory order to "get up." Their guns were soon silenced, however, by our own 
 batteries, but not until they had killed the Regimental Chaplain, wounded others, and made 
 good hiding places at a premium for a few minutes. 
 
 Crossing the Tennessee on Sherman's pontoon November 24, the Regiment engaged in the 
 battle of Missionary Ridge November 25 and 20. Pursuing the enemy to Ringgold. Ga.. it 
 marched next day towards Knox ville to aid Burnside going as far as the Little Tennessee, and 
 learning that the enemy had raised the siege and fled, the Regiment returned, December 18, to 
 Chattanooga nearly barefoot and poorly clad, having accomplished a hard march in very severe 
 weather. 
 
 February 24 and 25, engaged in a reconnoissance with the main body of the army to 
 Buzzard Roost Gap in front of Dalton, and returning encamped at McAfee's Church and Lee 
 and Gordons Mills until May 3, occupied mainly in preparing for the more brilliant and useful 
 career still before it. 
 
 Thorough drill and wholesome discipline had given the troups a splendid moral but now 
 their best powers of endurance and highest courage were to he put to their severest test. The 
 Atlanta Campaign was to begin, with the destruction of the rebel army for its objective point. 
 
 127 
 
Sherman put the Union forces in motion May 3, and the enemy's resistance begran at once. 
 The Confederates under Johnston had a leader of such matchless skill that he was not likely to 
 leave any vanta^'e ground for a direct attack, and from Dalton to Jonesboro the One Hundred 
 and Twenty-fifth had reason to know that his followers possessed the fighting qualities of 
 heroes when the shock of battle came. 
 
 Kcnesaw Mountain was fought June 27, and the conspicuous part performed by the Regi- 
 ment in that bloody conflict entitles it to some special mention. The Brigade charged in 
 column of Regiment against Hardee's strongly protected fortifications, the One Hundred and 
 Twenty-flfth in advance, with supports on right and left. At a few minutes before 9 A. M., the 
 command "forward" was given, and the lines moved with marked precision, first at quick and 
 then at double-quick step, until, on reaching a descent they encountered a marshy creek, lined on 
 either side with shrubs and thickly matted vines. Already under the enemy's fire, the 
 command relieved itself as rapidly and orderly as possible from the confusion and again turn- 
 ing its face towards the foe, on and up the brave men rushed, with McCook, their gallant leader, 
 at their head, until, first encountering a line of abattis, then of Cheval de fnse, some of them 
 gained the parapet and struggled to scale the works. Here McCook fell, mortally wounded, and 
 Colonel Harmon, taking instant command, sought to encourage the wavering hopes of his 
 followers, and secure the victory that seemed so nearly and so worthily won, when a rebel 
 bullet pierced his lieart, and the remains were borne from the field. Shot and stoned down, 
 completely exhausted by the distance covered, and the Impetuosity of the charge, the brave 
 men who survived it reformed their lines a few steps to the rear, and partly under cover of the 
 hill, where they immediately began the construction of earthworks. The loss to the Regiment 
 was 120 killed and wounded in the short space of twenty minutes, nearly half of whom, includ- 
 ing five officers, were killed outright, and four officers wounded. 
 
 On the same day, Lieutenant Colonel Langley,, who had been serving on the Fourteenth 
 Corps staff, assumed command of the Regiment, and Colonel Dilworth, of the Eighty-fifth 
 Illinois, of the Brigade. 
 
 June 29th, the dead still lying in great numbers between the lines, were in such a state of 
 putrefaction as to have become offensive to both armies, when Colonel Langley, with nothing 
 whiter than a Chicago Tribune for a flag of truce, shook that red-hot war sheet in the face of 
 the enemy until they.ceased firing, and a truce was arranged for the burial of the dead. 
 
 On the morning of July 3d. the enemy having been again " flanked out " of a position from 
 ■which they COuld not be driven, the Regiment with others pursued through Marietta and on to 
 the Chattahoochee River, where, July 5, it helped drive him inside his strong works. 
 
 July 18, crossed the Chattahoochee on pontoon at Paces' Ferry, advanced against strong 
 skirmishing to Peach Tree Creek, where the Regiment fought on the 19th. and in a spirited 
 charge at dusk drove the enemy from a very commanding height, and from this point on 
 through the siege of Atlanta until the signal victory at Jonesboro September 1, the command 
 was practically under fire every hour. At Jonesboro the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth was 
 the center and guide Regiment in the assault, the Twenty-second Indiana on the right, and 
 Fifty-second Ohio on the left, with che Eighty-fifth, Eighty-sixth and One Hundred and 
 Tenth Illinois in second line. Just at the onset Colonel Dilworth was severely wounded and 
 the Brigade command fell to Lieutenant Colonel Langley who led a most daring charge over 
 the strong works and right into the heart of the enemy's camp, capturing in connection with 
 the Second Brigade on the left an entire rebel Brigade, its general and staff, numljering in all 
 about 1,700 men and a battery of four guns. This movement in connection with others so 
 effectually broke the enemy's lines that he withdrew his remaining forces under the cover of 
 night. Jonesboro proved the fall of Atlanta, for early next morning Hood moved out and with 
 the Twentieth Corps our Slocum marched in. 
 
 A short rest at Atlanta and the Regiment with the Division^made a long and laborious 
 raid as far as Florence, Ala., in pursuit of Forrest's Cavalry, returning to Atlanta November 14 
 and on the 16th started with Siierman in his famous march to the sea, in which latter enter- 
 prise the Regiment did its full share of duty, procured and consumed its full share of subsist- 
 ence. Another rest at Savannah and Sherman's avenging hosts were turned loose on the 
 " sacred soil " of South Carolina, and in thoroughly " subjugating " that State it would be safe 
 to say the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth was behind no other regiment. In North Carolina 
 its progress was checked on the IBth of March, 1865, at Averysboro, and stubbornly resisted on 
 the 19th, 20th and 21st, at Bentonville. The fighting at the latter place, especially on the 19th, 
 was very severe, a full share of which fell on the Regiment, when it not only well sustained its 
 past reputation for courage, but justly added new laurels to its victorious crown. 
 
 Goldsboro was reached March 23, and on the 10th of April, amid the shouts of joy over 
 Richmond's fall the last hostile march was begun and ended on the 26th day of the same 
 month, with the surrender of Johnston and his entire army to the government whose authority 
 they liad defied and whose flag they had so wantonly insulted. 
 
 A peaceful "on to Richmond" from the South, then to Washington, the " grand review " 
 the muster out June 9. 1865, the homeward ride to Chicago, the cordial welcome, the final pay- 
 ment and discharge, the good-bye grasp of comrades whose souls were knit together and welded 
 
 128 
 
in the tires of battle were amous tlie closing scenes of a great militarj' tlrania. iu which llie One 
 Hundred and Twenty-fifth Infantry bore an honorable part. Ilencefortli it lives only in history 
 and memory. 
 
 The casualty list of the regiment is exceptionally large and the graves of its honored 
 dead mark its meandering march from Covington, Ky., to Raleigh. North Carolina, and with 
 thoseof our revolutionary fathers will ever remain the heritage of a grateful and patriotic 
 people. 
 
 HISTORY OF BATTERY "I" 2d REGT. ILL. VOL. LIGHT AKTILLERY. 
 
 Battery I was recruited in Will county, and was mustered into the United States service 
 at Camp Butler, December 31. ISiil. 
 
 The Battery remained at Camp Butler until February 7. 1S62, when it was ordered to Cairo. 
 It took part in the siege of Island Number 10, under General Pope. Upon the surrender of the 
 Island General Pope's command was ordered to Harrisburg Landing, Tenn. Upon its arrival 
 there it took an active part in the advance upon Corinth and was in several engagements prior 
 to the evacuation of the place, among which was Blackland and Farmington. After the evacua- 
 tion ol Corinth tlie Battery went into Camp at Rienzi. Miss., for the summer, in General Asboth's 
 command. September iJth, the Battery moved with General Gordon Granger's command to 
 Cincinnati, arriving there September 12th. From thence it proceeded to Louisville and was 
 assigned to General Sheridan's Division and started in pursuit of General Bragg, about October 
 1st. October 6th we went into action at daybreak at Perry ville, Ky., and was under Are until 
 dark. The Battery had four men wounded in that figlit. From Perryville we moved to Nash- 
 ville. On the 10th of December the Brigade to which the Battery was attached (Colonel Dan 
 McCook's) was relieved from duty under Sheridan and ordered to garrison, Nashville. 
 
 June 30, 1863, the Brigade was ordered to Murfreesboro and was stationed there one month 
 and was then ordered back to Nashville. Auerust 30th it left Nashville with the Second Bri- 
 gade. Second Division, and marched by way of Columbia, Tennessee. Athens and Huntsville to 
 Bridceport, Alabama. September 13tb, went lntocamp*at Rossville, Ga.. and took an active 
 part in the battle of Chickamauga. Fell back to Chattanooga and went into camp at the mouth 
 of North Chickamauga Creek with Dan McCook's Brigade. Took part in Lookout Mountain 
 fight, Mission Ridge and Chnttanooga. 
 
 .January 1, 186-1, all ot the old members were mustered out and re-mustered in as veterans, 
 and arrived at Spriugfleld. III.. January 16, where they were given thirty days' furlough and 
 ordered to report for duty at Joliet. Ill . 
 
 The roster of the Battery was then as follows : 
 
 Captain Chas. M. Barnett. 
 
 Senior First Lieutenant Henry B. Plant. 
 
 Junior First Lieuten:uit Alonzo M. Coe. 
 
 Senior Second Lieutenant Judson Rich. 
 
 Junior Second Lieutenant Chas. McDonald. 
 
 Lieutenants Hayward and Halglit having resigned while we were in camp at Nash- 
 ville, Tenn. 
 
 The Battery left .loliet March 4. 1864, for Chattanooga, Tenn. Shortly after its arrival at 
 Chattanooga, it was assigned to its old Division (Second) in the Fourteenth Army Corps. 
 General Jeff. C. Davis commanding, Captain Barnett being appointed Chief of Artillery of 
 the Division. 
 
 May 6, 1864, started on the Georgia campaign, and took a prominent part up to the taking 
 of Atlanta, the last battle being Jonesboro. 
 
 November 7, 1864, Captain Barnett resigned, and the command fell to Lieutenant Coe. 
 
 The Battery marched from Atlanta to Savannah. Ga., and wiiile shelling a rebel battery 
 some fifteen miles from Savannah, Lieutenant Coe was killed by a shell from the rebel battery. 
 From Savannah it proceeded with Sherman's Army through South iind Norl h Carolina, and was 
 in every engagement that the Fourteenth Army Corps was in. 
 
 Upon the surrender of General Johnston's Army, it proceeded to NVashington and took 
 part in the grand review, and from there was ordered to Springfield, 111., to be mustered out of 
 service. Upon it being mustered out the roster of the Battery was as follows : 
 
 Captain Judson Rich. 
 
 First Lieutenant George T. Ward. 
 
 Second Lieutenant Chas. McDonald. 
 
HISTORY OF THE TWENTY-SECOND REGIMENT INDIANA VOLCNTEER INFANTRY. 
 
 The 22d Indiana was organized, when mustered into the service, August 15, ISfil. It 
 numbered 1024 men. being recruited from the counties of Clarlc, Scott, Jefferson, Brown. 
 Washington, Floyd, Bartholemew, Jackson and Jennings. Jeff. C. Davis commanding. 
 
 In the reorganization of the army in and around Chattanooga in 1863, the 22d was assigned 
 to Col- Dan McCook's brigade, and remained with it until the disbanding of the brigade after 
 the grand review at Washington. The regiment lost heavily at Kenesaw and Peach Tree 
 Creek. During its service it had 1879 men on its rolls: of these 134 were killed in battle, 21 died 
 of wounds, 200 names are recorded on the rolls as having died in hospitals bydi.sease contracted 
 in line of duty. During its four years of service it received 891 recruits. The 32d could be 
 depended upon in a fight, and among its colonels who commanded it appear the names of Jeff. 
 C. Davis, Michael Gooding. William M. Wiles, and Thomas Sliea. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT OF OHIO YOLUNTEER INFANTRY. 
 
 This Regiment was organized at Camp Dennison. Ohio, in August, 1862, to serve three 
 years. It was mustered out June 3, 1865, at Columbus. Ohio. 
 
 On the 2.5th day of August it crossed the Ohio River at Cincinnati, with 981 men, 14 field 
 and staff officers and 28 line officers, making a total of 1.023 men. 
 
 When the Atlanta campaign opened, the 52d rolls showed 519 officers and men for duty, 263 
 of whom were killed or wounded before Atlanta was taken. The 52d was the Nestor, so to 
 speak, of "Col. Dan McCook's fighting brigade," and it felt for the other regiments of the 
 brigade that fraternal interest which comes from association and trials in the field, and on the 
 battle hne. The 52d knew that when in a close place the other regiments could be relied upon 
 to come to its rescue and succor, and it is one of the boasts of the .52d tliat it " touched elbows" 
 with them on every field. There was never an instance of discrimination by the Colonel in its 
 favor. As its casualty lists show, it had the post of danger, its full share, and good fellowship 
 between itself and each of the other regiments of the brigade was unbroken while they stood 
 shoulder to shoulder and remains unabated among the survivors, including Battery I, to 
 this day. 
 
 Colonel Daniel McCook, Brigadier-General of Volunteers, was its first Colonel. It was 
 commanded for a short period, about five months, by Lieutenant-Col. D. D. T. Cowan, for a 
 longer time, about twelve months, by Col. Charles W. Clancey, and for about seventeen mouths 
 by Colonel James Taylor Holmes. 
 
 The official list of battles, in which the 52d bore an honorable part will be found recorded 
 In this book and it is believed to be correct. 
 
 In its sweep from start to finish its regimental tiags fluttered in the breezes over ten 
 states of the L'nion. six of them in open, active rebellion ; Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, 
 Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia. 
 
 GE.VERAL .JEFF. C. DAVIS' 14th ARMY CORPS. 
 
 An examination of the official reports shows that the 52d Ohio sustained a greater number 
 of causualties than any other regiment of the Fourteenth Army Corps, during the Atlanta 
 campaign; the next highest regiment was the 23d Indiana, the causualties in which amounted 
 to 231. 
 
 On pages 643 and 717,-72, W. R., the following losses by regiments during the Atlanta 
 campaign are shown; viz: 
 
 52d Ohio, Col. Dan McCook's Brigade 253 
 
 22d Indiana, " " " 231 
 
 125th Illinois." " " 206 
 
 78th Illinois, Col. John G. Mitchell's Brigade 205 
 
 121st Ohio. " " " " 214 
 
 ASSAULT ON KENESAW— WAS IT NECESSARY? 
 
 (iE.NEBAL SHERMAN'S VIEW. 
 
 A short review will refresh our memories, and the following copied from the War Depart- 
 ment Records and other sources, the names of the authors of which are given. I quote the fol- 
 lowing extract from a letter to General Grant from General Sherman : 
 
 -In the Field, June IS, 1864. * * * * 
 
 "My chief trouble is with the Army of the Cumberland, which is dreadfully slow. A fresh 
 furrow in a plowed field will stop the whole column and all will begin to entrench." 
 
 130 
 
On July 9tli to Halleck he wrote, referring to Kenesaw, "The assault I made was no mis- 
 take: I had to do it. The enemy and our own army and officers had settled down into the con- 
 viction that the assault of lines formed no part of my game and tlie moment the enemy was 
 found behind anything- like a parapet why everyijody would deploy, throw up counter-works 
 and take it easy, leaving- it to the "old man" to turn tiie position. Had the assault been made 
 with one-fourth more vigor, mathematically. I would have put the head of George Thomas' 
 whole army right through Johnston's deployed lines on the best ground for go ahead, while my 
 entire forces were well in hand on roads converging to ray then object. Marietta. Had Harker 
 and McCook not been struck down so early the assault would have succeeded, and then the 
 battle would have been in our favor on account of our superior numbers, position and initiative. 
 
 On July 12 General Sherman wrote to General Grant. 
 
 "I regarded an assault on the 2Tth of June necessary for two reasons; first, because tlie 
 enemy as well as my own army had settled down into the lielief that flanking alone was my 
 game; and second, on that day and ground, had the assault succeeded, I could have Ijroken 
 Johnston's center and pushed his army back in confusion, and with great loss to his bridges over 
 the Chattahoochee. We lost nothing in morale by the assault for I followed it up on the e.xtreme 
 right and compelled him to quit the very strong lines of Kenesaw, Smyrna Camp and the Chat- 
 tahoochee in quick succession." 
 
 Thomas to Sherman, June 27, 10:4.3 a. m.: 
 
 Yours received. General Harker's brigade advanced to within twenty paces of the ene- 
 my's breastworks, and was repulsed by canister at that range, General Harker losing an arm 
 General Wagner's brigade, of Newton's division, supporting General Harker, was so severely 
 handled that it is compelled to reorganize. Colonel Mitchell's brigade, of Davis' division cap- 
 tured one line of rebel breastworks, which they still hold. McCook's brigade was also very 
 severely handled, nearly every colonel being killed or wounded. Colonel McCook wounded. It 
 is compelled to fall back and reorganize.* The troops are too much exhausted to advance, 
 but we hold all we have gained. 
 
 *McCnok'g Briijade did not fall hack. It made a lodgement at the enemy's works and held them. 
 
 Note by J. B. W. 
 
 Sherman to Thomas, 11:45 a. m.: 
 
 McPherson's column reached near the top of the hill through very tangled brush, but was 
 repulsed. It is found almost impossible to deploy, but they still hold the ground. I wish you 
 to study well the position, and if it be possible to break the line, do it ; it is easier now than here- 
 after. Hold fast all you make. I hear Loggett's guns well behind the mountain. 
 
 This order for a second assault was conditional. Later at 1:30 p m. another dispatch shows 
 a decision to have General McPherson make an assault if General Thomas would give any 
 encouragement. 
 
 To General Thomas he said: 
 
 McPherson and Schofield are at a deadlock. Do you think you can carry any part of the 
 enemy's line to-day? McPherson's men are up to the abattis and can't move without the direct 
 assault. I will order the assault if you think you can succeed at any point. Schofield has one 
 division close up on the Powder Springs road, and the other across Olley's Creek, about two 
 miles to his right and rear. 
 
 Thomas to Sherman, 1:40 p. m.: 
 
 Davis' two brigades are now within si.xty yards of the enemy's entrenchments. Davis 
 reports that lie does not think he can carry the works by assault on account of the steepness of 
 the hill, but he can hold his position, put in one or two batteries to-night, and probably drive 
 them out to-morrow morning. General Howard reports the same. Their works are from six to 
 seven feet high and nine feel thick. In front of Howard they have a very strong abattis. Davis' 
 loss in officers has been very heavy. Nearly all the field officers in McCook's brigade, with 
 McCook, have been killed or wounded. From what the officers tell me I do not think we can 
 carry the works by assault at this point to-day, Ijut they can be approached by saps and the 
 enemy driven out. 
 
 Sherman to Thomas, 2:-25 p. m. 
 
 Secure what advantageous ground you have gained. But is there anything in the enemy's 
 present position that If we should approach by regular saps he could not make a dozen new 
 parapets before one sap is completed? Does the nature of the ground warrant the time neces- 
 sary for regular approaches? 
 
 ***♦**♦******•♦ 
 
 Two attempts to carry the enemy's fortified position had failed. The results to Colonel 
 Dan McCook's brigade were most fatal. 
 
 131 
 
Boynton adds: At 5 o'clock General Sherman had under consideration the making of 
 another assault. General Tliomas, upon learning of this purpose, dictated to General Sher- 
 man this note, as it is recollected by the member of his staff who afterwards repeated it: 
 '•The Army of the Cumberland has already made two desperate, bloody and unsuccessful 
 assaults on this mountain; if a third is ordered, it will, in my opinion, result in demoralizing 
 this army, and will, if made, be against my best judgment aud most earnest protest." 
 
 At 6 P. M. General Thomas reported to General Sherman: 
 
 General— The assault of the enemy's works in my front was well arranged, and the officers 
 and men went to their work with the greatest coolness and gallantry. The failure to carry 
 them is only due to the strength of the works, and to the fact that they were well manned, 
 thereby enabling the enemy to hold them against the assault. We have lost nearly 2,000 officers 
 and men. among them two brigade commanders, General Harker, commanding a brigade in 
 Newton's division, and Colonel Dan McCook, commanding a brigade in .Teff. Davis division, 
 both reported to be mortally wounded, besides some six or eight field officers Icilled. Both Gen- 
 eral Harker and Colonel ;McCook were wounded on the enemy's breastworks, and all say had 
 they not been wounded we would have driven the enemy from his works. Both Generals 
 Howard and Palmer think they can And favorable positions on their lines for placing batteries 
 for enfilading the enemy's works. We took between 90 and 100 prisoners. 
 
 General Sherman's reply to Thomas: 
 
 General Thomas :-~Let your troops fortify as close up to the enemy as possible. Get good 
 positions for artillery and group your command as conveniently as you can by corps and 
 divisions, keeping reserves. Schofield has the Sandtown road within eleven miles of the Chat- 
 tahoochee, and we could move by that flank. The question of supplies will be the only one. I 
 regret beyond measure the loss of two such young and dashing officers as Harker and McCook. 
 McPherson lost two or three of his young and dashing officers, which is apt to be the case in 
 unsuccessful assaults. Had we broken the line to-day. it would have been most decisive, but 
 as it is our loss is small compared with some of those East. It should not in the least discour- 
 age us. At times assaults are necessary and inevitable. At Arkansas Post we succeeded; at 
 Vicksburg we failed. I do not think our loss to-day greater than Johnston's when he attacked 
 Hooker and Schofield the first day we occupied our present ground. 
 
 General Sherman here indicates a resumption of the "old man's" policy of turning John- 
 ston's position. 
 
 At 9 P. M. he asked General Thomas : 
 
 "Are you willing to risk the move on Fulton, cutting loose from our railroad ? It would 
 bring matters to a crisis and Schofield has secured the way." 
 
 General Thomas replied as follows : 
 
 "What force do you think of moving with? If with the greater part of the army, I think 
 it decidedly better than butting up against breastworks twelve feet thick and strongly 
 abbatised. 
 
 [Page SS", No. 73 War Records.] 
 
 ANOTHER VIEW. 
 
 The assault on Kenesaw, as talked about in those days by the men of Col. Dan McOook's 
 brigade, should not be mentioned now; however. I deem it worthy of space here to give the fol- 
 lowing extracts from 
 General Geobge H. Thomas. A Cbitical Biography; by Donn Piatt, with COiVCluding 
 
 Chapters by Henry V. Boynton. 
 
 ♦Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Co , l8i):i 
 
 Extracts from the Life of Thomas, Atlanta Campaign, pp. 541-544. 
 
 ••The needless assault, made, as is now known, against general and earnest protest from the 
 leading officers of two of his armies, had cost over two thousand men. These prudent, yet able 
 and vigorous commanders, were both sickened and enraged at this useless sacrifice of brave 
 men. But, strong as such feelings were at the time with those who understood the situation, 
 they must be intensified with all who learn the real reasons which led to the orders for this as- 
 sault on impregnable Kenesaw. These were given to the writer by General Logan something 
 more than two years before his death, under the obligation not to make them public at that 
 time. A year later, he went over the details again with care, in order that they might be accu- 
 rately stated, and later still agreed, after a third statement of the facts as he knew them, that 
 
 132 
 
they might be used as from a corps commander, but without liis name, lest General Sherman 
 should suppose that he had told ihe story by way of revensre tor the failure to make him the 
 commander of the Army of the Tennessee after the death of McPherson. 
 
 "As the story turns upon the results of General Grant's campaign in the East, it becomes 
 necessary to pass that rapidly in review. 
 
 "The Army of the Potomac, under General Meade, in accordance with tlie plan for a simul- 
 taneous movement of all the armies, had crossed the Kapidan, May 4th, and moved into the 
 Wilderness towards Lee's fianlc. On the 5th he was attacked by Lee, and the bloody battles of 
 the Wilderness and Spottsylvauia inaugurated the campaign of attrition. These battles, with 
 their tremendous losses, had forced Grant to move by his left and seek in that direction a 
 junction with the army of the James. This was accomplished after the terrible and needless 
 slaughter of Cold Harbor, whose story of killed and wounded, and of wounded in great numbers 
 lying unsuccored for three days between the lines until, as General Grant himself writes, all 
 but two had died, forms one of the most sickening chapters of the war's butcheries. It had 
 been a repetition of the Vicksburg assault, with its failure, and the subseciuent horrible suffer- 
 ings of the wounded left helpless between the lines. But through these horrors, at the cost ot 
 forty thousand men. General Grant had reached the James, crossed it, and pressed on into the 
 rear of Petersburg, and the country was ringing with applause at the sight of the combined 
 eastern ai'mies working vigorously toward the Confederate capital. 
 
 '• "It was the glowing accounts which the newspapers brought of these operations south of 
 the James,' said General Logan, 'which determined Sherman to order an assault upon Kene- 
 saw Mountain.' 'For this reason,' continued the General, 'it was worse than a blunder or a 
 butchery. Let me tell you the story as I know it.' General Logan then went on to say, that, being 
 with General MePherson in General Sherman's tent, the night before the orders for the assault 
 on the mountain were given. General Sherman became absorbed in an examination of the news- 
 papers which had arrived filled with the details of the great movements south of the James, 
 and in the rear of and beyond Petersburg. Suddenly. General Sherman said that his army liad 
 got to do some fighting, that the whole attention of the country was fixed on the Army of the 
 Potomac, and his army seemed to be entirely forgotten. Now it should fight. He would to-mor- 
 row give orders for an assault on the mountain. At this General MePherson said quietly that 
 there was no necessity for such a step, and he could not really bo entertaining the plan, since 
 Johnston could be easily flanked out of the position, while to assault it would cost dearly in 
 men. General Sherman replied to this by repeating his first declaration in a more emphatic 
 form, saying that he could not fail to take notice of the fact that the Army of the Potomac was 
 overshadowing him, and that all the applause of the country was lavished on the Eastern 
 armies. General Logan, seeing that General Sherman was in earnest, then said in most decided 
 terms that to assault would be to sacrifice brave men without need, and he had no right to order 
 it. General MePherson joined in with the most vigorous protest supporting General Logan in 
 the position that the order would involve needless slaughter, and be in its essence the butchery 
 and murder of his soldiers. Neither could move him, though both continued to protest, and to 
 restate their reasons. General Sherman, howe%x'r. persisted, saying that it was necessary to 
 show the country that his troops could fight as well as Grant's, and he would order the a.s- 
 sault, and he did. 
 
 •"On the 24th of June the order was issued directing the attack on the mountain to be 
 made on the STtli. General Thomas opposed it. General Schofield was against it, and the posi- 
 tiun of General MePherson is related above. 
 
 "To make this murderous order worse, three days before it was issued. Hood's corps, which 
 had confronte i the Army of the Tennessee and blocked its way to Marietta on the Confederate 
 right, was withdrawn to the extreme left to oppose Schofield's vigorous flank movement Iri that 
 quarter, leaving cavalry only in McPherson's front. It was a move of great hazard for Johnston, 
 but he was often compelled to such risks because he was continually operating in the face of 
 double his numbers. Had MePherson at this juncture, or at any time for the week preceding 
 the bloody attack on the mountain, been allowed to move directly on Marietta, a battle under 
 most unfavorat)le conditions for Johnston, or a hasty and disorderly retreat would have fol- 
 lowed. This MePherson clearly saw. and General Thomas favored such a retreat. 
 
 "But, the third day :ifter Johnston had left the lineot easy advance on Marietta open, came 
 the order for preparing to assault Kenesaw three days later. Nor was this situation a matter of 
 ignorance on the part of General Sherman. The day after Hardee had been withdrawn from in 
 front of MePherson, General Thomas urged a movement on Marietta by the Army of the Ten- 
 nessee, supported by a suiHcient force from the Army of the Cumberland. But nothing could 
 move the commanding general, and. instead of a movement presenting only very ordinary diffi- 
 culties, with an assured success which would have easily thrown Johnston back of Marietta, the 
 order for an attack upon a mountain, strony by nature, and rendered impregnahle by a veteran 
 army skilled in field fortification, was persisted in. There were no military reasons for it. On 
 the contrary, every sound consideration was against it. and all his leading officers were opposed 
 to it. Only such reasons as General Logan discovers could explain it. 
 
 133 
 
" From the 24th to the morning of the 2rth of June the army was busy perparing for the as- 
 sault. The hrunt of it was to fall on the Army of the Cumberland supported by a demonstra- 
 tion to its left by troops from the Army of the Tennessee. The mountain range was rocky, 
 precipitous, and thickly timbered. The enemy's line of works was screened by the forests, and 
 when reached, was found, as was to be certainly expected, protected by slashings of timber and 
 many forms of rude entanglements. Both the assaulting columns of the Army of the Cumber- 
 land and the Army of the Tennessee moved to their work as testified by General Thomas, and 
 as illustrated by General McPherson's movements, ' with the greatest coolness and gallantry.' " 
 
 EXTRACT FROM JOURNAL OF FOURTH ARMY CORPS, MAJOR-GENERAL O. O. 
 HOWARD COMMANDING. 
 
 1864. 
 June 2rth. 
 A.M. 
 
 9:10. Received word from General Thomas to push ahead. 
 
 9:25. General Barker sends a report (he is front) that Davis' division, which is on our right 
 and is moving conjointly with us, is giinn£- way. Report sent at once to General 
 Thomas. General Harker also reports that the enemy's works are formidable. 
 9:30. Colonel Bradley in command of Barker's brigade. Sends word by Colonel Opdyke that 
 General Harker has just been mortally wounded. . . . that the brigade cannot 
 move any farther, though be is trying to work his way up. . . . but the liead of his 
 column is all smashed up and disorganized. 
 9:40. Colonel Opdyke reports that the head of Wagner's brigade is broken up; that the brigade 
 is within a few feet of the enemy's works, and that a well organized column could be led 
 through it over the enemy's works. General Newton at once .sent word to General 
 Kimball to oblique Ms brigade to the rear of Wagner's and to rush it right through. 
 9:50. Reported to General Thomas that in this first assault we failed to carry the works. 
 10:07. Received orders from General Thomas to make another attack. Kimball is preparing 
 
 for it. 
 10:25. Colonel Bradley reports a large force of the enemy moving to our left. 
 10 :30. Kimball made an assault; got up to the enemy's works, but as he had no support, he was 
 
 obliged to fall back. 
 11:00. Our troops have fallen back to the position they held this a. m.. but our skirmish line 
 
 holds the skirmish rifle-pits that we took from the enemy. 
 11:30. Reported the results to General Thomas by staff officer. 
 
 11:35. General Thomas sent word to General Howard that Davis thought that he could take the 
 enemy's works on his left, and he had sent a reconnoitering party to see whether it 
 could be done. If It could, the attack would be made, and General Howard must 
 support him with the forces on our right. He also wished a main line established, with 
 works where our picket line now is, if possible. 
 P.M. 
 
 1:00. It was decided not to make another assault. 
 
 1:45. Received word from General Thomas asking General Howard whether there is any point 
 of the enemy's works in our front that can be assaulted this afternoon with any show 
 of success. 
 2:00. Asked opinions of division commanders. 
 
 2:40. Sent word to General Thomas, informing him that General Howard knew of no more 
 favorable points of approach to the enemy's lines than the point assaulted by General 
 Newton this a. m. 
 3:30. Reports from division commanders: 1st. General Stanley from observation, etc., is 
 satisfied that the chances are against a successful assault in his front. 2d. General 
 Newton, from reports and observation, considers it impossible to successfully assault 
 the works In his front. 3d. General Wood gives reasons why an assault should not be 
 made in his front. 
 
 INote—The italics are not in the original journal.] 
 
 134 
 
EXPLANATORY. 
 
 TO COL. DAN McCOOK'S BRIGADE. 
 
 CoMKADEs:— Originally the scope and purpose of this book was to record 
 the minutes of the first re-uniou of Col. Dan McCoolc's 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 
 14 A. C Army of the Cumberland, held at Chicago, 111., Aug. 27-29, 1900, and to 
 include sketches of the lives and services of its commanders. To this was added 
 sketches from eye witnesses and participants in the assault of Kekesaw 
 Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864, and some brief accounts of the men and officers 
 in the assault, so far as Col. Dan McCook's 3d Brigade was concerned. 
 
 Of the Regimental Commanders of McCook's Brigade, so far as I am 
 advised, only two survive, i. e., Col. Allen L. Fahnestock, 86th Illinois, 
 of Glassford, 111., and Col. J. T. Holmes, 52d Ohio, of Columbus, Ohio. Of 
 the Brigade Commanders Col. James W. Langley, 125th Illinois, of Seattle, 
 Wash., is the only one now living. 
 
 The sketches presented of the lives and services of the Commanders and 
 Comrades of the "Old Tiiihd Brigade" have been gathered from all avail- 
 able sources and the official records of the War Department. The future 
 historian will accord to all recognition as patriots who did their full duty. It 
 has been your pleasure to testify in these pages that in all your marches, your 
 skirmishes and battles they "touched elbows" and faced the enemy and death 
 with you. They never flinched on any field. 
 
 Relative to the spot where Col. Dan McCook was mortally wounded at 
 Kenesaw, there were conflicting statements. When sifted down the answer 
 was, "I did not see him fall, but it was reported he fell before reaching the 
 works." To settle beyond dispute this question the statement of participants 
 and the men who carried him off the field is made a part of this record. 
 
 There were, also, conflicting statements as to the date of his death. The 
 Historical Sketch of the " Fighting McCooks," p. 8, says he died July 21, 1864. 
 "The History of the Upper Ohio Valley" says he died July 18, 1864. N. B. 
 Stewart, in "Dan McCook's Regiment, 52d O. V. I.'" p. 205, says he died in 
 Steubenville, Ohio, on July 17, 1864. 
 
 To decide and settle beyond question the date of his death I submit the 
 following:— 
 
 Colonel Holmes, 52d Ohio, says: "The announcement of Col. Dan McCook's 
 death came to us July 19, 1S64, just before we crossed the creek and began the 
 'Peach Tree Charge.' He died on the 17th of July, 1864." 
 
 Lieut. Sylvester L. Brice, 52d Ohio, says: "The Daily Intelligencer of Wheel- 
 ing, W. Va., of July 18, 1864, says— 'Col. Daniel McCook, one of the bravest and 
 most daring of the 'Fighting McCook' family, died yesterday at Steubenville, 
 Ohio, from wounds received while gallantly leading his brigade in the dreadful 
 charge on Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 27th.' The same paper of July 22d, 
 says—' Col. Daniel McCook's remains were interred at Spring Grove Cemetery, 
 Cincinnati. Ohio, yesterday, along with those of his father and brother. Gen. 
 Robert McCook.' " 
 
 John p. Means, Mayor and President of the Board of Health of Steubenville, 
 Ohio, under date of June 4, 1901, says: "The records of this city show that 
 Col. Daniel McCook died at the home of his brother, Col. Geo. AV. McCook, 
 Sunday, July 17, 1864.'" 
 
 Joseph B. Doyle, editor Herald and Star, Steubenville, Ohio, says: "I find 
 in the Baity Herald of Monday, July 18, 1864, the following article—' Brig.-Gen. 
 Daniel McCook breathed his last at the residence of Col. George W. McCook, 
 this city, yesterday, Sunday, July 17, 1864. He died from the effects of a wound 
 received at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., on the 27th of June, ult., etc' 
 From the Daily Herald of Tuesday .1 uly 19th, we have the following— 'The remains 
 of Brig.-Gen. Daniel McCook, who died in this city Sunday, were taken to Cincin- 
 nati yesterday, Monday, evening for interment.'" He adds: "Col. George W. 
 McCook, whose name is mentioned above, occupied the 'McCook Mansion,' 
 where Daniel McCook died, No. 545 N. Seventh street, Steubenville, Ohio." 
 
 135 
 
THE ASSAULT ON KENESAW. 
 WAS IT NECESSARY? 
 
 Some one, some time, impartial and unprejudiced, ought to compile and 
 write the full history of the part taken by the Third Brigade, Second Division, 
 Fourteenth Army Corps, Arniy of the Cumberland, in the assault of "Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Ga., June 27, 1864." Nay, it should embrace the parts taken by the 
 officers and men of Barker's brigade on the left and Mitchell's brigade on the 
 right. It should be thorough and comprehensive, and made from the standpoint 
 of a military critic of recognized abilily. 
 
 In the quotations copied from the War Department Records General 
 Sherman has given his side of the justitication, the wisdom, the excuse, the 
 results secured. That from the "Life of Thomas, by Donn Piatt," quoting 
 General Logan, presents the reasons in a different aspect. 
 
 At the time of the assault, Col. Dan. McCook's Ijrigade had participated in 
 Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga. Mission Ridge and Knoxville Campaign, 
 and had fought almost daily from ]May 1st to that hot June day of Kenesaw. 
 "Buzzard Roost," ''Resaca," "Rome" and "Dallas," were then inscribed upon 
 their colors ; they were entitled to be classed as veterans ; their service and 
 experience enabled them to form close judgments as to the chances of success. 
 Comrade Funston, 52d Ohio, on page 29, says, "Anyone who was present that 
 morning will remember the serious countenances the company officers carried 
 upon their return to their companies. While they had been in battle many 
 times before, yet this was the most serious and momentous morning of 
 their lives." 
 
 The men lying there in line, waiting for the signal guns, knew that the 
 chances were many to one against their carrying the "Dead Angle:"" somebody 
 ought to have known enough to have given them an even chance. They knew 
 enough to appreciate keenly that they would "catch hell over in them woods," 
 and said so. Funston says, "they were young then, full of courage and ardor and 
 scarcely thought of death."' Colonel Fahnestock, on page 37, says: '-Colonel 
 Harmon asked me whether I thought we could carry the works'/ I replied that I 
 thought not, as we had too far to run and the rebels were reinforcing their lines. 
 I also told him that if we failed to carry the works I would surrender before 
 my men should return over the open held." After Colonel McCook fell mortally 
 wounded and Colonel Harmon was killed Colo.nel Dilworth assumed command, 
 and when Colonel Fahnestock crawled from the left to the right and found 
 Colonel Dilworth, he says "I asked Colonel Dilworth what was to be done? He 
 asked me my opinion. I told bim we could not retreat and I did not feel willing to 
 surrender: so we agreed to separate the men and make four lines and throw up 
 fortifications while our sharpshooters held the enemy in check" McCook's 
 brigade being well drilled, order was quickly restored, and a steady regular tire 
 was kept up on our front. Colonel Dilworth then sent Capt. E. L. Anderson, 
 brigade adjutant general, to report the situation to Gen. Jeff C- Davis, com- 
 manding the division, and to request that he would send forward intrenching 
 tools, to strengthen and establish the lines from which to renew the assault: 
 that his lines were within forty paces of the rebel breastworks, and that he could 
 hold his ground. Captain Anderson not finding General Davis reported to 
 General Thomas, who was rather incredulous as to the reported distance 
 between the lines. He questioned him closely and as a result decided that 
 intrenching tools could not be sent safely until nightfall. In the meantime the 
 brigade, a portion of the men firing, the remainder working with sword, tin cup, 
 plate and bayonet succeeded in throwing up enough earth combined with the 
 slope of the ground to protect their prostrate bodies. Henry J. Aten. of 
 Hiawatha, Kan., on page 137 in his "History of the 85th Illinois," says: "Here 
 the brigade remained six long days and nights, for while the offer was made 
 the men declined to be relieved, preferring themselves to guard what it cost 
 so much to gain.'' 
 
 Comrade Samuel Grimshaw of Company "B," 52d Ohio, on page 43. says: 
 "After the charge Gen. Jeff. C Davis came to our regiment and wanted to 
 know of Col. C. W. Clancy how our regiment was in the front line, as we were 
 in the rear in the charge. Colonel Clancy said he did not know how it came 
 about, but he was now in the front line and prepared to hold the ground he 
 occupied." 
 
 The "boys" holding that line could not be stopped by a "furrow in a plowed 
 field," any niore than could the comments among themselves as to the general- 
 ise 
 
ship of their being there be suppressed. The consensus of opinion freely 
 expressed by them while holding their position from June 27th to July 2-3, was 
 that even so great a general as Sherman could make a mistake: but he could 
 not excuse himself at the expense of tlie men of Col- Dan McCof)k's brigade, nor 
 would they permit themselves to be relieved, thereby implying that all the tight 
 was knocked out of them. They never turned thtir backs to the Rebels under 
 Col. Dan McCook, and "Kenesaw"' was no exception. The lapse of tiiirty-seven 
 years has not, in their judgment, changed the (|uestion asked there, "Was it 
 necessaryV" and time will hardly change the conclusion then reached, that 
 "somebody blundered" and there had been a fearful and useless slaughter: and 
 time and history will at last classify the courage and achievement of the Third 
 Brigade and its commander that day with the courage and achievement of 
 Thermopylae's immortal three hundred under Leonidas in that elder day. 
 
 J. B. WOKK, 
 
 'G,"o2dOhio. 
 
 BUSINESS MEETING. 
 
 COL. DAN. MCCOOK'S BRIGADE. 
 
 Peoria, III., Maj- 15. 1901. 
 
 A business meeting of "Uol. Dan. MoCook's Brig-ade Association," was lield in the City 
 Hall this date, President S. W. Rilea presiding-, and J. B. Work, secretary, at which over forty 
 members were present. 
 
 The president stated that lie had called the meeting for the purpose of bearing verbal 
 reports from the secretary, and Captain Dawdy, president of the '• Kenesaw Memorial 
 Association." 
 
 The secretary reported that the minutes of reunion of August last would be ready for 
 distribution at the coming reunions this year. 
 
 Captain L. J. Dawdy, 86th Illinois, president of the " Kenesaw Memorial Association," 
 reported that he had secured the charter, and it was read by the secretary. He reported that 
 he iiad received a letter from Major F. B. James, trustee for the 52d Ohio, saying he was ready 
 to liand over the proportion due as membership for the 52d. 
 
 Dr. J. B. Shawgo, trustee for the 8.>th 111., and W. A. Payton,. trustee for the 125th 111., were 
 expected to be present to-day. 
 
 The 85th responded, saying that they desired to become members, that they already had 
 a part of the membership fee collected, and that the balance would be forthcoming after their 
 ne.xt reunion. 
 
 The 125th 111., had made their arrangements under the first su^'gestion that we purchase 
 twenty acres at a cost of about S125.00 for each regiment; since then no progress had been 
 reported. 
 
 The 22d Indiana reported that they did not wish to decide the matter until their re-union 
 in 1901; however he was in receipt of a letter from Lieutenant Thomas J. Chariton of the 22d 
 saying they were equally interested and he believed they would become a member after their 
 coming meeting. Ho did not leel that he could pledge the regiment financially. 
 
 Captain Dawdy addressed the Brigade and said: 
 
 Comrades of the old 3d Brigade, it gives me much pleasure to be able to state to you, that 
 after much unavoidable delay caused by necessary correspondence with those representing the 
 different regiments of the brigade, the Kenesaw Memorial Association has been granted cer- 
 tificate of incorporation by the state of Illinois. This certificate the Secretary has read for 
 your information. 
 
 After much correspondence with those selected for directors by the different regiments 
 (except the 23d Indiana), I came to the conclusion that it would be best to incorporate the 
 Association without further delay. Thereupon two directors were selected from the SGth, 
 making the necessary five. Then should the 22d Indiana conclude to join us after holding their 
 ue.\t reunion, one member from the Siith will withdraw in favor of a director from tliat regi- 
 ment. A committee of two from the 22d Indiana were to meet me in Chicago at our brigade 
 re-union last August. This they failed to do. But afterwards one of that committee wrote me 
 that they did not meet me because they did not feel like deciding a matter which the regiment 
 as a body had failed to decide for itself. However, this member of the 22d assured me tliat he 
 was in favor of the proposition and that it was a most worthy object, and one which he hoped 
 his regiment at its next re-union would endorse. Therefore I have faith that the 22d will join 
 us after its next re-union. The other four regiments are now in line and working with a will 
 for the success of the Kenesaw Memorial Association. I had called a meeting of the directors 
 
 137 
 
to take place here today, the object being: tlie formulating: of by-laws and rules for the govern- 
 ment of the association. But up to this time a majority of such directors have not appeared. 
 However I must say that I feel that we have made very fair prog-ress in the matter when we 
 consider the many difficulties in the way. caused by the required actions of those scattered 
 over several states. I think we may feel sure that nearly every member of the gallant old 
 brigade is with us and anxious to see that historic field dedicated to the memory of American 
 manhood. Indeed I think it will be strange, to me at least, if there are any who do not feel 
 it a sacred duty that we owe to our brave comrades who gave up life in the early morning of 
 their manhood, that this, the grandest of all republics might continue. I cannot see how any 
 one who passed through that struggle can be indifferent in the matter of improving that field. 
 Let me recall the story of the experiences of that dearest of ail brigades, from the beginning of 
 the Atlanta campaign: 
 
 The brigade was by this time so small that the 22d Indiana was added to it and so remained 
 to the close of the war. On the advance in May toward Atlanta, McCook's brigade again faced 
 the enemy at Tunnel Hill and Buzzard's Roost, next at Resaca, Rome, Dallas, New Hope 
 Church and near Big Shanty, each engagement thinning tiie ranks, although adding courage to 
 those remaining, until they were led to believe that no place could be successfully defended 
 against them. 
 
 The brigade had dwindled away in numbers until there were less than 1,600 men. Yet 
 they were undismayed and with no tliought of reward or compensation save the consciousness 
 of duty faithfully performed and a restored Union. Now having reached the hills near 
 Kenesaw it seemed that Atlanta, only 23 miles away, would soon be added to the long list of 
 trophies. But between them and the gate ciry loomed up Kenesaw mountain, and the lesser 
 heights nearby, each bristling with the bayonets of a brave and determined foe, and with 
 every advantage of location in their favor, besides being thoroughly entrenched. Again 
 McCook's brigade is among those selected to charge this new stronghold. General Sherman 
 had decided that he would try to break through the center and divide Jo. Johnston's army. 
 Four brigades were selected to make the assault, and were commanded by Mitchell, McCook, 
 Harker and Wagnei-, and occupied the line from right to left in the order named. The distance 
 between the contending armies' works was about 400 yards. The Federals in the valley and the 
 Confederates on the heights. 
 
 To undertake to capture the Confederate works seemed to officers and men alike to 
 be an act of desperation or daring, rather than that of good generalship. Think of crossing a 
 swamp thirty yards wide and then climbing up 150 feet in three hundred yards, driving 
 American veterans from behind works which completely protected them, save a crack or space 
 necessary for the rifle, and with abattis in front of such works for several feet, and you will 
 have some conception of the magnitude of the undertaking. But as true soldiers never 
 question the orders of a commander, nothing was left to be done but make the assault, and 
 carry the works if possible. Other troops occupied the Federal works behind which those to 
 make the assault formed for the charge, and at the signal, the command rang out forward, and 
 those brigades crossed the Federal works, down and across the swamp and then began the 
 ascent of the hill. The enemy in the meantime, with shot and shell was pouring the missiles 
 of death into those advancing lines, still onward and upward they moved, facing a cascade of 
 fire from beneath those liead logs, yet on they went, lines thinning and wavering, men falling 
 and wounded men trying to get back, but still onward they went until the works were reached, 
 only to find the defenders determined to stay there, and on account of the abattis were 
 prevented from crossing in force and using the bayonet, yet many hand-to-hand conflicts 
 occurred across the works. The colors of at least three regiments of McCook's brigade 
 reached the works. The result— Harker's brigade on the left after reaching the works was 
 repulsed, losing many officers and bearing with them their dying commander as they fell back. 
 Mitchell's brigade on the right never reached the works of the enemy, but lost heavily because 
 of an enfilading fire from a battery on the right. They had to fall back. McCook's brigade 
 struck the works nearly full length of its line, and its gallant commander was mortally 
 wounded on the works while urging his men on, and was borne to the rear. Colonel Harmon, 
 next in rank, assumed command and lived but a moment, men and officers alike falling every- 
 where, and some taken prisoners. Colonel Dilworth, next in rank, takes command. Confusion 
 ensues, but only tor a moment, when those not hurt fell back only a few paces, and taking 
 advantage of the lay of the ground, lay down. This compelled the enemy to raise themselves 
 above the works to get a shot. This gave McCook's brigade half a chance, and while part with 
 bayonet and tin cup dug into the earth, the remainder kept the enemy out of sight, and when 
 night came on tools for entrenching were furnished them, and by morning they too had good 
 earthworks. 
 
 McCook's brigade never left that hill as long as the enemy staid there, and at the expira- 
 tion of five days and nights found tliem with two strong lines of works, one within 90 feet and 
 a tunnel within 30 feet, and had the enemy remained one day longer a mine explosion would 
 have made those works easily passable. 
 
 Those works and the tunnel are there to this day in a good state of preservation. 
 
 338 
 
The loss at Kcnesaw, as reported by Thomas to Sherman, was 1,580, out of 5,000. Think of 
 it. In a flght histiug not longer than 20 minutes a number greater tlian fell from the ranks of 
 our army during the entire Spanisli war. 
 
 As the assault failed to break the enemy's lines nothing mucli has been said about It. yet 
 the best generals on both sides recognize that no more persistent and heroic assault was ever 
 made on any field in any war. General Joseph E. Johnston says of it in his narrative that none 
 but Americans could make such a determined and persistent assault. And General Sherman, 
 while acknowledging that he was responsible for the charge, tried to satisfy his own conscience, 
 by giving many reasons for ordering it. yet they were not more satisfactory to him, perhaps, 
 than they were to those who witnessed the slaughter of so many brave men. 
 
 The assault at Keiiesaw was not equaled at Waterloo nor surpassed at Marathon for per- 
 sistent, heroic endeavor. 
 
 The brigade loss was 417. or about 28 per cent. As the result of that battle many of our 
 comrades are now sleeping beneath the pines of Georgia. After Leonidas and his three hun- 
 dred Spartans had fallen at Thermopyhv there was erected to their memory a mouument bearing 
 this inscription: '•Passenger go and tell at Lacii'demon that we died liere in obedience to her 
 sacred laws." A monument should be erected at Kenesaw bearing the inscription that those 
 men died for the preservation of the best government devised by man. 
 
 With monuments on the heights recording the names of those who fell, and tablets mark- 
 ing the lines of contention, future generations will recognize that spot as sacred to the memory 
 of American manhood. The survivors of McCook's brigade now own the land over which they 
 fought, and it is proposed to erect monuments to the memory of those comrades who fell there. 
 Does any one doubt our ability to succeed in this matter? Men who climbed the slope of 
 Kenesaw in the face of such opposition as there confronted them, are not to be foiled in this 
 tribute to our heroic dead. It is now more than thirty-six years since those comrades gave up 
 life that a government "of the people by the people might not perish from the earth." Com- 
 rades, we have been permitted to realize during those'years the full measure of value of the 
 services of those who gave up life that this, the grandest nation of earth, might live. It was 
 our good fortune to be permitted to live and enjoy the fruits of their services. Can it be possi- 
 ble that there is a single survivor of that heroic brigade who is unwilling to assist in paying this 
 tribute to our comrades? I say to you to do less than this we would be unworthy the name of 
 comrades to btave men. We must make that historic field a mecca where the coming genera- 
 tions of American youths can recall with pride the fact that some of their ancestors died 
 there in defense of the faith that Americans can govern themselves. 
 
 In conclusion, the Association is established beyond (luestion and I believe that that 
 splendid old regiment the 23d Indiana will at its next re-union take proper action and join the 
 Association as the other regiments have done. But what shall I say of that other organization 
 which so grandly stood by and with us from the birth of the old brigade to the end, sometimes 
 in front, on either side, behind us or in our very midst and added so much to the good name of 
 our old brigade. Battery "I." God help every soul of them. I felt some delicacy about asking 
 them to assist in paying for the battle field, but now I can say to them that every man who ever 
 belonged to Col. Uan McCook's brigade stands upon an equality as to membership in the 
 Kenesaw Memorial Association. Hence Battery "I" can now join us with the full assur- 
 ance that we had always intended that they must continue with us to tiie end. They are now 
 at liberty to join us in such manner as their big, brave hearts may decide. 
 
 Captain Dawdy said he would liiie an expression as to what constituted individual 
 membership? 
 
 Captain Hall, 86th, said any member of the 3d brigade would in his opinion deem it an 
 honor to become a member and freely subscribe the sum of one dollar; he moved that the 
 membership fee be one dollar. Seconded by Lieut. M. Kingman. 
 
 Col. Allen L. Fahnestock said he concurred as to the fee but he desired that all survivors 
 of the brigade be enrolled as members. 
 
 J. B. Work offered the following resolution viz: 
 
 Resolved, that the niemljership in the Kenesaw Memorial Association of Illinois be divided 
 into three classes: 
 
 First class— All honorably discharged soldiers who served in the 3d brigade, 2d division, 
 14th A. C. their wives, sons and daughters. 
 
 Second class— All honorably discharged soldiers who served in the I'nion army 1861-5 
 their wives, sons and daughters. 
 
 Third class— All loyal citizens. 
 The membership fee to be one dollar. 
 Seconded by John McGinness. Carried. 
 
 Comrade McGinness, 8tith Illinois, said: I am happy to meet with you. I feel a common 
 interest, and from the statements of our President and Secretary and the report of Captain 
 Dawdy. I feel we are making progress, slowly but surely. 
 
 We now have our charter for business and can see our duty plainly. The great thing 
 needful at this time to fully accomplish our undertaking is finances. I believe money will be 
 
 13S 
 
forthcoming, and we will finally ostabllsh a National Park covering the grounds where the 
 Third Brigade of the 2d Division of the 14th A. C. made one of the grandest charges known in 
 history. The valor of that event has no parallel in raodern history. It was a gallant charge on 
 one side and a determined defense on the other. Both sides composed of Americans. Both 
 honest in their beliefs, but one side badly mistaken. One side fighting for State Sovereignty; 
 the other for National Unity. Is our object worthy? i'es. for it is American. Heroes la 
 endeavor, but sad in result. A veritable slaughter. I hope to live until I can again visit this 
 historic spot, and there on monuments of everlasting granite read the names thereon of those 
 who fell, thus perpetuating the valor of the American volunteer soldier. 
 
 Let us not rela.v in energy; let us appeal to our friendb for the necessary funds, and do all 
 we can ourselves. We know that our regimental organizations will soon be gone, and so will 
 -Col. Dan McCook's brigade," and Battery "I." 2d 111. L. A., but if we c.nn accomplish our hope 
 and finally turn our charge to the Government we preserved, we will all be happy. Let us take 
 this subject to our hearts and solicit where we can, and send all to our treasurer, who will give 
 receipts to the donors. One dollar donations are in order, but larger sums will be thankfully 
 received. I trust our friends will be like one German officer who visited the scene of our 
 assault, who. after looking it all over, said: "Veil, py Chiminy. I likes to scharge mit dot 
 briggade." I was amused, and accepted his remark as a compliment. We want our friends to 
 "charge with us." 
 
 Captain John Hall, Sfith III., moved that the action of the '-Kenesaw Memorial Associa- 
 tion" be approved. Seconded by Captain Jo Major. Adopted. 
 
 Lieut. E. C. Silliman, 86tli 111., said he was in favor of each Regiment appointing one mem- 
 ber, to be a committee to visit Ivenesaw battlefield and locate the historical points, the time of 
 such visit to bo arranged for the near future. When their report is made, which should be in 
 time for the regimental reunions this year, then steps could be taken to arrange for a brigade 
 e.xcursion. thereby voluntarily helping to fix locations preparatory to dedication of the battle 
 ■field; he believed quite a number of the comrades would be glad to visit the spot again. 
 
 Lieut. Maktin Kingman, 86th Illinois, 
 moved that one member be selected by each 
 regiment to visit Kenesaw and make surveys, 
 measurements and fix locations and historical 
 points held by the brigade. 
 
 Seconded by Col. Allen L. Fahnestock. 
 
 Carried. 
 
 Lieut. Kingman said: I was not present at 
 the meeting last August in Chicago, my business 
 duties at that time preventing my presence. I 
 had calculated to be present on that occasion as I 
 have had a great interest since the war in the 
 re-union of the old Sfith Regiment Illinois Volun- 
 teer Infantry of which I was a member, and was 
 much disappointed that I could not be present at 
 the meeting. However, I note you had a royal 
 good time and tlie fire of thirty-six years ago has 
 not yet entirely died out. I take this occasion to 
 urge that we adopt measures to perpetuate the 
 memory and heroism of our comrades who fell on 
 the bloody field of Kenesaw; I feel that it is a 
 duty that the various regiments that participated 
 in the assault on Kenesaw Mountain June 27, 
 1864, should now join in erecting a monument to 
 each regiment and otherwise improve the grounds 
 where they mads the charge. 
 
 The S6th Illinois has taken active steps by 
 purchasing some sixty acres of ground which 
 covers the space where the charge of McCook's 
 brigade was made and are now holding it for the 
 different regiments to join in the proposed 
 ei-ection of monuments as indicated. Now I do hope that this plan will be carried through as I 
 feel if the living cannot take a sufficient interest in the dead who died on that bloody battle 
 field, that those that will follow us will surely not do so. I have visited the battlefield of Kene. 
 saw Mountain a number of times and each time I have been more interested, and as I was on 
 detached service in charge of the ambulance corps, of the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 14th army 
 corps, and personally came in contact with all of the wounded on that and following days, and 
 having charge of the removing of these wounded men, and assisting in the burying of the 
 
 140 
 
 MAirriN KINGMAN, 
 
 Lieut. Co. "G," 86th Regiment, 
 
 Illinois Vol. Infty. 
 
dead, and my personal experience under these eircumstanoes was quite different from that of 
 men and officers in the line. I have read with very great interest the detailed statement as 
 made by Colonel Fahnestock as to the truce that was held immedlHtely after the charge as our 
 stretcher bearers had to assist in carrying off the wounded, their report as to this work was 
 fully impressed upon me after tlie removal had taken place. 
 
 The sutferiuf? tliat our men went through during- tiie interval of the charge and the 
 armistice was sucli that words cannot describe it. 
 
 I feel what ever we can do as comrades in the way of rearinj? tliese monuments ought to 
 be done at once, because of the fact that we are now the majority of us more than .55 years of 
 age, and will soon pass out of e.vistence. and it is my hope at the re-union of the regiments this 
 coming fall, that due provision will be made for carr.vingout this proposed \vork. 
 
 I will say rliat I have had some conversation with our Senators and Representatives, as 
 well as General Roynton, the Superintendent of the Chickamauga battlefield, as to the 
 probability of the United States Government making- a park of the grounds of the various 
 battlefield?, immediately around /Itliinta, and I have learned there are several propositions of 
 this kind sug-gested, but t hat on account of the Government desiring- to complete the proposed 
 improvements at Corinth battlefield, this matter of looking after the Atlanta fields must be 
 postponed. 
 
 It is my hope eventually Kenesaw Mountain may be included as I have indicated, and 
 mention it so you may understand that it is being looked after. The cost of the land and the 
 amount necessary to complete a separate monument for each regiment cannot be large, if all 
 will join, and I am quite sure that when they understand the scope of the work proposed, that 
 they will join heartily, by making a good liberal subscription; and right here I want to say that 
 we want every old soldier who was a member of the Third Brigade to have a part in it, and if 
 there is any that cannot give, we want their names, and we will see that they have a part in 
 the erection of this monument. 
 
 Captain John Hall said the amount necessary to carry out the plans as outlined by 
 Lieutenant Kingman could be raised at our coming regimentJil reunion, if the matter was 
 presented and made urgent; let ways be devised and prompt action taken, and all survivors be 
 invited to contribute. 
 
 President Rilea said with reference to excursion to Kenesaw, he believed a satisfactory 
 rate could be secured. 
 
 John Slane, 86th Illinois, said he was heartily in accord with what was said. Physically, 
 he was not able to make the trip if the weather proved to be oppressively hot. 
 
 On motion of C. W. ]\IcKeown, 80th Illinois, the following were appointed a committee on 
 transportation and excursion to Kenesaw: 
 
 S. W." Rilea, 86th Illinois, Chicago, III.; Lieutenant E.G. Sillimau, Chenoa, III.; Samuel A. 
 Harper, .52d Ohio, Peoria, III. 
 
 Colonel Fahnestock said Comrade Slane's remarks impressed him, and hoped his sugges- 
 tion that the excursion be fixed for late in the fall would prevail. 
 
 Archie Smith favored a late excursion; time would be necessary to work up the excursion. 
 
 Captain Hall thought it would be best to refer the date of trip to the reunions. 
 
 Lieut. Silliman said the rate committee would act in conjunction with regiments. We 
 took Kenesaw once, we hold it now, and that all wanted to see it again. 
 
 Comrade Samuel A. Harper, 52d Ohio, said he wished to correct a bit of history written 
 from a rebel standpoint, in reference to the charge of McOook's Brigade at Kenesaw. 
 
 In "Great Commanders, "General Joseph Johnston, by Robert M. Hughes, edited by James 
 Grant Wilson, on page 241. falsities the truth in speaking of what took place in our front, or as 
 he is pleased to term it. in General Pat Cleburne's front. He says: " One of the prettiest epi- 
 sodes of the Civil War," in fact was one of the most cowardly and damnable acts of the war. I 
 allude to the burning of our helpless wounded comrades, lying between the lines, that night 
 after the charge, by Cleburne's men throwing over their works "fire-halls" of cotton saturated 
 with turpentine that set fire to the dry undergrowth, burning our dead and wounded. We who 
 were eye witnesses, and heard the cries of these helpless wounded, who suffered there, owe it 
 to their memory, in the interest of the truth, to record it as our conviction then, and not since 
 changed by events, to brand this "episode," the act of Cleburne's men, as one of cruelty un- 
 iniralleled during the war, and should be so recorded. 
 
 Col. Fahnestock said he heartily concurred in what Comrade Harper had said that he 
 was the only living man who was present and could repeat what Col. Dan McCook said as the 
 regimental commanders surrounded him as he sat by the tree giving his last orders to make 
 the charge. lie wrote down that evening everything that transpired; there was honor and 
 credit enough for all. 
 
 Lieut. Silliman said it was important that we record historical facts and if we write at all 
 it must be done soon. We should commence now. 
 
 141 
 
Comrade Harper inquired as to surveys ot land. Lieut. Kingman replied that the only 
 survej's made was as to the boundaries of tlie land purchased. Everything remains to be done. 
 The point is to have the committee locate historical points as early as possible and when the 
 excursion takes place the Comrades can verify the record of the committee because it was not 
 likely even the committee could know and locate all the places. 
 
 Lieut. Dawdy did not think the committee would have much trouble in officially fixing- 
 every point of the works; they stand today as they did then. He hoped that every man of the 
 Brigade would visit the scene again and all join and work for the welfare and success of the 
 " Kenesaw Memorial Association" of Illinois. 
 
 Captain Jo Major inquired if it was possible any action could be taken today to perfect 
 the organization of the Kenesaw Association. 
 
 Captain Dawdy said that he hoped the three absent trustees would report, when a meet- 
 ing would beheld and the organization completed as required by law. 
 
 On motion the meeting adjourned. 
 
 J. B. Work. Sec. and Treas. S. W. Kilea, President. 
 
 KENESAW MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION 
 
 Has been organized under the laws of Illinois, with the following as directors for the first year: 
 
 W. A. Payton, Trustee, 12.>th 111. V. I Danville, 111. 
 
 Captain Jo. .Major, Trustee, 86th 111. V.I Eureka, 111. 
 
 Dr. J. B. Shawgo, Trustee, 8r)th 111. V.I Quincy, 111. 
 
 IMajor Frank B. James. Trustee, 53d Ohio V. 1 Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Captain L. J. Dawdy, Trustee, 86th 111. V.I Peoria, Ul. 
 
 L. J. DAWDY, President, Peoria, 111. 
 
 142 
 
MAP OF 
 
 The Assault upon Kenesaw Mountain, Qa. 
 
 June 27, 1864. 
 
 Prepared by Frank B. James, late Captain and Brevet Major 52d Ohio 
 Volunteer Infantry, McCook's Brigade, Davis" Division, 1-ith Army Corps. 
 Published by the Ohio Commandry Military Order of the Loyal Legion. 
 
 Loaned Colonel Dan McCook's Brigade Association for the use of their 
 re-union minutes for 1900, through the kindness of Major F. B. .lames, 
 Cincinnati, O. 
 
 FRONTISPIECE. 
 
 Assault of Colonel Dan McCook's Brigade on the "Dead Angle," Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Ga., .Tune 27, 1864. Colonel Dan McCook fell mortally wounded on 
 the enemy's works. 
 
 LIST OF PORTRAITS. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Barnett, Charles M 6 
 
 Brown, T. C. S 14 
 
 Canterbury, S. M 40 
 
 Davis, Jeff. C 44 
 
 Dawdy, L. J 10 
 
 Dilworth, Caleb J 50 
 
 Fahnestock, Allen L 36 
 
 Harmon, Oscar Fitzallen 51 
 
 Hall. John H 16 
 
 Hooten. M. M 42 
 
 James, Frank B 50 
 
 Jones, Tom 31 
 
 Kingman, Martin 140 
 
 McCook, Daniel, Jr Title Page 
 
 McCook, John J Ill 
 
 Moore, Robert S 49 
 
 Major, Jo 46 
 
 McKeown. C W 35 
 
 Rothacker, Samuel 21 
 
 Rilea, S. W 27 
 
 Seay, James T 41 
 
 Stewart, :N. B 23 
 
 Shea, Thomas 31 
 
 Work, J. B 12 
 
 ERRATA, 
 
 Page 8: Dennis Olehy, Danville, 111., Wm. J. Olehy, Potomac, 111., instead 
 of Dennis Oldny and Wm. J. Oldny. 
 
 Names omitted on page 8, Battery " I " 2d Illinois Light Artillery: Lieut. 
 W. E. Hay ward, Indianapolis, Ind.; Albert II. Lightfoot, Wapella, 111.: George 
 N. Hodge, Sterling, Kan.; James S. Weatherby, Atwood, 111. 
 
 On page 50, under half-tone of Col. Dilworth, should read Colonel 85tli 
 Regiment 111. Vol. Infty. instead of 86th. 
 
RECORD OF ENGAGEMENTS IN WHICH 
 THIRD BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION, 
 FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, 
 ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND 
 PARTICIPATED 
 
 TKe 
 
 52d 
 
 Oh 
 
 io 
 
 was 
 
 prese 
 
 nt 
 
 and par- 
 
 ticipated 
 
 in 
 
 tKe 
 
 Rel 
 
 re at 
 
 of 
 
 Army of 
 
 Kent 
 
 ucKy 
 
 R 
 
 ich 
 
 ntond to 
 
 Louisville. 
 
 AvLg 
 
 u s t 
 
 31 
 
 . s 
 
 ept 
 
 e m b 
 
 B r 
 
 5 , 18 6 2 
 
 Perry ville, Ky October 8, 1S62. 
 
 Stone River, Tenti December 31, 1862. 
 
 Chickamauga, Ga September 19-21, 1863. 
 
 Mission Ridge, Ga November, 25, 1863. 
 
 Knoxville Campaign November 28, December 16, 1S63. 
 
 Buzzard Roost, Ga May 9-11, 1864. 
 
 Resaca, Ga May 14-16, 1864. 
 
 Rome, Ga May 17, 1864. 
 
 Pallas, Ga May 26, June 4, 1864. 
 
 Kenesaw Moifntain, Ga June 11, July 2, 1864. 
 
 Kenesaw Mountain, Ga General assault June 27, 1SS4. 
 
 Peach Tree Creek, Ga July 19-21,1864. 
 
 Atlanta, Ga Siege of, July 22, September 1,1864. 
 
 Sandtown Road, Ga August 7-12,1864. 
 
 Jonesboro, Ga September 1, 1864. 
 
 North Alabama Campaign . . . September 30, November 15, 1864 
 
 March to the Sea November 16, December 13, 1864. 
 
 Savannah, Ga December 21. 1864; January 19, 1865. 
 
 Carolina Campaign January 20, March 21, 1865. 
 
 Averysboro, N. C March 16, 1865. 
 
 Bentonville, N. C March 19-21, 1865. 
 
 Goldsboro, N. C *.. March 23, April 9, 1865. 
 
 Raleigh, N.C April 13, 1865. 
 
 Washington, II. Cj^. eM^y 24, 1865— Grand Review. 
 
 Washington, D, C _. . . 
 
 H 91 80 
 
 >86 
 
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